Jean Owen of Brent Knoll remembers her father’s war years.
William Jesse Owen (Bill)
Born 31st December 1921 in Brent Knoll. Somerset Army No. 1421291.
During World War II Bill served from 30/04/1942 to 4/01/1947 in the 9th Royal Sussex, 36th Independent Division, 72 Brigade.
At 20 years old and just 19 days into his marriage Bill was called up to fight for his country.
His training was at Bovington, Sevenoaks and Chichester. Bill returned home only once during his training and happily Jean Owen was conceived during his brief period of leave before embarkation. Bill was advised of the birth of Jean in 1943 by telegram a copy of which you can see below. In the days of the Second World War communications were still a bit prehistoric, taking 5 days for B
ill to get the message that his wife had given birth to a baby daughter.
ill to get the message that his wife had given birth to a baby daughter.After initial training he remembered being terribly upset as the train he had to take from Wool station in Dorset to Liverpool passed through Brent Knoll but alas did not stop.
Bill embarked from Liverpool and spent his 21st birthday in Freetown harbour, he then travelled to Durban and then to Bombay where he joined the newly formed 36th Independent Division, 72 Brigade which went on to relieve the famous Chinditz.
Bill was later sent to Myitkyina, North Burma where one of his first tasks was to collect 70 mules (as packhorses) from 10 miles inside the Chinese border. He then helped to clear a railway corridor from Myitkyina to Mandalay, a trek of some 800 miles.
The 9th was one of the line regiments of the 36th Division which helped to establish a new prestige for Britain’s jungle fighters. Flown into Myitkyina the battalion was well to the fore in the fighting along the length of the ‘railway corridor’ from Mogaung to Katha.
The Sussex shared the honour of fighting farthest from home and being supplied almost continuously from the air for a whole year.
With the Burma campaign well advanced the 9th Sussex made a memorable 90-mile trek through the Shan states to cut off the enemy fleeing from Meiknla.
He fought with the 9th Royal Sussex Regiment along with the 6th South Wales Borderers and the 10th Gloucester Regiment at ‘Hill 60’, a fort which was held by the Japanese Army, many soldiers were lost in the battle.
Bill remembered crossing the Irrawaddy River 3 times being entertained by Vera Lynn in Bawli bazaar, visiting if that is the right word, Pinwie and Katha.
During his time in Burma the remoteness of his regiment meant that they had to be supplied by air drops, these supplies came from the United States of America and included as you would expect corned beef, which after the war Bill would never eat again.
The remoteness of the far East campaign meant that those furthest away from home would receive an extra 6 pence per day although it was difficult to spend it, the occasional rum ration was very well received.
Fighting the Japanese was particularly difficult, not only had you to contend with the jungle but they would hide in dugouts and trees.
Bill was about to be sent to Malaya when the Atom Bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and then on Nagasaki bringing about the surrender of the Japanese on the 15th August 1945.
Jean’s father Pte William (Bill) Owen 9th Royal Sussex Regiment. Enlisted 30th April 1942 and returned home when Jean was 4 years old on 4th January 1947.