Another Anniversary we must remember 70yrs on this year - Kohima 70th Anniversary Described by the Supreme Allied Commander, Earl Louis Mountbatten, as:- probably one of the greatest battles in history,” April marks the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Kohima in north-east India. Though its importance was not fully realised at the time, Kohima was a turning point in the war against Japan – as British and Indian troops held out against a vastly larger Japanese force. The CWGC’s Vice Chairman, Sir Joe French, will visit Kohima War Cemetery in early April to take part in events to commemorate those who died. Sir Joe will unveil a new Visitor Information Panel at Kohima War Cemetery on 4 April which uses the latest smartphone technology to describe the fierce fighting that took place at Kohima and reveal the personal stories of some of those who are buried in the CWGCs cemetery there. The CWGC’s cemetery at Kohima is sited on what were the grounds of the Deputy Commissioner’s bungalow – the scene of some of the fiercest fighting of the battle. Little remains of the battlefield today, save the white concrete lines of what was once the Commissioner’s tennis court – on which the Cross of Sacrifice was erected after the war. The cemetery is the final resting place of more than 1,420 Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War, most of whom fell during the siege of Kohima and the fighting which followed its relief. The majority of those laid to rest here were members of British regiments, but alongside them are more than 330 members of Indian units, and eight flyers who served with the air forces of Canada and Australia. At the highest point of the cemetery stands the Kohima Cremation Memorial which commemorates more than 900 Hindu and Sikh soldiers who were committed to fire in accordance with their faith. During the fighting at Kohima, more than 4,000 British and Indian servicemen were killed, missing or wounded. Among several memorials within the cemetery is a monument to the men of the 2nd Division. It bears the epitaph:- ‘When you go home, Tell them of us and say For your tomorrow, We gave our today.’
Posted on: Tue, 01 Apr 2014 19:26:31 +0000
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