MAJOR CLARKE

[Ross Debenham]

I attach 2 scans of a recently acquired cover from FPO 697 which I believe was used by 5th (WA) Brigade in SEAC. Date of posting was 27 October, 1943 which was very early in the Brigades tenure in SEAC. Fortunately the name and number of the Major who sent the letter is on the reverse. Can members help me as to whether the major was orinally with 5 WA Brigade or was one of the officers on secondment from the British Army.

[Alan Baker]

FWR has a number of entries for KD Clarke, commencing in 1934 as Second Lieutenant, King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, rising to Lieutenant by the end of the war. He held temporary appointments as Captain and as Major, this dated 3rd June 1942.

The 2nd Battalion, KOYLI was in Burma in 1941-42, before retreating to India, where it remained until the end of the war. None of the entries on FWR give which battalion he was in.

In 1945, he was again giving a temporary appointment as Captain, noting duty location as Burma and Eastern Frontier of India. This entry quotes his service number as on the cover. It does not however mention KOYLI

Hope this helps