Fascinating. I shall be very interested in the breakdown between Indian and Gurkha (and before you say it, I know I should have it at my fingertips but I haven't!). Thank you for a very useful and thorough piece of work.
Excellent! Thanks Robert. Reading the Burma citations box at the National Archives recently made the hairs on the back of my neck stand with the descriptions of incredible courage, bravery and sacrifice. I can’t remember who said it, but I think it is believable, that for every written-up Award, there are many more of equal gallantry that are not witnessed or written up. The Burma Campaign, more than any other, I think, would qualify more so on this account. Thanks again. Geoff
One of the upsides of the Covid pandemic is that TNA at Kew have made the medal recommendations free to download online. However, I would suggest that there were many more than 474 gallantry awards given out for the Burma Campaign 1942-5.
My research suggests most infantry battalions have somewhere between 20 and 30 gallantry medals awarded for 1944-5 (not including MIDs). I have used 25 as an average. I can think of 13 Divisions and most of them had ten infantry battalions which would give 3250 awards, plus those awarded to Artillery, Engineers, other Corps. This also does not include medals given out for the 1942-3 period.
If my total is the right order of size for the total of awards then the next question is whether your 474 are a representative sample so that you can do your further analysis on it.
Fascinating. I shall be very interested in the breakdown between Indian and Gurkha (and before you say it, I know I should have it at my fingertips but I haven't!). Thank you for a very useful and thorough piece of work.
Excellent! Thanks Robert. Reading the Burma citations box at the National Archives recently made the hairs on the back of my neck stand with the descriptions of incredible courage, bravery and sacrifice. I can’t remember who said it, but I think it is believable, that for every written-up Award, there are many more of equal gallantry that are not witnessed or written up. The Burma Campaign, more than any other, I think, would qualify more so on this account. Thanks again. Geoff
One of the upsides of the Covid pandemic is that TNA at Kew have made the medal recommendations free to download online. However, I would suggest that there were many more than 474 gallantry awards given out for the Burma Campaign 1942-5.
My research suggests most infantry battalions have somewhere between 20 and 30 gallantry medals awarded for 1944-5 (not including MIDs). I have used 25 as an average. I can think of 13 Divisions and most of them had ten infantry battalions which would give 3250 awards, plus those awarded to Artillery, Engineers, other Corps. This also does not include medals given out for the 1942-3 period.
If my total is the right order of size for the total of awards then the next question is whether your 474 are a representative sample so that you can do your further analysis on it.