M A R K F O R S D I K E
H I S T O R I A N A N D A U T H O R
BOOKS
A Battalion in Burma is my third book on the Suffolk Regiment's part in the Burma campaign; 1943-44. It was published by Pen and Sword books in May 2024.
This book is designed to be a companion volume to my first book: 'Fighting Through to Hitler's Germany.' It contains numerous first-hand accounts of the men of the Suffolk Regiment who served there together with over 40 previously unseen photographs.
'Second Suffolk' as they were known at the time, fought a bitter campaign against the Japanese both in Arakan, and later at Imphal, earning for themselves a reputation of dogged persistence and tenacity in combat. There were however the complete polar opposite of their colleagues fighting in Europe. Where First Suffolk in Europe won, Second Suffolk in Burma, lost. They were drained of experienced officers and men for Europe and there was no ready 'pool' of men to fill their depleted ranks. Losses continued throughout the campaign as older ranks were repatriated home, having served their time with the Colours. Materiel was also not as forthcoming as it was in Europe, with supplies of ammunition and more crucially drinking water, often being in very short supply. The media too never came to record their stories, so those at home knew little of their loved ones fighting in Burma.
In the main, the average age of the men serving with the Battalion in Burma was mid-late 30s, men predominantly, who were regular soldiers who had enlisted into the Regiment in the mid-1930s.
No one has written of their fighting war since 1946 and then, their counterparts in First Suffolk took the 'lions share' of the regimental history to record their successful campaign in Europe.
You can read more about the men, the Battalion and their campaign by clicking on the photographs at the bottom of the page. If you would like to purchase a copy of the book, please click on the links below and do please read some of the reviews of the book below.
REVIEWS
The Men
The Battalion
"The author’s emotional investment in the battalion and the surviving veterans is evident on every page. The result is a well-crafted, modular history that brings home the true nature of the infantryman’s war in Burma. The daily difficulties faced when attempting to take the war to a fanatical enemy who is completely at home in the hostile environment of the jungle are well articulated. The realities of soldiering amid the utterly unforgiving terrain, the relentlessly harsh climate and the omnipresent threat of disease are all brought home in this new battalion history.
The Fourteenth Army is renowned as the Forgotten Army, the Second Suffolk story was one of the least well-known battalions in the Army’s too often overlooked campaign history. This newly published history brings Second Suffolk out of the shadow of the jungle canopy and puts the battalion in the foreground. This really is a good 360-degree history of the experiences of a very capable infantry battalion often operating at the limits of its endurance, fighting a fanatical and aggressive enemy in an equally hostile environment."
"It's stories about people that engage the reader because the micro is so much easier to identify with than the macro. That's exactly what's been done here. The photographs are a triumph. Not only are there lots of them but the captions are informative."
"For decades, the story of the Burma campaign was neglected, and its participants became known as the ‘forgotten army’. In recent years authors have gone some way to address this – but there are still stories to tell. One British Indian Army unit continued to be overlooked, but thanks to historian Mark Forsdike, the 2nd Battalion, Suffolk Regiment has finally been given a voice.
Forsdike’s research drew on previously untapped archival sources, and enabled him to piece together a blow-by-blow account of this unit’s actions, from training to the brutal battle for ‘Hill Isaac’ and beyond.
An already commendable effort is enhanced by the fact that Forsdike knew several members of the 2nd Battalion personally. Of them, he said: “Many seemed to wish to remember the times before and after Burma… It was the jungle campaign in between conveniently forgotten.” Small wonder that only cursory mentions exist of the battalion in the wider 5th Indian Division histories. However, this is an outstanding account of the unit’s service in Burma, with each chapter complemented by eyewitness excerpts describing the combat, tough terrain and climate.
This is a fascinating story of a little-known unit’s war in the jungle, strengthened by a welcome human perspective."
The Legacy