ONE of the last World War II Chindits, Pte Charlie Richards, has died, age 104.
His passing leaves Sid Machin, 101, of Christchurch, Dorset, as the last survivor of this secret guerilla-style unit that fought the Japanese in Burma.
Pte Richards’ death was confirmed yesterday by the Royal British Legion.
Born in Dundee, Charlie was called up to the 7th Battalion Leicestershire Regiment in 1942.
Age 22, he was posted to Karachi, then in India, where was chosen to be part of the British-led Chindits, who wore a distinctive slouch hat as protection against heat and rain.
Enduring horrendous conditions deep in the jungle, they raided hundreds of miles behind the Japanese lines to disrupt supplies and communications in a bid to recapture Burma.
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Their leader, Brigadier Orde Wingate, told his men they were “on the adventure of a lifetime”.
But he also warned they would die, or suffer wounds, or near starvation.
Charlie recalled slogging through dense jungle-covered hills, carrying packs and equipment weighing 70lbs in temperatures of up to 43C.
Last August, Pte Richards, of Kettering, Northants, sat alongside King Charles and Queen Camilla at the 80th anniversary of VJ Day at the National Memorial Arboretum.
He said: “I want to represent all those who saw action in the Far East and remember those who never made it home.
“They included my best friend and comrade, Son Johnson, who was killed in action in Burma.”
When the Chindits disbanded, many of their soldiers, including Charlie, were sent to train for a planned invasion of Malaya in 1945.
He remembered: “One day during training we were all sitting down to breakfast, when the chef came running over shouting that the Americans had dropped a large bomb on Japan and the war was all but over. That was the heartiest meal I ever ate.”
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