South Yorkshire Times, October 10, 1942.
Lost In Burmese Jungle
Mrs. Coleman, of 36, Prior Road. Conisbrough, has three sons serving with the Forces.
The eldest. Albert, is with the R.A.F. in Ireland, volunteering 18 months ago.
Bob, a signal man in the Army, has just been in a hospital at which an aunt of his friend, Jack Dunnington, of York, is a nurse. In a recent letter Bob gives an exciting account of his adventures in Burma along with other soldiers he was cut off from his unit by 700 Japanese, being shelled and machine-gunned. They were forced to swim the Chindwin River, and were driven into the jungle. After a further pursuit, Bob found himself alone, without food or water and without knowledge of the whereabouts of his unit or himself. This test of endurance lasted days. Finally as he put it, he decided “where there’s a will there’s a way.” and this spirit got him through safely. He says he has laughed since at the sight he must have looked, hobbling into camp on two sticks and looking like a Burmese civilian, having had neither a shave nor wash for many days. He was immediately sent to a field ambulance, from which he was transferred to an Indian hospital, suffering from exhaustion. Develop dysentery, has now been discharged and was expecting leave at the time of writing home.
The third son, Arthur (19), has been in the army six months, having been promoted recently to the rank of Lance Corporal.