Former service personnel, and Sandown councillors, Frank Baldry, Paddy Lightfoot, and Ian Ward took part in a small commemoration at the town’s War Memorial to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Kohima.

Described as Britain’s greatest battle, by the British National Army Museum, it took place from April 4 to June 22 in 1944, and changed the course of the Second World War in Asia.

Frank Baldry, the memorial’s curator, said: “This was the turning point of World War II, with 1944 commemorating the 80th anniversaries of Kohima, Monte Cassino, Operation Market Garden, and most significantly, the D-Day landings in Normandy.”
Paddy Lightfoot added: “This memorial recognises the sacrifices across generations, and the part played by service personnel from Sandown, the Bay and the Island, in conflicts that gave us the freedoms we enjoy today.”

Sandown Town Council has recently renovated the memorial, and is working with the local church, school, historical association, Royal British Legion (RBL) and other nearby councils to organise a special commemorative church service on Sunday, May 19, along with other 80th anniversary events. The town’s mayor, Alex Lightfoot, confirmed that council plans to sign the Armed Forces Covenant to commit to fair treatment of current service personnel, veterans and their families.

Ian Ward, president of IW RBL, said: “The RBL, and the Burma Star Association, recognise the importance of the Battle of Kohima, and the impetus it gave to Allied Forces. That success enabled D-Day to go ahead to liberate Europe in May 1945, then the Far East.”

Kohima was also the location of an earlier battle, recognised by the Kohima Epitaph, which includes the words ‘When You Go Home, Tell Them of Us, For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today’, words which are still spoken at Remembrance and Armistice Day services every year.

The Island’s war-time contribution to conflict in the Far-East is remembered locally at St George’s Church, Arreton, where a specially commissioned stained glass window is inscribed “To the glory of God and in proud memory of those who died and all who served in the Burma campaign”. There is a cabinet beneath containing a roll of honour more than 300 Burma Star Association Islanders, including the late Charlie Cassell, from Shanklin, who served in the Royal Corps of Signals was in regular contact with the late Countess Mountbatten of Burma whenever she visited the Island.

This week also sees the 80th anniversary of the passing of Richard Trevor-Roper, born in Shanklin in 1915, who was the gunnery leader in the Dambuster’s attack on the Möhne Dam. He flew over 50 operations and was in the lead plane in the historic attack, for which he received the Distinguished Flying Cross, before his death during a raid on Nuremberg in the spring of 1944.