22 years ago I was given service documents, photographs and a fairly unusual fighting knife by a good friend who was a member our local Burma Star Association. We got to know each other well, he was the Secretary and I was the Treasurer. When my father died I was asked to take his position as President of the Branch, but although a great honour was one iI could not possibly accept. I asked if there was any other position and was told they needed a Treasurer, a post I held for 14 years until we had to close the branch due to having lost almost all our members. Today there no more than 5 surviving members from over 60 at the time I joined.
Back then it was impossible to find any information about T124X that my friend had been a part of. We used to spend occasional long pleasant evenings together, he much enjoyed Gin and sometimes a full bottle seemed to just evaporate. He lived not far from my home and always walked back with a steady gait. As he progessively gave me odd things, that his family he told me had no interest in, the subject of T124X came up. Try as I may he would not disclose his service details, I fully understood that he was in the Merchant Navy, but he never made clear his close encounters with the Japanese. The fighting knife he gave me with the words "three times meant and two times did not like". I typed this to a label at the time so I would not forget.
The T124X agreement-contract was a Merchant Seamans service on Royal Navy Ships, not subject though to the Royal Navy Dicipline Act. T124X also I believe related to service with one ship only. I have recently found out that there are files available at our National Archives regarding T124X and later this year will see what I can discover.
My feeling is that my friend, who died several years ago, was connected to some quite odd experiences, perhaps of a Special Force nature. He was trained in un-armed Combat, also trained as a Naval Diver. He told me he had a partner that would accompany him on various jobs. It is possible he was involved with beach and soil samples prior to a landing, also he once mentioned the taking of prisoners for information, also prior to a landing.
Some of the photographs are quite interesting and one a puzzle. Mina, who was in the ATS, the first woman attached to T124X Sept '44, died in raid Nov '44. How and where could this be, ATS attached to the Navy and seemingly killed in action?
If any forum member has more information about T124X I will be most interested, also any thoughts about "Mina".
Regards, Clive.
Back then it was impossible to find any information about T124X that my friend had been a part of. We used to spend occasional long pleasant evenings together, he much enjoyed Gin and sometimes a full bottle seemed to just evaporate. He lived not far from my home and always walked back with a steady gait. As he progessively gave me odd things, that his family he told me had no interest in, the subject of T124X came up. Try as I may he would not disclose his service details, I fully understood that he was in the Merchant Navy, but he never made clear his close encounters with the Japanese. The fighting knife he gave me with the words "three times meant and two times did not like". I typed this to a label at the time so I would not forget.
The T124X agreement-contract was a Merchant Seamans service on Royal Navy Ships, not subject though to the Royal Navy Dicipline Act. T124X also I believe related to service with one ship only. I have recently found out that there are files available at our National Archives regarding T124X and later this year will see what I can discover.
My feeling is that my friend, who died several years ago, was connected to some quite odd experiences, perhaps of a Special Force nature. He was trained in un-armed Combat, also trained as a Naval Diver. He told me he had a partner that would accompany him on various jobs. It is possible he was involved with beach and soil samples prior to a landing, also he once mentioned the taking of prisoners for information, also prior to a landing.
Some of the photographs are quite interesting and one a puzzle. Mina, who was in the ATS, the first woman attached to T124X Sept '44, died in raid Nov '44. How and where could this be, ATS attached to the Navy and seemingly killed in action?
If any forum member has more information about T124X I will be most interested, also any thoughts about "Mina".
Regards, Clive.
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