Title:LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR OLIVER LEESE VISITS MEIKTILA [Allocated Title]
Film Number:JFU 100
Other titles:BRITISH ARMY OPERATIONS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
Summary: Lieutenant-General Leese and several other officers visit 17th Indian Division at Meiktila, tour the positions of the Royal Artillery, inspect troops and present medals.
Description: Four 25-pounder guns, grouped closely together, fire continuously. Each volley throws up clouds of dust. Lieutenant-General Leese steps from a Douglas Dakota transport plane and salutes Major Parrish, commander of the Forward Airfield Maintenance Organisation. Officers including Leese and Lieutenant-General Messervy, Commander of IV Indian Corps, depart from the airfield in a jeep. General Leese addresses a closely packed crowd of artillerymen. Messervy and Leese walk through a camp and talk together. General Leese holds a Japanese sword. The General then presents a Distinguished Service Order to Brigadier C Pert. The General chats to Colonel Miles Smeeton, commanding officer of Probyn's Horse (5th King Edward VII's Own Lancers), who was also the recipient of a DSO. Smeeton has a dressing on the side of his nose. Leese then chats to an Indian soldier, Lieutenant Bir Mer Ram, 4th Bombay Grenadiers. Leese then presents the Military Cross to Major Siri Kanth Korla, 7th Battalion 10th Baluch Regiment, and the Military Medal to Lance-Corporal J H Calder of 9th Battalion Border Regiment.
Alternative Title:BRITISH ARMY OPERATIONS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
Production Details: War Office Directorate of Public Relations (Production sponsor)
SEAC Film Unit (Production company)
Park, RolandArmy Film and Photo Unit/SEAC Film Unit cameraman/photographer. (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Leese, Oliver William Hargreaves (person)
Parrish (Major) (person)
Messervy, Frank Walter (person)
Cowan, David Tennant (person)
Mansergh, Eric Carden Robert (person)
Pert, Claude Ernest (person)
Smeeton, Miles Richard (person)
Bir Mer Ram (person)
Korla, Siri Kanth (person)
Calder, Henry Joseph (person)
Indian Army, 10th Baluch Regiment, 7th Battalion (regiment/service)
British Army, Border Regiment, 9th Battalion (regiment/service)
Indian Army, 5th King Edward's Own Lancers (Probyn's Horse) (regiment/service)
Indian Army, 4th Bombay Grenadiers (regiment/service)
British Army, Royal Artillery, 129th Field Regiment (regiment/service)
Keywords: Meiktila, Burma (geography)
Battle of Meiktila 1945, Burma 1942-1945, Second World War (event)
Burma 1942-1945 (theme)
British Army 1939-1945 (theme)
