One of Britain’s last remaining hero Chindits has died, taking with him first-hand memories of one of the most brutal and secretive campaigns of the Second World War.
Charlie Richards, who was 104, spoke last year of surviving what he described as a ‘living hell’ during the conflict, when he was among the elite troops sent deep behind enemy lines in the jungles of Burma.
At the time, he was one of only two Chindits still alive.
The Chindits were known as the ‘forgotten army’, carrying out daring guerrilla warfare operations against Japanese forces in Burma in 1943 and 1944.
While the nation celebrated VE Day back home, these men were still fighting deadly missions in near-impossible conditions.
Despite their heroic ambushes and sabotage of Japanese supply lines, the Chindits were largely ignored, even as they endured malaria-ridden jungles, starvation, and constant danger in what is now Myanmar.
Charlie and the only other surviving Chindit, Sid Machin, 101, met the King and Queen during last year’s VJ Day celebrations after being invited as guests of honour by the Royal British Legion.
Speaking to The Mirror ahead of the ceremony, Charlie warned that the world was once again heading for dangerous times.
Charlie Richards, who was 104, spoke last year of surviving what he described as a ‘living hell’ during the conflict, when he was among the elite troops sent deep behind enemy lines in the jungles of Burma
King Charles III with Charlie Richards, 104, during a reception for VJ veterans and their families hosted by the Royal British Legion at The Aspects Building following a national Service of Remembrance to mark the 80th Anniversary of VJ Day
He said he feared a global conflict could be ‘happening again’ and urged ‘lunatics’ Trump and Putin to ‘bash their heads together and see sense’.
Charlie was just 20 when his call-up papers arrived, landing on the same day as those of Horace ‘Son’ Johnson, another young man from Kettering, Northamptonshire.
The pair became inseparable, serving together in the 7th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment before being selected for the Chindits, who were told it would be ‘one great adventure’.
The reality was very different. Charlie recalled there being ‘danger everywhere’.
He said: ‘Death was becoming an everyday occurrence, with bodies to bury almost every evening… after a few weeks of this it made you wonder if it would be your shoulder that death would be tapping on next.’
Life in the jungle pushed men to the breaking point, with malaria rife and soldiers turning yellow from the harsh medication they were forced to take.
Some even died in freak accidents during long-awaited ‘free drops’, when supplies were thrown from planes without parachutes.
One soldier was killed after being struck by a folded tarpaulin sheet.
The Chindit offensive, codenamed Operation Thursday, began on March 5, 1944.
Before heading into enemy territory, the men were issued white nylon scarves printed with maps of northern Burma, known as panic maps.
Tragedy struck during the six-month mission when his best friend Son was killed just yards away from him. A group of Japanese soldiers appeared, and after Son’s Bren gun misfired, he was shot in the head.
Out of the 400 men in Charlie’s column, only 140 returned home unscathed. The name Chindit is derived from a Burmese mythical lion said to guard temples — and Charlie was described as a ‘lion of a man’.
Paying tribute, the Royal British Legion said: ‘We are saddened to hear of the passing of WW2 veteran, Charlie Richards, at the age of 104. Charlie from Kettering, was one of the last remaining members of the elite Chindit regiment that were involved in jungle warfare in Burma during the Second World War.
Prince William and veterans Pat Owtram and Charlie Richards at a reception for veterans who served in the Pacific during the Second World War, part of the commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of VJ Day, at Windsor Castle
‘Joining up at the age of 20, Charlie served in the 7th Battalion of the Leicestershire Regiment, which later became part of a ‘special force’ known as Operation Thursday. He spent months behind enemy lines, ambushing supplies and communications and battling through treacherous terrain, as well as sadly losing his best friend, Son, who fought by his side.
‘Last year, Charlie was involved in the RBL’s VJ Day 80 anniversary, recounting stories of his time in Burma, including those involving many near misses that made him one of the ‘luckiest chaps to return home’ and relaying tales with humour and charm.
‘Charlie became a great friend of the RBL, and his warmth and bright personality will be very much missed.’
