Henry Thomas Woodward Churchill

Myanmar Rangoon Memorial Face 14

The 1st Battalion, South Staffordshire Regiment undertook an arduous long-distance march through the dense jungle of Burma in March 1944 as part of the famous Chindit Force (the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade) during Operation Thursday.

Churchill was probably killed defending the 'White City' during brutal hand to hand combat as the Japanese attempted to overrun the position:

The Henu Block Operations: On March 22, 1944, the 1st South Staffords were actively engaged in intense Attack and Consolidation operations. Having marched from their glider landing site at "Broadway", they had established a vital stronghold straddling the main Japanese railway and road supply lines at Henu.

Defending "White City": This position became famous as the "White City" block (named after the white parachutes that carpeted the trees from supply drops).

Fierce Japanese Counter-Attacks: By March 22nd, the Japanese military had realized the severity of the threat to their rear communications. The 1st South Staffords, alongside elements of the 3/6th Gurkha Rifles, faced wave after wave of desperate Japanese infantry attacks trying to clear the block.

Hand-to-Hand Combat: This specific day marked a period of relentless, close-quarters jungle fighting where the battalion consolidated their defensive perimeters, dug in under heavy mortar fire, and successfully repelled Japanese attempts to overrun the rail block.

Part of the battalion famously arrived via daring glider landings at the remote jungle clearing codenamed "Broadway" on March 9, 1944, while others marched or arrived via transport aircraft.

The March to Blockade: They marched through treacherous, mountainous jungle terrain to set up a vital stronghold and roadblocks (such as the White City block) near Mawlu to cut Japanese communications and supply lines on the main railway and road.

The battalion engaged in fierce close-quarters combat against Japanese forces, suffering casualties including notable figures like Lieutenant George Cairns, who posthumously received the Victoria Cross for actions on March 19, 1944.

The 1st South Staffords operated intensively behind enemy lines in Burma for six grueling months from March to September 1944 before being withdrawn.