Home » “10th May 1942”- First Imphal Bombing of World War 2nd Prelude, Facts and Consequences

“10th May 1942”- First Imphal Bombing of World War 2nd Prelude, Facts and Consequences

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Yumnam Rajeshwor Singh

Rangoon was abandoned on 7th March 1942( by British) and occupied by the Japanese the following day.  The British managed to evacuate sufficient supplies of food and petrol to maintain their forces on the retreat, saving the army from starvation as it trudged towards India. After a fortnight on 19th March General Alexander appointed Major General Slim, a former officer of the Gurkha Regiment(Fergal Keane).

General Slim’s regiments came out of Burma as skin and bones, in rags, though under arms, and took post along the frontier for the monsoon….  The end of the retreat was in sight. The British columns disappeared into the mountains of Manipur as the monsoon rains broke. As the last echelons passed over the Tamu road it was washed out behind them. On May 20th, Alexander’s Army of Burma ceased to exist as a command, and his troops were incorporated into the IVth corps of the Indian Command based on Imphal…  There is a tale which must be told elsewhere of the suffering of the 4,00,000  Indian and  Burmese refugees who fled before the fire and sword of the enemy( Japanese). Probably 10,000 died on the road to India, most of them in the dreaded Hukawng Valley beyond Myitkina  ( Frank Owen).

 A refugee camp was established just north of Imphal at Koirengei. Here they came in their hundreds. Many had no money, food or spare clothing. Many, above all the women and children, were desperately ill. On most days the road was packed, until one felt one must be emerging from a football stadium. For the refugees India had become the Promised Land. Manipur was for them not India. They must go farther, beyond the Brahmaputra, in their search of safety…. Day and night the march went on. Those who dropped out lay where they fell. Vultures waiting above the refugee camps and halting-places could be seen from afar. Every night a score of corpes was burnt lest an epidemic break out. Children were leaving their parents, and parent their children. The farther they walked, the less they carried (Geoffrey Evans).

On 9 March 1942, the 64th Sentai was transferred to Chieng Mai airfield, in Thailand, in preparation for operations over Burma… The Unit arrived with 15 Ki-43s and two Ki-27s, as well as one captured Hurricane. Both the Ki-43s and Ki-27s were used for escorts of 52 Ki-21s bombers which were operational at that time. From early May 1942, the 64th Sentai operate from its new air base at Toungoo in Burma (Hiroshi Ichimura)

In  April (1942) Japanese reconnaissance planes began to fly over nearly everyday. The siren whined, but never a bomb dropped.  After a sequence of false alarms the warnings became little more than tiresome interruptions to the day’s leisurely routine, and soon they were regarded with scant respect. Indeed  Gimson (Christopher Gimson was the then British Political Agent) recalls that when the siren did sound mid – Morning on May 10th, he said to his assistant: “I must remember to tell Hurrell ( Commanding the 4th Assam Rifles at Singjamei) to stop these silly signals’. An  hour later the siren wailed again. ‘Damn!’ exclaimed Gimson on his verandah. ‘I forget to tell Hurrell’… These were almost famous last words. Bombs crashed upon bazaar and cantonment alike. Seventy civilians were killed and another eighty wounded, while a score of European refugees, one of them, a judge, were caught either in camps or lorries and killed (Geoffrey Evans)

  As per the British Records, following 84 Manipuries were recorded death on that fateful day of 10th May 1942. There are mistakes in spelling of names of individuals and name of places. The exact words from the record are reproduce to adhere to authenticity.

 

SL NO     SURNAME                                       AGE            IN GRAVE RECORDS

1           ABDUL HALIM                                   33    OF KHERAGAO. DIED AT IMPHAL.

2           ACHUNGPA KABUI NAGA             26    OF MANJER KHUL. DIED AT MANJER KHUL.

3           AJIGAR                                                34    OF MANTRI PUKHRI. DIED AT MANTRI PUKHRI.

4           AKOIJAM THARE DEVI                    50    OF LAMABAM LEIKAI, IMPHAL AT LAMABAM LEIKAI, IMPHAL.

5           ALIGAR KHAN                                   32    OF KHAN SAHIB’S HATTA, IMPHAL. DIED AT EUROPEAN REFUGEE CAMP, IMPHAL.

6           AMARU NAGINEE                             22    OF MANJER KHUL. DIED AT KHOYATHONG.

7           AMIR-UD-DIN MIAN                        30    OF KAIRANG. DIED AT CHINGMEIRONG.

8           AMUREIMA DEVI                              32    OF SINJABUNG LEIKAI. DIED AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

9           ANGANGMACHA DEVI                   80    OF LAMABAM LEIKAI. DIED AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

10         BAJET PAO KABUE NAGA              35    AT MANJER KHUL.

11         BARUNI DEVI                                     32    OF KONSAM LEIKAI. DIED AT CHINGMEIRONG.

12         BHADUR THAMI                               45    OF CHINGMEIRONG. DIED AT REFUGEE CAMP, BRITISH RESERVE, CHINGMEIRONG.

13         CHABANGBAM TOLMU SING       55    OF KHURAI, SOIBAM LEIKAI. DIED AT SOIBAM LEIKAI.

14         CHABUNGBAM ONGBI BHUMAR        40    OF KOIRENGEI. DIED AT CHINGMEIRONG.

15         CHINGANGBAM LALA SING         20    OF KHURAI, CHINGANGBAM LEIKAI. DIED AT MANTRI PUKHRI.

16         DALIP SINGH                                     43    AT IMPHAL.

17         GINAM BHUBAN SING                    13    OF FOUSANGBAM LEIKAI, THANGMEIBAND. DIED AT THANGMEIBAND.

18         HACTOMBA KABUI NAGA             45    AT MANJER KHUL.

19         HEIKRUJAM MEINA SING               27    OF SAGOLBAND. DIED AT REFUGEE CAMP, BRITISH RESERVE.

20         HEIKRUJAM RAJMANI SING          19    OF NUNGU VILLAGE. DIED AT LAIKANGBAM LEIKAI.

21         IBEM LAL DEVI                                  34    AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

22         IBEMCHAOBI DEVI                           11    OF POLEM LEIKAI. DAUGHTER OF SAKHI DEVI. DIED AT POLEM LEIKAI.

23         IBETON DEVI                                      2      AT POLEM LEIKAI.

24         IROM IBOCHA SING                         20    OF KHURAI KONKHAM, LEIKAI. DIED AT MANTRI PUKHRI.

25         JANAB ALI                                          50    OF KHAN SAHIB’S HATTA, IMPHAL. DIED AT EUROPEAN REFUGEE CAMP, IMPHAL.

26         JUBATI DEVI                                      20    AT MAINAM LEIKAI.

27         KAKHUPUM KABUI                          25    AT MAJORKHUL, IMPHAL.

28         KAMINI DEVI                                     35    OF SAGOLBAND, NANDIEBAM LEIKAI, IMPHAL. DIED AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

29         KAMINI DEVI                                     36    OF KONSAM LEIKAI. DIED AT CHINGMEIRONG.

30         KANGHUJAM THORI THORI SING        23    OF KHURAI LALANBUNG, KHEIDEM LEIKAI. DIED AT AWANG.

31         KARAM SINGH                                  28    AT IMPHAL.

32         KETUKI DEVI                                      20    OF NINGTHOUBUNG. DIED AT IYAMAPAL.

33         KHETRIMAYUM ANGRU SING      34    OF KONGPAL, KHETRI LEIKAI. DIED AT CHINGMEIRONG.

34         KHETRIMAYUM NINGOL PENU    36    OF KANGAJABI, NAGAMAPAL, MANIPUR. DIED AT KANGAJABI.

35         KHOMDON SANA RAJ KUMAR     14    AT POLEM LEIKAI.

36         KHOMEI DEVI                                    19    AT MAINAM LEIKAI.

37         KUMARI DEVI                                    36    OF KONSAM LEIKAI. DIED AT CHINGMEIRONG.

38         LAIMAYUM CHAOMACHA SHARMA 66    OF POLEM LEIKAI, IMPHAL. DIED AT POLEM LEIKAI.

39         LAISAM YAIMA SING                      17    OF CHINGTHAM LEIKAI. DIED AT MXWELL BAZAR, IMPHAL.

40         LAISRAM TOMBA SING                  30    AT TOP NOARIA.

41         LAMABAM IBOONGOTON SING   56    AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

42         LEIRIK DEVI                                        21    AT MAINAM LEIKAI.

43         LEMABAM TAMPHAMANT DEVI 13    AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

44         LOITONGBAM TOMBA SING         60    OF LALAMBUNG MAKHONG. DIED AT KWAI LALAMBUNG, IMPHAL.

45         LUCAS TOPPO                                            OF KUTUNIA, GANGPUR. DIED AT MANIPUR ROAD.

46         MADHUMATI DEVI                          22    AT POLEM LEIKAI.

47         MALIKA DEVI                                    50    AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

48         MANI SHARMA                                 24    OF TERA KEITHEL. DIED AT KHOYATHONG.

49         MOIRANG LEIMA DEVI                   74    AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

50         MUHAMMAD MIAN                         30    OF KHERAGAO VILLAGE, IMPHAL. DIED AT THE IMPHAL-DIMAPUR ROAD.

51         NAKE NAGINEE                                 45    OF THANGMEIBAND. DIED AT MANJER KHUL.

52         NAMRAM YAIMA SING                  25    OF NAMEIRAKPAM LEIKAI, MOIRANGKHOM. DIED AT MANTRI PUKHRI.

53         NANDIESBAM MOHAN SING        25    OF CHINGTHAM LEIKAI. DIED AT MAXWELL BAZAR, IMPHAL.

54         NGANGBAM AMUTHOI SING        18    OF LAMABAM LEIKAI. DIED AT TERA URAK.

55         NGANGBAM GOUREMANI SING  46    OF KANGABAM LEIKAI, IMPHAL. DIED AT KHOYATHONG.

56         NINGTHAN KHONGJAM NARAN 53    OF MOUGSANGEI, IMPHAL. DIED AT LEI INGKHOL.

57         NINGTHONJAM GOKUL CHAND  40    OF MOIRANG KAMPU. DIED AT REFUGEE CAMP, BRITISH RESERVE.

58         NIPAMACHA SING                           41    AT POLEM LEIKAI.

59         NONGTHONBAM ONGBI TONSIJA       40    WIFE OF NONGTHONBAM TOMBA. DIED AT LAMLONGGEI, IMPHAL.

60         NUPIMACHA DEVI                           35    AT POLEM LEIKAI.

61         PANCHASANI NAGINEE                 50    OF THANGMEIBAND. DIED AT NAGA BAZAR.

62         PANTI SINGHIK NAGINEE              35    AT MANJER KHUL.

63         PENU DEVI                                          22    AT LAIKANGBAM LEIKAI.

64         PHIJAM CHAOBA SING                   50    AT LALAMBUNG MAKHONG.

65         RULIA RAM                                        38    AT IMPHAL.

66         SAGOLSEM MANI SING                  30    AT LOURUNGPUREL LEIKAI.

67         SAKHI DEVI                                        38    AT POLEM LEIKAI.

68         SAMSOO MIAN                                  35    AT KHETRI.

69         SANASAM MEINE SING                  37    AT LOURANGPUREL LEIKAI.

70         SARAF-UD-DIN MIAN                      26    OF KAIRANG VILLAGE. DIED AT CHINGMEIRONG.

71         SHYAMA                                             29    (ALIAS YAIMABI DEVI). OF SAGOLBAND, NANDEIBAND LEIKAI. DIED AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

72         SHYAMA DEVI                                  39    AT LAMABAM LEIKAI.

73         THAKCHOM BRAJAMANI SING    20    OF URIPOK SOIRABAM THINGEN, KABRAMBAM, LEIKAI. DIED AT KHUYATHONG.

74         THAMBAL DEVI                                40    AT KANGJABI LEIRAK, MEINAM LEIKAI.

75         THARO DEVI                                      40    OF KHONGHAMPAT. DIED AT CHINGMEIRONG.

76         THIAM IBOTON SING                       28    OF KEISAMPAT, IMPHAL. DIED AT MAXWELL BAZAR, IMPHAL.

77         THIAM NARAHARI SING                39    OF THANGMEIBAND. DIED AT MAXWELL BAZAR, IMPHAL.

78         THIAM NARHARI SING                   40    OF LILASINGKHONGRANG MAKHONG. DIED AT AWANG DUKAN.

79         THOKPAM LALA SING                     21    OF KONGKHAM LEIKAI. DIED AT MANTRI PUKHRI.

80         THOUDAM DEVEN SING                 24    AT MAINAM LEIKAI.

81         THOUDAM IPI SING                         23    AT MAINAM LEIKAI.

82         THOUDAM UPENDRA SING           28    AT MAINAM LEIKAI.

83         YUMLEMBAM MANGI                     16    SON OF YUMLEMBAM CHANDRAHAS. DIED AT KHUYATHONG POLEM LEIKAI,     

 

84         YUMNAM KAMAL SING                 35    OF LAMABAM LEIKAI. DIED AT MANIPUR.

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