Update to the Sergeant Albert ‘Mac’ McQuire Story

 

In early August 2005 Bernard Boden who is the son in law of Albert ‘Mac’ McQuire forwarded to the Web Site the following documents(s) which had been found amongst Albert’s effects. Sadly they are badly faded pieces of paper and are difficult to read (not surprising bearing in mind that they are 60 years old). However the relevant information on each page (where legible) is given below.

                                                  

 

                                                                                            

 

 

                                                                                           

 

 

 

                                                     

 

 

The message was sent to No 6 from 61 2nd in C  (Presumably meaning from the Second in Command).

 

The signature at the bottom is illegible but appears to have Maj at the end which would of course be in keeping with have been sent by the 2nd in Command.

 

The full message is believed to read:-

 

COULD YOU PLEASE ‘PLS’  ATTACHED VERY URGENT. ’NO CONTACT WITH BUTHI’

 

The reference to BUTHI is undoubtedly a reference to Buthedaung a village around which numerous actions were fought.

 

The letters PLS in the message could also well be PLI and may be shorthand of some description. Whatever the true meaning it is clear from the message that the attached was very urgent.

 

It would follow therefore that the attached was the following message:

                                              

 

The message reads:

 

To 87

From Foster

 

3 INCH MORTAR AMMO AND PETROL IN LARGE QUANTITIES REQD VERY URGENTLY

PLEASE SEND SAME AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. BEARER OF THIS MESSAGE WILL BRING

AS MUCH AS HE CAN BACK.

 

Signature illegible                                              Time of Origin  1146

 

This message for urgent supplies was originated by ‘ Foster .

 

On page 96 of Major John Hallam’s book The History of the Lancashire Fusiliers 1939 – 45 a Lieutenant Foster is mentioned. The relevant section reads:-While the battalion was based on Bawli Bazaar, companies were pushed forward to Goppe Bazaar and Taung Bazaar on the Kalapanzin River. The first encounter with the Japanese took place on 11th November; a patrol of ‘A’ Company, under Lieutenant Foster, laid an ambush for the enemy, which was successful.

 

Although it is clearly not possible to be 100% certain it is believed that these ‘ two’ Fosters are indeed the same person.

 

As mentioned earlier these two documents were found by Bernard amongst Albert’s effects and he had often wondered why Albert should have kept such ‘ unusual’ documents.

 

Careful consideration of the message and the context, time and circumstances in which it would have been written may well provide the answer.

 

The message states that ‘Bearer of this message will bring as much as he can back’

 

One has to consider that a mortar round will weigh at least 8 pounds and a gallon of petrol in certainly not light!

 

It says that ‘ he ‘ will bring as much as he can back.

 

Application of common sense would therefore lead one to believe that ‘ he’ must have had transport. Mules were used extensively throughout the Burma Campaign but it would appear highly unlikely that one person could handle more than one or two mules at a time. It would therefore seem reasonable to assume that mechanical transport was being used.

 

Albert ‘Mac’ McQuire was of course a Carrier Driver and Carrier Commander. Again it is not possible to be 100% certain but it is thought that

Albert was the ‘bearer’ of the message and that it was he who collected the urgently needed supplies.

Why else would he have kept the messages for nearly 60 years?

 

G Pycroft

August, 2005

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Click here for part 3 on the Albert (Mac) McQuire story