War veteran, 102, among last two Chindit survivors

A 102-year-old World War Two veteran has been recognised as one of only two last known survivors of a significant campaign.

Eric Deacon, who was born in Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, now resides at St Mary's care home in Holbrook near Ipswich and worked as a signalman in Bangladesh during the second Chindit campaign from January 1944.

He was recently recognised by the Chindit Society as being one of the last survivors of the campaign.

Deacon described himself as "lucky" to still be here as the country marks Victory in Europe (VE) day on the 81st anniversary.

When the war started in 1939, Deacon had initially been too young to enlist.

Once he came of age, he became a signalman in the Royal Signals, providing vital communications between Chindits on the ground and air support organisations in India.

The Chindits were deployed to carry out guerrilla-style operations against the Japanese and consisted of two campaigns, one in February 1943 and the second in March 1944, which Deacon joined.

"The mission was to manage the fight in the jungle on the edge of Burma," Deacon explained of his time in the war.

"We didn't actually fight in Burma.

"The people fought in the [Battle of] Kohima and Imphal, and they had a big fight against the Japanese there.

"But I helped to set up the switchboard for the 111th Regiment, which was part of the Chindits."

He added: "I don't know who I spoke to; I spoke to hundreds of generals and people.

"Must have been [hundreds] because I was trained to do Morse.

"[The switchboard] kept all the units together — all the brigade commanders were on the switchboard."

Deacon had worked in the city of Sylhet and had been due to fly to join the rest of the Chindits in Burma, but the nearby airstrip was abandoned before he could.

During World War Two, Burma had been part of the British Empire, and Japan invaded the country in January 1942.

Deacon spent three Christmases abroad and recalled where he was on VE Day.

"We were [celebrating], but we were still fighting," he said.

"It was great, and that's all we could say."

Japan eventually surrendered, with Victory over Japan Day marked on 15 August 1945.

Asked what he was most proud of from his time in the war, Deacon said it was the fact that he had kept going.

"I'm just lucky to be here, I feel sorry for the people [who died] and the way it turned out.

"I was just lucky, I was in the right place at the right time."

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