Mne's Tom Bolton and William Trevor Kidwell (right), Albany Barracks 1943
Date: 29/07/2017
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Owner: Pete Rogers (Admin)
Lt James Vernon Crispin Molesworth
Photo credit his nephew William Molesworth.
No.3 Cdo War Diaries have Lt JVC Molesworth leaving the Commando and returning to his own unit by his own request on 5th December 1940 but then returning to the Commando on 6th December. By June 1942 Lt Molesworth found himself attached to the 2nd Battalion the Green Howard's and part of the fledgling 142 Regiment, also referred to as 142 Commando Company, based at Jubbulpore in India.
142 was originally commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel T. Featherstonehaugh of the King's Royal Rifles and their unit strength was 14 Officers, 10 Warrant Officers, and 93 OR's. On the 13th July 1942, command of 142 Commando was given over to Major Mike Calvert of the Royal Engineers. The unit was then supplemented by soldiers from the Bush Warfare School based at Maymyo and the 204 Chinese Military Mission. Both these units had experience in Special Forces operations behind enemy lines and had only recently returned from expeditions in Burma and the Yunnan Provinces of China. It was at this time that 142 Commando moved to their new Chindit training camp at Saugor in the Central Provinces of India.
Lieutenant Molesworth remained with 142 Commando throughout much of the training period at Saugor. However, according to the War diary for the Commando Unit, he suffered some sort of minor injury or wound and was posted across to the main Chindit Brigade Head Quarters on the 11th December 1942. During his time with The Chindits, Lt Molesworth was taken PoW and died whilst imprisoned.
(For more information click on his name below.)
In Memory of 73137 Lt James Vernon Crispin Molesworth,
Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, attd. 77th Indian Inf. Bde., 142 Commando Coy (Chindits),
who died aged 26 on the 7th June 1943,
Remembered with Honour on the Rangoon Memorial.