30th May 2024 • The HERALD • Page 33 v F @heraldpublishing v New Forest Scaffolding All aspects of scaffolding undertaken • Extensions • Chimneys • Re-Roofing • New Builds etc For a friendly, local, reliable service and a free quotation Telephone: 07734 476855 www.newforestscaffolding.co.uk Full Liability Insurance Lychette Cottage, Roughdown, Blackfield SO45 1XG Family Business Based in Marchwood and Serving all of Waterside and Beyond Supply & Fit, Repairs, Automations & Modifications All Makes, Designs & Sizes of Garage Doors available in most colours Mobile: 07768 294883 Established 1980 New Forest D-Day Legacies of Segregation and Sacrifice by Marc Heighway Marc hosts monthly local history talks, visit: nfhwa.org/events for details. As we re ect on the sacri ces made on D-Day, it’s important to recognize the o en overlooked contributions of Black and Asian troops who played vital roles in the pivotal Allied assault. Among them were Black American troops stationed in the New Forest in the lead-up to D-Day. Incredibly, Black and White US Army units were segregated from each other during wartime, a fact that would have been witnessed locally. One memorable story, recorded by the New Forest Remembers Project of 2013, relates to the landlord of the Royal Oak pub at Hilltop, Beaulieu, throwing White American airmen out of the establishment a er they had prevented Black servicemen from remaining. e majority of Black American servicemen in the New Forest would have worked in logistics and support roles. I do not believe that any le the area on D-Day in combat roles. However, some were photographed in Brockenhurst in July 1944, likely en route to France in support roles following the invasion. It was a very di erent story in the Royal Air Force. During the Second World War, many nationalities ew in combat for the RAF, including Black Caribbean men and others from a wide range of nationalities. Among these o en unsung heroes is the remarkable Htin Yain Lao, a young man whose journey epitomizes the courage, determination, and resilience of so many. He was born in Burma (now Myanmar), a land as far removed from the New Forest heathland and villages as one could imagine. He joined the Burmese Volunteer Air Force in November 1940 along with four other ex-college students. A er Japan invaded their homeland, the four of them came to Britain and volunteered to serve in the RAF. Lao and a fellow Burmese pilot, Selvyn Khin, were eventually dra ed into 257 Squadron and trained to y Hawker Typhoon ghter bombers. In April 1944, four RAF squadrons, including 257 with Lao and Khin, were posted to a temporary air eld named RAF Needs Oar Point, just south of Buckler’s Hard and to the west of the Beaulieu River. From there, they would conduct operations over northern France, tasked with so ening up targets before the D-Day invasion. is Perhaps the saddest postscript to this story is how the wife Lao married in the New Forest, just weeks before D-Day, was pregnant at the time of his death. e baby was born four months later and was named David. e boy never got to meet his father: a brave young man from Burma, who came to England, ew from the Forest, and ultimately sacri ced his life for others. Lao’s story, and the stories of others who served in the New Forest during wartime, underscore the universal spirit of valour that transcended borders and backgrounds in the lead-up to D-Day and beyond. eir contribution should never be forgotten. included attacking railway junctions, viaducts, and V1 rocket sites that were under construction. It didn’t come without a cost. roughout April, May, and June of 1944, thirteen pilots from RAF Needs Oar Point air eld were killed in action while supporting the lead-up to D-Day and the days a erward. ree were also taken as prisoners of war a er crash landing in France. ankfully, Lao and Khin were not among these casualties. In fact, during this period, Lao married an English girl in the Forest whilst on leave. In July, the pilots of 257 Squadron le England for advanced landing grounds in France and continued to support the Allied invasion. Lao ew in combat over Europe while his new wife remained in England. But tragically, Lao was killed on January 20th, 1945, when his Typhoon was lost in a snowstorm southwest of Utrecht. He is buried in Dordrecht General Cemetery in the Netherlands, over 5,000 miles from his ancestral home. Htin Yain Lao Robert Watkins, Buck Northington and Albert Williams in Brockenhurst July 1944 with locals
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTIyNzI=