Imphal Day
22nd JUNE 1944
Imphal Day is the Regimental Anniversary of The West Yorkshire Regiment (14th Foot) and commemorates the raising of the siege of Imphal on 22nd June 1944. Both the 1st and 2nd Battalions of the West Yorkshire Regiment (The Prince of Wales's Own) were in Imphal and by chance it was also the 259th Anniversary of the founding of the Regiment.
At the beginning of 1944 both the regular Battalions were serving in Burma, the 1st Battalion with the 17th Indian Division and the 2nd Battalion with the 5th Indian Division. Early in February the Japanese attacked both Divisions in the Arakan in an attempt to force their way through to India. The 2nd Battalion formed a defensive box, an area about a mile square surrounded by high hills which were soon occupied by the Japanese. They held their ground for 25 days losing positions to overwhelming attacks but always recapturing them, often at bayonet point, and the Japanese thrust was held and their offensive halted. The British Corps Commander wrote about the Yorkshiremen in his report as follows, "never has any regiment counter-attacked so successfully and as often as in the battle, it is rare in history that one regiment can be said to have turned the scale of a whole campaign".
After having been halted in the south, the Japanese launched a major offensive in the north to take Imphal and destroy the 17th Indian Division with which the 1st Battalion was serving. Eventually the Division was forced to make a fighting withdrawal which continued until they reached the 'last ditch' position at Imphal on 5th April. The 1st Battalion then dug in at the north west of the town.
On 7th April, the 2nd Battalion, which had been flown north, arrived at Imphal and both West Yorkshire Battalions along with other units, were besieged by the Japanese (the first time in sixty years the two battalions had met). For two months, the defenders held on to their positions breaking up massed Japanese attacks with both grenade and bayonet. On 22nd June 1944, the 259th anniversary of the formation of the Regiment, the force at Imphal was relieved.
From 22nd June, victory in Burma was never in any doubt, although for the remainder of 1944 and in 1945, both Battalions were engaged in further heavy fighting in Burma close by one another.
Each year, the Regiment and in particular the 1st Battalion, celebrates the 22nd June as one of our Regimental Anniversaries.