The Japanese first bombed Rangoon on the 23rd of December 1941. Between then and late April/early May 1942, the British were to conduct a difficult, demoralising and dangerous retreat of some 900 miles as they fell back to the Imphal Plain, nestled in the hills of North East India, pursued every step of the way by the relentless Japanese onslaught. It was to be the longest retreat in British military history. And it was not just the Army. The whole British and Indian expatriate communities were on the move. Whilst many opted for routes west over the Arakan or north to Bhamo and beyond, many chose to aim for Imphal and travel up the Chindwin valley; it is estimated that a total of 500,000 made it to India, with 10-50,000 perishing on the way. The route to Imphal takes in some 250 miles of the Chindwin River, traveling upstream from its confluence with the River Irrawaddy to the town of Sittaung, from where it is possible to cross the Burma/India border at Tamu... read more