The Ron Penhall Collection

The Second World War Burma operations M.M. awarded to Sergeant H. Winters, Royal Marines, a member of “Force Viper” - such was the level of success attained by this small and resourceful force that the Japanese threatened any captured Royal Marine with being ‘roasted and cut into small pieces’: it was as well then that they never captured Winters, for in a ‘very close range’ encounter with the enemy in March 1942, he was largely responsible for killing 25-30 of their number

Military Medal, G.VI.R. (EX. 2294 H. Winters, A./T. Cpl., R.M.), edge bruise, otherwise good very fine £3500-4000

This lot was sold as part of a special collection, The Ron Penhall Collection.

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M.M. London Gazette 9 March 1943:

“For distinguished services in Burma.’

The original recommendation - for a D.C.M. - states:

‘At Padaung on 30 March 1942, Lieutenant Fayle was commander of the reserve platoon which was surprised at 0300 hours by a large force of Japanese. He, with Corporal Winters, R.M., and Marine Shaw, hid beneath a hut and inflicted casualties estimated at 25 to 30 at very close range on the enemy, using Tommy gun, a Bren gun and grenades. Their position was charged twice and ordered to surrender, but he crept out at 0430 and made his escape with his party, having run out of ammunition. They rejoined the launches six miles upstream at dawn.’

Harry (James) Winters was born in Preston, Brighton in June 1916 and enlisted in the Royal Marines at Portsmouth in February 1940. Appointed an Acting Temporary Corporal in January 1941, he was embarked for the Middle East in the following month, as a member of the First Mobile Naval Base Defence Organisation (M.N.B.D.O. (1)), and was, therefore, almost certainly among the 2200 Marines employed in the defence of Crete - less than half of their number returned. As for Winters’ subsequent experiences in Burma as a member of “Force Viper”, it is best first of all to turn to Sir Robert Bruce Lockhart’s history, The Marines Were There, for a description of the origins of that celebrated force:

‘During the closing stages of the Malayan tragedy the units of M.N.B.D.O. (1) in Colombo were asked to provide volunteers for “special service of a hazardous nature”. Every officer and man answered the call, and a party of four officers and 102 other ranks under the command of Major D. Johnston was selected. Known as Force Viper, it left Colombo in H.M.S. Enterprise on 8 February 1942, and disembarked at Rangoon three days later. Its original function was to patrol the east coast of the Gulf of Martaban in small craft in order to prevent the enemy from outflanking our forces ashore, but by now the British had lost Moulmein and were falling back so that Force Viper was unable to perform the task for which it had been formed. Major Johnston was therefore ordered to form a flotilla for other duties. “Form” is a euphemism, for Major Johnston had no boats. They had to be requisitioned or “acquired”, as he described the successful search for craft in his official report. Greatly helped by Lieutenant W. G. S. Penman, R.N.V.R., the Scottish “rugger” international, who had been attached to the Force and who, among his other virtues, spoke Hindustani and Burmese, Major Johnston obtained possession of four launches and three Diesel motor-boats, and these craft, armed with Vickers’ machine-guns and, later, Bren guns and mortars, formed the nucleus of the flotilla. Then in the racing tides of the Rangoon river, he trained his crews for a fortnight.’

By this stage in the proceedings Rangoon itself was in danger from the advancing Japanese and on 6 March 1942 the order for a military evacuation was given. Force Viper was subsequently employed in blowing up the vast oil refineries at Syriam, prior to making its way up the Irrawaddy to Prome, where it arrived on 13 March and went into action for the first time. Lockhart continues:

‘At this stage Lieutenant-Colonel Musgrove took over both the Commando [Burma Commando II] and Force Viper, and their sharpest engagement on land was on 27 March when, with the 17th Division heavily engaged, the Commando was ordered to hold Padaung on the west bank of the Irrawaddy and to prevent the enemy from crossing. Force Viper landed two platoons and a section of Vickers guns. At first all was quiet. The Padaung villagers seemed friendly. Shortly after midnight, however, the Japanese, who had been concealed in the Burmese houses, came out, and a fierce engagement took place in the moonlight. Outnumbered but fighting desperately, the Marines gave better than they got until, running short of ammunition, they made their way back to the flotilla. That night they lost one third of their tiny force.

Undaunted, they continued to make their way up the Irrawaddy, fighting many sharp little actions both ashore and afloat, replacing their damaged craft, blowing up barges on their way, picking up wounded soldiers and refugees and protecting the flank of our retiring Army. At Sameikkon between 27-29 April, they carried out with great skill and true Marine ingenuity the major operation of ferrying the Burma Division across the Irrawaddy. A week later, proceeding up the shallower Chindwin, they again helped to ferry and to cover the Division across the river. Finally, on 17 May they destroyed the last of their craft and, setting out to foot-slog the 200 mile trek to Dimapur, reached Calcutta on 25 May.

Rarely in the history of any nation has so small a force performed so much in such difficult circumstances or displayed such skill of improvisation and such cheerfulness in carrying out its multifarious tasks. Of the 107 men who left Colombo on 8 February only 48 returned. The measure of their success can best be gauged by the threat, broadcast by the Japanese in the middle of the campaign, that if any Marines were captured they would be roasted and cut into small pieces.’

Winters returned home to an appointment at the shore establishment Odyssey in May 1944, where he gained advancement to Temporary Sergeant in the same month, following which he was employed in a Royal Marine Training Group from August 1944 until June 1945. He was finally released from the Service in October 1946.

Sold with the recipient’s original certificate of service and Admiralty letter of notification for the award of his M.M., this last dated 25 March 1943.