Period:

Second World War (1939-1945)

Rank:

Havildar (Sergeant)

Unit:

Force 136, Special Operations Executive (SOE), British Government

Awarded on:

February 21st, 1946

1. Havildar Saw San Gyaw volunteered to attempt to penetrate Japanese occupied Burma and with one companion L/Seaman Saw Ah Nyo of the B.R.N.V.R. (Burma Naval Volunteer Reserve red.) was put ashore from an M.I. on the West Bassein Coast on the 21st October 1943. Making their way inland they contacted friends in the Bassein area, but a chance encounter with one of the few Karen collaborators put the Japanese Military Police on their trail and on the 26th October, 1943, they passed a signal saying they were in danger and asking for arrangements to be made to pick them up. No further messages were received, although they were heard trying to make contact on several occasions.
Their set had been damaged in a rain storm. On the 10th November 1943, L/Naik Saw Bonny Bwint who had volunteered to go and look for the party, was put ashore from an M.I. He found them and brought them to a pre-arranged rendezvous on the coast from where they were successfully picked up on the 18th November, 1943. They brought with them two Karen friends and valuable information.

2. Havildar Saw San Gyaw, L/Naik Saw Bonny Bwint and two friends volunteered to return to the same area. Saw Bonny Bwint and Saw Aung Bu were dropped by parachute on the 10th March, 1944. They contacted two friends and arranged a reception for the other two. Unfortunately they failed to make W/T contact with H.Q. but Saw San Gyaw and Saw Bin (?) Gyaw were flown over the area as arranged and on seeing the correct ground signals were successfully dropped to the waiting reception party.

3. Conditions in this area were found to be in a very disturbed state owing to the presence of a Karen party sponsored by the Americans. This party were in trouble; their W/T had failed and they were being chased by the Japanese. Saw San Gyaw anxious for the success of his own mission decided to avoid this disturbing element if possible, but the leader of the American party contacted him through mututal friends, and under pressure from their friends, he reluctantly agreed to a meeting, and to endeavour to pass a message for them on his own W/T. Meantime cut party were having trouble with their W/T and could only get weak and spasmodic contact with H.Q. Shortly after this meeting the Japanese attacked a neighbouring village which they believed to be the H.Q. of the American party. This attack was made in force and the village raised to the ground by mortar fire. The Japanese decombed the whole area, and after arresting a number of Karens, many of them friends and relatives of our men, sent them round the district with instructions to persuade all Allied agents to surrender under threat of reprisals on thei Karen friends and relatives.
Meantime their W/T had gone completely ?/? apparantly due to battery failure. Saw Frederick, a Karen Rice Hill owner, very gallantry offered to recharge the batteries on his own small mill lighting set. Three attempts were made to get the batteries up, but without success.

4. By the 9th May, 1944, the situation of the party was obviously desperate. There had been no contact with H.Q. since 25th April, and news arrived daily of the arrest of friends. On the 14th May, one Saw Maung Mya, whom they had employed as a runner, arrived with the information that Saw Ba Naung who had helped them both in their first operation and subsequently had been arrested and persuaded to talk, Saw Maung Mya also warned them that a Police party was on its way to their hiding place. Saw San Gyaw and his party left at once and made for the east where emergency pick-up arrangements had been made. Japanese Police arrived soon afterwards and after six hours torture the village Headman revealed the hiding place where they had concealed their W/T etc. On the 16th May they were ambushed by Japanese Military Police almost in sight of the coast and the whole party captured. They were taken first to Bassein and subjected to every form of torture and starvation. On the 26th July, 1944 they were removed to Rangoon. On the 22nd November, 1944 one of the party Saw Aung ?, died after being left in a cell without food or water for five days. On the 24th April, 1945, the Japanese evacuated Rangoon taking Saw Bonny Bwint with them to Moulmein. Saw San Gyaw and Saw Mla Gyaw reported to one of our Offcers as soon as Rangoon was re-occupied. Saw Bonny Bwint eventually escaped from Moulmein, contacted an K. Group party and was flown out by them to Calcutta.

5. We recommend the award of the Burma Gallantry Medal to Havildar Saw San Gyaw for his excellent work in the first opepration and for his steadfastness and courage in volunteering to lead a second operation, knowing full well that the area he was going into had already been stirred up and the Japanese suspicious. Finding the situation worse than he expected he could have easily asked to be withdrawn by sea whil he was still in W/T contact with H.Q., but decided to keep going as long as he could while Saw Bonny Bwint worked hard to get his W/T in order. We also recommend the award of the Burma Gallantry Medal to L/Naik Saw Bonny Bwint for his successful evacuation of the first phase and his efforts to keep in touch by W/T during the second operation. He ably backed his friends and leader at al times. After capture the Japanese made every efforts, first by torture, ill treatment and starvation, then by blandishments and promised of good treatment to persuade them to co-operate but they remained loyal and faithful to the end."