Men of the 10th Gurkha RIfles clearing enemy positions on 'Scraggy', April 1944

Official photograph, Burma, World War Two, Far East, 1944.

'Scraggy' was the British nickname for one of the hills of the 5,000 foot-high Shenam Saddle which was the scene of intense fighting during the Japanese drive along the Patel road towards Imphal in April 1944. The position was a labyrinth of bunkers; trees were reduced to shattered trunks and the hillsides turned into barren wastes by artillery fire. The result was a field of battle reminiscent of the worst fighting on the Somme during World War One.

One of 68 photographs in an album collected for the history of 23rd Indian Division, World War Two, Far East (1941-1945).