Burma

In 1926 Maude Longuet Higgins had travelled to Burma, and wrote to her mother, Gertude Longuet Higgins from Maymyo:

Maude went on to discuss her plans to travel to India 'it would be a pity for me not to see Peshawar and Kashmir.' [ref.HF12/10/187a]

Nearly twenty years later the Chindits Special Force were in Burma, and this photograph [ref.Z50/142/736] shows them outside the Shand Road Coffee Shop, Maubin, Burma.

Private Kenneth Wildman of Bedford (c1914-1973) is seated second from right in the group with a child on his knee. (Written on the back of the original photograph is the following "U SOE MIN & Daw Thin. Shand Road Coffee Shop, Maubin. U SOE MIN & Daw Thin. 46, Yegyaw Road, Rangoon)"

Why are these documents at Bedfordshire & Luton Archives?

The Longuet-Higgins family collection was deposited by the Rev H H L Longuet-Higgins OBE MC, in May 1952, Jan 1967, and Oct 1972, and includes copious correspondence from the family on their travels.

The photograph is part of our huge illustrations collection.