Listers may be interested in the webpage called "The Elephant Man" which is about the rescue of refugees fleeing Burma in 1942 by Gyles Mackrell, an Assam tea planter. He mounted an operation to save refugees who were trapped by flooded rivers at the border with India using the only means available to get them across - elephants. Includes YouTube film clip from the Centre of South Asian Studies, Cambridge. http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2010110101 or http://tinyurl.com/39krcxc Cheers Maureen (Sydney)

Thanks for bringing this to our attention Maureen. I have been trying to help someone find out what happened to his grandfather, William Sinclair THOM who was a Superintendent with the Indian Police, and retired to Kalaw in Burma. Only recently I discovered Mark Steevens' list of people who were on the trek out of Burma in 1942 and that W S Thom, a wife and 2 children were included in this, on their way to Dehra Dun. I will bring this video to the attention of the person concerned next time I see him. In the meantime, if anyone knows anything of William Sinclair Thom after 1942, I would be pleased to hear of it. Incidentally, W S Thom is best known for a book he co-authored in 1900 on Wild Sports of Burma and Assam. Sylvia > -----Original Message----- > From: Maureen Evers [mailto:maureen.evers@bigpond.com] > Sent: Thursday, December 02, 2010 1:05 PM > To: india@rootsweb.com > Subject: [INDIA] Burma 1942 > > > Listers may be interested in the webpage called "The > Elephant Man" which is about the rescue of refugees fleeing > Burma in 1942 by Gyles Mackrell, an Assam tea planter. He > mounted an operation to save refugees who were trapped by > flooded rivers at the border with India using the only means > available to get them across - elephants. Includes YouTube > film clip from the Centre of South Asian Studies, Cambridge. > > > http://www.admin.cam.ac.uk/news/dp/2010110101 or > http://tinyurl.com/39krcxc > > > Cheers > > Maureen (Sydney)