Bandoola, Elephant that became a Hero in World War

Worker elephants in Burma / Photo: Repro the book "Elephant Bill".

The evacuation of elephants to refugees from Awng Lawt village, Kachin, Myanmar in early April has saved many lives. The evacuation also shows the importance of elephants in the life of Myanmar society.

During World War II, evacuation using elephants has saved hundreds of civilian lives from the atrocities of Japanese soldiers occupying Burma (now Myanmar). The evacuation was led by Lieutenant Colonel James Howard Williams aka Elephant Bill and his elephant named Bandoola.

Bandoola is a strong, intelligent and compassionate elephant born to Bill, November 1897. "Bandoola is the only elephant recorded in the corporate ledger for lack of training scarves," Vicki Croke wrote in the Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals. The scar on the elephant's ankle is the result of the kheddaring violence of the uzi (the handler and the owner of the elephant) to gain the allegiance of the elephant. Bandoola never experienced it because Po Toke as his uzi raise him without violence.

But a fight with another elephant in the 1920s made Bandoola seriously injured. He was forced to undergo intensive treatment. But it was a moment of introduction to Bill, who was studying elephants to Po Toke. Bill's work at the Bombay-Burma Trading Corporation timber company requires him to understand elephants because his daily life will often mix with the giant animals.

Bandoola became Bill's most beloved elephant. "While visiting the camp he always brings sweets for Bandoola, talks, rubs the skin (Bandoola, red.) That need to be scratched, stroked his body, wiped the ointment on his blistered skin, and patted his waist. He has treated Bandoola to be healthy again for a whole year, "Vicki wrote.

Bandoola returned Bill's favor in 1927. At that time Bill was seriously wounded unconscious in the hinterland of the Clad Hills. Bandoola was chosen to be the bucket carrier where Bill was laid. He took Bill out of the woods to the nearest medical installation. Bill was saved from death.

Bandoola remained faithful to accompany Bill when Burma was occupied by Japan, March 1942. "Everything went so badly, Bombay Burma Corporation immediately warned that it might, as a private company, organize the evacuation of its European employees and their families from the Chindwin Plateau to Manipur and then to Assam, "Bill said in a memoir titled Elephant Bill. Bill and some of his elephants helped evacuate European women and children-including his wife's children-to Assam, India, April 1942.

Bandoola became the only elephant when Bill, who re-entered the British military, formed the Elephant Company after returning to Burma to fight the Japanese. With the help of Harold Browne and Po Toke plus Bill's hard work, the company soon got a lot of elephants. At its peak, the Elephant Company with the headquarters in Moreh Village, a guest suburb on the Burma-India border, has 1600 elephants.

The company then trusted the 14th Army to build a bridge. "On December 2, 1942, the Williams elephants began to work on building the first bridge. They then built more than 100 bridges over the next year, "Steven Otfinoski wrote in Elephant Bill and Bandoola's Daring Escape.

The Elephant Company continues to move on tasks that the regular army can not. In addition to building bridges, Bandoola and other elephants routinely smuggle weapons and supply drugs and logistics. "The elephants are also used to clean cut trees to create new emergency airfields. They work in unison with bulldozers. On one occasion, I saw them working under a rain of gunfire, "Bill said in his memoir.

The actions of the Elephant Company were vital to Allied troop movements and were instrumental in winning the war. In a short time, the reputation of Bill and Bandoola dashed.

However, the action stalled in March 1944 when Bill was ordered to rescue his elephants out of Burma because the Japanese had occupied the Guest. Bill and Bandoola and 52 other elephants eventually evacuated 200 British civilians to India. The journey as far as the 120 miles they traveled on foot through heavy terrain.

Had stopped at Kabaw Valley "death" on the 9th day as roads were cut off by steep cliffs, they finally climbed up one of the 300-foot cliffs. Bandoola led other elephants to do the impossible thing for a normal elephant: to climb.

Their success reached India finally reap the admiration of British military officers and the Western public. Bandoola and several other elephants belonging to Bill were then included in the Campaign of Burma launched by Colonel Order Wingate.

However, Bandoola's return to his homeland resulted in a different story than before. He was not in line when one day Bill inspected Po Toke's camp. According to Po Toke, Bandoola has been invisible for several days. Bill was outraged and immediately ordered the people along with their elephants in the camp looking for Bandoola. The attempt failed to find Bandoola. Bill felt something was wrong.

Five days later, Bill returns to Po Toke camp. He is shocked when Po Toke announces Bandoola has died. Accompanied by some of his ethnic Karen soldiers, Bill heads straight for a meadow. "There lies Bandoola, my defile hero. I can hardly believe it when my eyes see him lying dead, "wrote Bill. His feelings mixed between sad, angry, and confused.

Anomalies such as the loss of the right ivory and the bullet hole in Bandoola's forehead convince Bill that Bandoola died unnaturally. He is suspicious of Pot Toke who is jealous of him. But his short investigation of Bandoola's death did not answer.

After saving the Bandoola left ivory as his most valuable war souvenir, Bill buried Bandoola as a war hero on the Burma-India border. In the giant teak trees near the tomb were engraved words: Maintained for humanity. Bandoola, born 1897. Assassinated in duty, 1944.

"The death of Bandoola is an unsolved mystery. Whatever his secret, he was buried with the body of a great hero elephant in all that. Even his name is very unusual, that is, the name of a brave Burmese general who fought against us during the Burmese War that resulted in the British annexation of Burma, "wrote Bill closing his memoir.

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