A British sergeant examines the burnt-out wreckage of Brigadier Mallaby's car on the spot where it was ambushed in Surabaya (Soerabaja) and the Brigadier murdered on 31 October 1945. IWM Photo

  The burnt-out car of the late Brigadier Mallaby

A wrecked truck from a supply convoy lies in the bed of a river after being ambushed by Indonesian nationalists on the southern road between Batavia and Bandoeng. The ambush of this convoy and its relief column led to this road being closed to military traffic and caused the 36th Indian Brigade to mount an operation to clear the northern road of Indonesian nationalist fighters, Nov 1945. Photo IWM


British occupation on java

Posed publicity photo showing British Home Guard NCOs learning the mysteries of the Vickers (Maxim) water-cooled machine gun.  Given that this weapon was in first-line combat use by the British, Empire and Dominion armies throughout the war, it is unlikely that too many Home Guard units received such weapons - although it is clear that some, in the South-East of England at least, did.  Circa 1940.  Best regards, JR.