Lieutenant GEORGE ALBERT CAIRNS
Somerset Light Infantry
Died 19 March 1944
Age 30 years old
- Secondary Unit, Regiment attd. (Airborne) South Staffordshire Regiment
- Country of Service United Kingdom
- Awards Victoria Cross, Mentioned in Despatches
- Additional Info Son of Albert Henry and Rose Sophia Cairns; husband of Ena Kathleen Cairns, of Sidcup, Kent. Served with the "Chindits.".
- Personal Inscription THERE'S SOME CORNER OF A FOREIGN FIELD THAT IS FOR EVER ENGLAND
- Additional Citation note
The following details are given in the London Gazette of September 4th, 1945: At Henu, near Broadway (Burma) on March 12th, 1944, the South Staffordshire Regiment, which formed a part of the 77th Independent Infantry Brigade, together with the 3rd/6th Gurkha Rifles established a road and rail block across the Japanese lines of communication. The following morning the Japanese counter-attacked heavily, and the South Staffordshire Regiment were ordered to attack a hill-top which formed the basis of the Japanese assault. During this action a Japanese officer attacked Lt. Cairns, and with his sword hacked off his left arm. Lt. Cairns killed this officer, picked up the sword and with it killed or wounded several Japanese, still at the head of his men, before he himself fell to the ground. He subsequently died from his wounds. His action so inspired all his comrades that later the Japanese were completely routed, a very rare occurrence at that time.
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