{"product_id":"3rd-carabiniers-prince-of-wales-s-dragoon-guards-kia-imphal-1944-ww2-medal-group","title":"3rd Carabiniers Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards KIA Imphal 1944 WW2 Medal Group","description":"\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eSecond World War Medal Group – Trooper Leslie Henry Waud, 3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards), Royal Armoured Corps – Killed in Action Battle of Imphal May 1944\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e1939-45 Star – \u003ci\u003eunnamed as issued\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eBurma Star – \u003ci\u003eunnamed as issued\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eDefence Medal – \u003ci\u003eunnamed as issued\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eWar Medal – \u003ci\u003eunnamed as issued\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eWith named casualty slip and box of issue addressed: \u003cb\u003e62 Morgan Road, Bromley, Kent\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eLeslie Henry Waud\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e, born \u003cb\u003e25 December 1910\u003c\/b\u003e in \u003cb\u003eIslington, London\u003c\/b\u003e, was the son of a London family recorded in the \u003cb\u003e1911 Census\u003c\/b\u003e as living at \u003cb\u003e31 Elmore Street, Islington\u003c\/b\u003e, where he appears as an infant under the name \u003cb\u003eLeslie Wand\u003c\/b\u003e, an alternative spelling of the surname clearly shown in the records. By the time of the \u003cb\u003e1921 Census\u003c\/b\u003e, he was recorded as \u003cb\u003eLeslie Henry Waud\u003c\/b\u003e, aged \u003cb\u003e10 years 6 months\u003c\/b\u003e, living at \u003cb\u003e2 Londesborough Road, Stoke Newington\u003c\/b\u003e, confirming his upbringing in North London.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eBy \u003cb\u003e1939\u003c\/b\u003e, at the outbreak of the Second World War, he was living in \u003cb\u003eDeptford, London\u003c\/b\u003e, and is recorded in the 1939 Register as \u003cb\u003eLeslie H. Waud\u003c\/b\u003e, aged \u003cb\u003e29\u003c\/b\u003e, married to \u003cb\u003eAlice E. J. Waud\u003c\/b\u003e (later confirmed as \u003cb\u003eAlice Elizabeth Isabel Waud\u003c\/b\u003e). His occupation is given as \u003cb\u003e“Semi-skilled labourer” in what appears to be munitions-related work\u003c\/b\u003e, indicating that he was already engaged in war industry employment at the outset of the conflict.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eHe later enlisted into the \u003cb\u003eRoyal Armoured Corps\u003c\/b\u003e, serving as \u003cb\u003eTrooper 4041168 Leslie Henry Waud\u003c\/b\u003e with the \u003cb\u003e3rd Carabiniers (Prince of Wales’s Dragoon Guards)\u003c\/b\u003e. This regiment, originally stationed in India at the outbreak of war, did not initially see combat but was later committed to the Burma theatre following Japan’s entry into the war. By \u003cb\u003eDecember 1943\u003c\/b\u003e, the regiment had been deployed to \u003cb\u003eNorth-East India\u003c\/b\u003e as part of the \u003cb\u003e254th Indian Tank Brigade\u003c\/b\u003e, equipped with \u003cb\u003eM3 Lee medium tanks\u003c\/b\u003e, and prepared to meet the advancing Japanese forces.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eWaud’s service placed him in the midst of one of the most critical campaigns of the war in the East—the \u003cb\u003eBattle of Imphal\u003c\/b\u003e, which began in \u003cb\u003eMarch 1944\u003c\/b\u003e as part of the Japanese \u003cb\u003eU-Go offensive\u003c\/b\u003e. This was a desperate and large-scale attempt by Japanese forces to invade India, and the fighting that followed was intense, prolonged, and often conducted in extremely difficult jungle terrain. The \u003cb\u003e3rd Carabiniers\u003c\/b\u003e played a key role in halting this advance, operating often in small detachments and under constant threat from ambush, anti-tank attack, and the harsh environmental conditions of the region.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eIn \u003cb\u003eApril 1944\u003c\/b\u003e, during the fighting around \u003cb\u003eNunshigum Ridge\u003c\/b\u003e, tanks of the regiment supported infantry assaults in steep and exposed terrain, where tank commanders were forced to operate with limited visibility and under significant danger from elevated enemy positions. The regiment continued in continuous operations throughout the Imphal campaign, contributing to the eventual Allied victory, which culminated with the lifting of the siege following the success at \u003cb\u003eKohima in June 1944\u003c\/b\u003e.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eIt was during this critical period of the campaign that \u003cb\u003eTrooper Waud was killed in action on 4 May 1944\u003c\/b\u003e, aged \u003cb\u003e33\u003c\/b\u003e, in the \u003cb\u003eBurma theatre\u003c\/b\u003e. His death is recorded in the \u003cb\u003eArmy Roll of Honour\u003c\/b\u003e, which confirms that he \u003cb\u003edied in active service\u003c\/b\u003e, serving with the \u003cb\u003e3rd Carabiniers, Royal Armoured Corps\u003c\/b\u003e. The regiment was at this time heavily engaged in defensive and counter-offensive operations aimed at breaking the Japanese advance and securing the Imphal plain, and casualties were frequent and often severe.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eHe is commemorated by the \u003cb\u003eCommonwealth War Graves Commission\u003c\/b\u003e and is buried at \u003cb\u003eImphal War Cemetery\u003c\/b\u003e, grave reference \u003cb\u003e2.B.10.\u003c\/b\u003e, a cemetery that holds many of those who fell during the fighting in this theatre. His headstone inscription, provided by his family, reads:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e“IN PROUD AND EVERLOVING MEMORY OF MY GALLANT HUSBAND”\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003econfirming both his marital status and the personal loss felt by his wife, \u003cb\u003eAlice Elizabeth Isabel Waud of Bromley, Kent\u003c\/b\u003e. At the time of medal issue, his widow’s address is recorded as \u003cb\u003e62 Morgan Road, Bromley, Kent\u003c\/b\u003e, further anchoring the family’s post-war location.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eHis medal entitlement, as confirmed by his service record, consists of the \u003cb\u003e1939–45 Star\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eBurma Star\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003cb\u003eDefence Medal\u003c\/b\u003e, and \u003cb\u003eWar Medal\u003c\/b\u003e, reflecting operational service in the Burma campaign and wartime service more broadly.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eTaken together, the records present a clear and compelling narrative: a \u003cb\u003eNorth London-born soldier\u003c\/b\u003e, working in war industry at the outbreak of conflict, who went on to serve as a \u003cb\u003eTrooper in the Royal Armoured Corps\u003c\/b\u003e, and who was \u003cb\u003ekilled in action during the Battle of Imphal in May 1944\u003c\/b\u003e, one of the decisive engagements of the Burma campaign. His service with the \u003cb\u003e3rd Carabiniers\u003c\/b\u003e, a regiment that played a crucial role in halting the Japanese advance into India, firmly places him among those who served in what has often been termed the \u003cb\u003e“Forgotten Army”\u003c\/b\u003e, fighting under some of the most demanding conditions of the Second World War.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003ePLEASE NOTE: All research will be sent to the buyer via email. I am unable to provide printed copies, as I do not have access to a printer.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"MsoNormal\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003eAJMS Medals\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 107%; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif;\"\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"AJMS Medals","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54436351443290,"sku":null,"price":180.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0958\/9850\/1466\/files\/20260331_145745_0.png?v=1784231200","url":"https:\/\/ajms-medals.com\/products\/3rd-carabiniers-prince-of-wales-s-dragoon-guards-kia-imphal-1944-ww2-medal-group","provider":"AJMS Medals","version":"1.0","type":"link"}