A Rare 'Kachin Hills Action' WW1 Pair, Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, Special Constabulary Medal Group awarded to 97 Pte R. Woof, the 4th Battalion the Border Regiment.

Rodger Woof was born during 1880, and was employed as a quarryman prior to enlisting into the Border Regiment on the 1st of April, 1908, at Keswick, Cumbria.

Rodger served in India with the 4th Battalion the Border Regiment, from the 29th October 1914, through to the 4th August 1919, and his service records show (copies included with the research) that he was present during the notorious Kachin Hills uprising, which took place during January and February 1915.

The following is an online description of the uprising -

After inciting the Hukawng Valley Kachins into revolt the four Shans moved eastwards to Wawang village in the Mali Valley.  Here a huge and intimidating Kachin named Pawlum Kron Li had seized the position of local leader, and established a reign of terror in the area.  With Pawlum Kron Li the four Shans tried to induce the Kachins of Nmaizin Long, further east across the Mali Valley, to join the uprising; but the Nmaizin Long Kachins preferred to wait and see how things developed.  This resulted in the other non-belligerent Kachins in the Mali Valley also waiting to see what happened, and the village leaders advised the British that if the trans-Mali Kachins did cross the river to fight then all the villages in the valley would have to fight or the inhabitants would lose their heads.

The major problem facing Pawlum Kron Li and the Shans was that they had no surplus food and no transport, and so a large party of Kachins could not be mobilised for more than a few days.  The Wawan Kachins therefore decided to raid the Public Works Department food store at Shingboi, 24 kilometres away.  A company of the 64th Pioneers was camped near Shingboi but was not considered to be a problem.

Hearing of the proposed enemy raid the 64th Pioneers decided to attack first and a column of 100 men of No 1 Double Company made an extremely difficult night march to Wawang on 27th January.  The night was moon-less and the men were marching in single file through dense jungle, over steep ridges and up overhung stream beds.  The sepoys carried only their rifles and fighting equipment as a party of mules followed behind with blankets, water and rations.  Major J.A. Bliss MVO commanded this column accompanied by Captain E. Marsden and Mr Lowis, the local Executive Engineer who had been granted the powers of a magistrate.

The foot of the steep hill on which Wawang stood was reached at dawn and a volley of shots from the jungle greeted the Pioneers.  After a steep climb up the hill a stockade manned by a few enemy stalwarts was seen and immediately rushed with the bayonet.  The Kachin defenders withdrew rapidly but not before Major Bliss shot dead the last one to leave, who turned out to be Pawlum Kron Li.  The Pioneers then burned down the stockade and village without any harassment from the Kachins and the four Shans, who had all retreated into the jungle.

The Pioneer casualties were two Havildars and one private wounded, and as these men needed medical attention the column retraced its steps.  During the withdrawal one hostile shot was fired from the jungle.  The column returned fire with a volley that luckily killed the enemy rifleman who turned out to be the headman from a nearby village. During February Colonel Swan took out a larger column to again punish Wawang and adjacent dissident villages.  The infantry troops used were two companies of the 1st-4th Battalion the Border Regiment (Territorial Army); two companies of the 1st-10th Gurkha Rifles under Lieutenant B.R. Mullaly, plus 18 mounted sowars and 10 dismounted sepoys of the BMP.  Artillery support was provided by No I Section of the 22nd Derajat Mountain Battery (two mule-packed guns whose barrels could be unscrewed into two pieces to make manageable mule loads). The gunners were commanded by Major K.D. Field who was accompanied by Captain M.D. Bell, both of the Royal Artillery.  Lieutenant F.O.N. Burn of the Pioneers was the column staff officer and Captain Marsden the Transport Officer; Major S.R. Godkin FRCSI, Indian Medical Service, was the Medical Officer. Major W.B.T. Abbey, Deputy Commissioner of Myitkyina marched as a Special Service Officer representing the civil authority.  A platoon of Pioneers was deployed to make zig-zag tracks over the steep ridges for the large heavily-burdened artillery mules to follow.

Swan left a ration post at Darukha with a Gurkha platoon to guard it and marched on to reach Wawang on 10th February.  The mountain gunners shelled the prominent house of a village leader at a range of 1,600 metres, after which the infantry occupied the village without opposition and burned it again.  Next day two columns of 50 men each went out under Captain Williams and Lieutenant Mullaly.  Williams destroyed villages adjacent to Wawang whilst Mullaly went a little further afield to burn down the village of Lengatawang. Left: Kachin Tribal Dress

Mr W.A. Hertz, Deputy Commissioner of Putao (also named Fort Hertz) joined the column at Wawung followed a few days later by his Assistant Deputy Commissioner Mr Leonard.  The British administration had decided to deal out severe punishment to the dissident Kachins to demonstrate to the hill-tribes that rebelliousness during war time would be harshly and severely punished.  On 13th February two more 50-man columns went out.  Captain Williams destroyed houses north of Wawung and Major Coningham, accompanied by Major Abbey, reconnoitred the Weship Zup ferry across the Malikha River.  

The uprising ends

The Kachins had had enough and ceased hostilities; they were resentful of the failed guarantee made by the Shans that their mystical powers would protect the Kachins.  The four Shans had fled eastwards into the Triangle, an area bounded by the Malikha and Nmaikha Rivers; this territory was similar to the Tribal Territory on the Indian North-West Frontier in that the British chose not to administer it.  Kachins from Nkraun village in the Triangle seized the Shans and handed them over to the British.  In September 1915 the Shans pleaded in court that they were only in the Kachin Hills to buy drugs and were not connected with the rebellion, but the Mandalay Sessions Judge sentenced them to death and they were hanged.

Rodger was medically discharged due to sickness (Nephrititis - kidney infection- entitled to S.W.B No.B320848), on the 12th of October 1919, and later went on to serve as a Section Commander in the Special Constabulary, being awarded a Long Service Clasp, 1946.

The medals are mounted as worn on original ribbons, sold with copied research confirming all of the above, and are as follows -

British War Medal & Victory Medal, 97 PTE. R. WOOF. BORD.R.; G.V Territorial Force Efficiency Medal, 200017 L. CPL. R. WOOF. 4/BORD.R.; G.VI Special Constabulary Medal, clasp, Long Service, 1946, SECT CMDR RODGER WOOF

His M.I.C confirms all three military medals are to the same man, and he is also entitled to the 1914/15 Star.

Condition, nicely toned, very fine and better