Guardian of Burma: A Memorial to the Chindits

In 1943, during World War II, Major General Orde Wingate organized the Chindit special forces to operate behind Japanese lines in Burma. These incredible forces, under Wingate's command, conducted successful raids and inflicted heavy casualties on Japanese forces. Among the Chindits, Wingate was considered a leader of singular genius. Winston Churchill himself described Wingate as 'A man of genius who might have become a man of destiny.'

The Chindits were organized to serve in Burma. Their exploits became legendary. In 1990, a memorial was erected in their honor in Victoria Embankment Gardens in London. The front of the memorial features an inscription to the memory of the Chindits and lists the names of four men who were awarded the Victoria Cross while serving with the Chindits: Major Frank Blaker, Captain Michael Allmand, Lieutenant George Albert Cairns, and Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun. The memorial also bears an inscription from Churchill, praising Wingate and noting his influence in the formation of the state of Israel and the Israeli Defense Forces.

Atop the memorial stands a bronze sculpture of a chinthe, a mythical guardian of Burmese temples, symbolizing the Chindits' connection to their cause and their origin.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons