The Chindit Memorial in London

In 1943, Major General Orde Wingate organized the Chindit special forces, officially designated as the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade in 1943 and the 3rd Indian Infantry Division in 1944. These forces served behind Japanese lines in the Burma Campaign during 1943 and 1944. They were named after the mythical chinthe, a guardian of Burmese temples, which appeared on the badge of the forces.

The Chindit Memorial was unveiled in 1990 in Victoria Embankment Gardens, London, near the Ministry of Defence headquarters. The memorial commemorates Wingate, who died on active service in Burma in 1944, and the Chindits. It was designed by architect David Price and became a Grade II listed building in August 2020 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of VJ Day.

The front of the monument features an inscription to the memory of the Chindits and a plaque depicting the Chindit badge on a blue background with the motto, "The boldest measures are the safest". The inscription lists the four Chindit members who were awarded the Victoria Cross: Major Frank Blaker, Captain Michael Allmand, Lieutenant George Albert Cairns and Rifleman Tulbahadur Pun. The sides of the monument list the units involved.

The rear of the monument is dedicated to Wingate and features a blue plaque with a portrait, a quotation from Winston Churchill calling him "A man of genius who might well have become a man of destiny", and a reference to Wingate's influence on the foundation of the state of Israel. A sculpture of the chinthe by Frank Forster tops the memorial, situated above a tapering 4 metres (13 ft) high Portland stone pillar mounted on three steps of red granite.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons