Lt-Col Dennis 'Haggis' Ford

Lieutenant-Colonel "Haggis" Ford, who has died aged 87, fought with SOE in the Burma campaign and won an MC.

After two years in the ranks, Ford, always known as "Haggis", had received an emergency commission into the Black Watch in 1940.

He served with the 1st and the 6th Battalions and accompanied the British Expeditionary Force to France as part of the 51st Highland Division.

At Dunkirk he was on a hospital ship which was blown up. Wounded and flash-blinded, he was loaded on to a paddle-steamer which was bombed by Stukas and set on fire. A staff sergeant in the Irish Guards tied fishing corks on to him before heaving him into the sea. He floated for 12 hours before he was washed ashore and was able to get on  another boat, which reached England.

Ford then volunteered to join Lord Lovat's commandos.

After training in Scotland he was posted to 7 Commando, part of Layforce, and took part in a number of raids, including one on the port of Bardia, Libya, in April 1941

 

.He was in action again in the defence of Crete, when he fell down a hole in a cliff during an enemy attack. He was found by his batman and, after the island fell, was
fortunate to be one of the survivors who were evacuated by the Royal Navy.

After training in the Jungle Warfare School in India, Ford served with Force 136, part of SOE, in Burma. He was parachuted into the Karen mountains and led one of a number of small teams which recruited, trained and armed the Karens for guerrilla warfare.

He and his comrades carried out "tip and run" raids and ambushes which forced the Japanese to divert large numbers of troops to protect their supply dumps and lines of communication. He was awarded an MC.

In 1947 Ford was granted a regular commission with the King's Own Royal Regiment.

Dennis FORD - born 12.02.1919 died 2006

Taken from file HS 9/526 at the TNA (PRO) and various sources.