What happens
This episode of The Pacific Story, broadcast by the National Broadcasting Company on October 17, 1943, traces the history of Burma as a battleground and keystone to the Far East. Colonel Michael Symes reports on Burma's army and wealth, and British forces under General Bandoola and later Lord Dalhousie's men push into the country. The story follows the three Anglo-Burmese wars, King Thibaw's defeat, and Britain's annexation of Burma into British India. Later, Burmese nationalist U Saw seeks home rule, travels to London, and is detained after Pearl Harbor. The narrative turns to Burma's strategic and natural importance during the war.
Burma and the surrounding British India, Britain and the Far East, from the early 1800s through World War II in 1943
Characters: Colonel Michael Symes, General Bandoola, Lord Dalhousie, King Thibaw, U Saw, Winston Churchill, Lord Louis Mountbatten
Listen for: The account of the Anglo-Burmese wars and Britain's annexation of Burma, and the description of how U Saw's dealings with London ended in his detention
Written from the episode itself; it never gives away the ending. Every recording is remastered for the stream: cleaned of rumble, hiss and mains hum (and the old TV whine where we found it), then levelled in two passes to steady broadcast loudness, so one show is never quieter than the next.