Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese, Commander-in-Chief Allied Land Forces South East Asia, and American Lieutenant-General Daniel Sultan visit the HQ of 36th Division at Mawlu and Pinwe.

Lieutenant-General Sir Oliver Leese climbs out of a United States Army Air Force Stinson L-5 Sentinel and is greeted by Major-General Festing, General Officer Commanding 36th Division. They are joined by Lieutenant-General Daniel Sultan, US Army, American commander of the Burma-India theatre under South East Asia Command. The group walks past a line of parked Sentinels, one of which has a 'shark's mouth' paint job on the nose, before getting into a jeep. The party departs. The group boards a railway carriage named the 'Whitehorse Inn', apparently Festing's office or accomodation. The party leaves the carriage. Inspection of officers at Divisonal HQ. The jeep carrying the party of senior officers fords a river with Festing behind the wheel. Party in wooded area. Presentation of medals. Leese addresses troops. Jeep arriving at Divisional HQ. Close-ups of medal winners but too dark to distinguish one from the next. Lieutenant-Colonel Dupuy, US Army, receiving the Distinguished Service Order. Other medal recipients being decorated but conditions too dark to identify them. Leese addressing men. Party leaving by jeep. Leese with officers and men.

Notes

Unfortunately much of the second half of this reel, including the medal presentations, is very dark due to the time of day and the heavily wooded location. Many of the individuals being decorated are indistinguishable. Compounding this, the dopesheet type is smeared and several of the names are illegible. Not surprisingly the dopesheet is marked 'Junk'; probably by a SEAC Film Unit editor.

The following names on the dopesheet are (somewhat) legible:

S/Quartermaster Sergeant Watts (?), seen with Leese.

Brigadier A R Aslett, commanding 72nd Brigade, seen with Leese.

Lieutenant-Colonel Trevor Nevitt Dupuy, US Army, seen receiving the Distinguished Service Order. Dupuy went on to become an extremely prolific military historian before committing suicide in 1995 at the age of 79, after learning that he had terminal cancer.

Captain Ian Llewellyn [illegible] of 6th Battalion, South Wales Borderers, receiving the Military Cross.

Lieutenant Francis Stanbrook of 9th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, receiving the Military Cross.

Sergeant Victor R[illegible] of 10th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, receiving the Distinguished Conduct Medal.

Private Alec (Gentle?) of 9th Battalion, Royal Sussex Regiment, receiving the Military Medal.

Sergeant Bruce Tre Illian [sic] of 10th Battalion, Gloucestershire Regiment, receiving the Military Medal.

Corporal David Ahearne of 6th Battalion, South Wales Borderers, receiving the Military Medal.

The dopesheet gives the order in which these men were decorated, but the poor light makes this more or less irrelevant.