Field Marshal Lord Alan Brooke, Chief of the Imperial General Staff (CIGS), arrives in Rangoon as part of a tour of South East Asia Command.

Brooke steps off his aircraft (an Avro York transport) at Mingaladon airfield near Rangoon. He is greeted by senior officers including Air Marshal Sir Hugh Saunders (Air Officer Commanding RAF Burma) and Major-General George Symes, acting General Officer Commanding Twelfth Army. He inspects an RAF guard of honour. He departs by staff car. At Rangoon docks he is greeted (by the battalion commander?) and inspects a guard of honour mounted by 1st Battalion Royal Berkshire Regiment and shakes hands with a young British officer wearing the patch of 2nd Division. He talks with Captain K S Lyle, Royal Navy, Naval Officer in Charge at Rangoon. Talking with port officials. Brooke inspects a guard from 3rd Indian Anti-Aircraft Brigade.

Notes

Field Marshal Brooke, as CIGS since the dark days of December 1941, was an enormously influential figure at the heart of British strategic decision-making. His statue now stands on Whitehall outside the Ministry of Defence flanked by Montgomery and Slim, two commanders he brought to prominence.

Captain Lyle's initals are given on the dopesheet as 'B I'. However, he also appears in photographs held by the museum where his initials are given as 'K S'. The latter is more likely to be correct, as 'K S Lyle' appears in the London Gazette while 'B I Lyle' does not.