His Excellency the Governor-General of Bengal, Mr Richard Gardiner Casey and Lieutenant-General W J ("Bill") Slim visit Mandalay, Burma, to observe progress in the battle to capture Fort Dufferin from the Japanese Army.

Lieutenant-General Slim and the Governor-General stand talking by the side of the plane, a Beechcraft AT-7 Navigator, in which they arrived in. The two pilots from the plane rest a map on the wing and plot their route. Aerial shots of Mandalay; a building appears to be on fire and a large plume of smoke rises from it. Lieutenant-General Slim, the Governor-General and another officer disemplane (Major-General Rees?); a pilot holds the door open for them and salutes them as they get out. The two men watch Indian soldiers of 19th Indian Division unloading ammunition and chat to their officer in command. The BBC are present at the airstrip with a BBC Mobile Recording van. Richard Sharp, a BBC correspondent, interviews Lieutenant-General Slim and the Governor-General; a Douglas Dakota sits on the airfield behind the Governor. A pennant - a hand gripping a dagger - of 19th Indian Division flutters on the bonnet of a jeep. The dignitaries and their entourage walk through Mandalay and up the covered stairways on Mandalay Hill. From a high point on the hill Slim uses binoculars to watch the battle for Fort Dufferin. A Gurkha stands guard. The party walks back down the steps.

Notes

Mandalay, Burma's second city, was an objective of great importance due to its prestige value and logistical connections, and was also the site of a large Japanese supply dump.

The Imperial War Museum's Sound Archive holds a number of Richard Sharp's recordings, including General Slim's broadcast from Mandalay. See related items.

Operations for the capture of Mandalay were extensively covered by other British Army cameramen. See related items.