Philip Hose was born in 1919 in Bootle, Lancashire, England. His father was William Hose who was a Carter working for Philip's grandfather James Hose in his carting company called 'Hose Brothers Carting Agents'. Philip's mother was Elizabeth Hose nee Simpson. Philip had five brothers, one of whom died as a baby, and two sisters.

Philip was educated at Orrell Council School and before World War Two worked at Rushton's Farm in Maghull, Lancashire, England. In 1941, he was still living in the Liverpool area.

Philip Hose joined the British Army in 1941. He became a Private soldier in the 13th Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment which in the First World War was based in Seaforth, North of Bootle. The 13th Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment was re-formed in World War Two in June 1940 and Private Philip Hose underwent a period of training with them before leaving England in December 1941 and being deployed to India.

In December 1941, the Japanese Army had launched attacks on British territories in Hong Kong, Malaya, Singapore and Burma, plus there was a potential future threat to British India.

In India, the 13th Battalion of the King’s Liverpool Regiment joined the 77th Indian Infantry Brigade as did the 3rd Battalion 2nd Gurkha Rifles and the 2nd Battalion Burma Rifles. This formed what was called the Chindits, a force led by General Orde Wingate, which consisted of Long Range Penetration Groups. So on arrival in India, Private Philip Hose would have done further training in the use of long range penetration tactics against an enemy using guerrilla-style techniques.

In 1942, the Japanese had expelled the British and British Indian forces from Burma along with their Chinese allies and the threat to China and British India was acute with the Japanese using prisoners of war to build a railway across Burma to help with their attacks.

The first Chindit campaign, also known as Operation Longcloth, began when the Chindits crossed over the Indian border with Burma at Imphal in Manipur on February 8, 1943. The idea was to attack the Japanese from behind their lines, damaging their facilities such as supply depots and railway and other lines of communication. To try to cope with the jungle and the requirement for speed, stealth and manoeuvrability, no vehicles were used and their were few supplies and large weapons taken with them. What supplies were taken with them were carried by mules and resupply was via air drops.

The Chindits Website Order of Battle and Map for the 1st Chindit Expedition in 1943 makes it clear that the "King's" were in the group that would be initially travelling North-East to Tonmakengin Burma but would then split up and travel South-East with Column 5 of the "King's" demolishing a railway bridge at Bon Chaung and blowing up the gorge to block the railway track beating off the Japanese in the process (See Reference 1).

The Chindit soldiers often caught diseases in the jungle such as malaria and dysentery. This weakened them as did going hungry when supply drops couldn't be made. Apparently, about a third of Chindit troops were lost in the jungle or were too wounded or sick to march out. They tried to airlift sick and wounded soldiers out when possible, but sometimes the temporary landing spots made by the soldiers and the soldiers themselves were discovered by the Japanese.

According to the Liverpool Echo of Friday June 8, 1945, Private Philip Hose was captured by the Japanese in Burma on March 22, 1943. From the date, it is obvious he was caught during the First Chindit Campaign. The newspaper also reported his death as a Japanese prisoner of war on February 18, 1944.

He died a young man of just under 25 after nearly a year in Japanese hands. This implies either he was wounded in battle, left behind, later captured and died from disease or improperly treated wounds, or, he was killed by the Japanese whilst their prisoner.

It is possible Private Philip Hose was first buried in the jungle, many of those buried in the jungle were reburied in war cemeteries. However, his body is now in a joint grave (Joint grave 9. B. 2.) in the Rangoon War Cemetery in Myanmar (the current name for Burma).

"Every Chindit endured what is widely regarded as the toughest sustained Allied combat experience of the Second World War. The Chindit expeditions behind Japanese lines in occupied Burma 1943–1944 transformed the morale of British forces after the crushing defeats of 1942." (Tony Redding, 2015)

1. "Chindits - Special Force, Burma, 1942-1944" (https://chindits.info/Longcloth/Main.htm)
2. "The British special operators who terrorized Japanese forces" (https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-tactical/chindits-special-force-wwii-burma/)
3. Memorial Photo from Bob Boston of findagrave.com (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56529751/philip-hose)
4. Private Philip Hose Photo and Newspaper Cutting first from Jaap Vermeer of findagrave.com (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56529751/philip-hose)
5. Redding, Tony (2015) "War in the Wilderness - The Chindits in Burma 1943-1944" (https://thehistorypress.co.uk/publication/war-in-the-wilderness/ )