A timeline of Burma and the Army

King Bodawpaya of Burma conquers Arakan (now Rakhine State in Myanmar), bordering the British-administered district of Chittagong (in modern-day Bangladesh). This marks the beginning of frontier disputes between the two powers.

Following further territorial disputes, Burmese forces in Assam make a successful incursion into the state of Cachar, bordering the Indian district of Dacca (now Dhaka in Bangladesh). Emboldened by success, King Bagyidaw gives Maha Bandula orders to attack British-held territory in Northeast India. On 5 March 1824, Lord Amherst, Governor General of India, declares war.

After the death of Maha Bandula at the Battle of Danubyu in 1825, British forces push steadily up the River Irrawaddy towards the royal capital at Ava (now Inwa). Last-ditch fighting takes place among the pagodas at Pagan (now Bagan), signalling the end of organised Burmese resistance.

The signing of this limited agreement does little to facilitate trade. However, it guarantees the security of British commerce for the time being.

Trading disputes, in particular the harassment of British merchants and the imprisonment of two British sea captains without trial, lead to a renewal of hostilities. Lord Dalhousie, Governor General of India, sends an ultimatum to King Pagan and a force comprising two brigades of British, Madras and Bengal infantry is assembled under the command of Lieutenant General Sir Henry Godwin. 

Following the transfer of power from the East India Company to the British Crown in 1858, Britain begins to consolidate the administration of its Burmese territories. The coastal regions acquired in 1826 and the recently annexed lower Irrawaddy valley are brought together to form a new chief commissioner's province known as British Burma.

Further trading disputes, plus growing alarm at French influence in the Burmese court, prompt Britain to launch a third campaign. A division-sized force of British soldiers and troops from the Madras and Bengal Presidencies, led by Major General Harry Prendergast VC, crosses into Upper Burma on 11 November 1885. The expedition advances upriver towards the new royal capital at Mandalay, defeating the Burmese at Minhla six days later.

After Thibaw’s removal, Britain formally annexes Upper Burma. All territory of the former Burmese kingdom now becomes a new major province of British India.

The Burma Police Levy is formed, later known as the Burma Military Police. By 1913, it numbers 15,350 men and is responsible for imperial policing across the province. This follows on from the formation of the Manipur Levy (1824), the Assam Local Militia (1827) and the Kuki Levy (1850) to carry out similar roles in their respective regions.

The Manipuris are defeated at the Battle of Khongjom. Imphal is occupied and Tikendrajit Singh is captured and executed. Manipur comes under British supervision.

The Governor of Assam offers to raise 8,000 labourers from the region for service in the First World War (1914-18). These men set out for the Western Front in May 1917, with many returning home the next year.

The Assam Rifles is formed from military police units across the province, making up four battalions. A fifth battalion is raised in 1920.

In the wake of the First World War, the Indian Army is reorganised from single-battalion units to regiments of three-to-five battalions, along the lines of the British Army, plus a training battalion. The 70th Burma Rifles becomes the 20th Burma Rifles, comprising three active battalions and a training battalion based at Maymyo (now Pyin Oo Lwin).

On 1 April 1937, Burma gains limited self-government as a Crown Colony. Dr Ba Maw, who had defended Saya San at his trial, becomes the first Burmese prime minister.

Following the outbreak of the Second World War (1939-45), the Burma Rifles is expanded to eight battalions. Its 7th Battalion is formed from the Burma Military Police.

As the Japanese Fifteenth Army advances into Burma, aiming to protect the flank of the earlier attacks and cut the American supply route to China, British Imperial forces begin a gruelling withdrawal towards India. This is the longest retreat in British military history.

An experimental new formation known as the Chindits embarks on its first mission into Burma. Led by Brigadier Orde Wingate, its objective is to disrupt Japanese lines of communication and to test the effectiveness of long-range penetration tactics.

The Japanese mount an incursion into Northeast India to capture the supply base at Imphal and forestall an anticipated Allied invasion of Burma. Relying heavily on air supply, the defending British and Indian soldiers inflict a major defeat on the Imperial Japanese Army at the Battles of Imphal and Kohima.

Admiral Lord Louis Mountbatten accepts the surrender of the Japanese forces in Southeast Asia at Singapore. The ceremony takes place in the Municipal Building, with General Seishirō Itagaki signing on behalf of the Imperial Japanese Army.

Trained and armed by the Japanese, the Burma Defence Army (BDA) is established to help resist the British. Its commander is General Aung San.

The Anti-Fascist People’s Freedom League (AFPFL) is established by Burmese nationalist leaders to co-ordinate resistance against the Japanese occupation.

Amid widespread industrial action, Aung San (now head of the AFPFL) is appointed to the Executive Council along with five other members of his coalition. This gives them effective control of Burma’s highest governing body. As a result, most of the strikes end within a week. The British authorities quickly realise the futility of resisting the demand for independence.

Aung San and several other members of the Executive Council are assassinated in a plot led by political rival U Saw. The agreed timetable for independence remains unchanged, but the emerging Burmese state is deprived of its principal architect.

After more than a century of British rule, Burma becomes an independent state.