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Sampan’s 39 Hours to Kohima is a commemoration of the exploits of those men.
In March 1944, as the Japanese Army marched over the Burmese border to invade India, a small but crucial battle took place high in the Naga Hills in a village called Jessami. A few hundred men of the Assam Regiment fought-off thousands of Japanese for five days, before being given the order to retreat.
Lieutenant Colonel William Felix “Bruno” Brown was the Commanding Officer at Jessami. His granddaughter, Charlotte Carty, had the idea in 2023 to commemorate the bravery of Brown and his soldiers, by recreating their journey from Jessami to Kohima on foot, 80 years to the day, that he had done so … in 39 hours.
“It’s about passing on the torch of remembrance,” Charlotte says. She completed this feat in April 2024.
In April 2025, we’ll be doing it again.
This journey is unlike any other. With Charlotte at the helm, from 27 March to 5 April 2025, we are offering the chance for a maximum of 12 others to attempt the journey that the Assam Regiment made in 1944. With Naga guides and vehicles on standby, at midnight of 1/2 April, we’ll begin walking from Jessami … and attempt to reach Kohima … in 39 hours.
As well as a commemoration of the history of Lt Col Bruno Brown, Sampan’s 39 Hours to Kohima is an endurance trek. The goal is to try to complete the entire distance (124 kilometres) on foot in 39 hours.
Guests can sign up for the Walk in their own “teams” or singularly and they will then be assigned to a team. A team is a minimum of two people. The maximum amount of Walkers is 12. This means that there will be a maximum of six teams, but possibly less if teams are larger than two Walkers. Each team will be accompanied by local Naga guides, as well as their own drivers and car arranged by Sampan. This means that each team can independently move at their own pace (and return early to Kohima by car if they wish).
In addition to the teams of Walkers, there will be a Control Team, Forward Team and Sweeper Team – made up of Charlotte and Sampan. These are the management cars who will be setting up the checkpoints, meal, campsite and generally ensuring a safe and successful Walk for all.
The route we take from Jessami to Kohima War Cemetery is 124 kilometres. There will be checkpoints throughout the Walk. The average distance between each checkpoint is seven kilometres. The longest is 12 and the shortest is three.
The Control Team and the Forward Team will set up the checkpoints in advance of the Walkers. Light refreshments will be available at each checkpoint. Full meals will be available at some checkpoints.
The route is mainly along empty tracks over the Naga Hills, often on quiet asphalt roads and very occasionally on narrow jungle paths. Your vehicles and additional, emergency medical assistance will never be far away, and your guides will be in constant contact with the Control Team.
In 1941, the Japanese stunned the Allied forces with their rapid overland conquest of Southeast Asia. The chastened British Indian Army regrouped over the Burmese border in North East India. Confident and insatiable, in March 1944, the Japanese began their long-feared “march on Delhi”, following the British into Manipur and the Naga Hills.
In 1941, the Assam Regiment had been founded, raised from the tough, hardy hill tribes of the area: Naga men and boys, but also men of the Kuki, Khasi and Lushai tribes. In March 1944 they were sent to the village of Jessami, on the Burma border, not expecting action but patrolling for information. The Assam Regiment’s main role was as an information gathering unit, using patrols to watch the tracks in the Somra Hills and to find out as much information as possible regarding any movements of Japanese forces in the area. None were expected this far north.
And yet, here, they came up against the might of the Japanese Army.
The Commanding Officer of the First Assam Regiment was Lt Col William “Bruno” Brown. The Assam, despite being vastly outnumbered, held out against the Japanese, battling for five days, having been ordered to fight to “the last man and the last round”. This order was eventually withdrawn, but the message had not got through to Jessami as all communications had been cut by the Japanese. An aircraft was sent to drop the message at Jessami. The message, in clear English, not code, was dropped, landing by mistake on the Japanese. The Japanese consequently set up ambushes along every track from the village knowing what the new orders were, whilst Brown and his men fought on unaware.
Lieutenant Corlett, who was at the nearby village of Phek, was ordered with the rest of the garrison there to head back to Kohima. He was certain Jessami did not know their new orders to withdraw into Kohima and asked permission to take a message personally, through enemy held territory to deliver it. He set off with just his revolver. After climbing down and up the mountains in the dark, he arrived at the Jessami perimeter at 22:00 to be fired upon by the Assam Regiment as they mistook him for a Japanese soldier. He called out to them to stop firing, which they only did when they heard his lisp and recognised him as one of their own. He delivered the new orders to Brown, who cross-examined him closely. It was too late and dangerous to try to arrange a withdrawal that night so the Assam faced another night of brutal fighting, but with the hope that perhaps they could get out alive after all.
At midnight on 1/2 April, Brown led the withdrawal from Jessami to Kohima, a distance of 96 kilometres as the crow flies. They arrived in Kohima in 39 hours at 15:00 on 3 April 1944. Two hundred and sixty men made it back to bolster the Allied defences in the town.
The Regimental History records: “It was inspiring to see this band of brave and gallant stalwarts come in. … Many of the men were in poor shape and needed rest, but each man carried a weapon in his hand and their morale could not have been higher. There was no time for relaxation or greetings for the situation (in Kohima) had become desperate and urgent defence measures had to be reinforced.”
They were all exhausted and hungry, many without boots and in tattered clothing. However, Colonel Richards, the Garrison Commander at Kohima wrote: “The arrival of Col Brown and his men marching in with heads erect was one of the finest sights of the battle. Until his arrival, no one knew what had happened to him.”
Dr Robert Lyman, historian of the Battle of Kohima, has said of Bruno Brown: “How many officers would have fought for five days at Jessami, and then when given the orders to withdraw to Kohima would have done so without compunction, without argument? It’s a very, very big task. He’d lost half his battalion of men, dead and wounded in the battle of Jessami – yet he didn’t give up. He helped save Kohima. He’s quite a remarkable man.”
General Slim, commander of the Fourteenth Army was to later write of the 1st Assam: “The main weight of the enemy advance fell on this battalion, in the first battle of its career. Fighting in its own country, it put up a magnificent resistance, held doggedly to one position after another against overwhelming odds, and, in spite of heavy casualties, its companies although separated never lost cohesion. The delay the Assam Regiment imposed on the 31st Japanese Division at this stage was invaluable.”
39 Hours to Kohima commemorates the journey of Brown and his men, by attempting to recreate this feat, trekking from Kohima to Jessami, starting at midnight on the 1/2 April, and attempting to reach the Kohima war cemetery in 39 hours.
About completing the Walk in 2024, Charlotte has said: “The locals were coming out and cheering us on, taking us from village to village and providing us with food, just as the people 80 years ago were supporting my grandfather and his men. They remember it perhaps more than the British do. For them, the battles that took place were where they live; it’s important history for them. They are delighted that people are coming from all across the world to recreate and commemorate the lives of their ancestors, and to recognise what the locals did here, which was so vital to the support of the allies.”
The support of the local population was crucial for the successful withdrawal of Allied Forces from Burma and their subsequent success in India. Many Nagas served with the Allied Forces in various capacities, including as guides and interpreters. They provided shelter for lost soldiers, civilians, and downed airmen, often at great personal risk. They also served as porters, particularly on the Aradura Spur at Kohima. Sergeant Fred Hazell of the Norfolks recalled: “Nagas, two or three hundred I should think. Men, women, young lads and even young girls carrying ammunition and water. There were young girls with boxes of ammunition on their head tripping along quite gaily. We were staggering along underneath our packs!”
Nagas also acted as stretcher bearers. John Colvin, in his book Not Ordinary Men, noted: “Without the Nagas help in the evacuation of the wounded British and the Indian troops up and down the sodden hills, the death rate among the Allied battalions would have been much higher.” They guided walking wounded and non-combatants from the Battle of Kohima at the start of the siege and even captured Japanese soldiers, handing them over to the Allies. At one point, they had the distinction of having captured more Japanese prisoners than the entire Fourteenth Army.
The Nagas faced extreme danger and hardship due to their assistance to the Allies. Many lost their lives, and others were permanently disabled because of the conflict. Their support was vital to the success of the Fourteenth Army in India and Burma. This contribution should never be underestimated or forgotten. Arthur Swinson, in his book Kohima, wrote: “How many lives were owed to the courage and skill of these remarkable hillmen will never be known; but the figure must certainly run into thousands.”
The Assam Regiment was raised on 15 June 1941 by Lt Col Ross Howman. The recruits were from the hardy hill tribes – mainly Nagas, Kukis, Khasis, Lushais.
Cecil Howman, Lt Col Howman’s wife, wrote in her diaries: “A few days before the raising ceremony, Ross came to me and said, “We must have a flag. Can you make one?!” I am not a good needlewoman and had never attempted anything of the sort before. However, the spirit of improvisation was abroad, so I said I would see what I could do. I went to the bazaar and bought some gold coloured silk and some black material. I do not now remember what I used as a model but I cut out a black rhino and applied him on to the middle of the gold silk. On Raising Day, this covered the front table where Sir Robert (Reid- Governor of Assam) stood.”
Unfortunately for Howman, he was not to command the newly-raised Assam for long.
“You aren’t going to like the news, Sir,” said Major Brown to Howman on Christmas Day 1941. A signal from GHQ Delhi instructed Howman to hand over his command and proceed immediately to take up a new appointment in Delhi.
Howman did not like the news. Cecil wrote: “I don’t think anything in his whole career was such a bitter blow to Ross as this. He had put every ounce of himself into the Regiment and to have to leave it just as it had got an active role, was almost more than he could bear …”
On 27 December, Howman bade farewell to his men. Brown, who was to take over command from Lt Col Howman, accompanied his former Commanding Officer to the railway station later that day.
Brown was initially commissioned in the 8 Punjab Regiment and stationed as a Major at Chitral in the North West Frontier Province (NWFP). In May 1941, he was requested to join the 1 Assam Battalion. He became the Second-in-Command and played a significant role in establishing the battalion.
After commanding in and surviving the bloody battles of Jessami and Kohima, Lt Col Brown was killed by a Japanese sniper near Shwebo in Burma, on 4 January 1945. As described by Maj. Sidhiman Rai, MC, C Company Commander, who was beside Lt Col Brown at the time, the sniper’s bullet struck Lt Col Brown in the chest at the second button of his shirt, killing him instantly.
During his three-year command, Lt Col Brown was awarded the Distinguished Service Order (DSO) and the Order of the British Empire (OBE). He was scheduled to relinquish command of his battalion upon reaching Shwebo in Burma, after which he planned to take leave in Scotland following 11 years away from home.
Notiecable as a interesting quirk of history, Major Mohammad Ayub Khan, the senior most company commander in the battalion, succeeded Lt Col Brown as Commanding Officer of 1 Assam. However, the GOC soon removed Ayub Khan from his position for displaying ‘tactical timidity.’ Ayub Khan, also from the Punjab Regiment, later became the Army Chief of the Pakistan Army, declared martial law in the country, and became its President, eventually awarding himself the rank of Field Marshal. Ayub Khan was in charge in Karachi leadin up to the bloody Liberation War of 1971 when East Pakistan broke away from West Pakistan and became Bangladesh. But that, of course, is another story …
Nagaland is renowned for its rich biodiversity, hosting a variety of flora and fauna unique to this region. The state’s lush, dense forests, undulating hills, and diverse climatic conditions create an ideal habitat for an array of species.
Nagaland’s flora is a tapestry of subtropical and tropical forests, coupled with patches of temperate forest at higher altitudes. The state’s forests are predominantly evergreen, with broad-leaved trees such as oaks, chestnuts and magnolias flourishing in the region. Rhododendrons, with their spectacular blooms, are commonly found at higher elevations. The valleys and foothills are home to various species of orchids, over 350 in total, add a vibrant splash of colour to the landscape.
Nagaland’s diverse plant life also includes valuable medicinal plants and economically significant species such as timber and cane. The unique climatic conditions and varied terrain allow for the growth of numerous endemic species, making the state a crucial area for botanical research and conservation.
The state is a haven for birdwatchers, with over 490 species of birds recorded, including the Great Indian Hornbill, the critically endangered White-winged Duck and the elusive Mrs Hume’s Pheasant. The Amur Falcon, a migratory bird, makes an impressive annual journey from Siberia to Nagaland.
The forests of Nagaland are home to various mammals, including the rare clouded leopard, Asiatic black bear, and the Indian bison (gaur). Smaller mammals such as the Malayan giant squirrel, Hoolock gibbon, and several species of deer also inhabit these forests.
Conservation efforts in Nagaland focus on protecting these diverse species and their habitats, balancing ecological preservation with the needs of local communities. Initiatives such as community reserves and eco-tourism projects aim to safeguard the state’s natural heritage while promoting sustainable development.
Charlotte grew up in Surrey and, upon graduating in Law from Christ’s College, Cambridge, qualified as a solicitor and pursued a career in the City. After a break to raise her family and time spent abroad for her husband’s postings, she started work once again back in the UK, this time within the education sector.
Charlotte’s grandfather was Lt Col William Felix Brown, CO of the Assam Regiment at the battles of Jessami and Kohima. He was killed on 4 January 1945 in action near Shwebo in Burma. Charlotte has visited the Naga Hills multiple times. In 2024, in honour of her grandfather, she led a group trekking 124 kilometres, through the night, from Kohima to Jessami … in less than 39 hours.
Charlotte is a trustee of the Kohima Educational Trust. When not walking, she can be found working in the garden or with her feet up, watching the cricket.
Follow Charlotte’s Instagram account about the 39 Hour walk here.
Rob Lyman explores the events and ramifications of WW2 in Kolkata, Kohima and the Naga Hills.
Tracing Bill Slim’s reconquest of Burma, we explore how WW2 led to where Myanmar is today.
In conversation with Grammar Productions, hearing the stories of forgotten allies of WW2.
Seeking veterans in Myanmar who fought beside the British in the Second World War.
A small British charity continues to work for the sake of forgotten allies from WW2.
Saw Berny, a Karen veteran who fought with the covert British Force 136 during WW2.
Saw Tun Thein worked with the Royal Engineers up until the Japanese invasion in 1942.
A veteran of Anglo-Burmese descent who fought alongside the British during WW2.
