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Ian Edward Abbey
Ian Edward Abbey was born in Windsor in 1920. He commissioned with the Leicestershire Regiment on
20th December 1940 and then was sent out to Malaya in the summer of 1941 before moving to the
Deolali Reinforcement Camp from 16th October 1942 to 27th February 1943. He was a lieutenant with
the Fusiliers when he was approached about a possible role with the SOE. He was serving in Burma
where he had undertaken training in guerrilla warfare tactics, demolitions and bush craft, which were all
skills that would make him useful as an instructor for the SOE.
He was approached in early February 1944 when a recommendation for promotion to Captain was also
made. A report written on him for this states that he was well above the average in his role, and his
records show he passed his courses successfully, and spoke some Chinese and Urdu. With regards to
his character he was "young and keen, but at the same time exceedingly "browned off". He has never
had a real job since he joined the Unit. Being energetic he feels the boredom of having no real work
other than officer. He is strong willed and at times outspoken.â€. He was joined to Force 136, the far
eastern branch of the SOE. Originally set up in 1941 as the India Mission with the cover name of
GSI(k), it absorbed what was left of SOE's Oriental Mission in April 1942. In 1945, he led an operation
in southern Burma codenamed Antelope.
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