A Cry For Help!
I have posted this plea under the same title on the Military forum. Could I ask that if you can help you post there? Many thanks in anticipation!
'A request for help please…
My father (83) is suffering from dementia. I am endeavouring to fill in some gaps in his service life to try and stir some memories for him.
This is a pretty long shot, but having trawled tinternet with little joy, I was hoping that some of the historian types amongst us may be able to help.
He joined the RAF just before the end of the war, and as far as I can gather did some FT at Horsham St Faiths as NCO pilot. From there he went to South Africa (1944) and continued FT on Harvards at Standerton before going to OTU and converting to Hurricanes at Waterkloos. Any suggestions on where to find more detailed information on this would be gratefully received.
I think the most interesting bit is probably when he converted to Dakotas and flew with 62 Sqn (1945), specifically with No 5 Searcher Party. As far as I can gather this entailed working with Gurkha ground units on searches for downed aircraft in the Burmese jungle. He thinks they were based at Mingaladon, which ties-in with what little I have managed to find so far.
I will be contacting PMA, but imagine that their info will be of a service record nature rather than the detail I am trying to find.
Yours in hope - Al.'