Darjeeling
After my illness, I was offered two-weeks sick-leave, clear of a week’s travel out and a week to return.
I decided to try to visit Darjeeling. It was quite an undertaking and one was not supposed to travel there unless there was an address to go to. I did not have one, but I took a chance that I would find somewhere to stay when I got there.
I asked for transport and got a flight on a Dakota going to Calcutta. It flew up the coast of Burma and Bengal; over Ramree Island, Akyab and Cox’s Bazaar. As we approached Calcutta I could see a large brown mushroom cloud in the sky, just like an atomic bomb. It was smoke and dust from a population of over nine million.
We landed at Alipore, South East of Calcutta and quite near the centre of town. That evening I caught the overnight train to Siliguri, the town at the foot of the Himalayas. The first part of the journey was over the flooded area of the Ganges delta. At about eight o’clock the next morning I arrived at Siliguri and had breakfast in the station restaurant. I then crossed the platform to the narrow gauge railway and joined the little train to Darjeeling, that was to climb 5,000 ft. in fifty miles and take five hours. It is said to be one of the great railway journeys of the world.
It was most interesting in the way that it gained height. It went round and round in circles, climbing all the while, then when it got to a section that was too steep, it would rise in a series of ‘Z’ shunts, There were sections of line, about 300 feet in length with catch-points at each end. The train would go forward over the points and then travel in reverse up the next section and over that set of points. Then it would rise up the next section going forward. This went on for about six sections, up the sheer face of the mountain.
Two men sat by the front buffers of the engine and they would drop sand onto the line, so that the driving wheels would grip.
Before the train turned inland, the views over the Bengal plain were quite stunning. The first stop was at the highest point (5,200ft.) at Ghoom station. I got out and went to the toilet.
Whilst I was in there a voice said, ‘Hello Bill’, it was a sergeant from 4. C.M.U. at Dum-Dum. We spent the rest of the journey in enthusiastic conversation.
The train then descended 200 ft. over a few miles to Darjeeling.
I reported to the transport office and was offered a stay at the Hodges household, at the top of the hill. I was very lucky, it was splendid!
I was a bit concerned because an Indian lady was detailed off, to carry my case up the zig-zag path to the top of the hill. She carried it on her back with the aid of a head-band.
The bungalow and garden were on the top of the ridge with fine views over Kanchenjunga, the third highest mountain in the world at 28,208 ft. It was covered in snow and appeared to be just across the valley, though of course it was many miles away.
Mr. Hodges was a retired gunsmith, He and his wife had lived in India all their Jives and had retired to Darjeeling.
Darjeeling was one of the Indian hill-stations, where the British would take a break from the heat down on the plains. The climate was rather like Britain, with cool frosty nights and warm sunshine during the day. As I have said, the views of the Himalayas were terrific, but one could see even morefrom Tiger Hill. Makalu and also onto the top of Mount Everest. The OCR has mucked up here. Basically I think Dad climbs Tiger Hill)
That same morning the Aga Khan and his wife were there. He was old and been pushed up in a wheelchair!
There were several paying guests at the Hodges household, There was
(OCR muck up again)-
Her husband was the harbourmaster at Visagapatam, a port down on the Indian sub-continent. There were two or three other airmen who were were on individual amounts of leave and there was also the Hodges’ niece, Rosemary.
The evening meal was held around the large table inl the dining-room and it lasted quite a while. It was a very dignified affair and we all sat around with Mr. Hodges at the head of the table and his wife at the other end. There was polite conversation and ???
We were served by the bearer and we usually had some form of curried meat and rice. This could be followed by ice-cold pomegranate. After the meal I would sometimes go to the Bagman CIub that was about half-way down the till!. There was a bar, table-tennis and sneaker ??.
It was always warm inside, but outside there would be a frost. Unfortunately, the atmosphere was always thick (??
The guests all got on well together, sometimes in the afternoon we would play Mahjong together in the bay window of the dining-room. It was played with little Chinese tiles.
Some afternoons we would go to the cinema in the town that showed English films. The lndian projectionist could not read English arid he often got the reels in the wrong order.
In the mornings, I would walk round the market, I bought a good length of tweed material and sent it home to my sister. I also walked a mile or so down the road to the Happy Valley tea plant-atioa. I saw the tea being processed and had a small chest of it. sent horne to my parents. My stay in Darjeeling was quite wonderful.
I returned down the narrow gauge railway, then down the main line to Calcutta. I got a Dakota flight back to Rangoon and found out my unit had moved on to Singapore.
I waited at Hmawbe for a flight going south. Ultimately I was taken to Butterworth, that is an airstrip opposite Penang Island. I stayed there for a few days. I visited Penang and on the ferry coming back at night, the sea was (??) .... it was caused by fluorescent organisms in the sea.
After a couple of days I flew the last section of the journey to Singapore.
Many years later when I was working in Asia I went and took pictures of places Dad had been to and sent them back to him. Of course, most places had changed beyond all recognition, but stuff like the funicular railway on Penang were just the same. The Darjeeling chuffer still runs.
Also, it's amazing that the RAF were so generous with their sick leave arrangements. I remember Dad saying he had seen some wonderful sights, "and I was paid 7/6 a day to do it!"