A fewwords to add to recent Posts:
Chugalug,
Yes, it's true that although we'd had years to work ourselves, as it were, into the war environment, the events of August'45 slung us out of it from one moment to the next. It was not surprising that everone was disoriented to some degree in consequence. Of course those serving overseas were naturally delighted to be going home (in most cases) much sooner than they'd expected....D.
Ian BB,
I'm sure that Sgt-Pilots like your Dad and I were at the bottom end of the pecking order when it came to air travel to India (what are troopships for if not for the likes of us?) But what interests me much more was what happened to him at Mauripur. What did "21 FC" stand for ? I think probably "Ferry Command" or "Ferry Centre" or "Ferry Control" or something like it, and for this reason.
The clue is the luxurious nature of his returns to Mauripur. To have the slightest chance of a ride in a BOAC Sunderland or Ensign, you would need at least one star, or to have a top priority Air Movement authority - and these were not handed out to the hoi polloi ! The sole exception (for obvious reasons) was the Ferry Pilot of any rank coming back to pick up his next delivery.
That was what your Dad was doing. He was a Ferry Pilot for the M.U.while he was there.
There were plenty of lakes and waterways in India which could take a Sunderland. At Cholaveram (Madras) we had them on Redhills Lake a few miles away, and most of the northern cities were on rivers....D.
HighTow,
RAF Hospital, Wroughton would have been another possibility - or would they consider that too far to travel ? And your: "Ormeside28 - Fascinating to read of your adventures as an RAF glider pilot on Varsity". had me puzzled at first, until I realised that it wasn't the aircraft, but an airborne operation, you had in mind. (Wouldn't that have been something, Ormeside, going to war in a Varsity "glider" [both feathered, I suppose] - and what would tow it ? The mind boggles !
Perhaps I should say that I was 5,000 miles away at the time and more concerned with my own spot of bother (and I would have been in dock getting patched up); it was only now that I've read Wiki's excellent blow-by-blow account of the largest airborne assault ever mounted that I took note of it (curiously, we'd heard all about Arnhem out there)....D.
Goodnight, everybody. Danny.
Last edited by Danny42C; 20th Jun 2014 at 01:28.
Reason: Spacing,