Farewell to the Raj.
Geoff's final months with 229 Group Comm Flight were uneventful. I see no engine failures or forced landings in his log, and all his passengers got to where they were going. His last passenger-carrying trip in the Argus came in April '45, also his promotion to W/O, and no more Proctors appear in his log either, thereafter all his working flights were in the Expediters. When not working he would take “their” Harvard up on local flights (Aeros I expect).
The 'A' Bombs were dropped in August which would change everything, but the Comm Flight remained a very busy unit throughout Aug./Sept. Can anyone tell me what was at Nawai, Rajasthan at that time? Geoff flew 9 trips to that place in the space of 4 weeks and I cannot see what was there at all. His Commission P/O took effect from 25th August '45. Geoff flew his last trip for the Comm Flight on Sept 7th '45 (it was also the last time he would fly an Expediter) 'tho he would not have known that.
He does not fly again until Sept 20th when his log shows him as 2nd pilot on one of the dreaded C-87s (see Ernie K Gann's “Fate is the Hunter” for the low-down on that machine). His log book summary for Sept. shows that he is now with 232 Squadron (also based at Palam) and his first trip with them, on 20th Sept, is to faraway Rathalana (Ceylon) 7.50 in the air. The next entry in his log is not until six weeks later when he 2nd pilots C-87 (no.617) back to the ranch at Palam 7.45. What they were doing in Ceylon for those six weeks I know not, but as Danny has told us, once the war was suddenly over, all sorts of chaos ensued.
Ten days later his log shows that he boards Avro York no.185 as 2nd pilot and departs Palam for the last time, they nightstop in Mauripur. Nov. 11th they fly to Shaibah (Iraq) and then on to Almaza (Cairo). Nov. 12th on to Luqa (Malta) and then on Nov. 13 1945 from Malta to Holmsley South (New Forest) and Geoff was home - never to see India again.
232 Squadron disbanded at Poona, August 1946.
Ian BB