Box Brownie. Very sorry to hear that John's logbook cannot be located. We can only hope that it eventually comes to light. Thank goodness that you had the foresight to photograph the key pages though! The Record of Service is, to say the least, very comprehensive, whereby not only the many units from St Johns Wood onwards are listed, but even the troop ships to and from Canada! Thereafter; Harrogate, Hereford, 6EFTS Sywell (doing the instructing that he had rebelled against in Canada?), before No.18 PEC London (any ideas anyone? Is this when he gets given the L5 job?) Finally to India and 221 Group Comm. Sqn. Is this at last the Sqn ID that has so eluded us? It would seem so, though of course the 30 L5's would have been a part (Flight?) only rather than the entirety of 221 Gp Comm Sqn.
9 days before the rescue attempt he remarks "Hit !!!!". Presumably by something less neutral than the Burma treetops they were wont to brush!
The Wg Cdr at least scores his rank if not his name, the Indian soldier neither (but I'm sure that he wasn't complaining!). Interestingly the Corps Commander is flown three times though not named (no need of course, everyone would know, but do we?) I assume that the Supreme Commander (Mountbatten) was in one of the other aircraft in the four ship formation doing a Beachhead Recce (bit chancy, but who was going to say no?).
All fascinating stuff BB, thank you! It just shows what an invaluable historical document a pilots logbook is (though some are more so than others! ;-).