harrym, you may have seen the post of mine some days ago when I said I travelled in the back of a Beverly from KL to Changi, which as you know was the RAF transit centre in FEAF Command.
I clearly recall looking out through the open doors at the back and the families waving us off.
It would have been not unsurprising if the Beverley had come to collect us, given my father's three years as a QFI and later Flt Cmdr, with FEAF transport command, where I think he was a bit of a legend for getting his flight in and out of the jungle without one serious injury or fatality and for which he was Gazetted.
But I did wonder whether my memory was playing tricks on me, because I recalled we sat on the left hand side.
Then this weekend I saw a photograph of the inside of that Beverly and sure enough there were 5 dickie seats on the left hand side.
The other thing I recall about it was the noise from the engines. It was deafening.
The only thing I recall about Changi is that, as one would expect from a very precocious nearly 10 old boy who had treated RAF KL as his playground, I went for a walk about.
On my walk about this S/L, whom I id not recognise, saw me and asked
'What are you doing down here Roving?"
I explained with a sigh that we were going back to the UK.
"Is your father going back to the UK?",
he asked in a way which made me wonder if he thought that my father was an immoveable fixture in FEAF.
The journey back on the Hermes I have posted about before and will not repeat it. Apart from the stop overs the real thing I recall was when we were travelling over the Alps, I saw my father nod to the stewardess and the next thing that happened is that I was taken up to the cockpit to be entertained by the aircrew and a better view of the Alps.
Next time I will post about being sent to the "Tower" at RAF KL in April 1958 and a trip on the air sea rescue launch stationed at RAF Glugor,