A Story of War

Mike and Madill arrive, the former to take over from me, so after a day’s handing over Watty comes up from Sybil and we crack a bottle of ‘Old Angus’. I return the next day with Mackilligan in another a/c to Ranchi. Mike and Flynn go down to A.L.G. and when I get back I hear that he (Mike) is shot down in flames into the Maya River by A/A fire from Magyichang. Well, ‘Tiny’ Irwin, if he is still alive, and I are the only ones left now of the seconded Indian Army lot.

We maybe move to Alipore soon, keeping the Arakan detachment and sending another one, me again, to Imphal when the monsoon comes and 2 Squadron I.A.F. give up their detachment there which they took over from Henry – Henry left for Ramu this morning.

I have now got in 100 sorties and am not at all pleased with the prospect of more operations in Imphal. Tom is to be Wing Commander and Henry Squadron Leader (flying) and me, Joe Soap, doing all the ops.

I go to the club for tennis and meet David Cooper and all 14 Indian Division staff who are now in Ranchi, 70th Division having left. I have drinks with David and Tom Jones (14th Division) and they give me dinner in B.N.R. Hotel. 171st Wing is moving Madras way and “Waggers” left with the advance party. I have a drink with Mrs Roughton and tell her of Mike’s death. Not a pleasant job as they were more than just friendly. I am “windy” now, very. After 100 ops I can’t go on for ever. Also there seems to be this “hoodoo” on Indian Army types.

I have to land back with a U/S A.S.I. at Ramu, a thing I haven’t done before, but manage OK. I go on a dawn sortie with Flynn, a new pilot, weaving, down Alethangyaw way, but see nothing. Land back at Sybil and then go out weaving on Mackilligin (JDW: a fellow pilot) down towards Htizwe. Since four days ago I have been sitting about up here and it’s damn boring now everything is organised. Various signals from 224 Group that 2 Squadron I.A.F. are relieving us and that we should move to Ranchi by 28th, as the squadron is moving elsewhere. However the last one says “take no further action re. move of 2 sqn” and that’s the last I hear. Not a word from Ranchi, but Bob Garrett set off from here yesterday by aircraft and I hope to get some “gen” out of them – probably another rocket.

We put the tables and chairs outside the Mess of an evening and still have some gin and a little rum, but squash is running low. Photo and visual recces report increase of Jap fighter aircraft on their forward ‘dromes and numerous messages come in warning us to be on the “Que Vive” (JDW: on the look out.)

However there is no control at Sybil – or Somerset Maughan as I prefer to call it – and I suspect we shall buy it if anything happens.

I go on guard the other night – 8-10.30pm – on the a/c as there aren’t enough “irks”. (JDW: men?) Brigadier Cavendish of 6 Brigade confirmed died in Japanese hands after they raided his brigade HQ at Indin. Two Hurricanes shot up Buthidaung yesterday, giving rise to the rumour that Japs were flying Hurricanes. They also shot up the Maungdaw-Buthidaung road some weeks ago. My God!

The last time I am at Sybil I see a storm brewing up north so try and ring up Rami Ops. I cannot get through, so when I get fed up I go outside and it is almost upon us. I, MacKilligan and Macmillan take off, down wind, and then I find it is so bumpy and gusty that I cannot control the aircraft safely. I shout “pancake!” into the V.H.F. (we changed some 10 days ago) and turn down wind to feel the aircraft torn out of my hand and blown down wind at an alarming speed. On turning into the approach to land again I am blown off and lose considerable height, but eventually manage to get down OK, followed by the other two. A black storm, soon over, and mostly wind, so later I return to Ramu after lunching with Watty on cheese and pickles.

Division moves back to Maunghnama where there is a small landing ground some 900 feet long on which I nearly prang. Watty, Matthews, the A.L.O. and eight men for refuelling are there. Also Cooper-Davies and Chris Glover, who with David are the three enemy aircraft detachment “investigators”. Cooper-Davies is a character. Fought in the last war, carries a pistol, a sporting rifle and a sten gun and has every imaginable bit of kit to solve any difficulty which he might encounter anywhere in the world. He and Glover have attached themselves to us as being a good place to hang around and wait for Jap aircraft to fall out of the sky (not to be confused with waiting for us to shoot them down.) I go down there a couple of days and and do a sortie down Alethangau – Indin way.

14 Division have now become 26 Indian Division and all the staff changed, bar Higgins (G.R.1). Our serviceability is only 1 at present, which does not give the army a very good impression, especially these new types. Rude letters and signals from Ranchi about the prangs and my signals re. same.

There is a pleasant shower here constructed by 79 Squadron next door, and we had some beer the other day from Maungdaw so are fairly “khushi”. (JDW: a possible origin for the word ‘cushy’, as khushi means happy in Hindi. According to online dictionaries there is no evidence that it comes from India – they prefer ‘cushion’ as a derivation – well here is evidence!)

We move up to Ramu (Lyons) leaving Watty and Matthews and a fitter on Ritz. (JDW: all names for improvised landing strips cleared in the jungle). We have quite a nice Mess, quite some gin from Ranchi, squash and a good supply of Rum. The rum is now 8/- a bottle so as we have drunk about 150 bottles we shall have to produce 1200 R/s at some point – horrid thought.

Carruthers is S/L admin, at Wing HQ, very useful and a great help. Yesterday I go down to Maungdaw and do a couple of sorties but not very interesting – by which I mean nothing of note.

I don’t like the look of the neighbouring bomb craters, but hope nothing will happen. There are all these Assamese birds around here, but I cannot get hold of a bird book.