A Story of War

I take a batch of Indian Air Force pilots down here by train, quite comfortably sharing an air-conditioned coach with Bhose and G.S. Singh. Here at Karachi i go into town to see Tylers for a car, but no luck though I eventually manage to find a Rs 4/- per diem for hire. Then I go to the boat club and see George Holland’s name on a list so ring him up in the Baluchi Regiment. I have drinks and dinner with him, and hear all about Eritrea etc., in fact I can hardly open my mouth about Iraq at all, then to bed.

Saturday I drive in, and take out Reggie Wall shopping, and we have a drink with Joan Simonson, whose ETA is long overdue now. In the evening to the boat club to swim with Tom and Elizabeth Charters (40th Pathans) and no dinner. They drop us at the hospital at 7.30pm, and Reggie too ill to go out further, and having a hospital curfew at 10pm anyhow. So I change there and have a beer. Then I go out and look for a certain cinema, which I can’t find, and I can’t find the way to the Gym Club either, eventually ending up there at 10.30 where I meet Turner in the bar.

See George Holland later, but no dances and nothing exciting and bed by 3am, after some pretty dangerous driving back to Drigh Road with most of the headlights blued out.

Today I spend the morning filling ammunition belts for tomorrow’s shooting, and have a slight touch of the old malaise. (Boozer’s gloom – though not caused through booze – just ‘blues’.)