A Story of War

I get hell’s own toothache, so fly to Peshawar to have it done. One Major (S)Pank stops the tooth but not the ache so I go back there today, and he decides that it is the wisdom shifting the others, and so nothing to be done about it.

Yesterday Johnstone, Clark and I go to Jhelum in Audaxes. A very small landing ground and I muck up the first one and have to go round again; the first time since April before the war. (JDW: I think he means the Iraq war of May 1941, and he was not flying in April 1939.) Then we have breakfast in 10/1 P.R. mess (JDW: Punjab Rifles?) and are due to take up some army officers afterwards. However, Johnny’s and my planes refuse to start and we are late on the job, with the Brigadier fretting impatiently. I also take up the B.M. to look at some hills and he is apparently sick in the back, as I notice a funny smell on the way home, so we check in at Kohat and that’s what it was.

After lunch we set off back but my plane again bolshie and takes 30 minutes to get going. Last night I take Amrik Singh (4/12) to drinks with Jerry Beale. Neil Elliott goes off to command Com flight in Delhi and we give him a send off. Damn this tooth and jaw ache – the fifth day now!