A Story of War

I take to the air again. Doc Matheson gives me a medical yesterday which is a complete farce, beyond a little mercury blowing. Then I go off and do two landings and then beat up the 56th at Milestone 12 past Ratu Tanh. This morning I do a few circuits and glide approaches, but not very successful. A little tennis – last night the RAF put on a show in which eggs are splashed into the audience. I am warned and take three bad ones which I return, scoring a direct hit on the compere and two misses.

The parrot fails to return one evening and we reckon the cat got it at last. It’s empty cage still stands, waiting, on the balustrade, with the door open.

A signal from AHQ saying “Post F/L Mann from flight commander to C.O. of 28 squadron”, obviously a mistake. A.O.C. Hunter 221 Group rings up Mann and apologises, makes it plain Hammerbeck is getting the sack, and asks him to sign on for another year in India. Dribblebeak and Nicholson then ring up “P” Staff A.H.Q. and say Mann time expired and wants to go home, whilst D-Beak keen to stay on. AOC Hunter gets to hear of this and rings up Nicholson in a furious temper telling him to mind his own business.

A/M Baldwin, A/Comm Parry-Keane here a few days ago and D-Beak and Nicholson do their best to “burn their loads”. However, Nicholson himself is due to go as posted here by mistake. W/C Muckerji is coming instead.