A Story of War

I finish the Court Martial and deal out 98 days detention. Then by air to Calcutta for another medical board, which has been arranged by W/C Stewart SMO 225 Group with the idea of getting me home. The aircraft does not turn up and I am forced to get on the train, to my disgust. I get a coupe to myself but with one Mr Row getting in later. Next door is the ladies coupe. I see an attractive woman in there and she later gets out for a walk, so I determine to invite her to a drink later on, as she ‘looks the type’. I take some Canadian whisky along at about 7pm and she accepts the offer and bids me enter. Her name is Joan Cory 28, wife of a M.S.M. railway magnate 20 years older than she, and from whom she is in the process of getting a divorce. (JDW: Happy Christmas, dad!) We get on well and discover that Mrs Row, wife of my stable companion, is due in with her later on. So we agree to let them have my coupe together and I move in with Joan. I then carry out a complete seduction, perfectly planned and operated, leaving at 8.30 the next morning and joining three gents in a four berth compartment next door. God!!

I meet W/C Banks in Calcutta and we scrape into the Saturday Club as guests of W/C Dougal. I stay at the Grand Hotel which has been cleaned up and is now a hostel for allied officers and their wives. Also for nursing sisters.

90 Japs run in on a daylight raid some weeks ago, both navy and army aircraft, and the score is 10 all. They choose the one day when the Spitfires are away and their relieving Hurricanes have not arrived. Calcutta full of yanks and WAFF, a divsion of whom are walking down the Kaladan.

I go for my medical with the same result – “AIB Return to unit”. I meet one Captain Richmond ALO without any aircraft to liaise, with the WAFF, and we have a few drinks last night. I return today on a Hudson, not having had much sleep last night with the noise of drunken Americans all over the hotel. A letter from Mhairi Irvine and one from Bernard Fergusson.