Category: 1942/02
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February 27th 1942
Am sitting in Watch office and we see 12 Jap bombers come over. Then like a bucket of gleaming fish we see the bombs falling, then the whistle, and as they seem to be using the Watch office as their aiming mark, I think my last minute has come. C.O.’s Lysander and a Blenheim burnt. […]
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February 25th 1942
Yesterday I do a recce of Moulmein aerodrome with fighter cover. Nearing it I see a cloud of dust and expect something to be taking off, but no, and from 6000′ I see something like a DC2 and four fighters grouped round a hangar, and one fighter dispersed north. I come straight back and some […]
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February 24th 1942
I go to Bassein and back in a Lysander. F/Sgt Falconer and his men drive off to Magwe, after I have gone down to docks the night before and stole what rations they want. Yesterday we are all packed up to go, and Mann is sent on a recce to find out if the Japs […]
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February 22nd 1942 – Rangoon
I have to go and get the kite from J. Walker. I do a recce whilst Burt Mann does his first (recce) solo then he does the afternoon one. I go to town, borrow Paddy O’Malley’s motorbike and go swimming at Kokine. A beautiful bath with grass terraces alongside. Then back to find Johnston once […]
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February 19th 1942
Yesterday I do two recces in my Hurricane over the Bilin-Thaton area. The first time I see nothing, and then I drop two messages on a company of KOYLI’s who are cut off at Yimon. Later heard this successful and the KOYLI’s got away. Not very successful at the time as I seem to be […]
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February 18th 1942
Yesterday I go off and bomb Moulmein railway station. I follow Pete Jennings and drop mine between two engine sheds in what I hope is a slit trench. Then C.O. says “you and Dickie go and fly Hurricanes”. We go off yesterday to Mingaladon and Dickie flies but I don’t as the sun is setting […]
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February 14th 1942
Pete Jennings and I have dinner with the DSP, one Benson, an excellent dinner after rations, though we don’t sit down until about 10.30 pm. On Friday 13th the C.O. and I fly down from Magwe, as all serviceable ‘Lizzies’ are required down at Rangoon. We all go out to a landing ground called “John […]
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February 11th 1942
I go off with F/Sgt Perry but get foxed by the satellite landing ground – Hilton and I and four of 1 Squadron under Pritipal Singh. Namsang is at 3200 and pretty cold, though hot baths had been laid on for us by Sides, the Australian station master. Next morning Pritipal and A flight go […]
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9th February 1942
Joe Nelson arrived and collected me from Z and he, I, and Dickie go to the golf club and get rather drunk with the war correspondents Gallacher, Webber and Stow (‘Snow White’). Next day I load up with two 250s and get ready to raid the Moulmein area with Majunder and some 1 Sqn chaps. […]
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February 6th 1942
Last night they come overhead three times, so we don’t get much sleep. This morning we see a small Balbo cross over to Ningaladon and fighters weaving trails in the sky. (JDW: Early WW2 RAF jargon, which often referred to large formations of enemy aircraft as a “Balbo”. This was a hangover from 1933 when […]
A Story of War 