Durban South Africa, May 43
Bombay, August 43
Poona, August 43
Palel, August 44
Kalemyo
Yazagyo,
Onbauk, Jan 45
Ondaw, March 45
Wanjing, April 7th 1945
Kwetnge, April 45
Kinmagan, June
Meiktila, July
Mingaladon
Malaya Butterworth, Nov 45
Singapore Seletar, Mar 46
Liverpool, July 23, 1946
West Raynham, Aug 1946
Demob Nov 1946
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113 SQUADRON RAF
LAC HARRY W HITCHINS
LAC Harry W Hitchins 1630638 FME, Flight Mechanic Engines. 113 Squadron RAF. Born 01/07/1922
Cardington beds - June 1942
Penarth South Wales - August 1942
Blackpool Square bashing - September 1942
Cosford NR Wolverhampton Technical training-October 1942
West Kirby then Liverpool Docks - April 1943
HMTS Highland Brigade to Clairwood Camp Durban - May 1943
HMTS Strathaird to Bombay - August 1943
Poona 3 RFU - August 1943 to August 1944
Posted to 77 R&R Party Palel Manipur - August 1944
Posted to 113 Squadron Kelemyo - November 1944
Posted to No#1 Refueling and Rearming Party in Mingaladon - July 1945
Posted to 47 Squadron at Hmawbi - November 1945
Posted to the 389 MU at Seletar Singapore - March 1946
Posted to Kings Lynn 'Central Fighter Establishment UK - 1946
Demobbed at Kirkham Lancs No 1 Dispersal Centre - 21 November 1946
On the 14th of April 1943 I was lined up on the Liverpool docks to board the Highland Brigade, we went on 18 to a mess table and we were lucky as we were only one deck down and had portholes. The first in line ??? Jones was senior man, as it turned out he was the youngest and was known as the Principal Boy. Next in line was Ted Longman then me. We were mess orderlies for the next five days. The galley was on deck up steps with a handle either side. Often we had a container in each hand so we went down leaning against the steps so we didn't fall off. We sailed next day and the steps started moving, but we did cope. Sleeping was a mattress or hammock, I had a hammock, if you had a mattress you simply put it down where there was space. After a few days the C.O. died, he was put over the side as the ships engines were stopped for a couple of minutes. Then we lay off Freetown Sierra Leone for a week, then on to Durban S.A.
Durban South Africa
We docked 21/05/1943 and were welcomed by the Lady in White Perla Gibson, opera singer. She saw all troopships in and out of Durban any time of the day or night. Next day we moved into a camp at Clairwood just outside of Durban. A pretty basic brick built building with no doors or windows but the food was fantastic. At midday we were allowed out of camp and went into town, plenty of cheap canteens and a Sally Anne. Lunch was tea cakes and an orange. Six of us used to go into the OK Bazzar for ice creams, pay with a note and get the same amount back in change, we really were made to feel welcome. After a few days we went south of Durban to Amanzimtoti (Sp?) a resort used by the locals where we met two families on a day out and they adopted all six of us during our stay in S.A. Mrs Enslin had three children the eldest Kay 18, Mrs Dawson also had three children eldest Shelia, also 18. We were taken into their homes and became part of the family. The husbands were with the desert rats in North Africa and had been captured at Tobruck and were awaiting news from them. We were all given nicknames mine was Arry-Mit-the, they also wrote home to our moms and dads to let them know we were ok. They used to organize postmans knock with the two eldest daughters in strict rotation of course. The swimming pool on Durbans sea front was free. In the Edward Hotel we were served with tea and cakes in the lounge and given use of a bath room. The Jewish club invited us to their concerts. I had my 21st birthday on the 1st of July, It was magic. I could have been one of the family.
On July 26th we sailed on the Strathaird and were seen off by Perla Gibson who sang "Will Ye No Come Back Again". Ted Longman had been in sick bay and he didn't want to be left behind so the M.O. said if he could walk onto the boat he could go, and he did. This time we were on the lowest deck, a bit grotty. The second day out Ted was pretty rough so we took him to sick bay. He had Diphtheria and spent the rest of the trip in his own cabin.
POONA INDIA
 We got off the boat on the 8th of August in Bombay and after a few days on to Poona. Poona 3 RFU was for aircrew out from the UK to acclimatize to conditions in the far East. Aircraft - Harvards, Hurricanes, Ansons, Blenheims, Beaufighters, Vultee Vengance's. I was mostly on Hurricanes, but did a couple of inspections on Ansons with Ted and we went on the 15 min air tests. Then an inspection on a Blenheim, we couldn't go on the air test as it was being used as a training flight. It crashed and killed all five in February 1944. At Poona, every fortnight after being paid we went into town to a Chineese restraunt, before going in we used to shout across the street to a shop called "Dikshit", so did Ted, Les, Harry, Ginger. Then we had our tomato soup, chicken salad and banana fritters. Sometimes we cycled into Kirkee where the families of the regular officers lived. Here we had use of the swimming pool then tea and cakes in the Lady Lumley Canteen.
As a result of flying accidents I was involved in two burial parties while at Poona. We, the firing party, were given a brief run through only a couple of hours before the service which consisted of Last Post and then the three shots over the grave. I was in the East End of London during the blitz, but nothing then or after was as nerve wracking as then. I do not recall a Padre on the squadron and am fairly certain we didn't have one, I also do not recall seeing anu burial sites on or about the airfields we were on.
We had Trade Test Boards which, if passed, stepped you up from an AC2 to an AC1, and an AC1 to LAC. As an AC2 the step up to AC1 was a Shilling a day 4 Shillings to 5. As I allocated two Shillings home, the extra shilling was like a 50% raise. (Fitter 2E (engines) was a step up from Flight Mechanic). The board was fairly simple, we sat with a senior NCO who just asked us questions about our trade. When the results were published, quite a few of us failed. A Sargeant who we knew well said they were only allowed to pass 60%, costs! I did pass at the next board.
PALEL INDIA
Upon passing the board in August I was then posted to 77 R&R (Refueling & Rearming) party at Palel. We travelled from Poona to Calcutta by train, stopped at a transit camp for a few days, then train to Dimapur railhead then by road to Kohima, lunch then stopped overnight at Imphal then on to Palel.  This was an all weather strip with 113 and 34 and a Spitfire Squadron. The C.O. was Ginger Lacey. They flew escorts to the supply Dakotas. 77 R&R was only a small unit that dealt with any visiting aircraft, I can only remember Doc Watson, Sgt (Fitter 2-Engines) and Alfie Banks (LAC Electrician), all the rest are just faces. I did at one time have six Tiger Moths to look after, they had been modified to take a casualty doing away with the rear cockpit to fit in a stretcher. One day a Moth became unserviceable at an airstrip and one of us had to be flown to it in another Moth. There were three Engine Wallahs, Doc Watson Sgt Fitter 2E, an LAC Fitter 2E (in Hospital) and me. One of us had to be flown to it in another Moth so Doc 'who must have been in his fourties' went. He was straped in with some tools clasped to his chest and a square of perspex over his face enabled him to get a glimpse of the sky. Good old Doc !! The flight from Palel to the pick up strips was over a range of hills ( I think they were the Chin hills) so the Moths had to circle around to gain enough height to cross over. Doc didn't have a chute. He got his Crown 'Flight Sargeant' after this, known as sixpence Half a Crown (Ring Twitter) at the time. He deserved it, I'm glad I didn't have to go!
Our last daylight air raid was at Palel about October 44. We did have some night raids, they just made a few holes in the strip which the ladies from the nearby village quickly filled in. When the 14th Army crossed the Irrawaddy both Squadrons had two aircraft circling the point all day (no Bombs). One day they were asked to carry on through the night and it was a nightmare for the pilots, the flight path was Goose Neck flares (flames on a stick) and came the dawn there were aircraft all over the dispersal area. The attack on Fort Dufferin Mandalay required the pilots to skip bomb the walls, flying very low so the bombs hit the wall side on. We left Palel by road.
Kalemyo BURMA
The 77 R&R Unit was disbanded and LAC Alfie Banks and I joined 113 Squadron, I think this was at Kelemyo in November 1944. In December after a short time at Kalemyo we moved by road to Yazagyo.
Late 1944 all Ground Staff were sent on a backers up course, it was supposed to turn us into Infantry if ever required and were issued with a rifle and fourty rounds. We crossed the border later on at Tamu into the Kabaw Valley where it was sprayed with DDT from the air. White men were not supposed to survive there but we of course proved them wrong.
Yazagyo BURMA
At this time all Squadrons were re-named Servicing Echelons and the Squadron numbers altered to four digits so 113 became 7113SE, 34 Squadron became 7034SE and so on. This became our official address but we still preferred to call ourselves as Squadrons. No official reason was given but someone came up with the idea that instead of a Squadron moving enmasse, Advance Party, Main Body, Odds & Sods, (which did work quite well) you just moved the aircraft. First snag there were different types of aircraft and we wern't going around in circles. So apart from the name change, nothing else happened.
During my time with 113 the Squadron code was AD and there was only A & C flights, no B flight (no doubts!). The 34 Squadron letters were EG, and they operated from the other side of the airstrips and had their own camp so we never met any of them, the Squadron flew as a unit. Their were sixteen aircraft on the squadron, seven on each flight, and the other two having Fourty hour inspections. I forgot how many were done before they went away for a major. I dont remember much about 'A Flight', only pilot "Ted Slinger". On C Flight, Stanley Chilton, who also led the squadron flew N for Nellie. Me and Mac "Airframes" looked after him and as I recall he found time to fly back to Calcutta to get married but he wasn't gone long. The NCO C Flight was F/Sgt Spud Murphy. P/O Smith (Smyth) flew S for Sugar, then there was another pilot I recall known as Pee-Wee, a short fair haired Flight Sargeant from 'C' Flight. I think it was Pee Wee, who lost his coolant on the way back from an Op. He managed to nurse it home by switching off the engine and gliding as far as he could, then starting up again. He landed first let it run to the end of the strip and ran away and left it. ( OC of C flight was F/Lt John O Hopkins - November 44, P/O Robert Astley - December 44, F/O ? Smyth - January 45, F/Lt Chilton -Feb 45, P/O Read - Mar 45) The CO was S/Ldr Rose, known as "Limejuice", he also had his younger brother on the squadron. LAC Len (known as Flash) Godwin, Electrician 'C' Flight and in Civy St was also a photographer, he used an old tarpaulin as a darkroom and got the Daks crews to bring him supplies. My photos were spoiled in the Monsoon but Len might still have the negatives. He comes from Ilford Essex. Len never had any doubts about himself, he really was self assured. One day the Squadron must have been on a 24 hour stand-down. He borrowed the Flight 15cwt lorrie and me and drove to a nearby maintenance unit to try and scrounge a 180 Pounder tent to use as a dark room. When we got there Flash leaned back against the wagon and called out to a chap with a wristband with three stripes and a crown. "Oh Flight Sargeant", the Sargeant turned to Flash, "yes sir ?" (we were all just wearing bush hats, shorts and shoes) Flash then asked him in his best Officer type voice,"Is there any chance of a tent going spare ?" There was! and the Flight Sargeant and I loaded the tent onto the truck. (I had to call Flash sir as well). Flash thanked the officer "Jolly decent of you Sargeant" and as we drove off Flash said to me "That's how you do it Harry boy." He had no idea what sort of person he was going to deal with, he just did it. Us Erks called Flight Sargeants "Chiefy."
The tent I was in included Bert Reed, Taff Jenkins, Ginger Fallows, Kinny Kinsville, Len (flash) Godwin, and me, the dog slept where he wanted. Kinsville was an Anglo Indian he lived in Calcutta so untill we crossed into Burma he had a home posting. We were issued with a rifle and fourty rounds. As the RAF Regiment who did the perimeter guard were a third under strength, the night guard was two of them and one of us. One night I was on guard with two of the RAF Regiment bods. (We always did the second shift as the 2 - 4 guard was the worst one and they were on every night). I shall never forget, it was 3:25 am when a Bren gun fired on the left, two single shots then nothing. I moved over so my two Blokes wouldn't jump on top of me but they didn't wake up. Seeing this I woke them up and having told them what I heard, we all kept watch for quite a time. Came the dawn and they found a bloke with a bag of grenades. Apparently he had been moaning for quite a time so the three of them were up untill dawn came.
Squadron life was quite primitive. Drinking water was from a bowser into our water bottles, and to which we added tablets to make them safe to drink. We had a canteen of sorts in a tent, just had soap, razor blades and cigarettes, although I'm sure we got a cigarette allowance. We did have a rum issue and I can only remember one during which Kinsville got drunk. We used to go to the local village and swap cigs and soap for eggs, it was quite a ritual we went through every time we went. I was cook and had a handle bolted onto a tin plate. There was a period when something went wrong with the supply system and no supplies got through for about a week. During this time we had no bread or sugar, we did have some biscuits, 'hard as a bullet' but I think the porridge without sugar was the worse. At one place we adopted a dog and some chickens, later when we moved the Dakota crew didn't mind the dog comming along but the chickens had to stay. Before our first move by air all our excess clothing, Blues, etc were taken into storage. Equipment was a bit scarce, I had a fuel tank key and a screwdriver and I think two tool kits for each flight. There were no jacks to lift the mainplane so to change a wheel a bunch of us just got under and lifted as required. The pilots were only supposed to fire so many seconds after the bombing run so the Armourers guns could just hook a new belt instead of having to crank rounds into the breech. It didn't always happen and one of the Armourers was an Aussie "Bloody Hell". We had a Major and a Captain who did the briefing for the raids, it was one of Delhi's better ideas as the pilots knew what the Army wanted and the Army knew what the Airforce could do. One evening after flying, the Captain and Major gave a talk on the previous weeks Ops, I think it was weekly but I can only remember this once. It was all very informal and as the Major stood at the front pointing things out on the map, one chap asked where the front line was? "There is no front line as such," replied the Major, "there are only secured and unsecured areas" and he indicated these on the map. Of course the inevitable next question soon followed from a chap near the back "where are we" he asked? The Major, pointing to an unsecured area on the map replied "We are here" whereupon another voice from the back hollered "you had to ask you creep" and the room erupted in laughter.
It was either at Kalemyo or Yazagyo all our Kahki drill was replaced by green drill. One day at Yazagyo an aircraft landed with a hang up under the port wing, in this case "a 250Lb bomb" and as he touched down it dropped off and cartwheeled down along the side of the strip finally coming to a stop without exploding. It was the unfortunate lot of the Armourers to go out and get it to take somewhere for disposal and they were quite concerned as they did not know if it had armed itself or not. All in all, it made for an interesting diversion from the afternoon heat and a small crowd gathered to watch them blow themselves up. However, it wasn't long before they had it safely loaded aboard a truck and drove off amid great cheers from the group. All in a days work! Unfortunately we did loose another pilot at Yazagyo about December 1944, I do not recall the name but he crashed and blew up on takeoff. (Hurricane 'M' piloted by W/O Southworth was lost on operation over Gangaw late December - per P/O Graham Skellam log) All supplies and squadron moves were by a Canadian Squadron called Cannucks Circus flying Dakotas and as our moves from Yazagyo on were by air, we lost our charpoys (wooden framed beds with rope mattress). We had a Durrie which was a heavy woven strip of cloth as a mattress and a couple of blankets, the rest was up to us. I was lucky I got a camp bed from a bod who was time expired. Our tent was a 180 Pounder, it took six "just". We had one and six a day hard lying allocation and a Dhobi Laundry allowance.
An open air cinema used to catch up with us from time to time, it always showed "The Man In Grey" James Mason and finished up playing moonlight serenade. From E.N.S.A we saw George Formby and a cowboy act "Tex Shamva and Peggy". I think she gave everyone on the squadron a kiss, she was invited back!
The Kabaw Valley, where we were not supposed to be able to live, was sprayed from the air while we were there, we were also given regular jabs A.T.T., T.A.B, Cholera and another two in each arm. "These four jabs were called a full house."
ONBAUK - ONDAW BURMA
In January 1945 we went by air to Onbauk then in March to Ondaw. In Feb/March 1945 Stan Chilton landed from an Op and asked me to check the tail assembly, as the bombs had gone off instantaneously. (They were doing a low level on a bridge). Another time he landed and he said one of the bombs hung up and he could'nt shift it. He said it dropped off on the way back and wondered who got it. Also in Feb or March 1945 we lost P/O Smith in S for Sugar. (P/O Graham Skellam log records a loss of aircraft Feb 15 1945 (15/02/1945) but seems to indicate it was a 34Sqd aircraft? he also references a P/O Smyth in a January 1945 log entry) (When asked about Smith, F/Lt Chilton commented: I think Harry Hitchens may be referring to F/O Bennie Smyth, who got shot down in March 45. I remember this quite well because he was sharing a tent with me at the time. Also sharing it was P/O Reed (a Canadian) who, unbelievably disappeared the next day! As you can imagine I had a bit of a twitch on my next flight! I went on a Government organised pilgrimage to the Far East in 1985 & identified both their graves in Rangoon).
I remember the day well, only eleven circled the strip on return. Stan Chilton who led the squadron, taxied in first as usual. He said "P/O Smith (Smyth) blew up over the target" then went off. I called to Smithys crew that Smithy had bought it and that was it. The next sortie was soon after using the spare aircraft and a pilot who was on rest, nothing altered! I remember Mr Smith (Smyth), a quiet dapper man, not very tall, very precise - his Ground Crew thought he was great. It wasn't long after that one day between Ops, Mac flight mechanic airframes and I were sitting awaiting events when an aircraft suddenly dived out of the sun at us and everybody took off, Mac and I ran through the bushes and fell into a hole covered with thorns. I was lucky I was wearing slacks but did tear one of my arms and hand. At the last minute the aircraft pulled out of the dive. It turned out it was one of our own on a test flight, P/O Smith's replacement, which we had forgotten about. He was lucky the ack ack blokes were probablly asleep and in any case he got quite a reception when he taxied in. One other interesting event happened around this time whereby a navy pilot turned up for Operations instead of Stan Chilton, he assured me he would bring it back safe and sound, he did and complained the gun sight didn't work and all guns had stopages, the instrument basher switched the gun sight on for him and the armourer found all the guns empty (oh dear) never did find out where he came from or why.
WANJING
On April 7th 1945 we flew back to Manipur 'Wanjing' and converted to P47 Republic Thunderbolts. The conversion to Thunderbolts at Wanjing was uneventfull, we had our tents and set up our own camp fairly isolated from the others. Towards the end of our stay here Bert Reed had become ill and was taken off somewhere. One morning we broke camp and assembled at the strip with our tents and gear awaiting Cannucks Circus to come pick us up. We waited for a couple of hours and were told the move was off so back we went lugging all of our stuff and set up camp again. (The conversation as the boys trudged back to set up camp would likely be unprintable). Since we were back at camp one of our bods named Kinsville decided to try and find out where Bert Reed had been taken and away he went. He had only been gone an hour or so when surprise, surprise Cannuck Circus turns up, so 'once again' we hurriedly break camp and haul it all back to the strip. After quickly loading up we all piled in and took off leaving Kinsville behind. (Hilariously you can well imagine the chuckles of the boys as they were leaving thinking of Kinsville's surprise when he arrived back to find his entire unit gone & having no idea where they went.) We later landed at Kwetnge, and set up camp at our new strip. About three days later, Kinsville turned up exactly as we left him in bush hat, shorts, socks and shoes, he was not a happy lad. The story goes he caught a lift with an Army unit who innocently made the mistake of asking him where his unit had gone. Already seething, and not one noted for tact, his reply was "How the F&*#$@ *)% should I know, they don't tell us where we are going." Thinking perhaps that all RAF airmen are daffy, the Army fed him and gave him a lift anyway.
KWETNGE
Following this we moved to Kwetnge in April 1945. Kwetnge was very humid and we were getting the "Chota" (little) Monsoon showers now and again. It was pretty muddy and it stuck to our boots tenaciously. The strip however was metal so despite the weather and mud, operations went on as usual. The armourers still had bomb trolleys for 250Lb bombs so the 500Lb bombs were balanced on top and held by recruited natives. Normal dress became mosquito boots with your slacks tucked inside and there were natuaral Epsom salts in the water. We had mosquito cream when we got to Bombay but I'm sure it was late 1944 before we got Meracrine tablets. This gave us a yellow tinge and in one "Tokyo Rose" broadcast she said it would make us impotent! Kwetnge was the first place where the weather got to us, sweat just ran through your eyebrows, when flying finished we just laid on our pits. I Know the M.O. got concerned and sent some of us back to Calcutta on a weeks leave. I can't remember if we were selected or if we asked to go. We got back to the squadron at Kinmagan.
KINMAGON - MEIKTILA
The next moves were to Kinmagon in June 1945, then to Meiktila in July.
From Meiktila, I was posted to No#1 R&R (Refueling and Rearming) Party in Mingaladon just North of Rangoon. I went in a truck with some Army chaps and we had to get to certain points on time as the area was still unsecured. Rangoon had been captured a short time before and was rapidly building up for the advance into Maylaya with what we called 'Moon Men' (ie: just out from the UK, no sun tan). Can't remember doing much here, only the Daks were flying regular and we spent most of our time refueling them. We did have some beer but I don't recall if it was an issue or we had to pay. Then on the 6th and 9th of August the A Bombs were dropped. By August 15th 1945 its all over, things just ground to a halt, only the Daks were flying.
HMAWBI BURMA
In November I was posted to 47 Squadron at Hmawbi, the official title was 7047 Servicing Echelon. The 47 were flying Mosquitos but there was very little flying so we just mooched about. Between September and December 1945 I sent 22-10-00 lb home, back pay. (22-50 lb in new money).
SINGAPORE
In December 1945 we went from Rangoon to Singapore in a tank landing ship. Upon landing the trucks took us to a remote part of the camp at Seletar as the Air Force was on strike. The next day we went by train to Kuala Lumpur, had dinner, then continued by train to Butterworth Malaya which is almost opposite Georgetown. This was in January 1946, the only thing of note that happened here was the Jap Arms dump behind the camp going up. Later after roll call one chap was found to be missing, he probablly picked up the wrong thing. It was here one morning when I woke up one morning and found a lump on my chest, it went round that Hitchens was changing sex. I went sick that afternoon and the M.O. cut it out. The sick bay was merely a hut on stilts and I lay on a stretcher propped up on boxes. The M.O., a nice chap, came to see me after I was strapped up and we had a couple of drinks together from a bottle of whisky he had brought.
In March 1946 the Squadron was disbanded and most of us were posted to the 389 Maintenance unit at Seletar Singapore. There were quite a few redundant air crew being miss-employed but they still kept their flying pay. In April it went round that the tour for married and single men was down to two years and I had already done three. By May I was in the Transit Camp near the docks and had been given our kit back that had been in storage since December 1944. It was pretty well organized, we had our LAC G.C. stripe and medal ribbons issued so we could go home properly dressed. We boarded the Empress of Australia on the 27 June 1946 and sailed on the 28th for home.
LIVERPOOL
I do not recall much of the trip untill early on the 23 July we came round Southern Ireland up to Liverpool. The first things we recognized were the 'Liver Birds' it was still early morning and when we docked there was a couple there shouting out their son's name. We found him , held him up and everyone shouted hello Mum, Hello Dad. We disembarked that morning, went to a nearby camp and were off the next afternoon on 4 days leave. The train had a restraunt car and while some of us had an evening meal , I had my first drink of Guinness. I caught a taxi at Eveston London and it wasn't untill we were on home ground that I realized I had made it, I was home. I still had my front door key and I let myself in to be welcomed by 'Whiskers' our cat.
Following leave, I was posted to Kings Lynn 'Central Fighter Establishment.' It was mostly mostly jets by then so I didn't do much. On the 21 November 1946 I was demobbed at Kirkham Lancs No 1 Dispersal Centre. It was very well organized, we had tea in the NAFFI untill our name was called, following which we went through a door at the end to a series of offices. When we got out we had all the paperwork for Civvy life then a coach took us to the clothing centre. On the way over in the coach I took out a cigarette and an officer leaned across and gave me a light, I said thank you sir, he laughed and said mister. I got home and promptly caught pneumonia, joined the labour market and became 'The Enemy,' but thats another story. I didn't start courting untill after Demob and was later married. Ted Longman & I are still good friends and stayed in touch.
Harry's last paragraph hit like a brick when I read it as it sadly shows how simply and tragically this important bit of history can be lost forever, He ends: You are the only one who has got all this Charlie, my wife knew some but didn't know all about the rest down to Singapore untill I contacted you, she never asked so I never said, the same goes for the rest of my family.
Return to Durban
My wife and I went back to Durban in 81 and 84 to see our old neighbours who had emigrated. We found a memorial to Perla Gibson at the entrance to the harbour and we visited the Jewish club that used to entertain us as well as the Edward Hotel where we had tea and cakes and a hot bath. About two or three years ago a statue of Perla Gibson was unveiled on the Durban sea front. I was pleased that I was able to make a contribution. I never found the Enslins or Dawsons that adopted us for nine weeks in 1943.
NOTE: The renumbering of the Ground Crews is little known or documented and warrants further research as it may clear up many unanswered questions and conflicts between various in information that has been recieved. It is however a proven fact as LAC Hitchins has actual letters addressed to the new renumbered Ground Crew Echelons.
NOTE: Airgraphs were written out normal size, photographed and the small negatives sent to the country of delivery whereupon the negative was printed reproducing the document normal size.
Japanese money, Harry doubts they would honour the bill but
it would be interesting to see what they would say about it.
Theatre Program Christmas 1943 - LAC Harry Hitchins
Whenever I hear "Moonlight Serenade" being played it always takes me back to the open air cinema and the film "Man In Grey"
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