Previously I had thought I had seen a spare part at Tezpur so I got permission from our Wing Commander at Dinjur and flew with Sgt. Bates in an Anson to go to Tezpur. Unfortunately Bates had to make a forced landing because he ran out of petrol which was used to start the plane and get it into the air. He then forgot to switch over to the other petrol tank. Rod's note:- The plane, a Hawker Audax, a pre war ground supprt fighter bomber, had an unusual fuel arrangement. A small tank in the upper wing was used with gavity feed for take-off and landing, on cruise the pilot needed to switch to the main tank which was at the bottom of the fuselage and needed a pump to supply the engine. Over 370 were built pre-war, and the one Dad was in K8335, was the last Audax to be built. Alf was not able to complete his story so I have written the rest for him ………. Whilst in India, Alf’s plane needed a new part so the crew were grounded, much to their disgust. Alf was the navigator and only officer in the crew of four, so after much persuasion he was allowed to take a small two-seater plane and its pilot to fly to another airbase to pick up the spare part. After they had been flying for a little while the engine spluttered and died. The pilot made frantic efforts to start the engine again but to no avail and they crashed into a rice field. Alf was thrown from the plane into the wet rice and the wing of the plane tipped, landing on his back. He tried to move but petrol dripped onto his face and he blacked out. Fortunately the pilot was alright and managed to move Alf’s head away from the dripping petrol. Indians arrived in large numbers and helped pull Alf out. One Indian found his watch on the rice bund, so as it was muddy he washed it in the water before returning it to Alf! It became very obvious that the Indians were far from friendly and they wanted to take the instruments from the plane. Alf was obliged to show his revolver and threaten to use it. One man then came forward, saying he could speak English because he was a teacher. He said that there was a white family a distance away who ran a big jute mill and estate. Alf ordered him to guide them to a lane where the man said the weekly bus was due to arrive in an hour. Alf was experiencing a great deal of back pain but managed to follow. Rod's note: Dad told me that the pistol was not loaded, on a delivery trip they were not issed with ammunition ! The bus duly arrived - an extremely ramshackle vehicle carrying more Indians who waved their arms and shouted threateningly. Again Alf had to show his revolver and threaten to use it, making everyone get out of the bus so he and the pilot could get in. The vehicle rattled and rocked over the earth and stones, causing Alf even greater pain. When they eventually arrived at the home of Mr and Mrs Mac they were welcomed heartily and told they were the only white people that had been there for a long time. A doctor on the estate examined Alf and said he just needed rest. Meanwhile, a message had been sent to let the airbase manager know what had happened, and after a few days Air Force men arrived to assess the damaged plane and take the pilot back. Alf was told to stay with the Macs until the doctor there thought he was well enough to return. When they got to the plane it had been stripped, so the Indians were told that the Air Force people would be there in a few days to remove the plane. They were also told that they would suffer badly if they had not returned every item that had been taken. There had been other similar incidents around the area and examples made of the thieves, so they knew what to expect! Consequently, everything was returned. It was later found that the pilot had forgotten to switch from the reserve tank which held special take-off fuel, to the main fuel tank! Many days passed and Alf was really enjoying himself with the Mac family (apart from a painful back), but eventually he was told to return to Bombay. The doctor in the hospital there found that Alf’s upper back was broken. A very thick plaster cast was made which covered his body from his neck to upper legs, leaving a hole in the stomach area for him to breathe. He was still in this cast when he arrived home several weeks later. Prior to the accident Alf had been billetted in Lord Inchcape’s beautiful mansion where he had been given a bearer, rather like a manservant, to look after him. So Alf stayed a while in hospital and his manservant came and looked after him. In time they returned to the mansion. The people who were living there, Mr and Mrs Gordon, were extremely kind to Alf and had visited him in hospital. Their childrens’ nanny kindly wrote to me and explained what had happened. She also assured me that her employers were doing all they could for Alf. |
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