Five of us in a 15 cwt Chevrolet headed off from Namanakula eastwarrds down onto the plains through Elephant country to Pottuvil and a derilict bungalow on a vast and empty beach overlooking a huge expanse of ocean.
The Bungalow Pottuvil:
Unfortunately the only names I remember are Cpl. Len Marchant and our driver Norman Quigley who incidentally had been the Golf Pro at Windemere prior to call up, but we set up our radio shack, good old R1082 and T1083, a chawhorse for charging the batteries and established communication with Columbo callsign C8UA . Seem to remember mine being R5G but not really sure.
Having no cooking or other domestic facilities other than our charps (beds) the bountiful RAF paid for us to be fed at a Rest House a couple of hundred yards down the beach. Oh! Boy, never had curries like it. Up until the war, of course Rest Houses were a well established part of the social scene so Joseph really knew his stuff. Staggering back to the Bungalow after midday tiffin and crashing out for a couple of hours was standard practice. Evening meals? don't ask.
The Resthouse Staff: Quig at the back:
While we enjoyed the hospitality of the Rest House etc. plans were afoot to move us further up the the coast to a more permenant base. Another non-place named Komari about 40 miles south of Batticola.
Off to a one time emergency airfield i.e. dirt strip, and the local "works and bricks" had built a decent sized Basha to accomodate our increased numbers.
Outside of Basha
Our numbers were increased eventually to seventeen and we were allocated the title of 30 C& M party. Proper Unit with Sgt. Tomlinson, Cpl. Jack Ingham, Cpl.Doug Hay, Norman Quigley, Maurice Rugg, Gordon Milner, Ron (ginger) Clarke, Ernie Weller, Harry Stockdale, Len Marchant, 'Nick' Nicholls, 'Curly' Stephens, 'Ginger' Helliwell, Les Shobrook, 'Jock' Mitchell and 'Paddy' Cahill.
Inside of Basha
The Radio was set up in a section at the end of the Basha and 'Curly' Stephens had a separate 'cookhouse' outside. Our medical problems were handled by 'Nick' Nicholls.
Our task was to act as a 'Observer Unit' and maintain 24 hour contact with Columbo sending regular weather forecasts using a "Suzie" code. A ration trip was made every fortnight to Namanakula by our Golfing Driver Norman Quigley. Quig as a pro golfer had made quite a few useful contacts during his time in Ceylon so our ration trip of 200 miles was often split by an overnight stop at a Tea Planters Bungalow. Hobnobbing with the rich...........!. We also had our haircut and social trips to Batticola and made friends with a Portugese Coconut Plantation owner en route. Tommy Cook was the planter aided by his elderly father old Tom and his beautiful mistress Alice and small son Nat.
Alice and Nat: Old Tom me and Tommy: Tommy and Nat:
This location was unfortunately out of bounds the last time I visited Sri Lank in 1997 but at that time it was a natural game reserve.We had an Elephant, not a rogue, which would occasionally visit at night and scratch himself against our Basha. Leopards which would lie alongside the road on our way to Batti. Wild Buffalo, most dangerous, pythons, cobras, crocodiles in the lagoon and large black scorpions about six inches long Wild Chickens even which flew and pelicans..............and frightening ants which would devour anything given the chance. A Cobra weaved its way under my chair when I was on night shift one night. and a large Rat snake was resident in the roof and perfectly harmless but annoyed Ernie Weller so much that he put numerous holes in the roof trying to shoot it. Fortunately he failed.
A quick ant story: Was on night shift one night and at about four in the morning I heard a bit of a rumpus going on among the chickens (we kept a few for eggs) so grabbing the hurricane lamp I went outside to see what was afoot................a trail of ants over a foot wide and dissapearing back into the brush for about five yards were swamping the chickens and some eggs which had hatched. Horrific!. I got a can of petrol, poured it over the whole trail and lit it.
And a sudden afterthought, Ernie Weller tought me to play Crib and fives and threes Dominoes to a high standard. Thanks Ernie.
A wonderful posting for those who like that sort of thing of course. 200 miles of empty beach and beautiful warm Ocean.
A Pretty Happy and Lucky Bunch
But, sometimes enough is enough. I knew that Pete Howarth had joined the Chindits although I never knew what had become of him. News didn't spread very easily in those days. But I did feel that I should be doing more so, on a ration run to Namanakula I saw the "Boss" and asked for a posting. Wasn't long before it came through.