Pearl of the Indian Ocean
Farwell to Cochin and hello Ceylon. A very busy place at this particuler time of the war. Since the bombing of Ceylon in April 1942, it became an important strategic part of the war against the Japanese. The Navy were in Trincomalee, the army were on the Galle face, the Airforce were at Dambulla, Sigiriya, Ratmalana, Kankesanturai with Sunderlands, Koggalla with Catalinas, and SEAC HQ at Kandy.
My posting was to the RADAR Filter Room in Columbo.
If my memory serves me correctly, half a dozen of us were billeted in a commandered bungalow in Castle Street. No.24 I think.. Strange how some things stick in your mind while other remain a complete blank. I have no memories of the job or life in general. I do have a few photos however taken during that time. Not a hard time by any means.
Dehiwala Zoo
Not brilliant but nevertheless. One of the blokes ? Harrington got married to one of the girls. Where's Trixie on the Tortoise I wonder now.
One of the fellas, Pete Howarth, a Yorkshire lad volunteered for the Chindits and was, we discovered much later, killed in a glider landing at "Broadway" in Burma. The Japs had logged the strip.
However, as so often had been the case (BO maybe) I was soon on my way again, but just one more piccy to show what life could be like for some in Columbo. Not one of mine, dug it off a web site on the net.
Mount Lavinia, Columbo:
No wonder Mountbatten was keen to get his headquarters moved from Delhi to Kandy.
As part of the build up of forces in Ceylon, RADAR stations were built and the one which I was fortunate enought to be posted to was 546 AMES at Namanakula.
The Radar it self was 4000ft up on a peak, a CH (overseas) I think. Big rotating aerial type set up to cover the eastern coast. Our accomodation and headquarters were a commandered Tennis Club. The wooden huts for us were built on one Court and HQ and Officers accomodation was the Club House itself.
546 A.M.E.S. Namanakula
Unfortunately, I couldn't get pictures of the site itself because of security but I do have one of the peak which it was built on, and if you look closely at the picture on the left you will see a narrow strip of road running from the left of the club to the site. A single track road right on the cliff edge which our two drivers used to compete as to how long it took them to get us to work. An open topped 15 cwt Chev. I don't remember the name of both drivers but Bishop held the record. I loved it, I was only 20, but some of the older members felt that they would like to get home to their families in one piece so the Boss stopped it.
Some of the Lads: Dennis Sellinger is in the center of the back row and I am on his left. Yep! that is the Dennis Sellinger, Theatre and Film Impressario.
The Peak: The Radar Station was to the right
If you look on the map above, we were situated roughly between Adams Peak and Badulla. Posh hill station Badulla, with the "Uva Club" which we would visit whenever, and not far away was Bandarawela, the forces rest camp. To make life even more pleasant, a Tea Planters wife, Mrs. Kay made a room available in her house not very far down the hill from us, to use as a very comfortable rest room. also use of the swimming pool. Walking down during the wet season entailed removing a considerable number of leaches from our legs by means of the hot end of a cigarette.
Mrs. Kays Rest room. The Pool and The Uva Club Badulla:
The job was at last what I had been trained for. Wireless operating. Sending radar plots to the filter room in Columbo, callsign C8U. I seem to remember mine being MYG but I wouldn't swear to it. It was also there one evening after just coming on duty that my Radio Hut was struck by lightning.
I'd just sat down, switched my transmitter on and sent C8U when Bang. There was no rain, just cloud down below us but I must have put enough current on my aerial to trigger the strike. I was thrown from my chair, the lightening arresters where blown off the wall, my receiver was a chard mess and the only sound was the little generator running in the transmitter room. I went outside and the ariel was down, the guy wires burned to a cinder, Sgt Arnold who was working on the Radar gear was out cold for half an hour. The RAF policeman in the guard hut had a burn under his wedding ring and on his hip where his revolver was holstered. 2nd experience of tropical weather. It took months for the fear of a repeat occurance to dissapear.
I assume, that because the Moneragalla Range of hills created a blind spot in the Radar capabilty that my next move occured. The Boss asked for some volunteers to open a wireless link down on the east coast. The general concensus in the services is 'never volunteer for anything' but it looked pretty good to me so I did.
Moneragalla Range: