Part 2

I remember Grandpa telling me that if anyone produced a camera, men would come running to be in the shot - often getting dressed on the way. Looks like Grandpa just managed to get his buttons done up but the guy trying to get his trousers on was caught out!

Grandpa sailed from Durban to Bombay ( now Mumbai ) and from there was taken by train to Lahore, which at the time was Northern India ( now Pakistan ).

I can imagine the train journey was quite something for someone from England, used to our customs and manners - more people travelled on the roofs of the carriages than were in them! Not that the carriages were empty, Grandpa noted he had to fight his way through hordes of people to uncomfortable, hard seats with minimal space.

They were banned from drinking any tap/mineral water but managed to still have a cup of tea by drawing water from the train engine boiler. Nothing keeps an Englishman from his cuppa!

He notes that the living barracks and dining room weren't bad, and there was even a pool to cool off in, much needed as the temps were around the 100°F/38°C, so not like England!

" The air conditioning had to be seen to be believed ... Blankets draped on metal cradles, which were connected by pull strings to the big toe of a boy who controlled the whole operation by the simple means of moving his leg up and down whilst sitting relaxed on the floor."

They were also allowed to rent bicycles during down time.

Every three months they were given two weeks r'n'r in a cooler Hills Station, which seems to have been in Srinagar. from here they went on little trips, to the Suleiman Temple, Chatabal Weir, Government House, toured around shops and went to the cinema.

" It seemed a long way from the real war - and a long way from home. "

He was deployed to Madras, where it was very, very hot, he says; " at night all the pavements and part of the roads were filled with people trying to sleep. "

Next he was sent to Candy, Ceylon ( now Sri Lanka ), noting that here there was plenty of swimming and fruit to enjoy. ( Forgot to put in the pic of him eating pineapple, which he said made his mouth sting if he went for a swim afterwards ). Whilst there, he also visited Colombo.

The highlight of his travels was a trip to Kashmir and Shangrila, despite the hair- raising bus ride up the mountains; " on the left hand side were steep drops where the tops of aeroplanes could be seen far below us and on the right, steep cliffs with, at times, falling rocks and dirt. " ( The photos of the two ladies have a Kashmir developers stamp on the back, so I assume that's where he took them ).

Whilst there, staying in a guest house, there was an earthquake. He and the 3 guys with him rushed to look out the window; " Not much damage but a big surprise - the landlady suddenly arrived in the bedroom to be confronted by 4 white rumps right infront of her eyes. Soldiers, in India, always slept in the nuddy. "!!

In November 1945 Grandpa was discharged at Lahore. He then had to find a way home. He tried unsuccessfully for two weeks to get a flight from Bombay, but ended up on a troop ship, for another two weeks of seasickness.

When he arrived home he found my Grandma had been admitted to a mental hospital and he had a 5 year old baby daughter who didn't know him ... a whole other story!

Here's a link to a newspaper article about the book. Grandpa is the one in the wheelchair.