Description
Object description
Poorly written ms diary (607pp) covering his service as a Corporal in No 5 and (from 1942) No 146 Squadron RAF stationed in India, February 1941 - April 1945, chiefly concerning his recreational activities but including descriptions of his experiences during the bombing of RAF Newton in Nottinghamshire and his involvement in recovering bodies, the blitz on Manchester, his problematic embarkation from the United Kingdom and voyage out to India including conditions onboard ship, brief stops in Freetown and Durban, South Africa and the traditional Crossing the Line ceremony, his arrival at Bombay and the long train journey to Risalpur, the relative lack of discipline and his adaption to the Indian climate and food, trips to the cinema, inspections by Wavell and Mountbatten (October 1943), relations with the local Indians, occasional Japanese air raids (from December 1942), Christmas celebrations, and his delight in returning to the UK (March 1945). The diary reveals Pocock's intense boredom during his service in India at RAF bases near Calcutta (from December 1941), Camillia (May 1943), Bargahi (December 1943), Madras (March 1944), and Imphal (September 1944), together with his tendency to drown his sorrows through heavy drinking.
Content description
Poorly written ms diary (607pp) covering his service as a Corporal in No 5 and (from 1942) No 146 Squadron RAF stationed in India, February 1941 - April 1945, chiefly concerning his recreational activities but including descriptions of his experiences during the bombing of RAF Newton in Nottinghamshire and his involvement in recovering bodies, the blitz on Manchester, his problematic embarkation from the United Kingdom and voyage out to India including conditions onboard ship, brief stops in Freetown and Durban, South Africa and the traditional Crossing the Line ceremony, his arrival at Bombay and the long train journey to Risalpur, the relative lack of discipline and his adaption to the Indian climate and food, trips to the cinema, inspections by Wavell and Mountbatten (October 1943), relations with the local Indians, occasional Japanese air raids (from December 1942), Christmas celebrations, and his delight in returning to the UK (March 1945). The diary reveals Pocock's intense boredom during his service in India at RAF bases near Calcutta (from December 1941), Camillia (May 1943), Bargahi (December 1943), Madras (March 1944), and Imphal (September 1944), together with his tendency to drown his sorrows through heavy drinking.
History note
Cataloguer APR
History note
Catalogue date 1998-12-15