11 Comments

  1. This is a great article. We all have grown up reading about how Bengalis flew Kolkata during war. We hardly know how Kolkata alone survived the war though. Thanks for taking the time out to write this with substantial research. Please tell us more about the Bengal famine someday? Thanks again and keep up the good work.

  2. Excellent compilation of information – and great work in tracking down that Plaque.

  3. My late father, Akhtar Abbas Ahmed, served in the RAF Balloon Squadron in Calcutta. He was from a Calcutta legal family. After completing his BA and MA from Calcutta University he enlisted in the British Indian Army as an Officer Cadet. He trained at the Prince of Wales Royal Indian Military Academy at Dehradun, after which he was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant into the 5th/15th Punjab Regiment. However, elements of this regiment were assigned other tasks and he himself was seconded to the Balloon Squadron. I myself was born in Calcutta in a blackout during a Japanese bombing raid.

  4. Thank you for the article, my niece sent it to me and I’ve read it several times. My grandfather was Leslie Straughan, he was killed in an airraid and is featured in your article. On behalf of my family, Thank you. Best wishes. Mark Hale.

  5. Excellent 👌
    What is your email ? If you don’t mind sharing. I am researching this period and would love to learn more from you.

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