Beaufighters Over Sea, Sand, and Steaming Jungles
Regular price
€38.99
In October 1943 Jack changed from Liberators to Beaufighters having been selected for Torbeau training in Scotland. He joined a Strike Wing at North Coates attacking North Sea convoys off the coast of Holland. Later Jack and his Beaufighter were sent to the Far East where he was deployed to fly out of Assam over Burma supporting the ‘Forgotten’ Army. Midway through the ‘tour’ they converted to Mosquitoes; a change he was not particularly happy about. After a short ‘rest’ converting pilots to Mosquitoes he felt lucky to be put in charge of a small Unit flying Service Personnel to various venues in Southern India. Jack’s enthusiasm for flying is maintained and his lucky escapes documented. His fascination with the cultural and social experiences gained in India leaves its mark as he comments on the privileges he experiences – now as a Commissioned Officer - compared to the non- commissioned, and of the wealth chasm between the Indian Princes and the poor of India. This is not just about flying but how he and his comrades lived through those unique and special times.
Born in 1919 Jack Colman was ambitious to become a Pilot. Joining the RAF shortly after his twenty-first birthday he was sent to Canada to learn to fly. As Pilot/Navigator on Liberators he completed a tour for Coastal Command from Iceland during which time he married Peggy. Changing to Beaufighters he was sent to the Far East until the end of the war. Although wanting to stay in the RAF, from 1946 to 1953 he flew as a Commercial Pilot for BEA before returning to Insurance and moving back to Yorkshire. He and Peggy had two boys Peter and Richard.