WHAT DID YOU DO IN THE WAR DAD?
BY
FRANK COLENSO
In October 1942, just as I volunteered for the RAF in World War 2, No. 3 Repair and
Salvage Unit was formed in North Africa as initial support for the RAF Squadrons to
recover, repair and keep their aircraft flying. One year later, the unit was sent to Calcutta
and to the Borders of Burma, then occupied by the invading Japanese Army.
Briefly, throughout 3½ years of the Japanese Campaign in Burma, sixty-five RAF
squadrons, nine Indian Air Force squadrons, forty-seven United States Air Force
squadrons and three Royal Canadian Air Force Squadrons were involved, using thirty-four
different aircraft from three hundred airstrips. (Not forgetting the Fourteenth Army, which
included a million and a half or more Indians and Gurkhas, Africans etc.)
As support, twenty or thirty RAF Repair and Salvage units covered vast areas across India,
into Assam, Arakan and Imphal plain areas and followed the Army advance and the
retreating Japanese into Central Burma as airfields were captured or constructed. With
mobile repair sections at as many as six or eight airstrips, 3 R&SU’s job was to get aircraft
back in the air. Mostly it was a case of recovery of crashed and damaged aircraft from jungle or paddy fields, then
cannibalising good parts to rebuild an airworthy machine for the squadrons.
In appalling and unhealthy conditions, the worst in the world for a sustained war, their task was carried on despite the
climate and shortage of every kind. No 3 R&SU by then had developed into a very happy and competent unit, with a
combination of the seasoned “sand” men (from its inception) with later newcomers bringing exceptional qualities together
– resourcefulness, ingenuity and improvisation – a dedicated band of tradesmen with a good backbone of officers and
regular NCOs. At its peak it was 200+ strong.
It seems no small wonder then that Fred and I were destined to be part of this noble effort
and so it was that I joined 3 R&SU in March 1945, transferred from 131 R&SU at Akyab
Island, Arakan when it arrived at Thedaw airstrip, near Meiktila in central Burma. It had
followed the advance from its airstrips in the Imphal area, down to Monywa.
Fred trundled in his big mobile workshop and I joined number 4 Mobile Repair Section and
we set up camp in a pleasant area. The unit, as it happened, was based there for about a
year. It was a well-built dirt runway, well-drained with monsoon-rain drainage ditches and
could operate throughout the severe rainy seasons.
Where I could go about daily needing only ragged shorts, boots and a slouch hat, Fred
was obliged to cover up with slacks and long sleeves – a penalty for his fair skin! Then, we
had detachments at six airfields with the unit supporting three different RAF Wings and
spread over a 250 mile line of communication. Good job we had our own unit Harvard
aircraft, plus a Dakota which we had secretly resurrected from crashed machines and
rebuilt. Sadly it crashed later at Dum-Dum (Calcutta) and our C.O. Squadron Leader L.
Kendrick was in big trouble. I was at Toungoo in the final months of the war, supporting 155
Squadron Spitfires and helping 1717 Servicing Echelon. Then, nearly every RAF Squadron
was attacking the retreating Japanese Army, as they attempted to escape from the Pegu Yomas across the swollen
Sittang River and into Siam (Thailand). Twelve thousand of them were killed or drowned crossing the flooded plains of
the area south of Toungoo and this followed the capture of Rangoon, with the racing advance of the Army and then V.J.
Day on 15th August, 1945, when the Japanese Government surrendered.
At Toungoo, that final morning, when the Spitfires flew the last of the twenty minute sorties and shut down their Merlin
engines, there began a non-stop barrage of gunfire from the big long-range artillery by the airfield, firing salvo after salvo
into the nearby hills – deafening until suddenly, at 11am, the cease-fire shook us all with the eerie silence. We knew it
was all over – though many Japanese fought on during the days afterwards. In our little camp of about sixteen, there
was a bottle of rum issued for each four men – a few of us were still merry the following day. (I enjoy rum and lime since
those far-off days.)
Earlier, on V.E. Day at Thedaw, I shared a specially kept bottle of beer between about a dozen of us outside the tent, in
thankfulness. At Meiktila, a big service was held, with General Bill Slim and Top Brass, with a Sports Day, when the RAF
beat the Fourteenth Army at football, 3 – nil. Squadron Leader Ian Kendrick was keen on sports, organising about
eleven teams for football. Jim Kent and I refused to play and I’m not sure if I remember Fred on the “field” - hard-
packed earth, in fact.
Christmas 1945, we had an extra beer on top of the three bottles a month. Fred got no mail, I know for a fact, as I was
the only one on the unit to get a letter! On the airfield, work went on. The Indian Engineers excavated a huge, long
ditch where we dumped all the wrecked aircraft – tidying up our patch of Burma. Before it could be bulldozed and
buried, orders came to save all the scrap metal for the Burmese economy, so we used a big tank transporter to shift
them the twelve miles, after winching and struggling to force them. All a lot of work, which interfered with our free time –
swimming etc. We enjoyed rest camps at Mamyo, a hill station on the Lashio Road from Mandalay and had lessons in
educational vocational training. Alec St Pierre came top in South East Asia on exams. With the Burma Star Association,
he was to be Welfare Officer for forty odd years. He has lived in Farnborough for several years now.
The once arrogant Japanese forces in Burma were
thoroughly beaten. The two atom bombs, on Hiroshima and
Nagasaki effectively made Japan accept that they faced
complete annihilation if they fought on and all over South
East Asia, the Far East and Pacific their forces laid down
their arms.
In Burma, in the final months of the war, the RAF dropped thousands of surrender leaflets on Japanese positions, but
there were few takers. In Japan, those two bombs had knocked the stuffing out of them and they bowed to the inevitable
and it prepared them to accept Allied Occupation of their homeland, soon to follow.
No 3 R&SU was chosen to be part of the British Commonwealth Occupation Force, to support Numbers 11 and 17 RAF
Squadron and Number 4 Squadron Indian Air Force and so we embarked from Rangoon, moving down Burma with fifty
vehicles – a job to find enough drivers! The main occupation force comprised of American Forces and our group
comprised of British, Indian, Australian and New Zealand Army and Air Forces – all of us volunteers.
In Japan, based at Iwakuni on the inland sea and at Miho, on the north coast of the main island, we repaired and
serviced all the spitfires which had been rounded up from all over south East Asia and bought by aircraft carrier. They
had a hard journey, being at sea for many months with the shortage of shipping delaying our move. Fred and I –
amongst others! – spent about a year there, with a very severe 1946 – 1947 winter and had a bad earthquake which left
a swath of devastation across Japan. We had a variety of climate - good spring time, with cherry blossom and warm
summers. It was a busy time for the unit. Latterly, early in 1947, Number 17 Squadron was down to only two engine
fitters and even employed Japanese Army Air Force engine fitters to do major work on the Griffin engines (Mark XIV
Spitfires). This was a result of repatriation and release from the service. However, some of our chaps had passed their
demobilisation date by up to six months by the time we left for Blighty.
However, I still remember Fred’s lathe skills coming out when he resurrected his old camera with its perished leather
bellows, by making a telescopic brass replacement. It did rather clip the corners off his negatives, but it worked –
another tribute to his ingenuity.
“There is no job we can’t do” was my regular RAF Corporal’s motto – “BAAS” Gregory. I really believe it gave us that
determination to do our best in any circumstances. Since those far off days I have met many other ex R&SU riggers and
fitters at RAE Farnborough in my forty odd years there and its no surprise to me that those war time years dedicated to
“keeping ‘em flying” has left a lasting good effect on all their working lives. It has made us into hoarders and “squirrels”
in the way we still live – but who can blame us? We see good in everything!
Our Unit, by the time of its disbandment in 1948 in Japan had a unique distinction, it had survived for five and a half
years without change of title and lasted longer than any of its contemporaries. May Fred and I do the same ………..
By Frank Colenso
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