1270881 Flt Sgt Ferdoon Nanabhoy Jungawalla - 177 Squadron and FEPOW

Whilst looking for Burma related items in an online newspaper search I came upon an interesting snippet of a RAFVR Observer/Navigator who was Indian, joined the RAF in the UK, flew in India/Burma and was then a FEPOW in Rangoon Jail.



The story is as follows:

177 Squadron RAF had been formed on 28 Nov 1942 at Amarda Road, India. It was part of 221 Group but was non-operational and had neither crews nor aircraft at this point. By February 1943 it had 3 officers and 117 British airmen in its ranks. Any crews were detached to 27 Squadron at Agartala in March 1943 and two crews were lost in non-operational flying accidents whilst there.

In mid-March 177 Squadron moved to Allahabad by rail. On the move to Allahabad the squadron transferred to 226 Group and was attached to 308 MU for administrative purposes.

The Squadron started to receive Beaufighter aircraft from May 1943, starting with three on 3 May and four more shortly afterwards on 11 May. Flying training commenced but it was hampered by a lack of aircraft and of equipment such as petrol bowsers.

Also in May crews were posted in to add to the flying strength with many coming from the UK whilst others came from 27 Squadron at Agartala. On 1 May 1943 Sgt Highfield had arrived at 177 Squadron at Allahabad as part of a group of pilots and navigators transferred from 27 Squadron at Agartala. On 5 June 1943 Sgt Jungawalla arrived at 177 Squadron from the UK with 44073 Flt Lt Harry Gandy DFC, his pilot. The squadron was was at Phaphamau by then, having moved from Allahambad on 6 May 1943. At Phaphamau it was intended to form an HQ and one initial flight of Beaufighters as part of 226 Group.

Training continued in June from Phaphamau but flying was restricted by the shortage of aircraft, and some problems with the fuel tanks leaking early in the month. Also there was no range for air-to-ground firing. Hence on average a crew only got four hours flying in during the month and this only increased to five in July.
On 29 July an advanced party went to Chittagong; on 13 August ‘A’ Flight was detached to Chittagong with F/Sgt Highfield and Sgt Jungalwalla making up one of the crews that flew the Beaufighters there. The main ground party travelled there by rail from 17 – 20 August. The day after the main ground party arrived nine aircraft moved to Feni and this airfield was to be their home for the next period.

The squadron’s first operation was on 10 Sept when a pair of Beaufighters flew on a mission to interdict coastal traffic off the Arakan coast. On 15 September a pair of Beaufighters flew to the area of Monywa and Chauk to attack Japanese communications routes. One of the crews was made up of F/Lt Gandy and Sgt Jungawalla; the same day F/Sgt Highfield and his navigator, F/O Hickie, also flew on their first mission with 177 Squadron. These pairings continued as they took part in Operations during September and October.

On 1 October 1943 Flt Lt Gandy had taken temporary command of the squadron as an acting Squadron Leader. However his partnership with Sgt Jungawalla was broken up and from November F/Sgt Highfield and Sgt Jungawalla made up a crew for operations. Sgt Jungawalla was promoted to Flight Sergeant in mid December 1943.

On 3 January 1944 they took off from RAF Feni at 14:55 hrs in Beaufighter EL363 for an intruder sortie to the Magwe/Prome area in central Burma where they were to attack communications and river traffic. During their attack the aircraft was superficially damaged and they were forced to belly-land at Feni at 1936hrs due to hydraulic failure of their landing gear. Neither of them were injured.

On their next mission, on 29 Jan 1944 they took off in Beaufighter VI F (JM247) from RAF Feni in India at 09:55 hrs for a straffing sortie. It was last seen fifteen minutes after leaving the target area on a course to their home airfield; it was at approximately 12:55 hrs at a height of 4000 feet and was disappearing into local haze. It did not appear to be in difficulties. A few minutes later coming into clear weather JM266 noticed JM247 was not following and tried unsuccessfully to contact the missing aircraft on VHF. However the base received an SOS Message from the missing plane at 13:00 hrs but F/O GR Taylor was unaware of this until he landed back at Feni.

Both crew were posted ‘Missing’ but whilst F/Sgt Highfield died in the crash F/Sgt Jungawalla was captured and imprisoned in Rangoon Jail. He was released on 29 April 1945 at Naung Pattaya Railway Station as part of ‘E’ Group.



Jungalwalla, Ferdoon Nanabhoy (sometimes spelt Jungawalla)

Flight Sgt 1270881 RAFVR


Ferdoon Nanabhoy Jungalwalla was born 27 Nov 1918 in Bombay, India. He was educated in India but came to the UK a few years before WWII broke out. He was employed by British Electrical Transformers Ltd of Hayes until he joined the RAF in 1941.

He married Rosemary Jackson (b. 7 Sept 1911) at Staines in late 1940 (Staines Q3 203 3a 203). In 1939 she was a waitress living in 6/8 Harrington Gardens, Kensington. They had a son, Cyril F Jungalwalla, who was born at the end of 1941 (Brentford Q4 1941 3a 373)

After the war he studied for a BSc (Eng) London and was a member of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers. He also remained in the RAF and was commissioned; Flying Officer JN Jungawalla departed from Liverpool to Ceylon on 16 Sept 1949 on SS Prome.

In 1952 he was living at 241 Elm Cottage, Waldegrave Road, Twickenham East. He was naturalised on 29 April 1975 but died on 2 March 1988 when he was living at 8 Burton Road, Hampton Hill where he had lived since at least 1970.



Highfield, Hawtrey Ian Geoffrey

Flight Sgt; 1379685 RAFVR

He was in the RAF in 1941 as an aviation cadet and was in the first intake of the Arnold Scheme that took him to America for training. He left Liverpool on the MV Britannic in the summer of 1941 and arrived in Halifax Nova Scotia where they were posted.

During 1941 he trained at Craig Field, Selma, Alabama and then did his gunnery course in Florida. He graduated as a Sergeant Pilot on 3 Jan 1942.

After returning to the UK he continued his training at Catfoss, Yorkshire at an OTU and then moved to East Fortune, possibly on the Beaufighter Course at 132 (Coastal) OTU which was established in November 1942. It was running in Feb/March 1942.

He then joined 177 Squadron in India. On 27 March 1943 Sgt Highfield and his navigator, Sgt Sager, were attached from 177 Squadron to 27 Squadron at Agartala. There they carried out further training and then took part in their first intruder operations in April 1943.

On 1 May 1943 Sgt Highfield had arrived at 177 Squadron at Allahabad as part of a group of pilots and navigators transferred from 27 Squadron at Agartala.

He was aged 21 at the time of his death on 29 Jan 1944. Ian Highfield was born in Chelsea, London. He was the son of John Frederick Highfield (1892 – 1963) and Ivy Ethel Mary Highfield (1895-1975), of Headington, Oxford. In 1939 the family were living at the White Hart in Bullingdon where Ethel was the proprietor. Her husband, John, was a general engineer and millright

As his body was not recovered after the war in Burma ended he is commemorated on the Singapore Memorial on Column 434.



RAF Beaufighter at Feni

 

I was hoping to be able to add something more to this thread, but sadly have not come up with much more information. Although Flight Sergeant Jungawalla is known to me from my research into the POWs of Rangoon Jail, apart from his basic RAF service number, squadron etc. there are no other details about him that I have found.

Inside Rangoon Jail, the Indian personnel (mostly soldiers) were held in Blocks 2 & 7 and captured RAF/USAAF personnel in Block 8. He is listed as having been liberated from the jail in the file AIR38/80 (see below) and from his release details posted by Skoyen89, this was almost certainly as part of the group of prisoners marched out of the jail as cover for the withdrawing Japanese forces in late April and who were given their freedom by the Japanese commandant on the Pegu Road, near the village of Waw on the 29th April 1945. Naung Pattaya Railway Station (see map) is just a few miles back along the railway from Waw, towards Pegu.

 

This is interesting, I have a number of items relating to Highfield, including the condolence letter to his family as written by Jungalwalla.

 

Hi Mr Jaye

I would be very interested in seeing the condolence letter and anything else that may be linked to his service.

Thanks
S89