We can be sure that all of these three photographs are of the same aircraft as all have the same loading tables on the cargo hatch door.
I do not have MAT 925 but I do have MAT 926 and MAT 927. The caption for MAT 926 reads, "3 Ind Div. Arriving at the other end". This does not appear to be the same aircraft as the one in other three photographs, or if it is, it is at a different location as the loading tables on the door are different. For the first time we get a glimpse of part of a serial number, -L-5?
MAT 927 is of the same aircraft as MAT 926 and has the caption, "3 Ind Div. Feeding mule before deplaning".
Just to show how confusing this all is without the original captions, here is a photograph from another sequence, RIR 85. There is no printed caption or hand written note but, I believe it to be part of a sequence showing the 5th Indian Division being flown from the Arakan to Imphal in 1944. It would be really something if we could locate the original captions to all these photographs.
This is CRI 597. Sadly the original caption is missing. I have added a close up of the Universal Carrier for your delectation.
Here is another from the CRI series, in this case CRI 483, it still has its original caption which shows the date as April 1944.The 4th/3rd Madras Regiment fought in the Imphal Campaign as part of the 20th Indian Division.
CRI 386 shows a Dakota being loaded as part of the 5th Indian Division's move from the Arakan to Imphal. It appears that they have had to remove one of the cargo doors to get the Jeep aboard. This photograph also appears in Douglas Williams's book, 194 Squadron Royal Air Force- The Friendly Firm. The caption reads: A heavily laden jeep being loaded into Dakota FD 835, Pilot Joe Curtis, and author F/O Doug Williams 1st W/O extreme right, as 194 Squadron was transporting 5th Indian Division from Arakan to the Imphal Front, March 1944. The book credits the photograph to the RAF Museum. Their catalogue number PC71/19/1590/1 bears no relation to the I.S.P.R.D. number as they are using their own system. Their description reads, Jeep boarding Douglas Dakota Mk III FD835 during movement of 5th Indian Division, Burma.
. This aircraft, 23379 (MSN 9241), was issued to the USAAF on March 18th, 1943 and then transferred to the RAF on 1st July, 1943, as Dakota III FD 835. It was flown by 194 Squadron and crashed while attempting a forced landing near Nakingant, Burma, on the 12th September, 1944.
High Wood, afraid I have nothing of value to add to the discussion, but thank you for posting these--some are most interesting. I have a passing interest in 5th Ind Div from their time in North Africa.
It is interesting to note how few of the Inter Services Public Relations Directorate India photographs have survived in official collections. The IWM appear to have very few and I wonder what happened to the original photographs.
Given my recent misidentification of a photograph of what I thought was Broadway, I am reluctant to stick my head over the parapet and say that these photographs were taken during a supply drop to that particular stronghold. However, the I.S.P.R.D. serial numbers for these two photographs are B.11 and B.12. The B may indicate Broadway but equally it may indicate baloney.
I have just stumbled across this footage of 194 Squadron dropping supplies to East African troops in Burma. One random thought strikes me, which is that I would imagine that even to this day, there are the remains of parachutes hanging from tall trees in remote Burmese jungles. 194 SQUADRON DROP SUPPLIES TO 25TH EAST AFRICAN BRIGADE [Allocated Title]
Long since rotted away, imho... A thought re some earlier photos... the Dakota hinge position in #21 and #28 are the same... those in #22 - #24 are the same... definitely different airframes or modifications have taken place...
I was not thinking of whole parachutes but the odd bit of webbing or metal attachments, The jute parachutes would clearly have returned to dust.