Bond, Steve RAF Boys in the Far East

True Tales of the RAF in India, South East Asia in Hong Kong 1918-1997

For 82 years, the Royal Flying Corps (RFC), which became the Royal Air Force (RAF) in 1918, maintained a permanent military air presence in the Far East. During this time, a large number of squadrons flying many different types of aircraft, together with all the necessary operational, technical and administrative support, carried out all the tasks assigned to them. The first RFC units arrived in India in 1915. The RAF India grew considerably during the interwar period and during the Second World War. Various changes in the command structure eventually led to the formation of the Far East Air Force (FEAF) in June 1949, covering Southeast Asia and Hong Kong. In the 1960s, the British government decided to withdraw all forces east of the Suez Canal, and on 31 October 1971, the FEAF was disbanded and most British forces withdrew from Singapore at that time. The last RAF unit to leave the region was the 28th Squadron. It had deployed Whirlwind and Wessex helicopters in Hong Kong until the territory was returned to China in 1997. RAF Boys in the Far East illustrates what it was like for the air and ground crews stationed there by telling their stories in their own words, supplemented by explanations of the situation at the time and photos, mainly from the veterans' collections. The stories are as varied as the locations, units and personnel: everyday operations, exercises, triumphs and tragedies, leisure time and, of course, the humour for which the RAF is renowned. The chapters focus on the different roles of the aircraft and their missions, with an emphasis on the war years in India and Burma, as well as the era in Singapore with actions such as Operation Firedog and the Indonesian Confrontation. Today, the veterans look back on their time with the FEAF with great pride, and rightly so. This is their story.