Where are you now?

I told you yesterday that we had to travel into Mamak by Chevvy truck across open land from Ankara. This is where I used to live in Yenisehir. The address was 10 Meneksi Sokak. Oh yes, I have been back to see if it had changed. And it certainly had. Where our house stood is now a Shopping Centre. I strolled up and down the street and it was so changed that it was impossible to even picture it as it used to be. I felt a little sad about that.

As it was near to the Subay Ordu Evi, (The officers club), and as I knew from the 'bush telegraph' that Jemal Shenkartal was there, I went there. I hung around outside waiting to see if somebody would ask him to come out and see me. Very soon two Signal Corps Officers emerged so I asked them if Jemal was inside and they confirmed that he was. I then asked them if they would be kind enough to call him for me. "He's asleep.. " they told me. "O.K.", I replied, "Please be so good as to wake him." "Nobody wakes a General!" was the next reply. We smiled and I thanked them.

Later in the day I tried again to contact him, but I failed. However, that evening, my last in Turkey, Orhan Hataysal appeared at my hotel to wish me goodbye. I'll say more about Orhan before I finish blogging.

I don't want to give the impression that I was the only person living in the Billet in Yenisehir, that would be misleading. There were several of us and the other photograph shows: A Cypher Wallah (Forgotten his name. He wasn't part of the BTS, but was assigned to the British Embassy.) The next person is yours truly, then Tich Kellett and Dave Hawkins. Bottom row: Lofty Mobbs (Royal Corps of Signals, also assigned to the British Embassy, with the dog) The guy is Busty Chappell.

Tich, Dave and Busty were in the then R.A.S.C. also part of the BTS. We were all buddies.

When we all left Turkey, it seems that we parted company never to meet again, hence the note in each of my blogs of "Where are you now?" Possibly somebody my read this (thought I think it quite unlikely) and get in touch.