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Title:CALCUTTA: AIR TRANSPORTATION OF CASUALTIES FROM INDIA TO UK [Allocated Title]
Film Number:ABY 1
Other titles:ROYAL AIR FORCE OPERATIONS IN SOUTH EAST ASIA DURING THE SECOND WORLD WAR [Allocated Series Title]
Summary: Patients board a Handley Page Halifax aircraft for repatriation to the UK at Alipore airfield, Calcutta.
Description: An RAF Avro Lancaster, fitted with ground-scanning H2S navigational radar array in a ventral blister radome taxis before take off. Lancaster fly-bys, some at low altitude.
Production Details: Air Ministry, Directorate of Public Relations (Production sponsor)
Royal Air Force Film Production Unit (Production company)
Thomas, R H (Production individual)
McKee, J L (Production individual)
Personalities, Units and Organisations: Royal Air Force (regiment/service)
Keywords: Alipore, North East, India (geography)
Alipore airfield (geography)
Repatriation (event)
Air evacuation of casualties, Air operations over Burma, Burma 1942-1945, Second World War (event)
Royal Air Force 1939-1945 (theme)
India 1939-1945 (theme)
Technical Details: Format: 35mm
Number of items/reels/tapes: 1
Footage: 230 ft; Running time: 3 mins
Notes: One of the cameramen of this piece, Warrant Officer John Laing McKee, was killed on 21 January 1945. Flying in a Liberator heavy bomber of RAF 99 Squadron supporting the landings on Ramree Island, McKee's aircraft collided with another Liberator of the same squadron and both disintegrated. All aboard both aircraft were killed. McKee, and the nineteen other aircrew of the two bombers, are buried in the CWGC Maynamati War Cemetery, near Comilla in Bangladesh.
