January 2018FLYPAST 119He elaborated further in Cull’s
book that he had “some trouble
with the throttle controls,
particularly as pitch was controlled
on the dashboard. Also, it took me
a little bit of time to figure out how
to raise the wheels.
“We were an odd-looking lot,
three Hurricanes and a Buffalo
leaving a smoking Singapore behind
us. We had no maps and I had no
parachute. [As] the parachute was
also your seat I was sitting pretty
low in the cockpit. I believe one of
the Hurricanes did not make it, and
I became separated from them.
“More by good luck than anything
else, I found Pelembang [airfield]
but it was socked in so I went on to
‘P2’ [Pelembang II, a satellite field]and landed there. Personally,
I was rather pleased but the
Commanding Officer did not share
my pleasure and reprimanded me
for flying an airplane on which I
had not officially been checked
out.”OUT OF THE FRYING PAN
At Pelembang, he participated
in operations against great odds
until February 16, when orders
were given for the evacuation of
Sumatra. Once again, Watson
flew one of the last aircraft out
of P2 with what was left of 232
Squadron to Tjililitan, on Java.
Hopes that Java could stick it
out until reinforcements arrived
faded in early March. AtLEADER