Lyneham to Karachi in 1943

Today a direct flight from London to Karachi takes just over 10 hours in a comfortable widebody, more likely a few hours longer with a stop to make a connection.      Back in 1943, for the young men of the Royal Air Force transferring with their short/medium range aircraft, such a journey was a very different proposition.     This page summarises the jouney made by my father, Flight Sergeant William McDonald Grant, when he transferred from RAF Lyneham to Karachi in November/December 1943 as a member of 176 Squadron.    William was the observer on a Bristol Beaufighter VI no. X8028, piloted throughout by Flight Sergeant Gosling.     Please note that the mileages are my estimates based on current commercial routings and don't take account of the conditions in 1943, e.g. routing round Spanish airspace.       (The return jouney, some 13 months later, was very different - in a Consolidated Liberator KG821 direct from Rathmalana except for a diversion to Kankesanturai in Ceylon because of bad weather.)

Version 1.5 30/05/2020