India - Jubbulpore

Once more we seemed to be on a ship full of troops, mainly Australian Air Force personnel, being taken either to the Middle East, or to India. Once more we went across the Indian Ocean under blackout conditions, because the submarine war was still very active.

In a letter to Jane Stephens (wife of Veryan Stephens) written from Jubbulpore in February 1945, Barbara (who had turned 18 in September) told her that she was the only girl on the ship between the ages of 15 and 35, and that she had received proposals of marriage from two men between Melbourne and Colombo! Another anecdote from this time records that Guli refused to have the famiy vaccinated while on board because the ship had only a single needle.

We eventually arrived in Bombay [on 22 November 1944] to find the city absolutely crowded, and nowhere for us to sleep. We were due to move on into Central India in a day or so, but in the meantime through pulling on some strings accommodation was made available for us in the poshest of all hotels, the Taj Mahal, where we actually given the manager's suite at the top of the hotel, with a sitting room, bedrooms and bathroom. We stayed in Bombay in the lap of luxury for about three days and then caught a train for Jubbulpore [now known as Jabalpur] which was three days journey away.

Barbara recalled a hectic week of wining and dining, going to Swimming Club, Cricket Club, Yacht Club, the Races, dances, cabarets and shows.

Travelling conditions were appalling, the trains were full, and we had a compartment to ourselves which my mother insisted on keeping to ourselves, because she was frightened of travelling with other people. Each compartment had four berths and a lavatory. There was no air conditioning, and it was a hot dusty three day journey. People were banging on the doors to try and get in, but my mother resolutely refused to open up. We were eventually met in Jubbulpore by my father, and taken to our hotel.