James "Jimmy" Whalen

 Three weeks later on January 3rd, 1942 Jimmy found himself as a co-pilot on a DC-3 flying across Africa on its way to India. He arrived in Port Sudan on February 6th, where he started familiarization flying on a Hawker Hurricane 2b and a Curtiss Kittyhawk. These were a considerable step down in performance from the Spitfire Vb. While there he met another pilot waiting for assignment to a squadron and they struck up an immediate friendship. Don Geffene was an American from Pacific Palisades California who had joined the RAF early in the war served in England with 71 Squadron, one of the famed "Eagle Squadrons". On February 22nd, Jimmy and Don were assigned to 30 Squadron, who had just finished efforts in the desert war. On the day they arrived Jimmy was quickly shown to the cockpit of a Kittyhawk (after only 3 hours flying them) and sent off on an anti-submarine patrol over the Red Sea. On February 27th the squadron was placed, aircraft and all, onto the H.M.S. Indomitable and shipped to their new base, at Colombo, Ceylon.

On March 6th the squadron disembarked the aircraft carrier and set up just outside of Colombo at Ratmalana. There was a large Royal Navy fleet stationed at Colombo, and it was the squadron's duty to defend it. Also posted to Colombo with them was the only Canadian squadron in the Far east at the time, 413 Squadron RCAF, who were operating Catalina flying boats. Squadron leader Len Birchall and his men were tasked with patrolling the ocean watching for a Japanese attack. On March 4th Birchall and his crew were nearing the end of an extended patrol when they spotted a Japanese carrier task force steaming for Ceylon. They barely had time to radio back to Colombo before they were swarmed by Zeros and shot down. At the time it was assumed that Squadron Leader Birchall had died, sacrificing himself for Ceylon. He became an instant hero, known as " The Saviour of Ceylon". Only at the end of the war was it realized that he had survived, been captured, and spent the war in a Japanese prison camp.

 On April 5th, 1942 a Japanese strike force under the command of Vice-Admiral Chuichi Nagumo, fresh from their attack on Pearl Harbour, attacked Ceylon with 120 Carrier based air planes. The RAF could field only 40 defending aircraft. These were Fulmars and Hurricanes, which were no match for the swift and maneuverable Zeros of the Imperial Japanese Navy. Jimmy and a number of Canadians serving with 30 Squadron, including Flight Lieutenant Bob Davidson, who was also from Vancouver, were tasked to wade into the onslaught of Japanese planes.

Jimmy flew up over Colombo and started to patrol at 15000 feet. It only took a few minutes to sight a formation of Val (Navy type 99) bombers at about 18000 feet. Jimmy climbed into a position just above them then dove headlong into the enemy planes. In his first pass he downed two of the bombers, passing right through them. Leveling off, he reassessed the situation and found himself once again underneath the bombers but also observing that they were continuing on. So, he decided to give it another go. He climbed once more, set up above the Vals, then dove in again, guns blazing. Another went down in flames. Unfortunately by then a flight of Zeros had observed the action and quickly had Jimmy twisting and turning trying to shake his pursuers. Just when it seemed he was going to fall victim to the Japanese fighters, out of nowhere came Flight Lieutenant Davidson, who fired a burst into the first Zero sending it down. The others panicked and broke off. Jimmy and his flight leader, low on fuel, returned to base. By the end of the action 17 Japanese aircraft had been destroyed. Twenty-seven RAF and FAA (Navy) aircraft had been lost in the battle, with 17 airmen killed and 11 injured (Sadly, one of those killed was Jimmy’s good friend Don Geffene.) The pilots of 30 Squadron claimed 14 enemy aircraft destroyed, 6 more probably destroyed, and 5 more damaged, out of a total of 19 destroyed, 7 probably destroyed, and 9 damaged in air combat. (Figures from RAF History - The Battle of Ceylon ).

Jimmy's tally was now six confirmed enemy aircraft and that made him an Ace. At a low point in the war, the actions of the pilots were seen as heroic, and a golden opportunity to boost the morale of the homefront. The RCAF dispatched a photographer and reporter from its newspaper. A number of publicity  photos were taken at the squadron including some of the new Ace and a comic strip was published.

Things settled down after the attack and Jimmy and his squadron mates took time to enjoy the life at Colombo. Sgt. Grant "Bish" Bishop from Kelowna, B.C. was Jimmy's greatest friend on the squadron. Bish became "Black Two" Jimmy's wingman and together they were inseparable. They became such close friends that they even signed letters home to Jimmy's sister Joan and his brother Bob(who was an air gunner in North Africa) "from Jimmy and Bish".

Jimmy enjoyed his time at 30 Squadron, but the months rolled on and eventually in December 1942 he was transferred to 17 Squadron under the command of Squadron Leader "Bush Cotton" an Australian. By now there were few Japanese planes in the area and this made improving ones score difficult. For the rest of the war Jimmy would fly as a fighter-bomber pilot, providing ground support to the infantry.

He made many of these sweeps with 17 Squadron. In June of 1943 17 Squadron was moved from Calcutta to Agartala. From there they made a number of sorties against the Japanese in Burma, strafing targets of opportunity, particularly Sampans transporting troops and supplies along the rivers.

Don Geffene
Lawrence Jackson 
Lloyd Thomas

Battle of Britain Spitfire Ace Sqn Ldr James O'Meara

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