Meeting Sir Claude Auchinleck and flying in India

Jack Bickerdike was from Brighouse. He had loads of photos in an album. These were taken in Bhopal in India in WW2.

He is in a few photos so not all were taken by him. There are also some postcards. The first group photo features him (3rd row from the back, 2nd from the right). Capetown, Lahore, Simla, Kashmir and Rawalpindi also feature.

Frances doesn't her grandfather's job but he was in the RAF. One photo is of the Flying Control Section - Christmas 1944. This therefore probably describes his unit.

The photos in the album were collected by Jack and put in an album by his wife.

They include local people and those working for the British. There are also photos of local characters including, a snake charmer, a fakir on a bed of nails, an elephant and a beggar taking water by hand from a small water tank.

There are two photos of Sir Claude Auchinleck (who was Commander-in-Chief of the Indian Army from June 1943, having been relieved of the post of commander-in-chief of the Middle East Theatre in August 1942). The photos are by an aeroplane, having just landed or about to leave.

There is also a photo of a fighter taking off, possibly a Hurricane.

Frances' grandmother enjoyed having a job working in the Coop in Brighouse during the war. They had one son before the war and one after. Frances thinks they were oldish for the times to have their children.