The Journey to India with Captain Tim Healey

This story is about Captain Tim Healy of the 20th Battalion Royal Fusiliers. He came from Marbury, Cheshire.

In 1943, he was sent to India on board the ship Moolton. He was there until 1945. Every Remembrance Sunday, he attended the Royal Fusiliers memorial service in Holborn, London.

The whole story in fantastic detail is called "Journey to India" and can be found in the attached PDF file.

It starts as follows: The British Army in India

In 1857, rule had passed from the East India Company to the British Government, transferring authority to the Crown and the Company's troops to the British Army. The title of Viceroy was given to the Governor General. From the late 19th Century, there had been opposition to British rule. By 1943, when my father arrived at Allahabad, there was already an established British military base there.

The story called "Journey to India" was compiled by Elizabeth Dellaware from her father's letters.

As a bonus to this account is the wartime story of Helen Joan Shergold, the mother of Elizabeth Dellaware, also compiled from her mother's letters.

Pauline Margaret Shergold: 26 July 1918 - 10 January 2004
Rank: W.O.II W/238774
ATA Intelligence Corps: Feb 1943 - May 1946

Excerpts from my mother's letters:
[Helen Joan Shergold. Compiled by Elizabeth Dellaware, 18 July 2020]

7 April 1943
Pauline finishes her course this week and in a rash moment, she volunteered for some special job which has proved to be much harder than the work she was previously doing, and she is now training for it but found herself the only girl amongst 30 men! She is having an exam today. I do hope she does well for the sake of her sex! In the exam she had a fortnight ago with all the other girls she came 5th with 71%.

3 June 1943
Pauline writes and tells us that Myrtle is now an officer but they still seem able to lunch together although Pauline is a mere L/Corpl.

2 July 1943
She looks very smart in her khaki and always seems to spend a lot of time cleaning the buttons. (another letter tells how there was nothing supplied with which to clean them!)

31 October 1943
Pauline has been recommended for her 3rd stripe.

4 February 1944
Pauline, now a Sergeant, was in an experimental Austerity Camp - a small hut with 18... handed a sheet that was grey and sopping wet.

Her release certificate states that her conduct was exemplary, and bears the following testimonial signed by the C.O: "P.M.Shergold is extremely intelligent, capable, accurate and quick. She is readily adaptable to new work and very willing. She is thoroughly reliable and trustworthy."
(4 April 1946)

Pauline refused ever to divulge any information about her service at Bletchley Park because she had signed the Official Secrets Act.