Lord Mountbatten visits a forward airstrip near Mandalay, with scenes of Hawker Hurricane operations and the RAF Regiment.

Hawker Hurricane AW:Z of RAF 42 Squadron lands on a dusty forward airstrip. A second Hurricane lands. Hurricanes parked and camouflaged at concealed dispersal. Two airmen standing by a jeep are joined by two more. Two of the airmen wear kukris on their belts, and one of them a pistol. Close-up on the chatting airmen. RAF Regiment airmen leaving a trench covered with a bamboo and grass basha. Close-up on airmen leaving. Close-up on 'RAF Regiment' insignia on an airman's bush hat. Group of men under the wing of a Douglas Dakota transport aircraft. Lord Mountbatten being introduced to a group of airmen. Mountbatten talking with Lieutenant-General Stopford (General Officer Commanding XXXIII Indian Corps) beside a jeep. Chatting with men. Mountbatten boards his personal Dakota (the highly-polished bare metal 'Hapgift'), which starts to taxi away.

Notes

Footage from under aircraft's wing badly shadowed and somewhat indistinct.

Likely that the Hurricane and RAF Regiment footage was shot on an airstrip at Shwebo (likely Onbauk), while Mountbatten is seen visiting Tabingaung.

Annotation on dopesheet notes: 'Sent England 10/2/1945'.

The cameraman of this piece, Flight Lieutenant Sidney Woodcock, was killed in action. He and his pilot, Flight Lieutenant J G Buchanan of RAF 110 Squadron, failed to return after a Mosquito sortie over Rangoon on 2 May 1945. They are buried in adjacent plots in the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's Rangoon War Cemetery.