Setting Jhamjarhistan Ablaze - Part the Eighth

Later that night in Peshawar Catonments, Captain Phil Tuffnell received a late-night visit from none other than the mysterious SIS agent, Vaggers. “Ayup, Tuffers, its eur mafted 'un t'neet, 'n neya mistake, by’ eck!”. Tuffers was somewhat mystified by the apparent use of code words but thought that the general message was something about it being hot that night. “By jingo, old sport, you’re not wrong there”, replied Tuffers. “’Appen, on’t way ta Kashgar, us’n’ll want to sen a message ta Kenners and Darling, wi’ regard ta progress” suggested Vaggers. Tuffers puzzled on this for a minute or two and realised the gruff Yorkshire spy was suggesting that it might be somewhat of an advantage if they were able to communicate with the HQ at Peshawar whilst they were en route, as it were. “Ah av sin a bus wi’ pigeons on’t at t’vehicle park” stated Vaggers. Pondering this apparent gobbledegook, Tuffers wondered whether Vaggers had been imbibing the old methylated spirits to induce such an hallucination where pigeons had their own buses! But then it hit him, of course, the old double-decker B-type bus which had been converted to a mobile pigeon loft bus. It had done great service on the Western Front but the Peshawar Engineers had left their single example to rot in the vehicle park, after the end of the Great War. “I say old boy, you may have something there, I’ll get those WRAF poppets to go over the old motor in the morning” enthused Tuffers. “Reet”, came the reply, “ah’s off yam then, naw theur av t' ideeur” and with that pronouncement, Vaggers disappeared into the night.

Major-General Kenwood-Chef with his converted B-type bus.

The WRAF ‘poppets’ on their way to service the mobile pigeon loft.

To be continued...