Thomas White

- were detached to these squadrons to act as dispatchers; their task was to ensure that parachutes were correctly fitted, and that packages were pushed out, or people jumped out, when the red light was replaced by

the green.

Born in Gelli, in the Rhondda Valley, in 1921, of a large mining family, Tom was posted in 1940 to No 614 Squadron, RAF Grangemouth, which used Lysanders on coastal patrols. It was during this period that he met his future wife Mary, a local girl. By 1944 he was a parachutist acting as a dispatcher with No 357 Squadron (Special Duties) at Dum Dum, Calcutta.

Lockheed Hudson A Able took off from Dum Dum on March 14, 1944 to drop supplies to the guerrillas near the Sino-Burmese border. This was Operation Buffin, an Inter Services Liaison Department operation, ISLD being MI6's cover name for its Second World War operations. The aircraft failed to return, and the next day a message was received that it had crashed near the dropping-zone killing four of the crew. The other two were seriously injured and needed medical attention.

The squadron's medical officer, Flight Lieutenant Desmond Graham MBE, had recently arrived from RAF Llandwrog in North Wales, where he had been largely responsible for starting the RAF Mountain Rescue Service. He volunteered to go, though he had never parachuted before. The flight was fixed for the next night to give time for a little basic parachute training from Flight Sergeant White, who, though he had been on operations over the previous two nights, insisted on accompanying Graham.

Hudson F Freddie took off half an hour before midnight on March 16. The dropping zone was reached at 5.45am, and, after pushing out packs of supplies, Graham and White left the aircraft. White was able to manoeuvre himself close enough to Graham to shout instructions as to when to yank the cords to spill air. He recalled afterwards that Graham ''narrowly missed a tree, hitting his head slightly as he went into a 'rugby roll' on a mound of earth, but he was quite blase about his first descent.''

They were met by blue-uniformed Kokang guerrillas, commanded by Colonel Yang Wan Sang. Trekking north for an hour, they were taken to a bamboo and grass mountain hut, opposite the wrecked aircraft, where they found Flying Officer Wally Prosser RCAF, the navigator. He was now the sole survivor, the co-pilot having died of his injuries. Prosser was semi-conscious and delirious, with a fractured skull and ankle and various lacerations. The dead crewmen were buried in a fenced clearing, a military funeral conducted by Major Leitch of the US army and a Burmese pastor.

Tom was told that after the Hudson had dropped its containers, one of its engines had started backfiring and trailing sparks. Turning east away from the drop zone, the pilot had headed up the Nam Po Ko valley to gain height, but had crashed near the top of a ridge. Aircraft documents were destroyed by the two men, the wireless operator's and navigator's logs retrieved, and the instrument readings and control positions noted.

Prosser was weaker on the next day, but on March 20 they were joined by an American doctor, Captain Hookman, after a five-day journey by mule from his HQ in China. Together, the two doctors fixed up a nasal feeding device using rubber tubing taken from the Hudson. No longer needed as a medical assistant, Tom volunteered his services to take coded messages to the guerrillas' transmitting station about four miles away.

Reports were received on March that a force of 200 Japanese troops had crossed the river four hours' march away. A litter was made, bearers hired, mules supplied. Two days later, the Japanese force had increased to 400, and was getting closer. Despite Prosser's condition, it was decided to get him to an Allied unit in China.

On April 1, they set off, though they had had 48 hours' rain and it was not possible to ride the mules, which rolled off mountain tracks taking men with them; overnight stops were in a village unit, a headman's hut, and Chinese and US military units. On one dreadful day, coolies deserted them, fearing conscription into the Chinese army. The local sheriff was ordered to replace the missing men, and produced four, with the promise of four more. White went on ahead with the mules, leaving Graham and Prosser to follow when the additional coolies arrived (they never did). They were due to stay that night with a Lieutenant Watson, an American attached to the Chinese army. Having met Watson, Tom unloaded the mules and started to retrace his steps in the hope of meeting Graham. Unsuccessful and depressed, he returned to Watson's quarters to sleep. He was awoken at about 1.30am by Graham's welcome

shout: ''Chalky! Chalky!''

They reached Shunning, the HQ of the American Y Force in China, on April 11, after the toughest day's march of all, including a pass of 7000ft. A day's rest for the patient, with the opportunity to send a signal to their squadron commander, was followed by a drive by weapons carrier to the US-Chinese hospital at Yunshien.

A further three days' drive took them to Yunnan Yi airport, where they eventually secured a flight to India. Bad weather and a faulty undercarriage forced the aircraft back to Kunming. Reboarding the next day, they flew over the hump to Assam, thence by Dakota to Calcutta. An ambulance was waiting which took them to the British General Hospital, a month after the start of the operation. Prosser made a full recovery.

Tom was awarded the rare Conspicuous Gallantry Medal (Flying), Graham the Distinguished Service Order. After the war, Tom and Prosser corresponded intermittently. Prosser had married and raised a family on his return to Canada, and, when he died in 1990, Mrs Prosser wrote to Tom, thanking him for giving her a husband

and family.

Tom White left the RAF in the late 1940s. He settled with his wife Mary in Grangemouth,

and they had two sons. Much

of his time was devoted to playing and coaching rugby and watching cricket.

He died at Falkirk Royal Infirmary on September 9, 2000, after a stroke. A few days after the funeral a memorial service was held at Gelli.