I was stationed on the Cocos Keeling Island and was a member of 99 squadron.
We lived in tents on West Island, the Malayan natives lived on Home island and would bring freh fruit and eggs to barter to the airmen. West island had 1000s of coconut trees they would accept cigarettes only if they were unopened tins from Britain.
When the war was over the squadron was disbanded and most of us were flown off the island to go to Ceylon. I was in the one of the last to pull the tents down and to throw much of the tools that we used to keep the Liberator bombers operational in to the lagoon at the end of the runway. I was taking the tent down that I had shared with another 2 airmen Some natives that I used to barter with asked me if I would barter the 2 blankets that I was making into a bed roll, When I was stationed in India before coming to the Cocos, it got quite cold at nights and was going to get a native tailor to make me a Battle dress out of the thick Blankets.
He wanted me to give him one in exchange for an ornamental Walking stick made from the backbone of a shark that was reinforced with bronze and other metals that they had got off a
German WW1 armed raider that had been sunk by HMS Sydney and had run aground off the West island. As we flew over it we could still see the outline a few feet under the water I said that I needed it when I got to Ceylon. When we got to a place called KKS RAF station we were put in a billet over night. And piled up to the rafters of the billet were 1000s of Blankets
How I wished now that I am 79 that I had taken his offer.I spent hours off duty collecting sea shells out of the lagoon and brought them back home, my children took them to school and they were the only reminders of our stay on the Cocos Island.
Ex RAF erk Cyril Wilde
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