"Atop my trusty old "B" for ******* Hurricane IIc. Burma"	Welcome to The Mumblings of Edward Sparkes

	Jennifer has constantly encouraged me to write these Mumbles in spite of my various playmates and I dedicate them to her, for her forbearance and constant good humour. Most have appeared in z.local and since they were prompted by the postings therein they were random. To my great surprise they became popular, and many have asked for back copies leading to requests for a web site. I would like to thank all those who assisted in setting it up, knowing my complete lack of the technology. Acknowledgements I have been congratulated on my photographic memory. Nothing could be further from the truth. My memory is appalling and the short term version is close to pathological. Before my mother died she gave me a box containing all of the letters that I ever sent her and included a very early attempt at poetry, but it may have been kinder had she not included all of my school reports! Many of these letters which bring immediacy to memory have been quoted at length. It should be remembered that my experience of air war was played out in a very small theatre, The Arakan, Burma, with the Indian Airforce, fighting with the forgotten IVth Army. A copy of the records of my Service in the Royal Air Force can be viewed here .