Preserving The Oral HistorIES of Combat Veterans
5:43 | Hugh Morgan's Quartermasters unit was a non-combat outfit, but they loaded their guns and readied to fight the Japanese during a scare at his base in India. The mosquitoes were a bigger problem and he contracted malaria almost as soon as he arrived, not to mention the earthquake during their first night there.
Keywords : Hugh Morgan Japanese India Burma British China mosquito malaria fear quinine Atabrine hospital fighter crash pilot cigarette earthquake Chabau
It was 1943 and Hugh Morgan was just out of high school when he was drafted and sent to train as a truck driver for the Quartermaster Corps. During basic training, he sneaked out of town on a weekend pass for a very special reason.
Hugh Morgan's Quartermaster unit was making its way by ship to India when it stopped in Tasmania. He made fast friends among the locals and a lady who had lost her son in the war, told him, "When you get where you're going, give 'em hell for me!" His destination? The edge of the Himalayas near the Burma border.
At the edge of the Himalayas, Hugh Morgan was responsible for trucking supplies to the air field where brave pilots made the dangerous journey "over the hump" for delivery to Chinese forces fighting the Japanese. The flights were considered impossible with the aircraft of the time but the operation was highly successful.
In India, Hugh Morgan's unit was responsible for moving and loading ammunition and bombs heading to allies in China. He recalls two accidents, a deadly explosion and a fire that consumed a fuel dump. He was scheduled to make the long journey himself over the Burma Road when the war ended.
Hugh Morgan's return home from India was a long voyage across the Indian Ocean, through the Suez Canal and on to England. Finally headed across the Atlantic, a terrific storm caused the Captain to ask for a vote. Should they continue? When they did reach the Statue of Liberty, a wonderful sight greeted them.
