Penulis: B. A. Jimmy James

B. A. “JIMMY” JAMES was born in India wherehis father was a tea planter. His mother died inIndia in 1930. One of his uncles, Captain MarkDarell James, served in India in the Royal HorseArtillery before the war, but was killed playingpolo, and a cousin of his maternal grandfatherField Marshal Sir Evelyn Wood was awarded theVC in the Mutiny. Jimmy James joined the RAFbefore the war and was shot down as a bomberpilot in June 1940, spending five years as aprisoner in Germany in POW and concentrationcamps. After the war he was awarded the MilitaryCross and a mention in despatches for hisescaping activities. Retiring from the RAF in 1958as a squadron leader, he was appointed generalsecretary of the GB-USSR Association sponsoredby the Foreign Office. He then served in thediplomatic service in posts in Europe and inAfrica, retiring in 1975.