Mothership

[ellarien]

That's the title which presented itself for one of the mentally backburnered stories, while I was lying awake last night waiting for the police helicopter to go away. I'm not sure of all the details yet, but there's more of it than there was.

I'm drawing a mental blank on wars in which someone born around 1915 might have lost a son. Too early for Vietnam (I think -- Vietnam isn't a huge part of the British national consciousness), too late for WWII or Korea. Maybe a test pilot program instead?

I still haven't a clue how the search party gets upstairs in the current effort, though.

Comments

[fivemack.livejournal.com]

Born 1915, so son born 1935-1945, so you're looking for something 1953-1965 or so.

Which would be the era of the small decolonisation wars: http://www.britains-smallwars.com is probably the site to look at; for the earlier dates the Malayan Emergency fits, for the later ones Borneo, and National Servicemen were sent to both wars so you don't have to find a justification for weird volunteering.

http://www.britains-smallwars.com/Borneo/index.html

Is your putative son British? You could have him French and put him in Algeria any time from 1954-1962.

[ellarien]

Thanks! Come to think of it, I believe my uncles (much older brothers of my mother) did their National Service in Malaysia or thereabouts, some time in the late 40's.

I had intended this guy (and his mother) to be American, but British could work.