RAF El Adem in the 1960s
In Aldershot there was, maybe there still is, a barrack block that had verandas and doors on both floors of the building. Work & Bricks had been given the plans for an Indian Army block by mistake and they had built it 'like what we were told'. - FED
Interesting relative to the very similar story about St George Barracks, Gosport, described here as a myth, which I seem to recall was further embellished locally with the story that the barracks that should have been built at Gosport were built in India!
Google Images for "St George('s) Barracks Gosport" for the appropriate picture, and I wonder if these could have been the barracks to which FED refers - it couldn't happen more than once, could it?
Jack
Interesting relative to the very similar story about St George Barracks, Gosport, described here as a myth, which I seem to recall was further embellished locally with the story that the barracks that should have been built at Gosport were built in India!
Google Images for "St George('s) Barracks Gosport" for the appropriate picture, and I wonder if these could have been the barracks to which FED refers - it couldn't happen more than once, could it?
Jack
goudie
A few years back I was researching the history of the Bloohound Mk 2 force at the National Archives and found the story of the deployment exercise done at El Adem by a Bloodhound Mk2 missile section of 41 Sqn in May / June 1967. The exercise codenamed 'Long Hook' was a bit of a fiasco for a number of reasons, the initial problem being the number of AT movements that went U/S en route (the four Launcher Type 86 section was to have been deployed from West Raynham to El Adem by 15 Argosy and 6 Beverly sorties) over the space of 6 days, it took 8 and the flights carrying some the really mission critical stuff like Radar, Launch Control Post and Specialist MT were the flights that suffered the longest delay. By the time they had got the kit up and running, exercise operations were messed up by a NEAF Theater wide 'Comsec' warning that lasted for a considerable time, their missiles had to be taken off the launchers because a local Libyan Official didn't like them pointing in the direction of Egypt, then the Six Day War kicked off. One of the things that really stood out however was the comments in the Admin concussions of the report that stated that a fridge was a must have bit of kit on desert deployments (The Missile section had its own power generators). They had asked RAF El Adem for one, only to be told:
1. Fridges were provided only to store perishable food.
2. Medically, Humans can drink warm water.
Fortunately for the 41 Sqn boys, the Royal Engineer Detachment who were there to prepare the ground for the deployment site had a spare fridge with them.
The BAC Film unit made a film of the deployment, which I've just got my hands on (it will not be going on Youtube).
However a few screen shots:
Unloading Launchers from an Argosy.
Unloading Missiles from an Argosy.
Taking the Missiles out into the Desert
Radar Type 86
Launch Control Post
Deploying one of the four launchers
Loading the missile on to a launcher
Raising the Missile
Deployed site layout
A few years back I was researching the history of the Bloohound Mk 2 force at the National Archives and found the story of the deployment exercise done at El Adem by a Bloodhound Mk2 missile section of 41 Sqn in May / June 1967. The exercise codenamed 'Long Hook' was a bit of a fiasco for a number of reasons, the initial problem being the number of AT movements that went U/S en route (the four Launcher Type 86 section was to have been deployed from West Raynham to El Adem by 15 Argosy and 6 Beverly sorties) over the space of 6 days, it took 8 and the flights carrying some the really mission critical stuff like Radar, Launch Control Post and Specialist MT were the flights that suffered the longest delay. By the time they had got the kit up and running, exercise operations were messed up by a NEAF Theater wide 'Comsec' warning that lasted for a considerable time, their missiles had to be taken off the launchers because a local Libyan Official didn't like them pointing in the direction of Egypt, then the Six Day War kicked off. One of the things that really stood out however was the comments in the Admin concussions of the report that stated that a fridge was a must have bit of kit on desert deployments (The Missile section had its own power generators). They had asked RAF El Adem for one, only to be told:
1. Fridges were provided only to store perishable food.
2. Medically, Humans can drink warm water.
Fortunately for the 41 Sqn boys, the Royal Engineer Detachment who were there to prepare the ground for the deployment site had a spare fridge with them.
The BAC Film unit made a film of the deployment, which I've just got my hands on (it will not be going on Youtube).
However a few screen shots:
Unloading Launchers from an Argosy.
Unloading Missiles from an Argosy.
Taking the Missiles out into the Desert
Radar Type 86
Launch Control Post
Deploying one of the four launchers
Loading the missile on to a launcher
Raising the Missile
Deployed site layout
Last edited by MAINJAFAD; 16th Nov 2014 at 21:09.
Great footage - especially the Aden film. No hi-viz jackets, no helmets, no ear protectors, no body armour....
...when did hats on the flight line stopped being worn as an anti-FOD measure?
...when did hats on the flight line stopped being worn as an anti-FOD measure?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
In '73 in Cyprus we still wore them and IIRC in late 70s at ISK to keep your head warm. Mine saved lots of injury from aerials and other bits if metal without causing damage as a hard hat would have.
'RE Bloodhound deployment, do you have a date? I know there was a lot of activity at a secret airbase in Lincolnshire with the unwary driving through road barriers that were "never" closed. Had Civpol manning them as it was a public road. That was end May 67.
'RE Bloodhound deployment, do you have a date? I know there was a lot of activity at a secret airbase in Lincolnshire with the unwary driving through road barriers that were "never" closed. Had Civpol manning them as it was a public road. That was end May 67.
PN
Movements were 1st - 6th May 67 out of West Raynham.
Edit
PN if the road blocks were on the Coningsby - Woodhall Spa road, it could have been part of the 112 Squadron movement from Woodhall Spa to Cyprus (though most of the Squadron's kit was moved in early Sep 67 via Immingham and Sea transport).
Movements were 1st - 6th May 67 out of West Raynham.
Edit
PN if the road blocks were on the Coningsby - Woodhall Spa road, it could have been part of the 112 Squadron movement from Woodhall Spa to Cyprus (though most of the Squadron's kit was moved in early Sep 67 via Immingham and Sea transport).
Last edited by MAINJAFAD; 16th Nov 2014 at 11:18.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
No, it was the High Duke at Waddo and at least 3 weeks later.
I wonder when the Bloodhound s were recovered.
Our visitors had planned on using Leeds/Bradford but the weather clagged. Having started to use us they continued to do so. The Lincolnshire Chronicle, purporting to be a left wing, anti-bomb rag and tried to make political capital from it.
I wonder when the Bloodhound s were recovered.
Our visitors had planned on using Leeds/Bradford but the weather clagged. Having started to use us they continued to do so. The Lincolnshire Chronicle, purporting to be a left wing, anti-bomb rag and tried to make political capital from it.
PN
The missile section deployed to El Adem, stayed in Libya with a C&M party located at El Adem until early Jul 67 when it was airlifted to Cyprus and set up at Episkopi. It remained there until 112 Sqn got their first missile section operational. The 41 Sqn detachment and equipment returned by air to West Raynham in Nov 67. Whatever the incident was it most likely had nothing to do with Bloodhound.
The missile section deployed to El Adem, stayed in Libya with a C&M party located at El Adem until early Jul 67 when it was airlifted to Cyprus and set up at Episkopi. It remained there until 112 Sqn got their first missile section operational. The 41 Sqn detachment and equipment returned by air to West Raynham in Nov 67. Whatever the incident was it most likely had nothing to do with Bloodhound.
Fascinating stuff! The El Adem film covered one of our Bev exercises and the desert strip was a bit of sand called Tmimi. The shots of the Bev arrivals were much edited!! - the actual landing was accompanied by total 'sand-out' from our reverse thrust and we usually had to sit for a while to let the sand cloud disperse. One of the few occasions on which the Bev was used as intended - short haul, max load, unprepared strip. Worked like a dream!!
The Aden part was about 7 years after my time but little had changed - apart from the aircraft types ... Vampires, Venoms, Pembrokes, Valettas, Lancs (just), Lincolns, Sycamores in the late 50s. Time flies etc.
The Aden part was about 7 years after my time but little had changed - apart from the aircraft types ... Vampires, Venoms, Pembrokes, Valettas, Lancs (just), Lincolns, Sycamores in the late 50s. Time flies etc.
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El Adem comms kit "rescue"
As a young SAC on 103 MU in 1970, I was hearing lots of war stories about the rushed closure of EA, indeed we had 4 tonners full of kit, various, that had been rushed to AKR. There was one persistent story of a "raid" back to EA, some time after the official shut down, to recover comms kit (from ATC IIRC) which the Libyan's were supposed to have paid for but of course never did.
Anyone ever heard this before?
PM
Anyone ever heard this before?
PM
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MAINJAFAD's mention of 112 Sqn reminds me that a good friend from Manby went to be their OC at Akrotiri.
MPM11
I've got all of 112 Sqn's F540's as well, from the first one raised as a Mk 1 unit at Breighton, to the last one raised at Paramali West. The squadron fell under the admin of RAF Episkopi not Akrotiri as they were based there for a while before the permanent site at Paramali West was built, which they took over in 1969. 112 Sqn was going to be the UK Bloodhound Sqn in 1975 according to the F540 until everybody put in their posting preferences after which they were told that the Sqn was going to be disbanded and the nameplate was going to 85 Sqn.
112 had the best markings on any Bloodhound Missile ever though
Pity it was only an ex Mk 2 R&D test round based on a Mk 1 used as display missile / loading trainer.
Anyhow back on topic about Marham with sand.
I've got all of 112 Sqn's F540's as well, from the first one raised as a Mk 1 unit at Breighton, to the last one raised at Paramali West. The squadron fell under the admin of RAF Episkopi not Akrotiri as they were based there for a while before the permanent site at Paramali West was built, which they took over in 1969. 112 Sqn was going to be the UK Bloodhound Sqn in 1975 according to the F540 until everybody put in their posting preferences after which they were told that the Sqn was going to be disbanded and the nameplate was going to 85 Sqn.
112 had the best markings on any Bloodhound Missile ever though
Pity it was only an ex Mk 2 R&D test round based on a Mk 1 used as display missile / loading trainer.
Anyhow back on topic about Marham with sand.
Last edited by MAINJAFAD; 16th Nov 2014 at 20:47.
My father was based there 1961-62 and we lived at Tobruk, I went to the local service nursery school, transported by RAF bus. On one picnic out in the desert my father turned over a bit of rusty metal with his foot. Written on the newly exposed side you could just make out the words "mine, anti-tank". We've still got a slide of it somewhere.
