Hunt 10

ANECDOTAL HISTORY

EVENT

Sharjah detachments were mainly “business” but if the RAF Marine Craft were in support there we would visit them at the weekends, for fishing and a wander round Dubai. About 20 ocean going dhows tied up in the Creek, about 50 houses and perhaps 20 cars – all told. The Souk – Arab for market – was always fascinating, busy, crowded, noisy, with Arabs out of the Dessert complete with rifles, bandaliers and hunting hawks

MASIRAH

208 and many other RAF aircraft regularly used the base on Masirah Island, off the Omani Coast as a staging post. For the squadron it was on the route to and from Aden. The facilities were pretty basic with little infrastructure. [ 30 ] This is a view of the pan and “the offices”.

However Masirah featured in our night flying programme. The AHQs in Aden and Bahrain decided that we should be able to deploy to Aden under cover of darkness. Approach aids were minimal, the runway had a few lights and only a Red 'T' to guide you in! Not really enough lights to see any obstructions, but camels and donkeys did not appear to be round at night! The airfield was unfenced.

Sadly, we lost a pilot on one of these practices. We used to fly down, refuel and fly back all in one night. On his return, he decided to do a second controlled descent and radar back at Muharraq. He was flying the only aircraft , which had a mark of altimeter, which especially in the dark, the unwary could misread by 10,000f eet. He disappeared on the turn in.

Later we used Masirah for live FAC practice. Here is a live SNEB firing – the rockets can be seen – followed by a smart 6+ 'g' pull-out – mountains ahead.

Live firing training used to take place on Yas Island where there was absolutely nothing. The Army and ground party were supported by the resident RN landing craft from Bahrain. Our Army Ground Liaison Officer found the Twyneham huts at Masirah much more to his liking.

NAVY CO-OP

The squadron's regular exercises with the RN 'on Station' frigates and minesweepers, were always mounted from Bahrain. A much more satisfactory arrangement for face-to-face briefings and debriefings and the inevitable party thereafter.

RANGERS

The prospect of “Rangers” to more exotic places was exciting but short lived. On the very first trip a very senior officer from AHQ, who had flown Hunters decided to go and check the scheme out. On arrival he managed to go off the end of the longest runway in that part of East Africa – and that was that.

On a subsequent trip to deliver 4 Hunters to Amman to replenish the Jordanian Air Force after the 6 Day War. Apart from landing at Riyadh in a sandstorm, and being fortunate to met a Saudi Air Force general in jeans who found them some fuel – went off without a hitch – but no thanks to the British Embassy staff at Jeddah.

LIFE IN BAHRAIN

What was life like in Bahrain 40 plus years ago? The weather was expletevily hot and very humid: nothing changed there and the strong northerly winds, the “Shamal” still brings the sand from the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq and turns the sky orangey-red – when it rains it usually in torrents, and everything floods.

Social life inevitably centred around the Station and the Mess. Apart from all outdoor activities. All forms of sport , swimming, sailing and water skiing, plus the rulers beech for married accompanied folk, there was not much else to do and nowhere to go. A Malcolm Club down town, a dodgy Dhow Restaurant, if you were prepared to to chance the results, and the 'Speedbird' Hotel where the BOAC crews night stopped. It was only in late '68 early '69 that the first American/European style hotel was built and opened on the North Shore of Manama, that there was anywhere of any quality to go out for an evening out and a meal.

HUNTER 2 - 1965 to 1971 [p 4 of 6]