4th R.T.R. SHANDUR 1947-52
As Remembered By Douglas R. Hall
I arrived in the Canal Zone in late 1947. The Regiment I joined was the 4th Royal Tank Regiment which were stationed on an ex RAF Station at Shandur, on the shores of the Little Bitter Lake. The Regiment was armed with Cromwell Comet and Sherman Tanks. The ‘B’ vehicles were American Jeeps and Chevrolet 3 tonners. The other unit on the Station was the Armoured Replacement Group which were well away from the 4th at the southern end of the Garrison.
I did some retraining and was classed as a gunner/operator. In those days we could get up to a speed of 35 miles per hour – not bad for a 30 ton tank!
In early 1948 a Troop of four tanks and crews (of which I was one) were posted to Rafah in Palestine. Upon returning to Shandur in August 1948 we arrived to much ‘Bull’. When the Troop had gone to Palestine we had just brush-polished our boots and scrubbed white webbing. Now it was back to Blanco and highly bulled boots – still no problem once sorted and easy enough to keep up. We were still on ‘Stand By’ but I did manage a couple of Leave’s in Cairo.
We had plenty of guard duties at the C in C’s compound at Fayid and, of course, immaculate turn-out for the guard. All in all, we were an extremely highly-polished regiment. The tanks were fully armed up and, for a long time, all the troops carried their own personal arms.
Come 1949 and suddenly in July, off we ‘B’ Squadron were shipped to the Aqaba – tanks and men.
The Regiment had many conscripts but they were retrained in the Regiment and by this time I was a Gunnery Instructor as well as the Squadron Orderly Sergeant (visited by the RSM Monday to Friday).
In February 1950, it was back to Shandur and the winter. Yes, it snowed in Egypt, about March time and it was wonderful! Also a shower of rain which put a foot of water in the Nissan Huts, the only rain I saw that far south down the Canal. There was snow in the mountains (Ataca they were called) and it was extremely cold so I insisted that the “Q” issue the rum – very nice at 0200 hours!
I came back to the UK in December 1950. From 1947 to 1950 there was only the 4th RTR with 70 tanks and ‘B’ vehicles and ARG at the other end of the Camp. In 1952 I re-joined the Regiment until case vac in October 1952.
None of the other units who state that they were in Shandur ever mention a complete Tank Regiment there, but they were there until 1954.
I enjoyed my tours in the Canal Zone, many did not and just lay on their beds
moaning instead of getting off camp, Suez Town was only 15 miles down the road
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