ROYAL SIGNALS 1 LoC, UMI, EL BALLAH 1948-49

As Remembered By F. Ken Welsby

Being 'W' Proved Lucky

We arrived in Port Said and went by train to Port Suez Transit Camp for posting. It was now February 1948 and the British were pulling out of Palestine, 30 of our draft were posted there. I was 31st on the list (Welsby) and 32nd was Wilson and we were posted to Fayid GHQ, Hut 101. We were both devastated when 2 days later all the rest of our draft went off to Palestine to bring back motor transport. To make things worse, we were put on weekend guard duty from Friday to Sunday night. Whilst doing my stag the tannoy system called for me and Wilson to report to the office. We were told to pack as transport was coming to take us to Fayid. A staff car arrived and we were transported like VIP's. We were shown into an office in front of a Major who told us that we were now part of the UMI (Unit Maintenance Inspection) and our job was to inspect every motor vehicle, motor cycle etc in the Middle East and they employed 4 man teams - 1 officer, 2 mechanics and a driver. There were vacancies for 2 drivers. He then asked which one of us wanted to go to Greece and which wanted Kenya? Dumbfounded we said nothing so he pointed to me and said Greece and Wilson to Kenya. So it was off to the Port of Athens - Piraeus.

Our team was billeted at a REME camp but we took no active part in the running of the camp, no parades, guards etc. We were very well treated. The fact that our team had 2 vehicle mechanics was unheard of - they were like gold dust. My job was to drive the team from camp to camp around Athens in a 15 cwt Bedford, inspecting the motor transport. We did what 30 years later became the MOT. Because every camp got a report from us we were treated like royalty. I never paid for any NAAFI breaks and always had them in the Sergeants Mess. Our officer was in the RASC, one Corporal was REME, the other RAC and I was in the Signals. We saw the changing of the guard and drank Stella within sight of the Acropolis - a lovely time.

The team now had to report back to Fayid. The UMI had 3 teams in Egypt because of the large number of vehicles there and we helped them out while we waited for our next assignment which came through as Asmara in Eritrea. For some unknown reason we had to fly BOAC via Cairo and since Cairo was 'Out of Bounds' we had to wear civvies, so we all had to send home for some. We entrained on the Cairo Flyer passing quite close to the Pyramids and stayed at a 5 star hotel right in the centre of Cairo. We were well disguised with 3 kit bags on our shoulders with name, regiment and army number stencilled on the side!! Next morning we took a taxi to the airport and boarded a Dakota. Being a civil aircraft it had proper seats, windows, and air hostess and 3 boxes under the seat containing our meals. Asmara was a lovely place and being situated at 5000 ft it was just like an English summer's day - green grass and even privet hedges. While we were there we had to go to a large village called Agadar where there was very little transport so we had plenty of spare time. The days went like this - first jump in the swimming pool, have breakfast, MOT until lunch, pool in the afternoon, evening meal and then we (but not the officer) went into the village where we made friends with a family. Whilst talking with the father and supplying him with cigarettes, we would watch his two teenage daughters grind grain between two stones. This was 1948 and we had never see topless girls before - it was a very interesting time!

My next destination was Kartoum in the Sudan. I was then recalled back to Egypt as they were "short of drivers". This time I flew to Fayid with the RAF. The co-pilot pulled some kind of rope seat from the side of the plane and said "Sorry, it's the best we can do as we are a cargo plane". My new camp was 1 LoC Signals Regt., El Ballah where I met up with my old friend Taffy Williams. I was taken to the vehicle compound and told my 3 ton Bedford was the 5th in the front row - there must have been 50 in all - I lifted the bonnet and went back to the office and told them that my vehcile had no engine in it!! The Sergeant said "You'll have less to keep clean then!". 'Short of drivers' - I don't think so!! It was not long after the end of the war and there was a large surplus of transport and drivers. All radio trucks were laid up also. It was a large camp by an ex-airfield and the only vehicles which did daily runs were the ration trucks, requisition truck, officers transport and a few others - nearly 99% of drivers had vehicles to polish for the weekly inspection. Two weeks later I was informed that i was to become the CO's driver. What luck, his car was the envy of all the other CO's - it was an ex-Palestine Police Humber Super Snipe estate with no regimental number or sign as the CO said it would spoil its appearance. The CO lived in a bungalow in a special compound and a tent in the grounds was home to me and his Batman, needless to say the tent was far superior to the other tents. I was, in fact, now very overworked as the CO was very generous with his car. I used to drive all officer ranks around, he used to lend it to 3 or 4 officers for their weekends in Port Said. The CO would say "Take Williams as escort" so we would set off on Friday mornings for Port Said, the officers would always give us a few pounds and ask us to pick them up again on Sunday evening. Taffy and I would be cruising around Port Said all weekend in our Humber Super Snipe. Our log book was signed so we could go into any Army camp for meals and accomodation. After about 2 months, the Green Howards took over the running of the camp and their Colonel took over the bungalow and car, so I had to go back to the tent lines. There I took over as driver for the OC of 2 Squadron who also had a Humber Super Snipe 8 cwt canvas rear car. My outlook was just the same as in the estate so I was once again very busy. I left the camp in mid-September 1949 for demob.

I look back on my great good luck of being "W" for WELSBY.

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