18th AIR FORMATION SIGNAL REGIMENT
As Remembered By Pat Soward (3 GHQ 1951-52)
In researching the histories of 4th Air Formation Signals and 18th Air Formation Signals, I came across a lovely – and singularly unhelpful – comment in the unit historical returns file at Kew. By then the units had amalgamated and had moved to Cyprus and the writer commented that “all historical documents were destroyed before leaving the Canal Zone so we have to rely on the memory of an officer who has served in the unit for the past two years”!
4th Air Formation Signals (4 AFS) had provided ground communications for units of the Desert Air Force and finished the war supporting the Balkans Air Force with companies in Italy and Greece. At the end of 1945 there were companies in Italy (3 Coy), Palestine (2 Coy) and Egypt (1 Coy, actually arriving at Qassassin, from Italy, in January 1946).
18th Air Formation Signals (18 AFS), having completed its time in NW Europe embarked for the Far East but was diverted and arrived at Qassassin on December 21st 1945. This unit was at Battalion strength with some 800 Officers and ORs. The two units worked together to provide ground communications, and Dispatch Rider Letter Services, on and between the RAF facilities in the Canal Zone and the Nile Delta as well as El Adam, Benghazi, Tripoli etc.
Both units suffered from loss of unit members as those ‘in for the duration’ were de-mobilised. 18 AFS moved first to a more permanent camp at Maadi and, as service units started to concentrate in the Canal Zone, to El Ballah over the night of 6th/7th of October 1946.
Here we enter a ‘dark age’ as those who remembered events up till this time were de-mobilised. But at some time, possibly as late as mid-1949, someone turned out the lights and lowered the 18 AFS flag for the last time. It is certain that the two units amalgamated as 4 AFS because section numbers used by 18 AFS were later resurrected and taken into use in Habbaniya and Aden, now reporting to RHQ, 4 AFS. Later a small Squadron HQ was established at Habbaniya as 18 AF Signal Sqdn – still reporting the RHQ 4 AFS at RAF Fayid.
In case the change of nomenclature is confusing, Royal Signals units changed from Infantry (Section, Company, Unit) to Cavalry (Troop, Squadron, Regiment) organisation in mid-1946.
If any reader, who served in El Ballah 1947-49, remembers anything of 18 AFS
I would be very grateful if he/she/they would contact me.