109 MU - RAF ABYAD 1950-52
As Remembered By Arnold Bradbury
Summary:
In summer 1950, my "square bashing" took place at RAF Credenhill,
Hereford. A brief period in a transit camp at RAF Hednesford followed, then
I travelled by land and sea to Port Said and on to RAF Abyad. During my two
years, I had a prolonged spell at RAF Habbaniya in Iraq before returning again
to RAF Abyad. My journey home was via RAF Mafraq in Jordan and mainly by air.
RAF Credenhill (June/July 1950)
I was the tallest in the Squadron and, therefore, acted as right hand marker.
Sometimes, if we were not considered up to scratch, we had to march onto parade
several times. As right hand marker, I felt an extra responsibility to try and
get things right. The plan seemed to be to get our spirits as low as possible
and then to build them up again. At night, we spent all the evening polishing
our kit for the inspection at 6am the next day. We had to march to the bagpipes
which was absolutely ghastly to me.
RAF Hednesford
I went out to the Canal Zone from RAF Hednesford as an untrained radio mechanic.
There were very few, who had received little or no technical training. Normally,
there would have been a 6 month course. There were lots of inoculations as we
prepared to leave for the Canal Zone.
Journey to the Canal Zone
I travelled by train from RAF Hednesford to Harwich and then by boat to the
Hook of Holland. From the Hook of Holland, we went by train over several days
to Trieste, via Salzburg, Bischofshofen and the Alps. At Trieste, we sailed
across the Mediterranean to Port Said. Then, the last leg of the journey took
us to RAF Abyad. Altogether, we were travelling for around 6 weeks.
RAF Abyad, Canal Zone.
I was based at No 109 Maintenance Unit, RAF Abyad. I had not been trained as
a radio mechanic, whilst back in England. So, I really lacked a trade and was
only able to undertake relatively straightforward tasks with supervision in
the Radio Repair section, where I worked.
Around the camp, I remember a strong sense of community, amongst fellow National Servicemen. We formed friendships quickly and got on with things. I remember the CoE Church - St Menas, where there was a service broadcast for Christmas 1951. There was also a YMCA at Abyad. I remember attending dances there with colleagues and WRAFs. You could go and have a meal there, have a dance, and listen to really good music. There was also a very good open air cinema. Other spots including Fayid Shopping Centre, the beach at Fayid, and several of various landmarks in Ismailia, which were nearby. I thrived in other ways too. I improved my tennis, often playing against a Polish colleague who coached me, and was very helpful in other ways too (e.g. lending me small sums of money on occasions). I took part in many events at the Squadron athletics meetings, including winning the 220 yards at Abyad in March 1952.
RAF Habbaniya, Iraq
For several months, during 1951, I was redeployed to RAF Habbaniya, which is in Iraq and about 60 miles from Baghdad. One of the key tasks we had at this point, was to move around the desert, helping to kit out vehicles with additional communications equipment. Initially, whilst in transit, I had to sleep in a tent at RAF Habbaniya.
Whilst we were at Habbaniya, in August 1951, a group of 6 of us, hired a taxi and visited Baghdad. Key sites that we saw included The Golden Mosque, a replica of the Gate of Babylon, the main cemetery, and a golden horse statue.
I lost touch with all my colleagues in the Canal Zone after a few years back
in the UK, and in most cases only have their first names or nicknames on photos.
I believe that our billet included two future international rugby players: Leighton
Jenkins, who played for Wales and Peter Jackson, who played for England.