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| Squadron | Aircraft | Base |
| 8 Squadron | Venom
FB1 (3/55-11/55 & 12/56-4/57)
Venom FB4 (10/55-1/60) Meteor FR9 (1/58-1/58-8/59) Hunter FGA9 (1/60-12/71) & Hunter FR10 (4/61-5/63) |
Khormaksar
to 7/1956
Habbaniyah 7/56-9/56 Akrotiri 9/56 Khormaksar 12/56-6/61 Khormaksar 10/61-8/67 Served at Khormaksar for about 4 months before the final withdrawal when we left on Argosys, calling at Selalah, on route to Masira where we stayed for 1 month before moving on to Bahrein alongside 208 Sqdn. Our engineering officer was Flt Lt Colin Jones, a man I had the utmost respect for and used to babysit for. |
| 21 Squadron, AFME Coms | Twin Pioneer CC1, Andover CC2, and the last RAF Dakota | Khormaksar 1st June 1965 to 9th September 1967, when disbanded. |
| 26 Squadron | Belvedere Helicopters | Khormaksar 1st March 1963; NOTE Search and Rescue Helicopter Flight Sycamores were briefly listed under this squadron in 1964. |
| 37 Squadron | 4 Shackleton MR2's, one aircraft on strength 1966-67 | Khormaksar 8/57-9/67 when disbanded. |
| 42 Squadron | Shackleton MR2 | Long detachments? was not based in Aden. 42 Sqn det was a shackleton MR3 on the Rhodesia oil blockade, also known as the Majunga run. after September 67 when 37 left, the 42 sqn Mk3 was the only one left at Ksar. Not sure when it finally left Aden. |
| 43 Squadron | Aircraft shared with 8 squadron, all Hunter FGA9s carried both squadrons markings. | Khormaksar 1 March 1963 to 9/1967 |
| 73(F) Squadron | De Havilland Venom | Squadron arrived on detachment from RAF Nicosia early `57. Stationed at RAF Khormaksar the Squadron flew Venom FB1`s against the rebels in the Yemen mountains. |
| 78 Squadron | Pioneer
CC1 (4/56-8/59)
Pembroke C1 (6/58-6/59) Twin Pioneer CC1 (10/58-6/65) Wessex HC2 (6/65-2/71) |
Khormaksar 4/56-10/67 |
| 84 Squadron | Valetta
C1 (12/56-8/60)
Sycamore HR14 (12/56-5/57) Pembroke C1 (12/56-6/57) Beverley C1 (5/58-6/67) |
Khormaksar 12/56-9/67; NOTE Sycamores belonged to Search and Rescue Helicopter Flight, This is believed to have been a temporary administrative arrangement. See Search and Rescue Helicopter Flight entry. |
| 105 Squadron | Argosy C1 | Khormaksar 6/62 to 8/67 |
| 208 Squadron | Hunter F.G.A.9 | The unit moved to Bahrain from its base at Eastleigh, Kenya, in July 1961 to support 8 Sqn during the first Iraq/Kuwaiti crisis. Once that was over, 208 moved to Khormaksar on a permanent basis although it shared alternating bi-monthly detachments to Bahrain with 8 Sqn in case of further trouble from Iraq. When 43 Sqn moved to Khormaksar in March 1963, the Hunter squadrons undertook the two-month Bahrain detachment in rotation until May 1964, when 208 Squadron was posted to Bahrain permanently. Many Thanks to Ray Deacon for this entry. |
| 233 Squadron | Valetta C1 | 9/60-1/64 when disbanded |
| 288 Squadron | ||
| 511 Squadron | Britannia | Lyneham on trooping, Freight, Mail & Supplies from the UK to Near East, Middle East and Far East for the duration of the establishment of British bases until the early 70's. In 1967 operated the last scheduled Britannia out of Khormaska. |
| 1417 Flight | Equipped with Hunter T7 and FR10 | Formed 1/3/63 from 8 squadron recce flt. Disbanded 9/67 and reabsorbed by 8 Sqn. |
| 1426 Flight | Avro Lincoln | Based at RAF Khormaksar. 1426 was formed on 2nd January 1956 and posted to RAF Khormaksar from 10th February 1956. The CO was Squadron Leader David Smyth, the Flt was formed with 4 Lincoln aircraft from 7 Sqdn at Uphaven ( RA664,RE345, SX982 & RE322)which had recently returned from Malaya plus 2 more Lincolns(RF340 & RF558)from UK storage. All aircraft being transferred from Bomber Command to MEAF. Duel control was installed on a/c RE345.There was at first only 5 crews for the 6 a/c. All but one aircraft was pronounced US on arrival(a good start).The flight remained on constant operations until the last a/c left to return to the UK on 9th. January 1957 when their role was taken over by Shackletons of 42 Sqdn on attachment from the UK. One a/c was cat 5 and scrapped in Aden ,1 a/c crashed in France and one went US on the way to the UK. Later in the year 6 Shackltons of 37 squadron about to be disbanded in Malta were posted to Khormaksar staying for the next ten
years.
The first 3 Avro Lincolns arrived Aden in 9/1955 detached from RAF Eastleigh,Kenya to eventually form Flight 1426. |
| Aden Communications Flight | Valettas | Well before 1956, The Aden Communication Flight (Valettas) also had the first helicopter based in Aden (Sycamore) and a Pembroke aircraft attached in 1955. |
| Search and Rescue Helicopter Flight | Sycamore HR14 | Independent unit (without a number)formed in 1957 with 4 Sycamore HR14 helicopters, following tropical trials in Nairobi from 1954. Involved also in support helicopter role in Radfan etc. until replaced by Whirlwind HAR10 in 1964 until withdrawal in 1967, when unit reformed in Bahrein as the Gulf SAR Flight. Whirlwinds made a significant contribution to SH support of the Army in the Radfan in 1964/65, as well as fulfilling th SAR role for the whole protectorate. I served in the unit from Aug 1963 to July 1965. COs during that time were Flight Lieutenants Witten-Hayden and Barrel, both veterans of the still youthful RAF helicopter force. I note that the Sycamores are listed under 84 Squadron in 56/57. This may have been a temporary administrative arrangement. They came briefly under 26 Squadron, for the same reason, in 1964, but we carried on regardless, calling ourselves the SAR Flight, and not wanting too much to do with the much vaunted, but ultimately unfortunate Belvedere! I had the sad task of attending 2 of their crashes, one fatal. Many thanks to Tony Bell for this entry. |
Aden Protectorate Reconnaissance Flight (APRF)based at RAF Khormaksar. Flying Meteor FR9s making intensive ground attack and PR sorties against the rebels up-country. Sometimes they'd return with bullet holes in the top surfaces of the mainplanes through flying low down the wadis. Two of the APRF pilots were Flt.Lts Kelly and Retief, and I think Haigh-Thomas.
Intelligence Corps
2 Det., 5 C.I. Company, Intelligence CorpsLocated in private house on Villiers Street, Khormaksar, opposite RAF Khormaksar Airfield. C.O. Major Keith Wilkes. Duration of tour June 1965-67. General Service Medal with South Arabian Clasp. Thanks to Reg Hobday for this entry.
Army Air Corps
8 Flight, Based at Falaise and Habilayn with visits to Ataq (FRA)and Wadi Ayn for few weeks at a time. Attached to 24 Inf brigade with 13FltAAC) the C/o Was Maj Greville Edgecombe I was with them from March 1966 to end of April 1967. Thanks to David Biddulph for this entry.
653 Squadron, were in Falaise camp with their airstrip the outside the camp. There was 13 flight, 15 flight, workshop flight the Sqn also served in the Radfan.
REME Workshop, 653 Squadron were first based at Sheik Othman airfield (disused since the second world war)some 12 miles outside of the town of Aden from 1960. Aircraft accommodation was a disused and derelict hangar and personnel accommodation was under canvas. The unit flew Auster Mk9 and Beaver light aircraft. In 1961 the unit relocated at Falaise Field - a purpose built camp and airfield and provided light aircraft support to the forces based in the colony.
Aden Protectorate Levies Signal Squadron Squadron consisted of British and Arab personnel. Brits in Seedaseer Lines the Arabs at Lake Lines.OC's during period 1959-60 were Maj.Rutherford(casevaced) Capt Shaw stood in until arrival of Maj Gilbertson.The Squadron had detachments with all four battalions in the up-country garrisons, Dhala, Lodar, Makerias, Beihan, Ataqand Zinjibar and along with the ACS consisted of all volunteers.With Arabization the APL became the FRA,but thats another story.