The history of the 1st Battalion The Royal Lincolnshire Regiment in Aquaba and in the Suez Canal Zone was forwarded to this website by Suez Canal Zone veteran Richard (Dick) Woolley and comes from Captain John Lee the Curator of the Royal Lincolnshire Regiment Museum / Archives, and Captain (Rtd.) J P Richards. The original is quite lengthy, so due to our website rules on length of submissions, only that pertaining to 'Active Service in the Suez Canal Zone' will be recorded here.
Prior to service in the Suez Canal Zone, in late 1949 the 1st Battalion Royal Lincolnshire Regiment was stationed at Aquaba, the Brigades primary function there was to prevent the newly formed Israeli Army from taking over Trans-Jordan, as it was then. The Battalion already had a base in Egypt near Tel-el-Kebir, for those Lincolns in 'Transit' i.e. those arriving in the Middle East to join the Battalion and those returning to the UK at the end of their service. Most of the Battalion moved to Egypt just as the trouble started. Their new home was a piece of desert some three miles outside Moascar, where is situated what is known as North Camp. It was hoped that we might be able to call our camp 'Sobraon Camp' but since there is already a camp of that name in the Canal Zone, this was not accepted and it has now the name of 'Lincoln Camp'.
The camp when first seen by the Advance Party, consisted of 3 corrugated iron cookhouses and little else, except for a plentiful supply of sand. With the arrival of so many reinforcements in the Canal Zone, tentage and other stores had been in short supply but we have received some wonderful help from friends at Tel-el-Kebir and as a result some of the discomforts and hard living have been alleviated. The Battalion has its own electric light plant, which is an admirable example of the workings of private enterprise. So the camp is properly lit until 11pm each evening. Its installation and the wiring of the camp has required much hard work and initiative and the Battalion has good cause to be grateful to Major C O Blakey, Sgts Daft and Purdy, and the men of the Signal Platoon.
Perhaps the most deeply felt
of the consequences of the present situation in Egypt is the departure
of all civilian labour. Many of the services such as the NAAFI, tailors,
dhobies, barbers and the like have ceased completely or are continuing
only in some abbreviated form. The artisans employed by the Royal
Engineers for camp construction have also departed. The old Battalion
contractor, M Jalal Din, was only too eager to work for us again, but it
soon became apparent that with no labour he would be unable to provide
any service. However, Battalion enterprise has taken his place and
under the directions of the PRI, tailors and barbers
shops are working in Lincoln
Camp operated by men of the Battalion. Laundry is done under Company
arrangements, and HQ Company 'dhobies' in particular, under the leadership
of Pte Gray, provide an excellent service which includes the pressing of
battle-dress. The PRI also runs a Battalion canteen to provide some
of the service that NAAFI is unable to give at present. Under C/Sgt
Flower, Sgt Morrison (ACC), and Cpl Hall the canteen is proving a great
success. Even in the cinema business, the Battalion has been undefeated,
with the PRI supplying mobile 16mm shows to all companies. Improvements
in the camp have gone ahead fast and Cpl Green and his Pioneers have been
exceptionally busy. Other men of the Battalion, who in civilian life
are plumbers or carpenters, have been helping the Engineers in additional
building.
Internal security duty.
After a very busy unsettled
life since our return to Egypt on the 13th October, we hoped that with
the completion of duty at Tel-el-
Kebir we might have a period
for re-organization and maintenance. However this was not to be,
for on the 11th November the Battalion took over operational duties in
Ismailia. Lincoln Camp remained the Battalion's Base, but ‘A’ and ‘B’ Companies
and detachments of Support Company, moved into the town to relieve another
battalion. Tac headquarters and ‘A’ Company moved into Army mansions,
the hirings flats near the railway station, and ‘B’ Company to a new Egyptian
school building in Arisha, which was used as a children's school and also
a NAAFI families shop. From these two bases the three Companies provided
mobile and foot patrols throughout the European part of town to maintain
order and give security to the families still in residence. Apart from
isolated incidents life continued reasonably quietly until the 17th November.
On that night and the 18th, there occurred the incidents in which Egyptian
police were involved and which resulted in the loss of British lives.
(Due to the indiscriminate shooting that took place).
On the 19th November, the Egyptian Police in Ismailia agreed to lay down their arms, and the responsibility for Law and Order rested almost entirely on the Battalion. The days that followed were busy ones, for with the decision to evacuate all British Service families from the town, a particularly high state of alertness and readiness was required while the movements were carried out. Evacuation began on the 20th and thanks to very good organisation it was completed by the 25th. With the departing of the families, ‘A’ Company was withdrawn and ‘B’ Company continued to occupy the school in Arisha. Ismailia itself is now completely out of bounds. The movements of the C.O were always followed, i.e. his comings and goings seemed to be enlivened frequently with the explosions of locally made bombs. Contrary to many expectations, Egyptian terrorists took a holiday and Christmas passed peacefully.
The opening of the New Year
found Battalion Tactical HQ and 2 Companies deployed outside Lincoln Camp.
‘B’ Company had HQ in the old Timsah leave camp guarding a filtration plant
and the ferry across the Suez Canal to Sinai. From here men of ‘B’
Company could see something of the Egyptian Army stationed on the Eastern
Bank of the Suez Canal. Based at 211 Transit Camp and the United
Services Club, Support Company has as its main task, the protection of
two Bridges across the Sweet Water Canal. The road connecting these
two bridges faced the native quarter of Ismailia, an area that was to become
well known to the
Battalion before the end
of the month. ‘C’ Company had the unenviable task of providing the
maximum number of men each day as a working party in a large ammunition
depot.
The New Year opened with a ‘bang’. It had been previously reported that a ‘Commando’ gang had arrived in Ismailia from the Delta, and it chose one minute after midnight as its H-hour for its activities by directing a considerable amount of small-arms fire against Support Company’s position. Fire was returned immediately. Fire continued sporadically for about four hours, and subsequent reports received from intelligence showed that some casualties had been inflicted on the thugs. This was on the first of the many nights on which fire was directed against Support Company's position, and movement at night along the road between the two bridges drew a fusillade from the native quarter. As far as possible movement was confined to daylight, although the CO created a social precedent by going out to dinner in a Carrier. Fire was always returned in good measure, and it was found that 2" mortar and PIAT Bombs discouraged the thugs very quickly.
The night of 13th January
was a particularly noisy one, and from Moascar Garrison heavy firing could
be heard in every direction. On this night and on many others, the
thugs used the balcony on the Minaret of a Mosque as one of their fire
positions, presumably to incite us to retaliate against it with heavy weapons,
thereby creating an incident that would have been used to rouse anti-British
feeling throughout the Moslem world. On the 19th January there occurred
the incident of the orange-barrow explosion, and the murder of Sister Anthony,
both of which have already been reported very fully in the British press.
The explosion took place by the YMCA Bridge at 2.30 pm, it was well planned
and extremely violent and is surprising that it did not cause an even larger
number of casualties. Pte Davie of Leicester and Pte Warboys of Spalding
were killed by the bomb and Cpl Adkin and Pte Clementson were wounded,
the former seriously. A number of Military and RAF Police on duty were
also wounded. The explosion was immediately followed by heavy firing
on the post from many directions, and the situation there whilst
the wounded were being evacuated was most unpleasant. Support Company
posts at the bridge and in Hibbert House some 400 yds away gave a good
account of themselves and caused many casualties to the thugs. Later
armoured cars of the Royals and Centurion tanks from the 4th Royal
Tank Regiment came up in
support of the Battalion and by dusk an uneasy quiet had settled over the
scene.
As the result of reports received of thugs having entered the convent opposite the bridge, and having murdered one of the Nuns, a patrol of Support Company under 2nd Lt J P Richards was ordered to investigate. Later 2nd Lt Richards and his men were ordered to remain in the convent for its protection. This was the first time since the evacuation of Ismailia on the 29th November that British troops had entered the town. The men of Support Company will have none but the happiest memories of their short stay on duty at the convent, where the Mother Superior made them welcome. They and all others who visited the Convent at this difficult time will always remember her great courage and tranquillity.
The Suez Bridge post at the opposite end of Support Company's area, had its battle the following night, when considerable firing from the village of Abu Gamus was returned at least a hundred-fold. A Bofors Gun under the command of the Battalion gave the 'coup de grace' and brought the evening's entertainment to an end. To protect British forces from further attacks from across the Sweet Water Canal, the GOC British Troops in Egypt ordered the cordoning and searching of the native quarter of the town. It began on the 20th January by troops of the 16th Independent Parachute Brigade. At the same time it was decided the British troops would remain in occupation of that part of the town from which the thugs had carried out this shooting. On 23rd January, troops of Support Company with a Battery of 41 Field Regiment RA, under the Battalions command, cordoned off and carried out a search of some small villages adjacent to 211 transit camp. The cordon was in position by 6am and the search of the village and the screening of the inhabitants by a Field Security Section, was completed by 1 o'clock, producing a pistol and a quantity of ammunition, and seven known or suspected thugs.
With the establishment of a cordon on the far side of the Sweet Water Canal, Support Company went into reserve and rest, that it so well deserved. The Company had spent over three weeks ‘in the line’ under conditions of much strain, when a post might find itself suddenly under fire from many directions. The strain of such duty night after night is considerable and much credit is due to all ranks of the company for the way in which they carried out this task. There was plenty of action, but apparently not enough for some men of the company, notably Cpls Straw, Love and Albert, who were always looking for further excitement.
On 25th January the Battalion
took part in the operation for the disarming of the Egyptian Police. This
operation became necessary as a result of the conduct of the Auxiliary
Police, who for some time past had been playing a triple role, as policemen,
peaceful citizens, and thugs. It will be recalled that when a patrol
of ‘A’ Company was fired on from the Auxiliary police barracks, the events
of 28th January were reported in the English press very fully and on the
whole accurately, and although suggestions that many Officers considered
that the operation was carried out with unnecessary force does not fairly
represent the facts. The blame
must go to the Egyptian
authorities, who from the security of Cairo, ordered police to put up a
futile and unnecessary resistance against overwhelming forces, and to senior
police officers in the town, who chose to lead the defence of the police
headquarters from the Ismailia Palace Hotel. At the time of writing
the three rifle companies are holding a cordon in the native quarter.
Anyone who knows what conditions are like in a native town will quickly
realise that their task is an unenviable one.
Lincoln Camp remains the Battalion's base and is in fact the Main Headquarters and ‘B’ Echelon area. In spite of increased guard duties, the men of HQ Company continue to carry out the administration which is so essential. As there is still no local labour contractors to provide any type of service, tailors and barbers shops are manned by men of the Battalion who are working at full pressure. The Battalion still remains responsible for providing the Infantry component of ‘O’ Force, those of the Regiment still based in Aquaba attached to the large British Force there.
THE ROYAL LINCOLNS HOME AGAIN.
Jock Marrs and Richard Woolley
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