No. 2 Field Squadron, RAF Regiment Served at RAF salalah August 1974 ,on Hedgehogs and main camp.Regiment formed part of defence force and had Hedgehogs(camps) out on the plains in front of the camp.We had motars(81) .5 heavy machine guns on sf and mobile radar units(zb's).Called strike masters in for night time fireworks displays.Boxed in old cinema on main camp in october 1974 ,drank in the "Wobbly Wheel" and traded goods with the ladds from the BATT house.
No. 15 Field Squadron, RAF Regiment
No. 51 Field Squadron, RAF Regiment Three tours, rotating with 2 and 15 Field Squadrons, RAF Regiment at Salalah and the HEDGEHOGS during the late sixties and the early seventies I did three tours with 51f.we manned three hedgehogs,ALPHA was manned by the army. Special mention has to made of W.O.Arthur Creed who was the backbone of 51F for so many years.
2F,15F,&51F RAF REGT ROTATED AT SALALAH and the HEDGEHOGS during the late sixties and the early seventies I did three tours with 51f.we manned three hedgehogs,ALPHA was manned by the army.Special mention has to made of W.O.Arthur Creed who was the backbone of 51F for so many years.
RAF "Penguins" 75 every 10months. Running RAF Base
1969-1970 CO F/Lt Lobley Ch/tech in charge of- Main Workshops-MT Transport-MT workshops-- Mine Clearance Reisut Road--Three Man team running camp Radio Station. Also was i/c of the station Film shows --Shown to the Officers --Sgts& airmens messes.

BATT (British Army Training Team)
3 squadrons of Royal Engineers
50 Field squadron, Royal Engineers
555 Field Surgical Team RAMC
SAS
B Squadron SAS
G Squadron SAS

Royal Artillery
22 locating sqdn. RA, I was a reme mech attached to this royal artillery morter locating radar unit. we were near the 25 pounder next to the rockapes morters.iwas there for 9 months 70/71.
Artillery based at salalah, I served in an Artillery support unit based at RAF Salalah between May and Aug 1972. Our CO was Maj Duncan Grey - Newton(inspirational man) there were appx 12- 16 soldiers performing jobs as forward observation officers from various units including 95 FOU Commando RA and 29 Commando others came from 22 locating battery and various field regiments operating as gun no1's and signals and survey with a hot ch pot-ch of contract gunners with some trainee Omanis on three 25 pounders and a rather large 55 run by a sergeant Amstell . We operated in support of B Squadron SAS and a Baluchistani unit of some 30 men commanded by a British Contract Officer providing Artillery support to both units who were situated in forward offensive positions in the jebel. in addition we provided fire power and OP's for the RAF Regiment in the forward defensive positions the "hedgehogs" around the airfield.
During this tour contacts were a regular occurrence particularly in the two forward positions and i recall at least four times a day with B Squadron for a period of about three weeks. I recall an incident when the once a month plane landed, with ammunition and food and at least a dozen incoming mortar rounds landed around the airfield and huts, coincidentally as the ammunition was being unloaded . During this tour the battle of Mirbat took place just up the coast and i can remember the sage of B Squadron Ssgt Pete Scoley visiting our position saying "have you heard the news" Names of other personnel i can remember, Dave Millward and Mike Arnold from 95 CDO Bdr Henderson ic Guns, Bdr Longstaff another FOO who also experienced some contacts

Royal Engineers
Some Sappers were there clearing mines and later destroying ammo and unexploded RAF bombs in the Jebal.

Royal Signals
1 Squadron, 30 Signal Regiment, Blandford 1 Sergeant and 5 signallers attached to the artillery at RAF Salalah between January - July 1972. We had one day training at Larkhill to train us for Artillery "fire mission" net procedures. The gunners were from several different artillery units including Royal Marines. Gun commanders were British with the rest of the gun team being Omanis. Part of my role was to fix the telephone wires from the airport to the forward OP's of Alpha, Bravo and Charlie. I can only remember two others of the six being Stephen King and Chris Fienney.
222 Signal Squadron, A small detachment of members of 222 Signal Squadron detached from Sharjah maintained the ground communications on the airfield. They were responsible for the telephone exchange and cables on the airfield. When I was there we had a team of five; two corporals (one technician and one lineman), two lance corporals (one technician and one lineman) and a signalman driver. Our O/C in my time was Captain Howard Culley (Eventually Colonel) based in Sharjah and came on occasional visits. I was on station for three months and returned to Sharjah on promotion. Normal tour was for up to nine months.
We had a mineplate landrover (nickname Charlie Green - The Bhondu Bomber) which we used to deploy spotters to the hedgehogs each afternoon. This was a procedure that was undertaken with gusto as each member of the team tried to do the trip in the shortest time. It was suggested that we did not drive in existing wheelmarks to avoid any mines.
Having a mineplate meant that we could go off base and could get to the beach for a spot of fishing now and again but we always went armed.
Thanks to Howard Loates for this entry
603 (AS) Signal Troop I was in 603 Signal Troop ( Air Support ) on RAF Masirah during 1971/2 on a nine month tour. We had an automatic telephone exchange and all associated cabling distribution to look after. Admin for the troop was done from Cyprus. There was a small detachment in Salalah to look after the exchange there.

Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers
Detachment 38 Engineer Regiment Workshops REME Based in Salalah during the hareef (summer 1974) the role was to refurbish Plant and Equipment and provide additional support to SAS firebases. Workshop C.O. Captain John Dermot REME (Firebases White City, Ayn Arzat)

Military Engineering Services Comprised one commissioned Royal Engineer Officer, Two Clerks of Works (one Construction and one Mechanical), and three Royal Engineer Corporals.
Of these, one was an electrician responsible for all the electrical installations at RAF Salalah, one was a fitter responsible for the operation of Salalah power station, and one was a plant operator responsible for the condition of Salalah runway and taxi ways (only a sand strip).
They were assisted by a workforce of mixed arab and Indian engineers recruited locally.

Army Information Team I was stationed in um al gwarif with the AIT. I was there with B Sqn for a while then the whole tour with G Sqn and finaly A Sqn for about a month. I was a photographer for this attatchment but as my trade was in the infantry (Green Howards) i spent quite a lot of my time on patrol and living on the jebel.

OSS Sharjah OSS (Ordnance Services Sharjah) I served with this unit 69/70 under Michael Weedon OC OSS Sharjah. Many names and characters..Maxi Duggan S/Sgt, many stories..we supplied ATO's and supplies to Sultans Armed Forces, Trucial Oman Scouts, and many others. Thanks to Larry Keehan for this entry.