Gan

Gan 1959

It was in the early hours of Tuesday morning after Easter Monday 1959 that someone burst into our room and told us to get up and report to the guardroom. If he had told us why, we might not have got up! Half an hour later the S.W.O burst in with the same order. This time he added that we were about to be invaded and for us to go and draw a rifle and ammunition from the guardroom. He also said we should wear uniform, not shorts and bloody flip-flops! The initial excitement wore off a bit when we had to join a queue of fifty blokes waiting to sign out a rifle and bandolier of fifty rounds.

Once issued, we were told to go to the jetty. There was quite a bit of activity, but no instructions. After a while, it was decided that not a lot was going to happen so we were sent back to the billet, to wait. We walked back through the few remaining trees, and it's amazing how brave you become when nothing is happening! We had only just reached the billet when a jeep screamed up and the driver shouted, "Get back to the jetty. 'They' have arrived!" Who were 'they'?

Once at the jetty, about twenty of us were put in an LCM that were used to unload cargo boats. It was just like a war film! We set off for Hittadu and our radio station there.

It took over an hour to get there and all our bravado had gone. No one spoke, and every one was on autopilot. As the LCM hit the beach, we were told to charge, but it was an RAF trot!

There was nothing happening. A Royal Signals Officer eventually appeared, and picked 7 'volunteers' to patrol the island. I was one of those picked and after walking round our installation, we were told to secrete ourselves in amongst all the palm trees that had been cut down and strewn around the site. Our brief was to watch the jungle for the 'rebels' and watch the sea behind us for their gunboats.

After 36 hours, we got the 'all clear' and returned to Gan, this time in a boat little bigger than a dinghy with only a few inches of the boat above the water. After 36 hours without food, we were given a fried egg sandwich and then queued to sign weapons back in.

The threat must have been serious because very soon after we had a squadron of the RAF Regiment, a company of the Staffordshire Regiment, a frigate and destroyer in to protect us. No shots were fired in anger.

As far as I am aware the cause of the problems was with the government of the Maldives in the north of the island. Our government was paying to lease Gan with money and food but the islands in the south were not getting any benefits, and decided to break away from the north. The Maldives government was bringing them in line by going through the islands and shooting them up from the 'gun boats' and they were heading towards us on Gan. Hence the threat.

Brian Wilmer
RAF