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In spite of the terribly hard workload, our hero's managed to take a 'Desert Trip,' This sadly was not on camels as in days of old but in the less reliable Land Rovers! Here are the pictures, adjusted as well as I can, of the 'Sharjah, Muscat Peninsula.'
Apologies for quality. Some photos are wearing out,
scanning was difficult with others.
scanning was difficult with others.
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An RAF Man, always ready for action.
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M1 Café, somewhere in Muscat
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Waterlogged in the desert!
You can always trust an RAF mechanic!
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Sadly, no names affixed.
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I can put a name to the group photo, I was Corporal Gough, cocky looking bloke, front row in white tee shirt. An epic desert trek and a highlight of my second tour in Sharjah. A bygon era lost to the sands of time. Have 5 of those photos I my RAF Sharjah album.Another highlight was that of “The Nag’s Head”
ReplyDeleteGlad to here from you. I was beginning to think we had put these up too late. My brother died in 2018, and few he knew then were left. I possibly could blame the 'Nags Head! These are all his pictures from that time. He enjoyed himself there, returned home to Edinburgh in January if I remember right. Temp 102 in the shade, to a temp of around 6. I hope you are well.
ReplyDeleteIs brother Bob the tall bloke at the far right of the group photo?
DeleteHe is indeed. Seen clearer in the 4th pic down. He did 12 years in photo's ended up a sergeant. he enjoyed it, and would have enjoyed that trip, though he never mentioned it!
DeleteThe Nag’s Head then. A drinking club established following a 10 mile relay race (in that 102 degrees of summer) around RAF and Army lines, 4 runners per team. RAF Ops team won, myself, Barry Treanor, Len Hampson and a fourth bloke whose name escaped my memory many years ago. Having pissed off the BTS commander, (cos we won) one Brigadier Bastard (that was his name) as I recall, our postie absconded with two crates of beer in his Landie from the race finish booze. That night we elected to create a pub in one of the 4 man rooms in our accommodation. And do The Nag’s Head was born, I had ties for each member and two NH pennants made in Sharjah souk, blue silk with wax embroidery. Our CO, Group Captain Simons, best CO on the planet gave us his unofficial blessing, (he didn’t shut us down so must have done so) and was duly honoured with associate NH membership and a tie. The Nags were famous for our Sunday tea parties, all participants had to be bollock naked. Visiting aircrews would drop by for a drink resulting in more than one pilot taking off the following day with a serious hangover. We formed a choir to welcome the first aircraft, a VC10, beginning the troop withdrawal in December 1971.
ReplyDeleteThere more, lots more, it was so much fun which nowadays may be deemed to beyond the pale.
Might I ask, what trade was your brother?
That sounds very RAF! Brigadeir Bastard is a common army name, at least one fought on the first day of the Somme. I wonder if crws act similarly today? They must do. I had a manager at one job, a squadron leader in admin, who's main job in Cyprus was to check the accounts of the base small groups. The art group, the Go-Kart group, the MotorBike group etc. About 30 of them he claimed. This was his main job in the 60s.
ReplyDeleteSomewhat spooky to see myself in the Desert Trio pictures.
ReplyDeleteI have the same set of pictures in my collection to the Buraimi Oasis. Standing next to Bob in the line.
ReplyDeleteAnon, Spooky indeed to see old pictures. BoB died in 2018 and left little info regarding these pics, bar what is scrawled upon them. Glad you identified yourself in them.
ReplyDelete