Fleet Air Arm biplanes

[PR19_Kit]

Keeping with the thread drift- in Part 3, Chap 15 Two Side Shows in Len Deighton's book Blood, Tears and Folly discusses the Battle of Habbaniya, eventually Syria.

I never knew that, and len Deighton is one of my fave authors too. Thanks for the tip.

I'm just re-reading Dudgeon's book, for about the fifth time, and I got his position wrong. He wasn't the Station Commander, he was one of the Squadron Commanders there, such as there were squadrons. It all seemed a bit loosely organised there at the time, but Dad said exactly that as well. He told me about them building a whole Valencia transport out of various bits and pieces that were in various hangars and spares dumps, and they later got it in the neck for building an aircraft without a serial number! 

[Old Wombat]

It all seemed a bit loosely organised there at the time, but Dad said exactly that as well. He told me about them building a whole Valencia transport out of various bits and pieces that were in various hangars and spares dumps, and they later got it in the neck for building an aircraft without a serial number! 

Probably one of those wonderful military "out of sight, out of mind" scenarios (especially during wartime when certain events grab all the heirachy's attention).

[NARSES2]

Nick PM on way

Chris

[dadlamassu]

Interesting.  Was there a separate campaign medal or clasp issued for that or was it just considered part and parcel of the Middle East medal?

'Thread Drift Rules OK' 

Not that I know of, I can't recall Dad having any 'special' medals apart from the usual WWII ones. There's an excellent book about the siege, written by the station commander at the time, called 'The War that Never Was' by AVM A.G Dudgeon, published by Airlife. It has loads of maps but bizarrely contains NO photographs at all!

Mum has some photos of one of Dad's Audaxes upside down after a 'hard landing', and a couple of the R-R Armoured Cars that he was a Flight Commander on at the time (multi-tasking existed even then  ) but I've seen very few photos of the event.

I've been researching the Iraq 1941 action for several years.  My interest started when I was in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 when I met a former member of the RAF Iraq Levy who brought his grandson to us so that he could join the "British RAF Levy" and showed me is pay book.  We were not actually recruiting for this fine force but we did get him in to the civil defence corps and eventually in to the New Iraqi Army.

I'd love to see scans of the photos of the inverted Audax and the RR Armoured Cars.  Was your father attached to, or part of, No1 Armoured Car Company? 

Have you read "The Thirty Day War" by John Harris?  Though set in a fictitious country the action bears a striking resemblance to Habbaniya.  In it, one of the characters is dual roled as a pilot and armoured car officer.  Maybe the model was your father? 

There was no special "Iraq" medal because the action was to restore the rightful king to the throne after a coup deposed him.  It was not a campaign against an enemy state.

Some of my collection in action here http://www.sotcw.net/forum/viewtopic.php?id=1960

Some of my model Audaxes in action

[NARSES2]

Love the dual purpose aircraft stands - every time you "down one" you can "down one" in celebration 

[PR19_Kit]

Hm, that's odd. I replied to this at some length y'day but the post has vanished. 

I'll have to re-post it over the weekend when I have more time, it included a piccie of my model of my Dad's Audax etc.

[Rheged]

As I mentioned  elsewhere, an elderly gentleman in Kirkwall  told me about the Swordfish that landed at RNAS Hatston and taxied up to the  watch office. Two smartly dressed naval officers climbed out, unhiched a tandem from the torpedo  dropping gear, and cycled  briskly off into Kirkwall.    Apparently,  late in the war,  the Swordfish used by RNAS as squadron hacks  often carried a bike.