Exercise Shiksha India 1963

[DougGordon]

From 26 October to the 20 November 1963 the Indian Air Force held an air defence exercise called Shiksha. In addition to Indian Air Force Hunter, Gnat and Canberra units; the RAAF fielded a Canberra detachment, the 64 Squadron, RAF a Javelin detachment and the USAF an F-100 Squadron, the 356th TFS.
I would like to correspond with anyone who took part in the exercise please.
I'm also trying to identify which RAAF Canberra squadron took part and what units of the IAF were involved.
There are some details of the exercise on this web site Exercise Shiksha - Wing Commander Donald Michael - [www.bharat-rakshak.com] (http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/History/1960s/Shiksha01.html)
Doug.

[sled dog]

Doug, i only just found your post, will try and pm you tomorrow.

[Fareastdriver]

You mean this Shiksha. One of the Valiant tankers that AARed the Javelins out from the UK at Bombay Santa Cruz.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/1-2-2010_022.jpg

[DougGordon]

Thanks Sled Dog,
I'll look forward to that.
Thankyou fareastdriver. Please let me have any other details you can.
Doug

[sled dog]

Doug, check your PMs

Sled Dog

[Art Field]

DougGordon

I was a co-pilot on one of the Valiants that tanked the Javelins out to India for Shiksha. Routing was Akrotiri - Bahrein - Bombay where we moved onto Butterworth to await the reverse for the return. I do remember that one of the Javelins got into a spin during the exercise and the Nav ejected, I believe
it was the recovery drill and the aircraft was saved as was the Nav, a Master Nav. Viewed through the Valiants periscope during the recovery to UK the aircraft was somewhat twisted and flew a bit sideways. I still have the Shiksha Tie.

[DougGordon]

Art,
Thank you very much for your input.
Do you have any further recollections of that detachment? Also do you have any photographs?
Doug

[sled dog]

Art, i believe the incident you refer to took place 5th Aug 1961, Javelin Mk 9 XH791 belonging to 60 Sqdn. Engine centre line closure during climb. Master Nav Melton ejected and was picked up by a Pakistani Grumman Goose ( i think ). "Shiksha" took place in 1963.

[Art Field]

Sled Dog

You seem so certain of your facts that it is difficult to argue with you and many moons have shone since the time of the event that my recollection may be rather rusty but as I only joined 214 Valiant Squadron in October 1961 and Shiksha was 1963 and I thought I remembered meeting the Nav in Bombay. Ah well I do remember that after Shiksha C flight 60 Squadron did not return the UK but went east to form 64 Squadron as part of the Confrontation Force or was that Jan 1964?. The name Chas Ince seems to ring a bell.

DougGordon

I will have a dig back into the ancient records to see if I can find any thing for you.

[Fareastdriver]

After we Valiants had delivered the Javelins to India I was in Bombay only for a couple of days. A look at the vultures at Towers of Silence and an evening thrash at the British consulate are two things I remember. I also met a jockey friend of mine from Rhodesia called Scobie Breaseley who was riding for some Indian owners. He taught me the trick of inverting a bottle of Indian beer into a saucer of water to extract the glycerine. We all had to have drinking licences as Maharastra was a dry state.
We then picked up a flight of Javelins off the East coast of India and tanked them to Singapore. We stopped at Butterworth and a few days later I returned to the UK in a Brittania.

I also thought that the Javelin was recovered from a spin.

[sled dog]

Art, a flight from 64 Sqdn went from Kalaikunda to Tengah to re-inforce 60 Sqdn when "Shiksha" was finished . "60" was already at Tengah. Personnel wise, "64" was split in two for all of 1964 ( three months Tengah :E, three months back at Binbrook ). "64" posted to FEAF early 1965. AH, FEAF............:ok: :cool:

[Fareastdriver]

Some may well remember the ground services at Bombay.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/1-2-2010_023.jpg

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/1-2-2010_021.jpg

and,of course, the Sun n Sand hotel at Juhu beach.

http://i229.photobucket.com/albums/ee224/fareastdriver/1-2-2010_024.jpg

[tail wheel]

Fareastdriver. Arthur Edward "Scobie" Breasley (7 May 1914 – 21 December 2006) was an Australian jockey. He won the Caulfield Cup in Melbourne five times: 1942-45 consecutively on Tranquil Star, Skipton, Counsel and St Fairy; then on Peshawar in 1952. He also won the Epsom Derby twice, and the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe once.

Rather famous jockey, our Scobie! :D

[Fareastdriver]

He also brought my father's horse over the line to win the Wightman Cup in Bulawayo in 1958.

[Art Field]

DougGordon

Regret nothing of interest has turned up.

Fareastdriver

Ah the Sun n Sand and the snake charmer, such memories.

[Art Field]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Artfield/img004.jpghthttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Artfield/img030.jpghttp://img.photobucket.com/albums/v140/Artfield/img004.jpg[/IMG] DougGordon Have found, at last, a couple of photos relating to Shiksha. The airfield was Bahrein during the deployement. The snakecharmer was outside the luxury(humph) Sun n Sand Hotel as seen in Fareastdrivers shot and was very much worse for wear after our contributions had bought him some refreshment

[DougGordon]

Art,
I've sent you a pm.