RAF KHORMAKSAR
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: England
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Usual 84 Beverley Squadron lunchtime gathering circa 1960. Pete Youll on the left and 'Herby' Herbert at the back. Can't remember the rest.
FYI, all the 84 Squadron Memorabilia, including the squadron diary from that era and the David Shepherd painting of a Beverley at Beihan, is held by the current 84 Helicopter squadron at Akrotiri. A fascinating read, lots of photographs to make us all realise just how good looking we were 50+ years ago.
Ramraider
FYI, all the 84 Squadron Memorabilia, including the squadron diary from that era and the David Shepherd painting of a Beverley at Beihan, is held by the current 84 Helicopter squadron at Akrotiri. A fascinating read, lots of photographs to make us all realise just how good looking we were 50+ years ago.
Ramraider
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Oop North
Age: 75
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RAF Khormaksar
My late dad was a M/Sig Winchman who was given a year's unaccompanied posting to Khormaksar, so I've just had a look through his log books for the period.
His first flight there was 1 May 1966 and his last was 4 February 1967, which covers most of the period you're interested in.
Up until mid-July 66 all his flights were on Whirlwind 10s, after that Wessex 2s crept in. There was a mix of both types right through to February 67, but in my dad's case only about a quarter of his flights were in Wessex's.
Obviously I can't say what was there outside the period he was there.
He took a few photos while he was there - I'll have to work out how to upload them!
Hope this is helpful
His first flight there was 1 May 1966 and his last was 4 February 1967, which covers most of the period you're interested in.
Up until mid-July 66 all his flights were on Whirlwind 10s, after that Wessex 2s crept in. There was a mix of both types right through to February 67, but in my dad's case only about a quarter of his flights were in Wessex's.
Obviously I can't say what was there outside the period he was there.
He took a few photos while he was there - I'll have to work out how to upload them!
Hope this is helpful
Ah yes - the Jungle Bar. In 1966 the mess seemed to possess only one LP, Bert Kaempfert's Swingin' Safari and how I grew to loathe it after daily exposure over the weeks and months. I seem to remember a G & T was 50 fils (one shilling, or 5p) and 20 Rothmans and a box of matches was the same. And no, that wasn't a lot of money, even then!
Hoot and roar with 84 and stay alive with 105, although I nearly did myself serious harm when my Honda 50 slid from under me on a beer puddle during a Jungle Bar TT 
roll reversal ?
Brakedwell -
Do you think your excellent pic of the Habbaniya parking lot (post 65 above) might be back to front ? Shouldn't the hangars be on the right ?
Back to the thread -
LFH Père was on 8 in Aden. 'E din't say nuffink about no 'elicopters.
Mind you, he flew Ninaks – 1925-27. Hinaidi first, then briefly at Khormaksar. Shipped home with TB. Never expressed a convincing wish to return. ............ LFH
Do you think your excellent pic of the Habbaniya parking lot (post 65 above) might be back to front ? Shouldn't the hangars be on the right ?
Back to the thread -
LFH Père was on 8 in Aden. 'E din't say nuffink about no 'elicopters.
Mind you, he flew Ninaks – 1925-27. Hinaidi first, then briefly at Khormaksar. Shipped home with TB. Never expressed a convincing wish to return. ............ LFH
Might JW411 be persuaded to add some of his photos from those days? Possibly some of the flooded Jungle Bar and the shenanigans therein circa 1 April 1967, after the exceptionally heavy rain that hit Aden and much of the coastline? (I see that I went on a double 1-ton drop of rations and mail at Salalah the next day as a result.)
Time to head back to the bar. L-R: Andy McHugh, Taff Bevan (with the week's mail in his back pocket - slightly modified) and Colin Probert.
Last edited by JW411; 23rd Mar 2015 at 17:05.
Much evidence of the rank Flying Officer, now barely seen in a squadron crewroom, and certainly even rarer as a transport aircraft Captain.
Never heard about those floods in Aden. I was there for 6 months in 1966 and it rained once for about 15 minutes in the middle of the night. I was on a 24 hour shift, so witnessed the phenomenon, but by the next day it had all dried up and people who had slept through it didnt believe it had rained.
Hoot and roar with 84 and stay alive with 105
Do you think your excellent pic of the Habbaniya parking lot (post 65 above) might be back to front ? Shouldn't the hangars be on the right ?
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: South Africa
Age: 87
Posts: 1,329
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: England
Posts: 12
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
JW411 re. Post 94.
I concede. You are probably right about the identities of the guys in the photograph at post 78, although the resemblance to the individuals I thought that I had 'identified' in post 82 is quite striking, However, on reflection I realised that, for the subjects to be those that I thought they were, the photo would have had to date to 1959 which was probably well before your time.
In other posts there were some references to how rare the rank of Flying Officer now is in a squadron crewroom. In 1959 No 84 (Beverley) Squadron had a direct entry AEO Pilot Officer Signals Leader - very rare!
Ramraider
I concede. You are probably right about the identities of the guys in the photograph at post 78, although the resemblance to the individuals I thought that I had 'identified' in post 82 is quite striking, However, on reflection I realised that, for the subjects to be those that I thought they were, the photo would have had to date to 1959 which was probably well before your time.
In other posts there were some references to how rare the rank of Flying Officer now is in a squadron crewroom. In 1959 No 84 (Beverley) Squadron had a direct entry AEO Pilot Officer Signals Leader - very rare!
Ramraider
I can't remember the name of our block, but we were on the third floor and the bazookas used to arrive when the memsaab was on her second brandy ginger.
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: Stoke-on-Trent
Age: 91
Posts: 366
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
In the matter of Junior Officers as captain of aircraft, I often flew with a Pilot Officer as skipper on 84 Squadron, and it's not just a smudge on my log book. There were also several Sgt pilots active; not sure if they were authorised to carry V and A items on route.
Location
I have to say that "Jungle bar" looks a damn sight more attractive than either the "NAFFI" bar or the "69"club(bfpo 69 of course!)although the steak meals in the "69"were really good .