RFI: Night CASEVAC: Radfan, Aden; 27 January 1964

[Agatha]

I am an RAF Association welfare caseworker and I have been asked by a family member to visit a terminally ill RAF veteran who I am told served with 78 Sqn in 1964. I am planning to visit on Wednesday 25th April.

His daughter says he is increasingly anxious and disturbed about a particular mission he flew on 27th January 1964 - her summary of the incident are attached.

She has asked for my assistance with trying to find out about the 4 soldiers he rescued on this mission. She has apparently emailed and phoned the National Army Museum several times about it (without getting a response). She says her father needs to know whether these soldiers lived as a result of the risks he took that night - his mind won't rest otherwise. She says that the family have all reassured him many times that what he did was right and heroic, but he wants facts about what happened.

I have already approached the Aden Veterans Association but they are not able to assist as they don't hold historical records and I have also requested details of the patient admissions at RAF Steamer Point hospital on 27th and 28th January 1964 from the National Archives but that information will take weeks to arrive.

I really don't know where else to try to see if I can find some information to put this RAF veteran's mind at rest and give him the peace he so desperately needs in his final days.

Grateful for any ideas?!

Agatha

[Basil]

The report suggests that they went way beyond the call of duty at very great danger to themselves.
I know my thoughts won't help but, having done all they did, the survival of the soldiers was out of their hands.

Another great 100th Anniversary story.

[Herod]

Hi Agatha. Sorry, I can't help, and for some reason I can't pm you. However, I have sent a pm to one of our colleagues who may be able to help. Watch this space.

[air pig]

Hi Agatha, have put something on the PMRAFNS fb page.

[Herod]

Hi again Agatha. I'm sorry, but my contact was only involved at Thumier after the date you have there. Good luck.

[Icare9]

Whatever the result, this seems a feat of airmanship that deserved an award, not a CM.
I'd have expected the Unit involved to have found a way to express their thanks, especially as it appears to have been a case of body bags if not rescued.

Whether or not you can ease his mind, please pass on the thought that what he did was in the real spirit of not just the RAF, but of all our Armed Forces, that they will do everything, including putting their own lives on the line to save others.

I wonder if there is a 78 Squadron Association which might provide more answers.

Nonetheless, please reassure him that what he did MUST have saved those lives. It wouldn't have been asked of them by the Army unless there was no other way. Like so many others, he was a brave man and put himself in danger, both at the time and possibly later if he feared some official censure (Why?) for this mercy mission.

We are thankful that men such as he are in the Armed Forces and prepared to do their best for the rest of us.

Thank him from me, at least, for his actions that day.

[Timelord]

Is it possible that the soldiers were SAS and that their regimental association may be able to help?

[glad rag]

Sincerely hoping for some closure here...

[Archimedes]

I've gone through the National Roll of Honour, plus the Aden Veterans' site roll of honour and one published in a 50th anniversary magazine for the same organisation; the Radfan campaign, is, of course, covered under their auspices. There are slight differences - I've taken the National one as definitive, using the others for service numbers which can be searched.

The following emerges:

1. No soldiers died at the end of Jan 64.
2. There are no deaths in February or March which might be men dying of their wounds
3. There is one death in April (Cpl Malcolm Davies, R Signals), where the circumstances of the death aren't easy to find online (not least as some sources put his death as May rather than the official record of 3 April) but the casualty is buried in what's now Yemen. Evidence from a death in October 64 suggests that repatriation to the UK of serious casualties took place, which makes me think that a two month gap between this death and the evacuation makes it less likely that this was one of the soldiers evacuated, although not impossible.
4. Only one death in May 64, Lance Corporal Wakefield of the RAOC, cannot be immediately attributed to an incident on the day of his death.
5. In June, Lt Handfield-Jones, RE was killed amd laid to rest in the Silent Valley cemetery. Again, one suspects that this is not related to the January incident.
6. Sapper David Asquith died in July, and again, the circumstances of his death have so far eluded an online search.
7. There are no deaths in August or September which could relate to the January evacuation.
8. There is one death in October, Bombardier Chapman, where the circumstances surrounding his death - like Lt Handfield -Jones and Spr Asquith - cannot easily be located searching online. S/Sgt Bourne died in the UK of wounds sustained earlier in the year.
9. From November & December, only Driver Smith (RASC) and Cpl Slater (R Sigs) could possibly fit (I've not had the chance to search for more detail yet, and shan't until tomorrow, I fear).

This is an imperfect piece of research. But it's a start. I would suggest that the evidence so far means that there is an high probability that if the four soliders were British (rather than Aden Protectorate Levies/ the FRA), the rescue effort saw them survive 1964 at the very least. Further research (the old fashioned way, using books) may allow the removal of some or all of the above names who might have died later as a result of injuries, and if anyone gets to Kew (which doesn't open until Tuesday), then the records from the hospital are likely to give the answer in due course. But for Tuesday, I'd say that the chances are that the evacuation did save those recovered, and certainly ensured that they lived for some time afterwards.

[ImageGear]

Posting a request for info in another place (A****) may possibly provide more details.

IG

[diginagain]

Sounds like an incredible feat of airmanship and selflessness. I only hope that an answer can be found soon.

[Archimedes]

Posting a request for info in another place (A****) may possibly provide more details.

IG

It's already there... and from which, we have the circumstances of the deaths of three of the men who might, in theory, have survived the evacuation, but died subsequently - and none did. While this still doesn't provide concrete proof of the casualties surviving to a ripe old age, it does increase the likelihood of at least some of the four casualties surviving for more than 12 months.

[Herod]

Where are the old Operational Record Books kept, National Archives? The one for 78 during that period might help.

[topgas]

There are no reports of deaths of British servicemen in the Times archive for that period. There is a report on 29th January, dated 28th:

"Two R.A.F. Hunter aircraft went into action yesterday and today against some 150 dissident tribesmen who yesterday killed two and wounded five Arab soldiers of the South Arabian Federal Regular Army (F.R.A.) in the Danaba area in the Radfan region, about 60 miles north of Aden"
so that sounds like the incident.

A very brave response and I think you can assure your veteran that there is nothing to suggest that his casualties died of their injuries.
As an aside, the RAF continues this - in Afghanistan at night there was a declared "no fly" period if the moon wasn't up, as visibility was virtually nil even with night vision goggles when the dust flew up on landing. The pilots for the MERT would always find a way to get in if needed for a casualty, no fly or not.

[megan]

put this RAF veteran's mind at rest and give him the peace he so desperately needs in his final daysGiven that the gentleman is in some distress and terminal, might it not forgivable if perhaps he be given the answer he desires to assuage that distress. Waiting for verification may take too long, and in any case, perhaps not provide his desired answer.

[Icare9]

So, in short, in accordance with the highest standards of the RAF, he flew a mercy mission which undoubtedly saved the lives of those wounded men. No records exist to show these men died, so his prompt and unselfish regard for himself ensured these men survived.

Nothing to reproach himself for and had the RAF top brass known, he would probably have been recommended for an award, not censure.

A brave man and I hope this gives him the easing of his conscience he so badly needs.

I think you can find enough extracts from the information provided here to reinforce that "He did the right thing" so that he has the peace he desires.

Flt Lt James Buck, I salute you.

[Algy]

Seems somebody has written the squadron history. Not cheap to buy, but maybe the author knows something. https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Unprepared-History-Squadron-RAF/dp/1903953154

[roving]

Seems somebody has written the squadron history. Not cheap to buy, but maybe the author knows something. https://www.amazon.com/Nobody-Unprepared-History-Squadron-RAF/dp/1903953154

the UK price is £15.00

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1903953154/ref=tmm_pap_new_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=new&qid=&sr=

[Herod]

According to the blurb, and reviews, it's more a record of the squadron during WWII. I was tempted (ex 78), but I don't think it will cover the period when the unit was in sunnier climes.

[Lordflasheart]

Operations from Thumier in 1964

NB Apparently Thumier was renamed Habilayn in 1966.

According to my very brief internet fumblings, because I am occupied elsewhere, Operation Nutcracker commenced on 4th Jan 1964 and ran for a couple of weeks. There was a pause then another op began right at the end of Jan. So the outstanding medal-deserving (including for Master Navigator Lee - is he still around ?) subject sortie probably took place in the ‘quiet period’ between the two specific ops.

Apparently British units did two month rotations at Thumier from Aden, and much of the campaigning was done by three battalions of the FRA based at Thumier. There were six FRA Infantry Battalions in all, plus other FRA specialist units formed from the earlier Aden Levies.

There’s a lot on the excellent ‘Radfan Hunters’ website Radfan and the Hawker Hunter (http://www.radfanhunters.co.uk/)

Below is a description of the early 1964 events - ROUTINE ADVENTURE | colonialfilm (http://www.colonialfilm.org.uk/node/2559)


‘Nutcracker’, launched from the forward airstrip at Thumier, aimed to put down the Qutaybis using a combination of Federal and British troops. It was initially conceived of as a ground operation. Under Brigadier J. D. Lunt, Commander of the Federal Regular Army, the initial aims were to assert Government control of Radfan, cow the Qutaybis, and open a road into the area at Wadi Rabwa. These aims appeared to be mostly achieved by the end of January 1964, at which point the Federal army partially withdrew to Thumier, and the clearly uncowed Qutaybi/NLF guerrillas immediately reoccupied all the vacated positions, renewed their attacks on the Dhala road and the remaining Federal forces, and destroyed the newly made road at Rabwa (Paget 1969:38-50)


A further ground attack was attempted in April, and a hastily assembled force (‘Radforce’) was tasked to ‘end the operations of dissidents in the defined area’ – a vague aim, given the largely unknown forces at work and the poorly defined ‘area’ in question (ibid.: 55). The political directive that accompanied this military instruction was clearer, but could have been issued in identical form a hundred years previously:
'To bring sufficient pressure to bear on the Radfan tribes:
a) to prevent the tribal revolt from spreading
b) to reassert our authority
c) to stop attacks on the Dhala road' (ibid.).


These ground operations were also of dubious success, and suffered from poor logistical planning. They also included several notable disasters, including the decapitation of two SAS men (and possibly the display of their heads in the Yemen; ibid: 62-75). The British quickly fell back on air power, deployed from the Khormaksar airfield at Aden – helicopters to shuttle men and equipment back and forth from forward positions, and Hawker Hunter jets in support of ground troops.
See also - Brigadier Lunt - https://www.google.co.uk/search?client=firefox-b&dcr=0&ei=hyTeWuiYKenWgAac5YzYAw&q=Brigadier+JD+Lunt+&oq=Brigadier+JD+Lunt+&gs_l=psy-ab.12...196.8570.0.12208.25.19.0.0.0.0.192.1466.8j6.14.0.... 0...1c.1.64.psy-ab..13.0.0....0.hfI-yPR8K5M

Two further points -
I have a copy of the 78 Sqn book on order. If there's anything relevant, I will put it up asap.

LFH-pere was doing ‘Radfan Hunters’ stuff with his 8 Squadron Ninak in 1927 or so.


Respect to all involved.


LFH



.............

[Wander00]

Just a thought, from the above there is nothing to suggest that the CASEVAC was other than wholly successful. Can we not find an Air Officer locally, serving or retired, to go in Best Blue and tell Flt Lt Buick just that. Seems the right thing to do. Could RAFA locally help?

[Agatha]

Thanks to everyone for such helpful and supportive posts.

Although I did not retire as an Air Officer, I was a senior officer and will be going in my No1s to my meeting with Mr Buick tomorrow.

I am quietly confident that I will be able to lessen or dispel his anxiety about this mission and hopefully will be able to put his mind completely at rest when the records I have requested from the National Archives arrive.

Very many thanks again, you have all certainly increased the likelihood that tomorrow's meeting will achieve the desired outcome.

Agatha

[Captivep]

As a mere civilian I just wanted to say how quietly moving I've found this thread.

Firstly, the clear heroism of Flt Lt Buick, secondly the care which Agatha has shown to him, and thirdly the way you've all responded with such speed and effort.

It's humbling, actually. Thank you, all...

[Icare9]

Nah, a human being in terminal pain, what would you do?
I'm grateful that others have actually contributed supporting factual evidence to support what I'd hoped would be the case.
Agatha now has something tangible to show/read to him and that's what was needed.
I'm just a civvie too, but those that served have come good with info to ease his concerns.
The fact that those he rescued may have actually been our Allies rather than British Army may explain why nothing in the way of recognition came his way due to the nicities of politics (hmm, never thought I'd use "nicities" and "politics" in that way)

That he put his life on the line for Allies may have given tremendous effect to those fighting the insurgents, showing they mattered as much as our lads.

[Agatha]

I visited Mr Buick yesterday lunchtime and spent 2.5 hours with him and his wife Margaret.

I read him this Thread which included the documentary evidence that confirmed that the risks that he took flying the mission in Aden in 1964 that causes him so much anxiety and distress actually resulted in the 4 British soldiers who he cas'evac'd surviving for at least 2 months after he got them to hospital and all the tributes from you to his bravery and airmanship.
He was very emotional but hugely relieved and comforted to know the risks he took were worth it and that his peers supported and applauded his actions. He has carried this anxiety for over 50 years so will not forgive himself easily or quickly but he can re-read this Thread as often as necessary to ease his soul. His wife was so grateful for all the trouble we had all taken.He declined the visit from an RAF Padre on Friday due to a hospital appointment but indicated that he may take up this offer in due course - RAF Padre on standby happy to remain on standby TFN which is fantastic and I have also been so well supported by the RAF Chaplaincy Services.
I will visit him again when I receive additional documentation from the National Archives relating to the mission or any further significant updates.I hope I did some good this afternoon and I am sure he will sleep easier thanks to all your efforts, thank you.

Agatha

[Wander00]

Agatha - If I may say so, very well done, and thank you from us all.

[Agatha]

Had a call from Joanna Buick at lunchtime to tell me her Dad passed away peacefully in his sleep last night.I think she may have just been being kind, but she said she felt my visit made a huge difference and allowed him to stop fighting and struggling and she said she felt he died at peace with the past.

So thanks again to everyone for the research and support that helped make my visit a success.She has invited me to the funeral and if possible I will attend and go in uniform.Agatha

[air pig]

Thank you Agatha for all you have done for this gentleman and also to all the members of pprune arrse and other sites that have fed in information about this mission.

RiP Mr Buick.

[MPN11]

Another good man gone ...RIP, Sir.

[sycamore]

Agatha,local RAFA or RBL for the funeral..?

[Wander00]

Agatha - brilliant, well done. Thanks from us all.