RAF Sharjah
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Australian eggs that were sealed in cellulose and tasted like 
Does anyone remember the civilian (airfield maintenance etc) bar. I was invited there one afternoon for a session...I didn't last long!
IIRC the town was out of bounds on Fridays because there was probably an execution and chopping off of hands!
Bought some nice gold broaches etc. for Mrs G in the town.
Jock
The photos were taken in the empty quarter, about two hours flying southwest of Ibri. We refuelled in Masirah before returning to Ibri, where we used to land on a track close to the SAS camp, park amongst the tents and sleep in the aeroplane during the two week detachments. The surface might look rain spattered, but I'm sure it hadn't rained for a very long time.
The SAS thrived in those harsh conditions as long as we kept them supplied with fuel, food and water. The trick was finding them.
One patrol reached the coast near an isolated fishing village and inherited a swarm of man eating flies which followed them all the way back to Ibri!
The photos were taken in the empty quarter, about two hours flying southwest of Ibri. We refuelled in Masirah before returning to Ibri, where we used to land on a track close to the SAS camp, park amongst the tents and sleep in the aeroplane during the two week detachments. The surface might look rain spattered, but I'm sure it hadn't rained for a very long time.
The SAS thrived in those harsh conditions as long as we kept them supplied with fuel, food and water. The trick was finding them.
One patrol reached the coast near an isolated fishing village and inherited a swarm of man eating flies which followed them all the way back to Ibri!
Last edited by brakedwell; 31st Mar 2012 at 21:06.
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Re:
On one occasion we drove as far north as it was possible to go, passed Ras Al-Khaimah to Al Rams and on. Was commented upon at the time that the only European/Caucasian to have previously visited there was an American explorer called Wendell Philips. Don't know how true this was, but it seemed quite likely.
Tom Sheppards bundo-bashing trips
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There is a beautiful golden desert dunes and a small village of Falaj Mualla anybody remembers to have paid a visit there? Dune bashing in their L'and R'overs ?? There is a proper road leading to Falaj from Sharjah now but I doubt it existed in the 60s... the village would be been accessible through desert only I suppose 
Aerials:
GLIDING AT SHARJAH
I am most grateful to you for posting that article from the Gulf Mail dating from March 1970. That fits perfectly with my memories of helping out with the Sharjah Gliding Club. I have it my mind that it was Terry Slater (not Stator) who got posted in.
I was not very good at keeping my gliding log book up to date but arrived in Muharraq for my third Ardet (I did five of them) on 08.01.70. The last Sharjah entry in my gliding log book is on 14.02.70 when I did solo checks on "Davies and Jones" in T-21b 404.
I also remember a chap called (I think) Terry Perry at the Sharjah Gliding Club. He was a Cpl policeman at Benson when I joined Chilterns in 1963 or there abouts. I think he became a loadmaster and was serving as a Wessex winchman at Sharjah.
GLIDING AT SHARJAH
I am most grateful to you for posting that article from the Gulf Mail dating from March 1970. That fits perfectly with my memories of helping out with the Sharjah Gliding Club. I have it my mind that it was Terry Slater (not Stator) who got posted in.
I was not very good at keeping my gliding log book up to date but arrived in Muharraq for my third Ardet (I did five of them) on 08.01.70. The last Sharjah entry in my gliding log book is on 14.02.70 when I did solo checks on "Davies and Jones" in T-21b 404.
I also remember a chap called (I think) Terry Perry at the Sharjah Gliding Club. He was a Cpl policeman at Benson when I joined Chilterns in 1963 or there abouts. I think he became a loadmaster and was serving as a Wessex winchman at Sharjah.
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JW411:
I had been a gliding enthusiast before being posted to a non-gliding station on the tour before Sharjah and I didn't feel like taking it up again. (I did though but some years later!). I suspected it was Terry Slater who was known to me from a couple of years previously, but not at Sharjah. I typed exactly what was written in the newspaper. I'm afraid that none of the other names you mention ring any bells either.
There is another longer article in the July 1970 issue but I think it is perhaps too much to place here. If there is sufficient interest I'll type it otherwise I can pm you with the contents.
I had been a gliding enthusiast before being posted to a non-gliding station on the tour before Sharjah and I didn't feel like taking it up again. (I did though but some years later!). I suspected it was Terry Slater who was known to me from a couple of years previously, but not at Sharjah. I typed exactly what was written in the newspaper. I'm afraid that none of the other names you mention ring any bells either.
There is another longer article in the July 1970 issue but I think it is perhaps too much to place here. If there is sufficient interest I'll type it otherwise I can pm you with the contents.
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@ quebec
I beg your pardon ma'am
but I did not quite understand what you meant by "but you forget to tune in to decor"
I must say indeed it is true... anyone who respects history and understand the value of bygone time he or she would certainly want to compare the (then and now) of everything
our friends here have seen and lived a very different a valuable time here in Sharjah... a time which is precious because what UAE is today relates to what UAE was back then......
but I did not quite understand what you meant by "but you forget to tune in to decor"
I must say indeed it is true... anyone who respects history and understand the value of bygone time he or she would certainly want to compare the (then and now) of everything
our friends here have seen and lived a very different a valuable time here in Sharjah... a time which is precious because what UAE is today relates to what UAE was back then......
Gentleman Aviator
Gulf Mail! That rings a few bells. I was their "Motoring Correspondent" for a while in 70/71. Got all the embargoed info on new vehicles - ISTR Mk 2 ?Vauxhall Viva for one - and cobbled together a report which may have completely unintentionally been interpreted to suggest I'd actually test driven one .....
"You cannot hope to bribe or twist.
The honest British journalist.
But seeing what (unbribed) he'll do -
There's never any reason to!"
been interpreted to suggest I'd actually test driven one ....."You cannot hope to bribe or twist.
The honest British journalist.
But seeing what (unbribed) he'll do -
There's never any reason to!"
Local area video taken in 1959
captain salman - as promised here is my youtube offering made up from 8mm film clips I shot in 1959. Starting with a flyover of the frigate HMS Loch Fyne, then shots at the main gate at RAF Sharjah, which was still locked and prevented us from reaching our Twin Pioneer. With us was a Valetta crew from Aden. Dubai speaks for itself and it ends with what the middle of Sharjah looked like!
Dubai Sharjah Buraimi Tarif - YouTube
Dubai Sharjah Buraimi Tarif - YouTube
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@ brakedwell
Sir this video of your's certainly transformed me back in those days once again, and this time with a musical effect! Feels strange how you have captured a piece of time in your 8mm hand held camera! 
Was that Caucasian man on the boat in Dubai creek was you? at 3:33 video time Did you also filmed RAF Sharjah fort ?
Was that Caucasian man on the boat in Dubai creek was you? at 3:33 video time Did you also filmed RAF Sharjah fort ?
I was behind the camera, the other two Europeans seen in Dubai and Sharjah were RAF officers stationed at Sharjah. The Equipment Officer and the Accountant Officer, I think. I seem to remember Sharjah Fort was then used as the TOS Officers Mess and I only went there at night.
Last edited by brakedwell; 4th Apr 2012 at 09:12.
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
On one occasion we drove as far north as it was possible to go, passed Ras Al-Khaimah to Al Rams and on.
The "coast road" for what it was worth, ran out at Ras. This was taken early in '68, and was as far as we were able to get. I guess going inland would have got us further.
The "coast road" for what it was worth, ran out at Ras. This was taken early in '68, and was as far as we were able to get. I guess going inland would have got us further.
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There's a web page for the Sharjah RAOB which has some interesting bits of information plus several photographs
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RAF sharjah
Just caught up with this thread. I visited RAF Sharjah on a Friday late 1969. It was deserted . I worked on a field geophysical crew which surveyed in Sharjah, Umm al Quwain and Ras al Khaimah from Sept 1969 to Jan 1970.
The black top from Dubai to Ras al Khaimah was not finished until after I left. I also did the drive along the beach North towards Oman until there was no longer any beach. And it was possible that Wendell Phillips had also driven along the beach as he was a consultant to many oil companies. Shell Oil had the onshore oil exploration licences and Union Oil Company of California operated offshore. Mearns Loon.
The black top from Dubai to Ras al Khaimah was not finished until after I left. I also did the drive along the beach North towards Oman until there was no longer any beach. And it was possible that Wendell Phillips had also driven along the beach as he was a consultant to many oil companies. Shell Oil had the onshore oil exploration licences and Union Oil Company of California operated offshore. Mearns Loon.
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Nice to know you explored this area in 69/70....... do you have any photographs to share with us from your experience during the that era? I would love to see specially RAF Sharjah if you have
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photographs
We were not encouraged not to take photographs just in case that upset the sensitivities of the Bedouin. Regretfully I do not have any photographs of my time there nor also my time in Oman and Dhofar which I left in June 1971.
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My Father pretty much followed the Brit through Starways,Eagle,Monarch,Invicta and finished his flying career with a very dodgy outfit called Gaylan air cargo out of the ex-RAF Manston.Have not managed to find any entries for Sharjah in his log books although I'm convinced he flew the MOD charters there in British Eagle Brits?
I doubt if you will Westcoast cactus, Sharjah only had the sand runway when British Eagle had Britannias. However, they were used on the trooping flights to Bahrain. I returned home in one at the end my tour in September 1961 and went out with one of the hosties for the next two years.