allisoncc, "The Aden mob took over"? Surely you mean "The boys from the newly independent Republic of South Yemen arrived, adding a little tone and sophistication to the place" (78 Sqn Wessex Aden/Sharjah '67/'68)

"adding a little tone and sophistication " to Sharjah is an oxymoron:rolleyes::E;)

The tone in Sharjah was set extremely high, in the '50s and '60s, by the TOS.

Unfortunately, it was lowered again by the crowd of rowdies who lived on the airfield waiting to supply air transportation services to the TOS, such as routine and ad hoc supply trips to TOS camps and patrols, bringing female guests from Bahrain and Aden to TOS parties, patrolling the seas to spot people smugglers/slavers for the TOS, and so on. I understood that the airfield also served as a staging post for military flights, but that was a relatively unimportant role.

Old, not bold wrote:
Surely that should have been "Yimkin Bardain" Airways. Not too sure of the spelling.

Yeh, it was us. Got some mention in the press at last. Fame and fortune will follow. :O

78 Squadron Sharjah 67/68
 

Some of the Wessex on the line.
I was lucky to be sent to Dubia in 1979 while working for Bristow to carry out rotor track and balance on the Bell 212's. On one airtest were flew up to the salt flats beyond Sharjah to look for an overdue Jetranger. As we overflew the old base the pilot had to say it was Sharjah, I would never have known.

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/y...jah/img402.jpg

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/y...jah/img404.jpg

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/y...jah/img403.jpg

This last pic is one of the Squadron aircraft on the beach at Fujeria.
We were taken across for a "picnic" on the odd occasion, food supplied via the mess so we took one of the mess staff along for the ride. I bet this place is nothing like it was back then!

http://i806.photobucket.com/albums/y...jah/img405.jpg

That only happened when the Canberra sqdns., from Akrotiri, were there on detachment

Correct, like when 249 were there in Feb 64.
As has been noted Dubai was somewhat different in those days.
Happy days if a trifle warm!:ok:

Cor, Bluesilk, I was on that 249 detachment as well!

249? I was referring to 32, who were also in Sharjah in '64

As Rowan and Martin didn't say "Welcome to beautiful downtown Sharjah".

http://i494.photobucket.com/albums/r...SharjahSuq.jpg

249 on det in Sharjah in about 1968. Pater is in row three sporting a particularly magnificent handlebar moustache. They had a competition to grow the best and I think Dad did very well. I remember him walking into our quarter in Akrotiri after a month away looking like Jimmy Edwards and I recall my Mums' first words to him (while pointing at the bathroom) was "Shave it off now!".

http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/b...chippy/125.jpg

Edited to remove the 'th' part of the photobucket link which was making the picture small. Thanks forget

Shacks over Sharjah 1967/8
 

[http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i2..._edited-1.jpg?

Shack over Sharjah 2
 

Didn't know the USAF flew Canberras. Must be USAF with all those people
for just one bird. :ok:

Does remind me of when a couple of USAF Phantoms lobbed in to Sharjah -
enroute somewhere. They turned up with more people that the full station
compliment.

Alisoncc,

But the USAF did fly Canberras, even if they called them B57s and added some bits. In fact they had two unmodified B2s as well, for pilot training!:)

Sharjah in the midday sun !

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c3...osySharjah.jpg

The line hut a/con just managed to keep the temp to 80f. Felt more like 40f coming in from the line.

IIRC all activity ceased if the humidity became greater than the temperature. Was never there when it happened.

Lukeafb1: Sorry, only just saw your post as I was away. You are probably correct that the Comet was not "based" in Cyprus, just passing (very quietly so that noone would notice it maybe).

Laurence

old not bold:
I wonder if the pieces of Prentice still in the Al Mahatta Museum at Sharjah are from G-AOPL, ie rudder marked PAC/R234, PAC81, 1/3/49.

Laurence

Laurence,

In that case, I won't apologise!:)

A point of interest. One of its sister 51 Comets is now on display at RAF Duxford. Of the 4 Comets on 51 (655, 695, 659 and 671) all were ex-BOAC. Ground crew would regularly find BOAC Serial numbers on components which had not been changed for some time. 671 was our transport aircraft and used purely for ferrying crew around.