Anyone remember the Majunga detachment?

[Rossian]

The link above....

.....I found absolutely fascinating!

The thing that struck me most was the emptiness of the streets in town and the roads around. I remember it as being rather a bustling place.

Was it on this thread that there was a photo of a Mk2 Shack batting along the beach very low towards the airport, with a line of young girls waving?

I'd have been intrigued to hear Dave's wife's impressions of returning after such a long time away.

Definitely the all time best det - EVER!

The Ancient Mariner

[Blanket Stacker]

203 moved to Luqa from Ballykelly. 204 went to Honington when BK shut.

[Shack37]

Was it on this thread that there was a photo of a Mk2 Shack batting along the beach very low towards the airport, with a line of young girls waving?

Rossian, the link in Post #37 has that picture or another version of same. I believe it's a 38Sqn aircraft. If you look closely you'll see that 1 and 2 engines are shut down and feathered.

[GIGFY]

SHACK37 - Dustbin

I remember that! The pilot report in the 700, "unusual thump felt at aft end"

[Shack37]

I remember that! The pilot report in the 700, "unusual thump felt at aft
end"

Closely followed by another one from the Station Commander in private.

[fly7boy]

Doc Jospin...

Did three of the wonderful/awful Majunga Detatchments out of Ballykelly and Doc Jospin, an enthusiastic whisky drinker, saved my life when I picked up an awful 'fever' in Mombassa. I was 'in n out of it' for about three days and Doc was encouraged to the apartment Dessai by offers of whisky if he pumped me full on penicillin...

[GIGFY]

SHACK37

BOOM BOOM

[Exascot]

Before my time but I did take a highly polished gleaming Queen's flight Andover into Majunga in the mid 80s. One of the locals took one look at us and said 'ah Royal Air Force' then pointed at our aircraft and said ........ 'Shackleton'

[Shack37]

Before my time but I did take a highly polished gleaming Queen's flight
Andover into Majunga in the mid 80s. One of the locals took one look at us and said 'ah Royal Air Force' then pointed at our aircraft and said ........
'Shackleton'

Can understand your emotion, they often brought tears to my eyes

[Rossian]

Back in the day....

......they used to point at the Air France 707 lurching into the sky on its way to Tananarive and cry "Angelais angelais" (Malagasay French was pronounced rather differently).

One visitor from the capital was delighted to find the source of a new phrase common in the natives of the city, "Qu'est que F*^&£ing c'est?", delivered at max volume. The source was one of the groundcrew out at the airfield site.

The Ancient Mariner

[oxenos]

Nicole, the barmaid in the Hotel de France (who, it was said, wore hairy shreddies) had been taught to play liar dice by successive detachments. On one occasion someone tried to pass her a four of a kind, having accepted a pair. Her response was

"Qu'est que F*^&£ing c'est ? "

It took over from " you lie like a cheap Changi watch" as an expression of disbelief

[GIGFY]

Nicole, the barmaid, was not always the barmaid at the Hotel de France. In the early stages of the detachment, Nicole was seen mostly at the Village Touristique. In '66 this busty girl had a taste for medium sized, blonde haired gentlefolk. She set her eyes on one Dickie Leston who was thankful that she soon discovered officers were the best meal of the day. Once she was observed taking a picnic with a maintenance officer - folding table, table cloth, silverware and wine. There were other "ladies" but Nicole was something else and made a great difference to the diversity for the lads.

I'm sure there are more interesting stories involving Nicole and her friends.

[Rossian]

Ah, Nicole....

.....when we ran out of or had not been given current authentication tables a bit of lateral thinking was called for.
The ground station call was, in a deep gravelly voice, "and the next object is?"**
To which there was only one reply "Nicole's knockers"

The Ancient Mariner

** it came from a radio panel game whose name escapes. It was a bloody long time ago. And yes, they were rather splendid.

I have been informed whilst in the pub this evening that the programme was "Twenty Questions"

[GIGFY]

"and the next object is"

Struthe, Rossian, you're going back not few years but eons. The program was "Twenty Questions" chaired by Norman Hackforth and it ran from 1947 to 1967.

Thank God for Google

[oxenos]

"Nicole's knockers"

No wonder you wern't concentrating on the dice.

[37MonsieurDavid]

That was not Dave McCandless

Hi, Shack37, that person who married the daughter of the owner was a Flt Lt Berg, the Detachment Adjutant and much later than 1966 when J/T Dave McCandless who got married on 1 Oct 1966 to the daughter of one of the French ladies who worked in the 'Bureau de Defense' in Majunga (to whom all returns were sent by the detachment). Dave from 37 Sqn Khormaksar was one of the first on 3 Shacks to land on Malgash soil on 19 Mar 1966; he got engaged in Jul 66, was refused permission to marry - Gen App in those days - and was hurriedly shipped back to Aden to 'cool off' by his Sqn Cdr - a Sqn Ldr Blunden. His attempts to return to Majunga, via indulgence, were refused by HQ staff to stop him getting married and when all else failed he turned to his Flt Cdr - a 37 Sqn pilot of the old school - Flt Lt Nicholls - who was standing in for S/L Blunden (on leave) - who set up a training flight/crew rotation (or the like) to Majunga via 37 Sqn Shack so the poor chap could get to his wedding. Dave went there on duty because, since his forced return to Aden in July, 38 Sqn from Malta had taken over but were using the tools and kit left behind on Khormaksar Inventories, so Dave's official duty/purpose in Majunga was to do an official comprehensive Inventory Check of 37 Sqn Inventories. As he stepped off the 37 Shack, the 38 Sqn EngO - a FO Rowley - with a smile on his face, handed Dave an envelope saying "Inventory Check completed.... now go get married for goodness sake before anyone finds out!!". Dave had 2 days to get married - the Det Cdr Wg Cdr Burgh and his wife stood in for Dave's parents and the whole 38 Sqn detachment were invited to the champagne reception in 'Le Grand Hotel'; however, after only a 2 day honeymoon was ordered back bt HQ staff via Argosy to Khormaksar. There the HQ Staff, not willing to be out-manoeuvred by a pilot, refused to recognise Dave as a locally married airman and thereby refused to place him on the list for an AMQ. This meant his wife had to remain in Majunga for a year (probably a good thing considering the deterioration in the security for families in Aden culminating in Operation CallFam in June 67) till Aden collapsed and Dave escorted/supported the 4x 37 Sqn Shack withdrawal back to Shawbury via many points north, in Aug 67. Dave and Christiane are still married today and returned to Majunga a few years ago to sadly witness the dilapidated state of Majunga town and the lovely 'Village' beach after 2 typhoons had devastated it. The 'L'Hotel De France' and the Soucoupe Volante were in ruins too and, contrary to popular opinion Dave never went to Madame Chabeaus (not sure of the spelling). Hope you enjoy this update.

[GIGFY]

Dave McCandless's Link:

Check out this link:

Return to Majunga 2008

[brakedwell]

Post Detachment Majunga

I night stopped in Majunga 3 times when on 99 sqn Britannias. It was not a popular trip (Bahrain - Majunga - Bahrain with a refuelling stop in the Seychelles northbound), so none of the wheels/country club experienced the joys of the Hotel de France's bouillabaisse or a cultural evening at Madam's. Fast forward to 1977 - I was in Nairobi for a week shuttling between Lusaka/Ndola and Nairobi with an IAS DC8 when our last Britannia arrived from Gatwick on it's way to Majunga with an Agip miniature submarine and support team (Italian) on board to inspect an off-shore oil rig which had been damaged in a cyclone. The F/E had been Engineer Leader on 99 sqn while I was there, so had never been to Majunga. The Britannia left Nairobi the next morning, scheduled to return in 36 hours. They turned up four days later looking like a gang of unwashed pirates! Apparently there had been an attempted coup shortly before they landed in Majunga. They were arrested and thrown into the airport jail under suspicion of being part of the take-over, mainly due to the submarine and the divers! They were incarcerated for three nights, unable to wash or shave, with very little food or water and no beds. Our embassy in Antananarivo eventually managed to get them released on the condition they left the country immediately. When I met them in the bar of the Pan Afrique Hotel shortly after they checked in they were not a pretty sight, downing Tusker as if it was going out of fashion!

[Shack37]

That was not Dave McCandless

37monsieurDavid. Thanks for the update and correction. Sorry for not replying earlier but only read your post when the thread was revived here.
I visit Dave“s 37Aden site fairly often to se if owt new up.
Are you in fact THAT Dave monsieur?

I also have reason to thank that same Flt. Lt. Nick Nicholls. He was captain of our Shackair flight Maj to K“sar and got us safely to Nairobi after a Griffon got a bit warm.

[Rossian]

monsieurDavid.....

.....or is he one who used to fly Javelins and then came to Shacks and then went to Majunga as a native speaking "fixer"? Only because I'm curious.

Oh and he flew CF100s in the RCAF before all of that.

The Ancient Mariner