From Arctic Snow to Desert Sand

by Griff Hosker

  “Sir!”

  Ben asked, “What is the plan, sir?”

  “The rest of the personnel will be coming in lorries. I want us to keep the road clear and safe. There will be two armoured cars escorting them but I was warned that the insurgents might attack us.”

  The three aeroplanes landed and I felt better. Their pilots climbed down and walked over to us. “God, it is hot sir!”

  “It is Lieutenant Dixon. I shall be leaving my flying coat here. I don’t think I shall need it.” I put the cup back on the tray and took out my pipe. I had just got it going when I heard the sound of engines. The next three aeroplanes were coming.

  Lieutenant Broome said, “They must be getting faster sir.”

  I nodded, “The Sergeant Major probably has a system. Squadron Leader have the buses parked close to your Vernons. They will be the priority for Captain Fox’s men.”

  “Sir.”

  “And, Captain Cooper, if you let me have a schedule for the boats I will arrange a patrol to watch them.”

  “Sir.”

  The next flight was just approaching as we climbed aboard our aeroplanes. I allowed them to land and then the four of us roared into the air. As we banked to head north I saw the next three aeroplanes in the distance as they headed south. I reckoned we were half way through. We had a three-hour range. I looked at my watch. We would fly back to the docks and stooge around for an hour and then head south above the lorries. I had worked out how they were working faster. The Sergeant Major was working on more than three aeroplanes at a time. That was confirmed when we saw another three aeroplanes heading south.

  As we headed north I looked to the land below us. There were mud huts dotted along the road. We were flying at four hundred feet and I could see figures working in the fields. There were other knots of men who pointed up to us. The road looked to be largely empty. I saw no vehicles travelling down it. This was the land of the donkey and the camel. Vehicles belonged to the rich and the British. Vehicles would be the targets for attack.

  The outskirts of Alexandria teemed. As we zoomed over the people looked like worker ants. The sheer numbers showed me the problem we faced. I took a loop around the city. I spied the Union Flag and saw that the British buildings were protected by sandbags, machine guns and more armoured cars. The sentries on the roof waved. I headed back to the port. I saw that there were five aeroplanes being assembled. I checked my fuel gauge. We had enough to reach the field and some to spare. I had not used maximum speed. As I had been flying I had realised that fuel might be an issue. We would receive all of our fuel down the river. If that was interrupted then we were in trouble. I now appreciated that I would need an adjutant. I remembered how useful Randolph had been in France. Not a pilot himself he had understood the needs of pilots. I hoped that Captain Connor was of the same calibre.

  Two Nanaks and a Snipe took off leaving just Henry and one DH 9a. I saw the lorries being loaded as I watched the three aeroplanes head south. The last two were ready before the three aeroplanes had disappeared from view. The Sergeant Major and his men had worked wonders. Instead of heading south Henry and the DH 9a tagged on to the end of my looping flight. He was disobeying orders but I guessed he had his reasons. Below me the khaki ants were scurrying around and clambering aboard their vehicles. We would have to loop above the convoy as it headed south. Even at our lowest speed we would still be almost twice as fast as the lorries we escorted. The sun was now high in the sky and I knew that I was luckier than the other pilots. The Dolphin’s upper wing afforded me some shade. The Snipe and the Nanak were more open.

  We were half way to the field when I spied potential trouble. I saw a huddle of men by the side of the road. They were a couple of miles away and it was hard to see what they were up to but I had seen no such gathering heading north. I began a slow descent to a hundred feet above the ground. The speed seemed much greater that close to the ground. I saw that they were building a barricade across the road. I cocked the Vickers. When I was a hundred yards from the improvised road block I fired. My .303 bullets tore into the wood. And then I had passed and was banking around. I heard the other aeroplanes as they fired their bullets to clear the road block. I swung around for a second pass. I saw that the Nanak’s gunner was spraying bullets over the heads of the insurgents. They were already beginning to disperse.

  I saw that the convoy had slowed. The road block was partly destroyed but it would still stop the convoy and so I levelled up for another attack. I fired from further away. I intended to fire one Vickers for I had another and two Lewis guns. My bullets arced towards the undamaged section of the barricade. Suddenly the whole barricade exploded. The Arabs who were forty yards away were thrown to the ground. It had been booby trapped with explosives. As Lieutenant Broome demolished the other side I saw that the convoy could pass. I banked to pass over the Arabs who were fleeing away from the road. They were heading for the scrub. If I had had a grenade or a bomb then the threat would have been ended. I was not certain how we stood when it came to killing civilians. Were these rebels or just malcontents? That was one problem with air support; it was harder to verify who you were fighting.

  I banked to starboard to pass along the length of the column. As we did so I saw the waves and the cheering of the air crew. They, better than anyone, understood what we had just done. It was a clear demonstration to the local population that the Royal Air Force had arrived. Their days of unrestricted mischief were gone.

  Chapter 9

  I was forced to leave the convoy ten miles from the airfield along with the two Snipes which had accompanied me. We were running low on fuel. Squadron Leader Woollett and the DH 9a watched over them for the last few, uneventful miles. As we came into land, I saw that my orders had been obeyed. The aeroplanes were parked closely together. If the insurgents had aeroplanes we would be in trouble as they made a very tempting target for aerial bombers. However, they could be more easily protected against ground forces.

  I climbed out of the Dolphin, aware that I was wringing with sweat. What I needed was a shower or a bath. I looked around at the camp and realised that one would not be forthcoming. In our absence, I saw that more tents had been erected. The cheerful Corporal from London marched smartly up to me.

  “Sir, Squadron Leader Mannock asked me to meet you and show you to your quarters sir!”

  “Thank you. You seem to be an enterprising non-com. And who would you be Corporal?”

  “Corporal Swanston sir.”

  “And what is it that you do around here Corporal?”

  “Well sir, until January, I was a Corporal Clerk but they have done away with that rank now sir so I am a Corporal and as for what I do sir.” He grinned, “Pretty much anything that I am ordered to.”

  “Good man. A useful type eh?”

  “I try to be, sir.”

  “Do we have ablutions yet, Corporal?”

  “Sort of, sir. The Engineers have dug a cess pit and we have a water bowser but that is all.”

  “And a shower?”

  He grinned, “Not really necessary here sir. The locals stink worse than we do!”

  “Right. Then lead on Macduff.”

  “No sir my… oh right sir, Shakespeare.”

  “You know Shakespeare then, Corporal?”

  “Well there was a turn at the Hackney Empire did a bit of recitation. It was alright.” He pointed at a large tent. It looked like the type occupied by four men. Someone had hung a sign saying Commanding Officer. “Here y’are sir. Home sweet home. I put your flying coat on your cot. I am guessing the rest of your stuff will be on the way?”

  “Yes. Be a good fellow and find Senior Aircraftman Williams when he arrives. He has my gear. Fetch it here and unpack for me eh? Let me know when you have done so.”

  “Right sir.”

  “And where is the mess or do we not have one yet?”

  “Oh yes sir. There are two messes, one for officers and warrant officers and the other one for other ranks. They are the two
marquees. The officers are there now, sir.”

  “Thank you Corporal. I can see that you will be a useful chap to know.”

  I strode off to the two marquees. It was obvious which was which and I entered the officer’s mess. They all snapped to attention when I entered. “At ease, as you were.”

  Ben came over to me, “Any problems?”

  I nodded, “The blighters set up a road block and mined it. We had to shoot it up. The column managed to avoid any damage.” I looked around. It was a basic mess. There were trestle tables and foldaway chairs. “I suppose we were luckier than we knew in France. We had stone buildings and furniture.”

  Ben pointed his pipe at the officers who were seated around tables and chatting. “At the moment, we are dry. The supplies are on the lorries!”

  “We should be able to get something from Cairo.”

  “I thought that this was a Muslim country and they didn’t drink.”

  “The last I heard the Crown Prince, Feisal, drinks like a fish! We will have to wait for the adjutant. Apparently, he knows the Arabs quite well. We will be reliant on his knowledge of the customs of these people.”

  The last two aeroplanes landed and I heard them taxiing. It was followed a few moments later by the sound of the Rolls Royce engines of the armoured cars.

  Captain Cooper came in. His face was covered in dirt and he was extremely sweaty. He was an officer who was not afraid to get his hands dirty. “Well, that is the last of the tents up and we have put the posts in for the barbed wire. I am afraid we can’t get the fence erected yet but tomorrow eh, Squadron Leader?”

  “That will be fine. I will have double sentries posted tonight.”

  He pointed to the lorries. “I hope they have some beer on board!”

  “It won’t be cold you know.”

  The officer of engineers grinned at Ben, “I couldn’t care less sir. It will be wet and fizzy and that will do. I will get some sort of cooling system set up tomorrow and the day after we will begin work on the ablutions.”

  “I wondered about that.”

  “Putting in showers is not the problem, sir. It is getting the water here. Unfortunately, we are downstream of Cairo. We will need to put in some sort of water purification or we are in trouble.”

  “Any help we can give then let us know.”

  “First we have to get the water here. That will take a couple of days.”

  “And the fuel tanks?”

  “They were the first thing we put in. The bowser you see is to fill the aeroplanes. It is easier to fill the bowser and then used that.”

  “And have we somewhere for the armoury?”

  He pointed to one of the wooden buildings. “One of those is the offices and the other is for stores. The rear half is for the ammunition and ordnance.”

  “That will need to be secure.”

  “It will be.”

  Sergeant Major Hale marched up to me, laden with papers. He stood at attention, “Sir, which is the admin block?”

  I pointed to the wooden building. “Over there, Sergeant Major.”

  “Thank you sir. Williams is sorting your gear out with that Cockney! Oh and that was nice shooting, sir. Impressed the lads that did!”

  The rest of what was left of the day was spent in frenetic activities. Even the pilots and gunners had to lend a hand to unload all of the supplies we would be needing. It soon became apparent that the stores building would not accommodate all of the supplies and stores we had brought. I made the decision to give over half of the admin hut. I did not envisage me spending days there. The most important part was the radio. We placed that so that it was close to the generator which powered it and then Sergeant Major Hale worked around it. He seemed a very capable man.

  The medical officer, Captain Flynn, came to see me. “Sir, we do not appear to have a sick bay. We have medicines which need refrigeration and we should have a sterile environment.”

  “Good luck with that, Captain. Feel free to put your medicines and their refrigerator in the admin hut but, for the moment you will have to make do with a large tent.” He looked crestfallen, “Have you any patients yet?”

  “Well, no sir, but it is a matter of time.”

  I sighed. I had greater worries than a medical wing! “We need running clean water first. When we have that I will get the engineers to build another hut for you. How’s that?”

  “Yes sir, that will do. Sorry to fuss so.”

  “Don’t worry about it. It has been a long day for all of us.”

  Lieutenant Fielding, who commanded the two armoured cars, gave me the welcome news that, until our guns arrived, they would be attached to us for defence. It made the end of the day brighter than I had expected. After making sure that the mosquito nets were distributed and being used I went with Captain Fox and Lieutenant Fielding to examine our defences.

  “The problem is, sir, that it is as black as the ace of spades around here at night. We need lights or these insurgents could creep up on us and have everything away while we are watching.”

  “It is one night that we have to wait for the wire. Have double sentries. If you need me to…”

  “Oh no sir, we’ll cope but even with the fence we are vulnerable.”

  “Suppose there was a minefield all around the perimeter?”

  Captain Fox brightened, “That would do the trick sir. Have we got any?”

  “No, we shall make some.”

  “Mines?”

  I smiled, “Something that looks like mines. Have the cook collect all the empty bully beef tins. We have the men fill them with sand and hammer a nail into the top. We bury them around the wire and put a skull and crossbones sign up.”

  Captain Fox frowned and then smiled, “That might just work and is cheap enough. My chaps could also rig a few trip wires and grenades up too.”

  By the time I reached my cot I was exhausted. It had been a long day and we had already done so much that I was amazed. I knew that we could only allow ourselves a day or two, at the most, before we had patrols up in the air. While the camp was being set up that would be the task of me and my squadron leaders.

  The bugle which woke me was a reminder of France. I was out of bed instantly. I dressed and donned shorts. Now I would reap the benefit of them. Williams came racing to my tent just as I emerged to view the camp, “Sorry, sir. I am a bit new to this servant lark. Sergeant Major Hale will have my bits for this sir. Sorry sir.”

  “Williams, don’t worry. I do not need help in dressing. Just keep my quarters tidy and have my washing done. I will be happy.” I pointed to the bag with the guns. “And make sure that they are secure.”

  “Yes sir.” He nodded to the sky, “I think it is going to be a hot one sir.”

  “I am pretty certain that would apply to any day out here. We had better get used to it.” I saw that Mr. Balfour had thought to supply sun helmets. I had always thought them ridiculous but now I saw the benefit. I donned mine. It would encourage the men to wear theirs.

  I went first to the admin hut. As I had expected Sergeant Major Hale was already there with Corporal Winspear and Corporal Hutton. “Morning sir. I checked with the sentries and it was a quiet night.”

  “Good.” I explained to him my ploy. He grinned and nodded his approval. “I think I have just the fellow to implement it too.”

  Sergeant Major Hale said, “The Cockney, Swanston, sir?”

  “That is the chap. Have him come to me after breakfast. I will sort the paperwork out then. Is the radio working?”

  “Yes sir. Hutton here got in touch with the army in Cairo and told them we were here. A Colonel Fisher will be coming out to chat this morning, sir.”

  “And any news of the adjutant, Captain Connor?”

  “Last we heard, and that was when we landed was that he left Bagdad a week ago and he was driving himself across the desert.”

  I wondered why he had not used an aeroplane. It seemed strange but I did not want to judge him. He would be the only one of
us with local knowledge. I went to the mess tent. Breakfast was basic fare. It might already be hotter than the hottest day in England but we still had porridge, tea and toast. Some things never changed. When my squadron leaders arrived, they joined me.

  “Today we make sure that everything works. See that we are ready to fly at a moment’s notice.”

  “Will we be called upon today then, Bill?”

  “I have a Colonel Fisher coming to see me this morning and I daresay we will find out. I don’t want any idle hands. The engineers will have their hands full. If our lads can do anything to help then let them do so. We are one team out here. I don’t want people being precious about titles.”

  “Right.”

  The cook came over. “Sir, Captain Fox said we were to save all the bully beef tins. You want them. Is that right, sir?”

  “It certainly is. How many have you?”

  “Twenty now and there will be another twenty by this afternoon. We get through a lot of bully beef sir!”

  “Excellent.” After he had gone I explained to my bemused squadron leaders what I had in mind. They approved.

  Sergeant Major Hale gave me a wry smile when I sat at my desk. There was a mountain of paperwork. “This is for one day?”

  “The adjutant will normally deal with it all sir but he isn’t here.”

  I was beginning to have a poor opinion of the adjutant and he had not even arrived.

  “Sir, you sent for me?”

  Relieved to be away from paperwork I looked up at Corporal Swanston. “Yes Corporal, I have a little job for you. I want you to get a team of men together. Six should be enough. Go to the cook. He had twenty bully beef tins. Find Captain Fox and get a bag of nails. Find somewhere that no one can see you from the road. I want you to half fill the tins with sand and fold back the lids. Put a nail so that the head sticks out. Then take them outside the perimeter and bury them.”