by Griff Hosker
“You must have experienced strange problems in the Baltic.”
“I did Henry but there we were lucky. We had our airfield with us; it was a carrier. Our airfield is in the middle of nowhere. It has to be so that we can cover a large area of desert.”
“And that begs the question of how we do that.”
“Bombs and bullets, Jack.”
“Against civilians, Bill?”
I held up the paper they had both been given by Mr. Balfour. “Insurgents. I am afraid that, as Mr. Balfour said, our enemies will not wear a uniform. We are there to protect the innocent and punish the guilty.”
Jack leaned forward and tapped his pipe out on the ashtray. “God but that is a lot of responsibility.”
Henry laughed, “I think you have hit the nail on the head Jack. God. That is what we will be doing. Playing God.”
“I trust you gentlemen. I rely on you to make sure that our men are all of the same mind. Ultimately, I will be judged for your actions and those of our men. I will fly with you whenever I can. I am not going to be shackled to a table. They have given me one of the Dolphins. That means I can keep up with the Snipes.”
Henry laughed again, “The Snipe is a snail compared with the Dolphin.”
“I think that as soon as they can the Ministry will send out replacement aeroplanes. We are using what is left from the war. The exception are the Vernons. Ben has the first six off the production line. I think that four of them were built as prototypes. It is a measure of the importance Mr. Churchill places on our work.”
There was a loud altercation from the deck below us. I leaned over and saw fisticuffs from two junior officers. “What I think we need to do, gentlemen, is to keep the minds of our officers occupied. A couple of the waiters are Arabs from Iraq. I have asked the captain if we can borrow them for a couple of hours each day. Lessons in Arabic might be handy.”
“Really, Bill?”
“Afraid so, Jack. In my experience being able to speak the language can often defuse a dangerous situation. We will have all of the pilots attend.”
“And the ground crews?”
“They have less time on their hands. The Sergeant Majors are giving them PT as well as testing them on their knowledge of all types of aeroplanes. We have too great an area to patrol to allow a broken aeroplane to hold us back.”
“Very well, Bill.”
“Jack your men will have their lesson in the morning from 1000 to 1200 hours. Henry, yours will be from 1400-1600. I will attend both sessions.”
“Both sir?”
“I am pretty certain that as senior officer I will have to meet some of our enemies and it will help if I can speak their language. Besides, it will stop me being bored too.”
By the time we reached Gibraltar we had a routine. The officers had complained at first but once they realised that we three were in attendance they accepted it. I was not certain what progress was being made but that was not the point for they were being kept occupied. We took on coal in Gibraltar and I received an update from the military attaché at the consulate.
“You will be based in Egypt for longer than was anticipated. The troubles there are escalating. As soon as we have quashed this insurrection there will be other tasks for you. Later you will move to Palestine and Transjordan. The French are not sending aeroplanes and so you will be needed to cover their protectorate too.”
“They are asking a lot, sir.”
“I know but there are troops who need to be relieved. Many signed up for the duration. The armistice was signed in November and some are still serving now. Until we can get either more aeroplanes or more regiments here then you will be on the spot so to speak.”
Thank you, sir.”
He smiled. I could tell that he had served in the war. He had that look. “Well it should be a bit easier than in France. I don’t think these chaps have a Red Baron to bother you, what?”
“Not yet, sir, not yet!”
If we thought it was hot in the Atlantic, then the summer heat of the southern Mediterranean was almost unbearable. Had we not had the freighters with us then the captain could have increased speed and we would have reached our destination a day or two earlier but we were forced to plod along at a pedestrian pace. One evening at dinner, the three of us were invited to dine with the Captain and his senior officers. We wore our Number 1s. The lighter and cooler uniform helped.
After dinner, the captain passed around cigars but I stuck with my pipe. “We got these in Cuba.” The Captain shook his head, “Damned expensive. They cost us a couple of ships torpedoed by the Hun. We were carrying Americans. It would have been unfortunate to lose them eh? Some people say they saved our bacon, coming in when they did. This is much more pleasant. No zig zagging and listening for the sound of a ship exploding in the night.”
I nodded, “I wonder if the people at home are aware of the sacrifices made by the merchant navy, sir.”
“Probably not. You are the chaps they all knew about. The pilots, the glory boys.”
Jack shook his head, “A little unfair, sir.”
“I am just talking about the perception of people at home, that is all. I know you have a hard job.”
Henry nodded, sadly, “And dangerous sir. I have seen too many of my friends crashing in a burning pile of fuel. Sometimes there was nothing left to bury.”
“You are right. Let’s toast those who never came back.”
“To those who never came back!”
The mood lightened and I sat with the Captain while the others enjoyed the brandy. “You will have to watch out for the locals in Egypt you know, Squadron Leader. I did a few Nile cruises before I was given this palace. There are many light-fingered brigands who live along the river. They hide in the desert when danger threatens and use the night very well indeed. There are many who wish to overthrow the King.”
“I know about the insurgents. I fought the Bolsheviks.”
He nodded, “They are growing. When we were in Gibraltar I spoke with some captains heading west. They said that there is military law in the major towns. In the countryside, soldiers have been murdered and military bases attacked.”
“Thank you, sir. That is useful intelligence.”
The next morning, I sought out Captain Fox. He was in command of the Royal Air Force detachment responsible for our security. “Ralph, I have just heard from the captain that British bases are being attacked. It will make your job much harder. It is not just attacks which can hurt us but sabotage too. What plans have you?”
“I have some good lads, sir. I have been passing on what I have learned at the language lessons. What I need to know sir, is how much force can I use?”
“If we have to, then use deadly force.” I told him of the problems we had encountered in the Baltic. “A couple of sailors had their throats cut because of a lack of vigilance. We cannot afford that. We are even more vulnerable than a carrier in the middle of the Baltic.”
“Quite sir. Of course, until we get there then we have no idea of the size of the problem.”
“And another headache for you is that when we land we will be assembling our aeroplanes and then flying them to our airfield. Security could well be a problem there too.”
“Forewarned is forearmed, sir. We will cope.”
The closer we came to Alexandria the more alarming became the reports we were getting. British soldiers had been murdered in Cairo’s streets and martial law had been imposed. I feared for Squadron Leader Mannock. He had the most vulnerable of our aeroplanes; they were the biggest. I hoped that the army had provided security for them. The big Vernons would be invaluable in ferrying troops around. The attacking arm of our strike force was aboard our ships.
After Cyprus, I sought out the Sergeant Major who would be in charge of the ground crews. “Sergeant Major Robson, I am not going to offload all of the aeroplanes at once. They are too tempting a target. How many aeroplanes can you ready at any one time?”
“Two Snipes and one DH 9, s
ir. It is the rigging which takes time.”
I nodded. “Then that is what we will do. We will have the three aeroplanes armed and fuelled and they can fly to the field. I will go with the first ones. So, make it a Dolphin, Snipe and DH 9a. We will take two Snipes and a DH 9a on each flight after that.”
“Sir.”
“And I want every one of your men with a side arm. I don’t care where you get them from but I want our people to be safe. Captain Fox and his men will have a perimeter while you are assembling them.”
“Right sir.” He smiled, “And I thought life would be easier once we left Belgium, sir.”
“Didn’t we all.”
I had the captain inform the freighters’ captains of my instructions. From the look on his face I could see that neither of them was happy but I had to sign off on the cargo. They would not be able to leave if I did not sign. Finally, I saw Jack and Henry.
“I will take the first three to the field. It is north of Cairo. We have less than eighty miles to fly. Jack I want you to come with the last three. They will be just two DH 9a and a Snipe. Henry come in the middle. I want us all out of the port area as soon as possible.”
“What about the mechanics and Captain Fox’s men?”
“I intend to refuel at the field and fly back with three of your Snipes. We will keep an over watch on the road. I have looked at the maps. There is just one main road. I will speak with Captain Fox. I want you to arrange the order your aeroplanes fly. It goes without saying, Henry, that I need three Snipe pilots who are the most reliable you have. I need cool heads up there with me.”
“Not a problem. I have three who will be perfect.”
Once I had spoken with Captain Fox I was ready. I knew that Mr. Balfour had arranged for lorries to be waiting for us. Sergeant Major Robson would check them for sabotage before the lorries left. With armed men in the cabs and at the rear, I hoped I had taken every precaution.
We docked at 0300 hours. It was perfect. It was as cool as it was going to get and there were few people around. I went ashore first with Captain Fox and his men and they made a perimeter. An army Lieutenant awaited us. He had two Rolls Royce armoured cars. He looked harassed, “I will go and wake Major Pickwick, sir. He is in command of this detachment of the 17th Hussars. We are to escort your men to your new field.”
“Good. How are things here, Lieutenant?”
“Tense sir. The whole place is like a powder keg. This chap, Saad Zaghlul Pasha has the locals stirred up. The King of Egypt and those close to him are all happy for us to be here but there is unrest everywhere. The majority of people want us out, sir.”
“That should come as no surprise to you, Lieutenant. Our colonies have always been unhappy about the way they are ruled. Every Empire has had these problems. Just do your duty and trust your men. Is there anywhere near here which is flat enough for us to use to take off?”
“Take off sir?”
“Yes Lieutenant. We have aeroplanes.”
“I am not sure, sir.”
All we need is a piece of reasonably flat road which is straight.”
He brightened, “Oh yes, sir. There is a road which runs parallel to the docks. It is four hundred yards of straight and then there is a curve.”
“Good I would like you to block it off for us and keep it clear. Once dawn breaks we shall fly off.”
I had been given a small staff to help me run the three squadrons. Sergeant Major Hale was a quiet and thoughtful man. He had a sergeant and two corporals under him. In addition, he had taken it upon himself to assign one of the R.A.F. regiment’s privates, Williams, to be my servant and bodyguard. The first I knew of this was as I was organising my luggage. “Don’t you worry about that, sir. Williams here will look after that for you.” Sergeant Major Hale waved to the private.
“Williams?”
The Private snapped to attention and saluted, “Yes sir. I shall be your gentleman’s gentleman, sir. I have never done it before but I will give it a go. Captain Fox and Sergeant Major Hale seem to think I can do it.”
“We will talk about this when we get to the airfield. Thank you, Sergeant Major, but next time speak to me first.”
He was not put out by my reprimand. He smiled. “You had a lot on your plate, sir. This will be fine sir. I believe you had a servant in France.”
“Yes, Sergeant Major, how did you know?”
“Mr. Balfour told me and suggested we get someone for you. A clever man that, sir.”
Balfour again. I joined my mechanics as they began to assemble the aeroplanes. Sergeant Major Robson himself was working on the Dolphin. The ships’ captains had rigged up lights to enable them to work.
“Nice little bus this sir. Do you know much about them?”
“No Sergeant Major.”
“An excellent aeroplane. As fast as they come but the early ones had French engines and they were a bit, well iffy, sir. That is why there aren’t a lot of them. This is post war sir. It has a proper engine and we have one spare. But be careful with it eh, sir?”
The mechanics worked as fast as they could but they were careful. Robson saw to that. When he was satisfied, he had the guns loaded and then fuelled.
I waved over the two pilots and the gunner. I pointed to the armoured car which marked the beginning of our impromptu runway. “We are going to taxi down there, turn around and take off. Lieutenant Martinside you are in the DH 9a. You are tail end Charlie. You have a rear gunner. Lieutenant Broome, you will follow me. I have a mirror and I will keep my speed down. If you have a problem, then waggle your wings. When we land, Broome, then you and I will be going back up when Johnson and Wingate arrive. We will keep the road clear. I will brief you at the airfield.”
“Right sir.”
I turned to Squadron Leader Woollett. “Good luck Squadron Leader.”
“And you.” He pointed east. The sun was just rising. “You should have the coolest part of the day. I fear that I shall be taking off at noon.”
“I will have a cold beer waiting for you, how’s that?”
“You, sir, are a gentleman.”
The Dolphin was similar to the Camel but I had never flown one. There was no pressure with three ships, two squadrons and a troop of Hussars watching me! However, I had managed to fly off the deck of a pitching carrier. At least this road would not move. I used the taxi to acclimatise myself to the pedals and the yoke. I reached the far armoured car and turned. The DH 9a, the Nanak, seemed to dwarf me. The Snipe, in contrast looked to be of a similar size. I waited until they were past me and then I opened the throttle. It was a powerful beastie and soon had me in the air. I had to throttle back for I did not want to lose my consorts. I banked and turned to head south. The Snipe also climbed well but the DH 9a lumbered. I waited until they were on station and then headed south, using the road to guide me.
The new airfield was at Heliopolis and was to the north east of Cairo. The Pyramids, on the southern outskirts of Cairo, would be a visual marker for us. Even though it was the cool of the day I felt hot already. I was wearing my flying coat. That would be a problem. We would need them when we were high but if we were strafing or bombing then we would not. I mentally stored that problem. I stored that question for a later time.
The DH 9a could not match our speed and so it took us an hour to see the Pyramids. I knew that the field would be to the east of us. I looked for the six huge Vernons. I saw the limp windsock first and then three Vernons. Half were missing. I banked and headed for the field. It was literally that, a field. There were two wooden buildings and tents, including two marquees. It was a flock of tents in a sea of sand. There were more tents than we would need and I saw the lorries and vehicles of the Engineers who had built the base. Even as I lined up for my landing I realised I could not bring my wife and son here. Mr. Balfour had known that.
After I had landed and was taxiing towards the Vernons and the huge tank, which I assumed was the fuel, I saw that there was no perimeter fence. That would have to chang
e. When the Dolphin’s propeller stopped turning I forced myself to think of positives. The Dolphin was a good aeroplane and the equal of the Camel.
I climbed out and was struck by a wall of heat. I took off my coat and hung it on the wing. Squadron Leader Mannock strode towards me with an Army Captain. A couple of mechanics hurried behind. They stopped and saluted. I said to the mechanics. “I want the Dolphin and the Snipe topping up with fuel. There will be a couple more Snipes arriving soon. I want then refuelled as well.”
“Sir!” They raced back to fetch the bowser.
I looked at Ben and he shook his head, “Sorry about the Vernons, sir. One is still back in France and two of them broke down. They will be here but they are waiting for spares. One is in Cyprus and the other is on Corfu.”
“Captain Cooper, sir. Engineers. We are sharing the field with you.”
I pointed my hand at the perimeter, “Why is there no fence?”
“We are waiting for the wire to arrive, sir. Everything has to be brought by boat from Alexandria. Since the insurgents began their disruption we have to convoy the boats down here.”
I waved a hand above my head. “Well, we have air cover now. When my aeroplanes have all landed we will work something out. We have to have better security than this. From what I learned in Alexandria the situation is worsening by the day.”
Ben nodded. “I have been here for a few days and I can testify to that, sir. The men have been sleeping in the Vernons to stop sabotage and thieving.”
“Well we can’t sleep in Snipes.” A Corporal hurried over with a tray. He had four mugs of tea.
“Here y’are sir. A nice drop of Rosy!”
“Thank you Corporal.” The first mouthful made me feel better. I could now see why we had been sent. Small in numbers we could have an effect far beyond those numbers. I turned as I heard the sound of engines. The two Snipes and the Nanak were making their approach. I saw the mechanics watching. They had finished. “You two refuel these Snipes as soon as you can. Corporal, another brew for these pilots. They are taking off straightaway.” The two lieutenants had joined us and were sipping their tea.