Winter 2025 5 happy to receive the shilling a day extra pay for that as seven bob a week extra was very welcome. About that time the New York times Produced an article of the RAF station at Mafraq was under siege though not much appeared in the British press until later when a journalist from a now defunct paper produced an article titled “LOWES lost legion Groupe Captain Lowe being the station commander at the time, but by then it was all over bar the shouting. The water situation was to an extent overcome by Transport command who flew in water and rations at night overflying Syria as it was thought that at that time Syrian air force was not flying at night, and later flew in a troop of RA with 25 pounders and armour piercing ammo and a sigh of relief all round’. For a time, water was limited to two pints per person per day and as you can imagine for a while a lot of unwashed Rocks but still able to enjoy a brew. The Syrians kept their distance but daily drove up and down the barbed wire perimeter in jeeps stopping now and then to scan us with binoculars which was hardly necessary as the wire was only 50 yards away. we responded with a stand to and much noise and loading of weapons. The Syrians went back we stood down and had a brew and so it went on on a daily basis. On two occasions an Israeli DH Mosquito flew a recce patrol low and slow over them and gave us a wave as it passed and shortly after the Station commander and the CO of 32 Sqn did a joint aerobatic display and a low level beat up of the airfield in the Venoms which was a great Moral booster to us and a deterrent to the opposition as they could not rely on any air support. By now Christmas was fast approaching and life was improving a bit. The Syrians went as quickly as they had come and apparently encamped some eight miles north still in Jordan but on the border and became part of Middle east politics for some time while we tried to normalise life as much as possible. We managed to buy some scruffy chickens to supplement our limited rations, mainly corned beef hard tack biscuits and powdered potato. Scrounging again we got hold of some cable and switch gear and tapped into the perimeter security lights and had some lighting in the tents which was a great improvement on the tilly lights we were using as they all had broken mantles and no replacements to be had. We made the best we could for the festive season but only two bottles of beer each so fairly low key though in the new year things improved a little. A cinema was set up in a large tent and a couple of films a week were shown. Early in the new year I became Tour ex a little early as Mafraq was Dave Welch stagging on considered a Hardship camp and a tour there was only 2 years instead of the usual Middle east term of 30 months, so my time there entitled to me to a fortnight off. Early in February 1957 I flew up to Habbaniya and onto UK via Ankara and Brindisi But that’s another story. 40-60 Bofor gun pits Mafraq Christmas at Marfraq A map shows the location of Al Mafraq City and extends of the Hejaz railway line 1956 Suez war - conquest of Sinai
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