10 Issue No. 41 Alighting in Limassol from the ‘Empire Clyde’, late February, after a ten day Mediterranean cruise I was swiftly convoy bound to RAF Nicosia, as a signaller, joining 2FS as it completed its transition from armoured cars to landrovers. I was now on active (National) service! The squadron had recently arrived from Arabia, under the command of Sqdn. leader, Owen ‘Gentleman’ Davies and Sammy Smythe, dapper SWO. It was buzzing with the frustrations of long serving members, whose overdue ‘Blighty’ return was delayed, awaiting replacement arrivals. This crisis, was short lived and welcomed by the RAF Police who had been frequently turning up en masse, to deal with the manifestations of unrest. Tempers were running high! II Field Squadron, Active Service and beyond, Cyprus 1957-58 I found myself billeted with three of these ‘angry’ men, two of whom were Current boxing champions the other being the squadron dispatch rider. Three brilliant blokes who were my mentors during my early days. These were the EOKA days and the squadron was continually pro-active; engaged in external patrols, escort duties, station security mobile reserve, and numerous guarding detachments. One of these was guarding the AOC’s residence in Episkopi, where the sentry challenge of ‘Halt, Stomata, Dur’ proved spectacularly ineffective one night as a nervous guard succeeded in ‘dropping a dead donkey’! A particular benefit came your way there, use of the nearby senior officers beach. Another one was the external water supply unit, for RAF Nicosia, where, if you were there in September, some inspired bargaining with drivers of melon bearing trucks, proved very fruitful. An overstretched squadron, short of NCOs saw me for one week, aged nineteen promoted to the lowest possible rank, corporal, local acting, unpaid, no stripes! In order to command the Mobile Reserve, the station’s first response to an attack. Unsurprisingly liberty taking individuals found this an irresistible challenge. The best part of the week was watching a Hunter squadron take off from the end of the runway, quite spectacular. It was one aircraft short, the missing one, witnessed by me having nose wheel problems, when in the bomb dump guard tower the previous week. Much of our time was taken up with convoy escort duties, such as to Famagusta docks (ammunitions) and Mount Olympus (6004 feet), in the Troodos Mountains (radar equipment). Admin Area The Sqn en route to Mt. Olympus, camels were not part of our convoy! Which can be seen coming behind.
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