Date Posted:18/06/08 20:04:42 Author:Frank H Muirhead Subject: Re: RAF El Adem In reply to:
John 'Gary' Cooper
's message, "RAF El Adem" on 24/02/04 8:48:46
I served with Air Movements ELA from Jan 61 until Jan 63, and can remember the Hasting crashing flying Maltese REME back home after an exercise and loading coffins into a Shackleton through the small entrance and having to turn them on their sides, not a nice thing to do. I was a Corporal in charge of a shift during that and we used our coach to search the Bondu. I also had to fit stretcher columns to a Hastings flying other bodies back to Malta.
Another time was the first Gulf war, when all UK and Cyprus aircraft met at ELA for fuel and food. We worked around the clock for two days. What about the transit of Swedish J29 aircrfat on UN duties to the Congo. I lived in a hiring in Misurata Street, opposite the Palace Hotel near the Gazoosa bottling plant. Good days down the Lido on the Airmen's beach.
Frank
