A neighbour of mine served in the Troodos as a Royal Engineer in the troubles when Greek-Cypriot terrorists in EOKA under Colonel Grivas were fighting for ENOSIS (Freedom from British Rule) he used to carry out any repair work needed on defensive positions on the Mountain. One was manned by the Royal Welch Fusiliers and painted on a rock near to their position someone had painted, “Freedom for Wales”
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Mon 21 Sep 2020 06:29:53 EDT
This Dress uniform and leather belt is only worn by members of the Royal Marines Band Service, but if someone from General Duties was getting married he could borrow this for that purpose.,
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Mon 21 Sep 2020 06:21:24 EDT
If any Royal Marine is looking at this photo and wondering why there are Gunners pictured with the Squad, it is because the original plan to train Army guys to get their Green Beret and then train them as Commando Instructors went for a ball of chalk when only 8 passed out of a Cadre of 30 Officers and NCOs so they introduced trickle drafting to start getting Gunners thru. It worked very well as the Squads adopted these guys and helped if they struggled so they also bonded. Those joining Squads got a simple one week Acquaint and were then thrown in the deep end, sink or swim. The basic problem arose from the fact they had always traveled by vehicle so did not have a Bergen Mentality so the requirement to, “Yomp” had not been asked of them, there was also a problem with what the Corps calls, “Personal Administration” also resolved. The All-Arms Commando Course is the current solution, lasting 14 weeks at RM Chivenor.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Mon 21 Sep 2020 05:30:40 EDT
Their Drill matched any Kings Squad! The last NS Squad was going thru Lympstone in 1959 where I was undergoing a Regular Training. To our chagrin they already had the SLR whilst we still had .303 Lee Enfield No: 4 Rifle in use since 1944.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Sat 19 Sep 2020 15:31:52 EDT
That is the Little Aden BP Oil Refinery in background, the photo taken on the Scramble Course used to acclimatise new members of 45 Commando RM to the climate (very hot with high humidity) certainly made you sweat! We would catch the tail end of the Monsoon Season when you could stand
in the open to soap and shower.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Sat 19 Sep 2020 05:30:39 EDT
The 30 foot ropes are in background.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Fri 18 Sep 2020 18:24:57 EDT
When a Royal Marines Squad is formally presented with Green Berets on the Parade Ground a dustbin is placed into which they throw their defunct dark blue berets for disposal. When the area was prepared for these men that dustbin was placed out as a norm. On changing Berets each man carefully placed his Maroon Airborne Beret inside his Dennison Smock! To them that Beret is Sacred! In an Airborne Unit any man who jumps at least twice with a Foreign Para Unit is awarded their “wings” which are stitched onto his Smock. I do not know if that practice was continued but as they were now Commando Forces they could still attend a Reserve Forces Para Course to earn the badge and to keep practising that skill.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Thu 17 Sep 2020 13:18:44 EDT
The Sangar is a Pashto word for fortification made using local Stone and similar immediately to hand. Dhala Camp was surrounded by a 5 foot, dry stone wall and barbed wire entanglements. There were two Sanger’s, Mortar and Machine Gun plus three Sentry Posts in early days but much improved latterly as the situation and threat changed. One thing that is not local are the sandbags forming part of this position.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Thu 17 Sep 2020 12:10:19 EDT
The face of the right hand man in the front rank wearing a Green Beret has been blanked out may indicate a Royal Marine serving in SF (SBS?)
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Thu 17 Sep 2020 11:58:15 EDT
Notice depth of monsoon storm ditch!
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Thu 17 Sep 2020 08:18:14 EDT
It is still North to South here with Exouth to,the right (West) of the Firing
Point.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Thu 17 Sep 2020 08:12:45 EDT
Photo taken on Parade Ground at CTCRM with Officers’ Mess in background.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Thu 17 Sep 2020 07:48:14 EDT
We would patrol the plateau at the top of the Jebel Jihaf Massif visiting 4 local militia Forts. The Forts were Shima, As-arir Hiab and Khana. In1958 rebels besieged the Fort at As-arir trapping the the British Political Officer (Advisor to the local Emir) they had come across from The Yemen for that purpose. Major Bill Boucher-Myers of the East Lancs seconded to the Aden Protectorate Levies led a fighting patrol up the Jebel (Mountain) taking four hours hammered the rebels and saved the day! He was a Commando Officer in WW2 under Lord Lovat getting a MiD after Dieppe. He was awarded an immediate DSO for this action!
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Wed 16 Sep 2020 17:37:47 EDT
On Exercise in Sardinia with 41 Commando RM leading a patrol back to base I spotted a USMC Helicopter base and thought, “Why not?” So I led my men in and asked. The USMC General running it called one of these from an off-shore Carrier and it flew us back, it was only 8 kilometres! The base was in air-conditioned Port-a-Cabins which had power, running water and Coca Cola Machines all lifted ashore, you could not make it up! You can drive Humvees into choppers.
Posted by PrichardDavid R L on Wed 16 Sep 2020 17:09:51 EDT
