8 Squadron operations - 1963

During the period at Bahrain, Exercise Cantelope was held from 8-12 and 21-30 January  1963 involving Javelin FAW.9s of 23 squadron with supporting Valiant tankers. Because of accommodation requirements for the duration of each exercise, 8 Squadron was relocated to Sharjah, twice during the detachment! The moves were accomplished in an unruffled manner and despite the inconvenience, morale remained high.

On the second relocation to Sharjah, a simulated Kuwaiti-style operation was executed immediately on arrival. The opportunity was also taken for live-firing practice on the range, 50 miles north up the coast at Jeb-a-Jib. Throughout this second attachment to Sharjah, the squadron was accompanied by a team from the Day Fighter Combat School (DFCS) at West Raynham, together with two of the units F.6s (XG204 and XG209) and a pair of T.7s (XL591 and XL595). The team flew as members on most sorties and a programme was run that included low level, cross-country interceptions, operational R/P and cannon air-to-ground firing, and high-level battle formations and tactics were practiced and assessed.

Down at Khormaksar, the squadron’s FR.10s continued to provide the unit’s commitment of flying the border patrols.

Seven No.54 squadron Hunter FGA.9s flew out from the UK in early February to take-over responsibility for the Persian Gulf standby, allowing five 8 squadron aircraft to return to Aden on the 3rd, three staging through Salalah and two via Masirah. Another pair left the following day and leaving two on short-term loan to 54.

At Khormaksar, the routine of border patrols alternating with 208 Squadron continued, with two pairs being flown per day with the exception of the 6th when continuous patrols were requested. Following a border incident in the Beihan area on 23 February, the squadron brought two FGA.9s and two FR.10s to one hour’s readiness with the rest of the unit’s aircraft on two-hours. This state continued through the 24th and 25th and on the morning of the 26th, two pairs were flown to drop leaflets on the southern end of Wadi Ablah. Notwithstanding, a Yemeni Yak II aircraft was able to cross the border and strafe the Ayn airstrip and return unmolested by the patrolling pair who were at 7,000 feet. Four days later, the tactics were revised so that one of the pair flew at 7,000 ft and the second at 2,000 ft. Out of a total of 483 hours flying achieved by the Squadron in February, 139 of them were operational sorties.

Continuous dawn-till-dusk top-cover sorties were flown over the Beihan area and in support of Operation Jacknife in the Wadi Ayn area during the first week of March. With the permanent posting of 43 squadron from Cyprus to Khormaksar early in the month, the pressure on 8 and 208 Squadron aircraft and crews was greatly eased. The short-term deployment of Sea Vixens from HMS Centaur on the border patrols, further helped the squadrons to recover.

Although the FR.10s were ideal for photographing prospective targets and the results of subsequent attacks, it was the role of Canberra PR.7s and PR.9s, on short detachments from the UK, Germany, Malta and Cyprus, to photograph the whole of the Protectorate area. On the 4th and 5th, two Hunters were assigned as armed escorts to Canberras flying these sorties.

On the 7th of the month, one pair was scrambled to investigate a suspected border infringement but on becoming airborne it was found to be a false alarm. From the 11th, the requirement was modified to a limited number of patrols at random times of the day and this gradually reduced until by the end of the month, the requirement was for one pair at one hours readiness.

A total of 171 operational sorties were flown by 8 squadron this month, occupying 446 flying hours.

April was a comparatively quiet month – so as not to cause alarm to the newly arrived (on 11th) CO perhaps! Sqn Ldr Tammy Syme, DFC, assumed command of the Squadron from Sqn Ldr  Laurie Jones who returned to the UK on the 14th. The Squadron held a parade to mark the occasion. The regular bi-monthly Squadron detachment to Bahrain, officially referred to as Operation Longstop for the first time, began on 29 April, with one flight of four staging through Sharjah and a second section of three aircraft making use of Masirah. The eighth aircraft, piloted by the Commander RAFPG, had to return to Khormaksar with a fuel flow problem and travel up to Bahrain by other means. Seven officers, 1 W/O, 5 SNCOs, 43 CPLs and Airmen travelled up by transport aircraft.

The two operational sorties flown this month took place on the 29th, when two FR.10s performed a photo-recce of Wadi Hatib and Am Medinah. There were no border patrols and only one pair of aircraft were required at one-hour, and latterly two-hour readiness.

The 8 Squadron groundcrew establishment at this time comprised; 1 W/O, 3 F/S, 10 Sgts, 24 Cpls, 50 J/Ts and Airmen, and was greater than the establishments on 43 and 208 Squadron because of the larger allocation of aircraft to 8 Squadron; the standard twelve FGA.9s plus two in addition, two T.7s and four FR.10s.

Although May was another quite month on the operational front, a major reorganisation of the Hunter Wing was established with the reformation of No. 1417 Flight. Formerly a Lincoln bomber flight at Khormaksar in the fifties, the ‘new’ unit took over charge of all four 8 Squadron FR.10s, both of its T.7s and a T.7 each from 43 and 208 Squadrons, giving it an establishment of eight aircraft. The individual squadron markings were removed from the FR.10s and the initials of the four most senior pilots applied to the tailfins and nose doors in light blue. The T.7s received tail codes W(XL597), X(XL612), Y(XL565) and Z(XL613), also in light blue and a new unit badge, designed by aircraftsman Peter Richards, was applied to the forward fuselage of the FR.10s. Five pilots were transferred to 1417 Flight from 8 Squadron, Flt Lts Lewis (OC), Morris, Dymond, Burns and Rimmer. Ground crew support continued to be provided by 8 Squadron personnel.

On 15 June, Sqn Ldr Syme flew a Hunter T.7 to Sharjah to give an air experience ride to Sheikh Mactum, the son of the Sheikh of Dubai who had given the Jeb-a-Jib range to the MEAF. Operation Longstop concluded on 20 June and the Squadron departed Bahrain en-route for Khormaksar. Just seven operational sorties were flown during the month, on flagwaves in the WAP and on recces looking for gunrunners.

A number of NCOs and airmen were selected for transfer to 1417 Flight and were cleared and moved to their new unit on 21 June. They took over some of the facilities made vacant by the reduction of 8 Squadron’s crew and parts storage areas, enabling the two units to remain closing associated.

A brief flare-up on 8 July between dissidents at Hilyan, during which shots were exchange, triggered the dispatch of a pair of Hunters on a leaflet drop, backed-up by a pair performing a flagwave on the next day. As this made no impression on the dissidents, a force of Hunters from both 8 and 208 Squadrons carried out strikes using XE620 (Flt Lt McVie) and XE654 (Fg Off Bottom) on various targets around the local fort on the 9th and again on the 10th by XE609 (Flt Lt McVie) and XG154 (Flt Lt Constable) as Lt Notley flew top cover in a 1417 Flt FR.10 (XE614).

Flt Lt Adamson and Fg Off Jarvis departed in a 1417 Flt FR.10 and 43 Squadron FGA.9 on 11 July for a ferry flight back to the UK where the aircraft would be refurbished at one of the MUs. The trip had to be abandoned at Bahrain on the following day when the Mark 9 (XJ684) caught fire on finals. The aircraft was landed but sustained Cat. 5 fire damage to the aft section. The pilot escaped unhurt. As the FR.10 had fluctuating hydraulic pressure, both aircraft were left at Bahrain for 43 Squadron to sort out.

An old feud between the Rabizi and Illahi tribes in the Upper Aulaqi area was threatening to break-open once again and several flag-waves were flown on 27 and 28 July to try to cool things down. More leaflet drops were carried out on surrounding tribes on the 29th to warn them not to get involved and this seemed to have the desired effect; the area quietened down. A reported increase in gun-running activities by various up-country tribes, saw the introduction of regular reconnaissance flights to seek them out. Under the guise of Operation Ranji, nine such sorties were flown during the month with no reports of sightings.

Five aircraft (XE609, XE618, XE620, XF435 and XF440) flew down to Embakasi Airport, Nairobi, for an eighteen-day detachment on 20 July, together with eight pilots, thirty-nine groundcrew, for participation in exercises with the Army; Exercise Candyfloss near Lake Rudolph and Ringbird north of Kilimanjaro. As the F540 states; “The unfortunates on the detachment survived unlimited parties”, not to mention excursions to the game parks, Mombasa and Kilimanjaro. Two more Hunter 9s were flown down to Kenya by the OC Tactical Wing, Wg Cdr John Jennings, and Flt Lt Talbot on 1 August to pay a flying visit to 8 in exile. The detachment concluded on the 6th when five aircraft returned to Khormaksar, the remaining two following on two days later, the delay being due to a defect.

On 9 August three Hunter 9s, XE620 (Sqn Ldr Syme) and XF435 (Wg Cdr Jennings), XE618 (Fg Off Bottom), carried out a flagwave and strike in the Wadi Hatib in support of FRA units hunting for a murderer. A further series of flagwaves were flown over the same area on the 26th by XE620 (Flt Lt Humphreyson) and XG237 (Wg Cdr Jennings) and on the 27th by a solo aircraft, XE609 (Fg Off Jarvis). Other sorties of interest for the month included a total of nine on Operation Ranji.

The month of September opened with just one serviceable aircraft available, restricting flying to solo handling exercises. The situation had improved by the 6th when two FGA.9s (XG154 and XF421) flew flag waves in the Mafidh area, followed by a further flagwave by XE618 and XE620 over the same area on the next day.

Visits by Royal Navy ships to Aden were often used to extend Hunter pilot training and a number of R/P and gun firing sorties were flown against splash targets towed by HMS Victorious. Trials were carried out between 6 and 13 September with the recently installed UHF radio equipment, in which the aircraft were flown at high speed and at low level in an attempt to overcook the black boxes, but a letter of congratulations proved that “we must have failed”. On a more adventurous note, Flt Lt Sheppard led a Squadron expedition to climb Mount Kilimanjaro accompanied by J/T Bulley, and SACs Wareing, Mathews, Waller and Sheppard. The summit was scaled at 05:00 on 9 September.

The Squadron’s newest pilot, Fg Off Sturt, achieved the distinction of flying thirty hours in his first month on the unit, even though he only arrived on 4 September.

Four Operation Ranji sorties were flown through the month of September, followed by a further seven during the first eleven days of October.

At 11:24 on 4 October, pilots of the standby pair (XG237 and XF435) were alerted for probable scramble by Tactical Operations (TacOps). As they were strapping-in the order to scramble was given and, under the control of Champion radar, they carried out a search for an unidentified aircraft but it had disappeared back over the Yemeni border by the time they reached the search area. A further pair (XG135 and XF440) was scrambled at 12:15 to search the area between Mudiyah and Laudar but nothing was seen.

Operation Longstop saw the Squadron move to Bahrain on its two-month detachment on 24 October, taking with it nine FGA.9s and one T.7. Sheikh Kalifah Bin Isa Al Khalifah and his entourage paid a visit to the Squadron at Bahrain on 28th of the month to meet the pilots and to watch a flypast of the unit’s Hunters.

No operational sorties were flown during November. On the 16th, the Squadron flew down to Sharjah for two weeks of low-level flying culminating in live weapons practice with R/P and cannon fire on the Jeb-a-Jib range and returning to Bahrain on the 29th.

With no operational sorties being flown in December, greater emphasis was placed on training. The month began with a phase of 4 v 2 combat, then moved on to FAC exercises with the 2nd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment. The Marine Craft Section at Muharraq (the Station’s new name as of 1 December) provided two splash targets for the Hunters to fire rockets at but they were both sunk when the first five rockets scored direct hits. After the Christmas Grant, the detachment was concluded and the Squadron returned to Khormaksar on the last two days of the year. The spare pilots and groundcrew were flown down to Masirah by Beverley (XH123) where they transferred to an Argosy (XP411) for the final leg to Khormaksar.

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