1st Bn XX The Lancashire Fusiliers Egypt 1950 - 19th Oct 1952 Suez, Moascar, Aqaba,and Ismalia

Background music:-
The Mills Brothers singing Daddy's Little Girl.

13th March 1951 in Aqaba The Colour Party Carrying the Colour Lt. Warren Sillitoe Escort Sgt.Jack Barlow and Sgt. Joe Gidman marching past HM King Abdullah

Map by kind permission of Richard Woolley

(Map of Canal Zone click on map to enlarge it)

Click here to read about the
Ismailia riots.

Click on here to see Paul Harrison's Photos on the raid at the Ismailia Police Station (Bureau Sanitaire.)

to go to
Canal zoners website

Thomas Howe Click here to go to 126 photos of Thomas's time with the LF's and Special Forces sent in by his son Jim Howe

See the photos of Kenneth Hitchens time in Canal Zone

The Ray Coadwell (Cody) photo collection

	A	B	C	D
1	"C" Coy at trooping the colour	Cody bulling for guard duty		Soccer match between L.Fs and ? played at the Moascar stadium
2	Fus H (Jim) Eastham	Cody outside MT Office	Fus H (Jim) Eastham (not yet L/Cpl.)	Cody and all that sand

The Bill Duffy Photo Collection

	A	B	C	D
1	Harry Gudgeon, the camel is the D Coy mascot and is called Humphrey	On the parade , the first foreign gentleman is King Abdullah,the next one is Glub Pasha,who was the English Commander of the Foreign Legion,note that Minnie is on parade. The officers are Major Morrel and Major P G Bamford.	The lad at the top of the watchtower is Harry Gudgeon,on the Jordon/Israeli border.	one with tin hat is called Agnew and the one in shorts is called Geoff Hart.
2	D Coy FootballTeam 1950 - 52 See it enlarged for the names	The lad with the rifle is Harry Gudgeon at Aqaba	Arab headress is Harry Gudgeon Aqaba 1951,with the back of the cookhouse

	A	B	C
1.
2.
3.
4.	Click on Minnie to go to Roy Woods Minnie Story	Bob Stevens and Fred Lamb
5.
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17		David Simpson click on his photo to go to his photo collection

These next photos are from Amanda the daughter of Jim Brannigan she asks if anyone recognises anyone on these pics from her Dad's album (Jim is the chap in the middle on next photo and getting married on the next one) A B C D 1 The name on the next 3 pics is A R Green 2 name's on this pic are J Lonsdale J Morton and W Hulme Scot Hampton on the Empire Pride 3 T Young 4 No Name on this Pic J Brannigans Bed Space E Mail from Jim Costello I've been racking my bit of a brain (only took a sec or two) to remember the lads name then I woke up at 2.10 this morning and said "Bloody Baxter". Bev was awake and asked me if I was alright as I had been talking in my sleep. But a bit of info before hand, In 1Pln, I was the L/Cpl and 1 Section leader, My two mates, L/Cpl's Naylor and Hallam, were 2 & 3 Section leaders respectfully. Jack Barlow was our Pln Sgt and Lt Partington was our Pln Officer. Pic 2C I recall the names Lonsdale and Hulme but do not recognise the lads in the pic. Furthermore, Hulme was excused boots and always wore sand shoes and was on pernament light duties, Pic 4A Don't recognise the lad and don't recall any of our lads wearing a bush hat and those socks are a deffo no no That Foliage is deffo not Fayid nor is the bush hat. The next photos Jim talks about are in Jim Costello section Below 2D, Embarking for Egypt, and on arrival straight into Fayid. There are eighteen members of 1 Pln in the main group with no sign off Jim B. 6 A . 1 Pln team, some were also in 2D and others were not. No sign of Jim B. 6B. 'A' Coy team, also no sign of Jim. Anyway down to business. Maybe Jim B, could have joined us in the new draft that came out some months after we first arrived, as his bed space (pic4B ) is in 'A' Coy lines in Fayid, our first posting abroad in 1950. Also the letter (pic 3D ) is addressed to him, in Fayid. I'm inclined to think he was in 2 or 3 Pln because pic 3C shows part of the outside line of 'A" Coy tents. Now A.C,and D, Coy' s each had two lines of tents abreast of each other and usually occupied by 5 or sometimes 6 lads. In our case, the first two tents abreast were for my 1 section, the second two abreast for 2 section and so on right down the line. Each line being 9 tents long then running across the end of the line were the Egyptian traders tents. The barber, soft drinks, fancy goods, tailor and so on. Now pic 8A seems to feature a tent that has three or four tents behind it before it we come to the traders tents. This looks like 'A' Coy lines because our lines of tents where at the end of all the Coys lines and across the wide space to the right of the pic, where Bn HQ, the showers, the Dobi tents, 'A' Coy HQ and the toilets, If Jim had been in 1 Pln there would be at least six tents behind his. Also, his bed space pic (4B) seems too close to the traders tents for him to have been in 1 Pln. Maybe he was put into 1 Pln when he came with the new draft then moved to 2 or 3 Pln. The only thing I can think of is, maybe he joined us some time after after we arrived in Fayid and then was posted out to another unit. This would explain pic 4C. Then again, after 56 years, who can be certain they remember everything. However; I have a photo copy of "A" Coy taken in Fayid, from the Gallipoli Gazette but it is rather fuzzy and I can't recognise many lads from it. Maybe you may have access to the original or a good copy that would allow Amanda to maybe recognise Jim in it. Joe, another thing just occured to me. Some time last year I replied to a lad asking about his Dad. His Dad is on my pic 6A of the 1Pln team, he is second from the right in the back row and was still kicking around at the time. And I can't remember his name. Is it possible for me to go further back into the messages pages to find out the lads message so that I can contact him and find out if his Dad remembers Jim B? As I'm into family genealogy I can understand Amanda wanting to know as much as possible about her Dad. But I feel my reply to her would only be too negative as it is, without giving other ways a try Then again maybe he was in 1 Pln and I can't remember him. Lets hope Baxter can throw some light on this, that would be good. Geez Joe, I hope you can fathom out what I have written above because it I get dizzy just looking at it. My Number was, 21187224. But then I enlisted in Feb 48. At a guess, I would say that I was in contact with the Baxter family in the last quarter of last year. But don't bet your house on it! I didn't know that the lads switched to Bush Hats sometime after I left Kenya, in March 53. However: the mention of them brought back the memory of seeing my first LF. He lived in our avenue and came home on leave during the war wearing a bush hat with the yellow hackle. All very smart and sun tanned, I guess he had come from Burma. Maybe one of Kitna's lads. I can't remember the family's name as they didn't have a young lads my age to knock around with.

The panoramic view and the next block of Photos have been sent in by Maurice Taylor

"These photos have been sent in by Maurice Taylor, OC MMG PL" Below is a Panoramic view of the camp in The Gulf of Aqaba. Hold your mouse pointer over the pic for effect.

Memories from Jim Costello re the panoramic view above A treasure trove of memories have come flooding back. I suppose to us older sweats, especially the MMG lads, it's on par with Carter shining his torch into Tutankhamen's tomb. Well, maybe that's a bit over the top, but y'know what I mean. I think the panaromic view of Aquaba is fantastic. Maurice, I assume you're standing in Sup Coy area and when filming starts the camera is pointing due East. If so, those distant tents would be Bn HQ and A Coy. The hills behind would be where RSM Price made the guardroom prisoners erect our regimental crest high up in the hills. These are the same hills where T.E.Lawrence camped before he led the attack on the Turkish forces in WW1. In the foreground, would that large tent be SP Coy HQ? The camera then shows a distant open space which I think is the football field (see my photos) then into view comes the "out of bounds" village of Aqaba with Sup Coy tents in the foreground. Then as it pans due South, you catch a glimpse of the distant hills of Saudi Arabia, (the border is only about 25 miles from Aqaba) before the land dips into the Gulf of Aqaba. The you pan across the Gulf where lurked a shark nick-named "Aqaba Joe", or so the myth went. Then the first distant land seen, is the Eastern coast of Egypt's Sinai desert. We get a fine view of the coast of the Sinai as it occupies most of the background until the Gulf ends. In the foreground are Sup Coy tents. I can't remember what those two things that look like penny-farthing cycles were supposed to do. And just above that solitary motor bike, isn't that our little parade ground? I guess the next big tent is the dining tent and the first white building is the N.A.A.F.I. with memories of McCormick singing, "Daddy's Little Girl." The far views are now of Palestine/Israel with Elat somewhere there. Are those distant tents the position of our forward Coy, C or D? The last distant view leads to the start of the Jordan Valley, to Petra, Amman, Sodom, Masada and Bethlehem. Maurice, I don't know what you were standing on to get your height for the filming. The only thing I can think of is there was a bit of a tall steel structure near the ammo dump. Maybe it was that. I really enjoyed your film. Fifty years just rolled back to another age with great memories. The bad ones, if any, have long been forgotten. Where else in the world can you see four countries while standing in one spot. Aqaba means four in old Arabic, or so I'm told. Maybe one of the Arabic speaking visitors to our site can verify that..

This Hotel now stands on this land its the
Aqaba Gulf Hotel

Maurice Taylors photo section

	A	B	C	D
1	We sailed on HMT Empire Fowey at noon on 15 April 1950. A smashing troop ship. We arrived Port Said about ten days later and then by train to Fanara and marched to Camp 19/21 in Fayid.
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22				Soldier Magazine's report on the HMS Euryalus to 1LF in Aqaba 1951
23
24
25

Maurice Taylors memories of Minden Day Moascar 1951 Just looking through my letters I wondered if there is anyone out there in cyber space who remembers our celebrations in Moascar to mark the 191st anniversary of the glorious Battle of Minden? It was Tuesday 1 Aug 1951 when we put on a bigger and even better performance than we had the previous year when we Trooped the Colour in front of a crowd of 3000 spectators in Fayid...the first Trooping of the Colours in Egypt by any regiment since 1935. The parade started at 7.15 am and by that time everyone of the 5000 spectators plus a few more had arrived. The C in C Lt Gen Brian Robertson took the salute. At the time I wrote "no bogs were made and everyone said what "a damned fine regiment we were" ".Immediately after the parade guests were entertained at breakfast but as I had to take the Sergeants of the Colour Party to the Officers Mess for a few drinks....I missed out on breakfast! After drinking far too much Stella we made our unsteady way to the Officers v Sergeants Football Match and arrived just in time to see the Officers team make an entry riding on camels and donkeys. The match did not last for very long, can't think why? Next on the programme was to serve the Fusiliers lunch followed by a tactical withdrawal to the Sergeants Mess to drink even more Stella until we all eventually collapsed on to our beds at about tea time. The Minden Dinner in the Officers Mess was a terrific meal - ten courses in all. After dinner nine officers had to eat roses, piddling little Egyptian things not like the cabbage I had to eat in Warminster. The following Friday we had an All Ranks Dance which was a great success as a large number of girls arrived. The one draw back was that on Saturday morning there were sixty five Fusiliers in the Guard Room - still I think they enjoyed themselves.. On that Saturday evening we finished off with a party in the Sergeants Mess where I luckily found a lovely girl to dance with - I was a bit shattered when she told me she had three children and her husband a RAVC Sergeant Major was there...needless to say I beat a hasty retreat. ( retreat Maurice not in the LF dictionary ) Happy Days Maurice Who is the man on the Donkey click on photo to enlarge it

A few Memories of the day the XXth Disarmed the Egyptian Police in Ismalia By the middle of October 1951 Fusiliers from 1 LF were always refered to as "Yellow Devils" in the Egyptian Press....can't think why? After one of our sessions in the Arab Quarter of Ismailia there was even a day set aside to celebrate the slaughter of "sons of the valley" (sounds like a dance band) when all shops and public utilities closed. But the real build up to the disarming of the police began in earnest on the 14 January 1952 when at crack of dawn that morning the Battalion removed all the local population from the town. We then cordoned the streets whilst the Parachute Regiment search all buildings and recovered large quantities of arms and ammunition. It was eyrie to be in such a large deserted town without any people, even the Banks were wide open and empty. A couple of paratroopers could not resist the temptation and stuffed their small packs with notes but being British they did not get away with it. We moved out of Ismailia on the Monday morning and started preparing for a raid on Abu Gamus the following day but this raid never came off as we were told to standby for Operation Eagle, the disarming of the Egyptian Police. Operation Eagle took place on Friday 25th January 1952. Inside Ismailia there were two police barracks, the Sanitaire (650 policemen) and the Caracol (750) so there was a large force against us and the full Brigade was used in the Operation Once more we started at crack of dawn (the army never does anything at a reasonable hour) and when the town had been cordoned off by 1 Para, 1 E. Lancs and 1 Lincs we moved in supported by tanks and armoured cars. We surrounded both barracks and knocked on their doors and politely asked the police to hand over their weapons. We were happy in the knowlege that every telephone cable out of the town had been cut, or so we thought. The Police Duty Officer at the Caracol said words to the effect that he would have to consult with his bosses and when he picked up the phone and straight away got through to Cairo we had egg on our faces. He was told in no uncertain terms not to comply with our request and if necessary fight to the last man. We gave them a long time to make their minds up and they started shooting at eight thirty so we knew they meant to stay in and we also opened up . The Police in the Sanitaire fought vey bravely but they hadn't a chance and we literaly blew them out of the place. At the Caracol where I was with most of the MMG Platoon and a couple of Staghounds they took a longer period to make their minds up to stay in and resist. We had two carriers at the back gate of the building and at mid-day every one surrounding the Police Station opened up and we put a full MMG belt of 250 rounds (Cpl Bateman or Cpl Oliver?) and some 2 pounder shells into the compound. In next to no time the gate opened and Fusilier Chidotal with his size nines was helping a never ending stream of policemen round the walls to A Company's main position at the front. CSM "Spud" Murphy was the only casualty in Sp Coy he caught one in the arm on a roof top where he was in position with the Coy runner Fus Warne. Regretably C Coy took a lot of casualties........brave lads who went into the Sanitaire through a hail of bullets. Anyhow the XXth did it again the Police were disarmed and the Canal Zone went rather quiet for some time. Terrorist activities virtually ceased from that date and within a few months the Egyptian Police were back on their peacetime job. Photograph of a couple of trophies taken from the Armoury of the Caracol Maurice

1LF Road, Rail and Canal Blocks on the Routes from Cairo to Ismailia October 1951 Along the Suez Canal from Port Said to Suez the internal security situation started to deteriorate quite rapidy in the first two weeks of October 1951. We read that the Moslem Brotherhood had formed Liberation Battalions and attacks on soldiers with the theft of arms and ammunition from British bases and personnel increased. In Ismailia the rioting got going in earnest on the 14th October with looting of British occupied houses and 1LF's Rifle Companies were despatched into Arab Town to get that situation under control. In some cases they arrived too late but they did arrive before things got really out of hand. With the utmost care and precision they proceeded to send the worst offenders to heaven (as the arabic press would have us believe) or the other place depending on the individual concerned. Support Company as we had all the heavy weapons had to form defensive positions on the approaches from Cairo. We had to deny entry into Ismailia of Police, Army, University Students (the hot-heads) and the Egyptian Press who were inflaming the situation. John Deane the Pioneer Platoon Commander was the obvious choice to do the Jessie James work on the railway line, he took with him a section of MMGs, a couple of 17 pdr A Tank guns and a section of 3 inch Mortars. He enjoyed the work so much I thought he would be taking the job up as a profession when he left the army. The MMG Platoon formed the basis of the Road and Sweet Water Canal Block with a similar balance of heavy weapons as the Rail Block. We had scores of visitors from the Divisional Commander downwards and told in no uncertain terms that the Egyptian Army were not to be allowed in to the town. What a balance of forces; forty against a couple of hundred thousand...."yours not to reason why etc. etc"! Nothing exciting happened for a while until a well decorated bod arrived and said he was "the officer in charge of the Egyptian Army" - what a title to give yourself? Anyhow we let him go through with an escort only to see him return a couple of hours later with two British Armoured Cars in front and two behind, showing him the way out I suppose. End of threat from superior forces. The Egyptian Press presented the odd problem. I remember two swarthy gentlemen who could not speak English being very insistant that they be allowed in and would not take no for an answer. I think they went for a swim in the Canal. Later I learned we had a bad write up in the Argentinian Press. A straightforward case of mistaken identity - soldiers can't get it right everytime!! I did a rough survey of Arab families leaving Ismailia through our road block; three thousand in two days about ten thousand people. A great upheaval for many poor unfortunates caught up in the turmoil. I hope their lives are better now although somehow I doubt it? Maurice

Cairo-Ishmaili Road Block by Jim Costello Well what do y'know. There's another blast from the past. A photo of Sgt Holmes, on Maurice's, Cairo-Ishmailia 'Road block' report. He and Sgt Connoly were our Mortar Pln Sgts. As you look at the photo, the infamous Sweet Water Canal is nearby on the left. Our bivouac area with its two-man tents is to the right in a peanut field. We were inclined to think the whole operation was a waste of time, because we could only search the male passengers and not the females, (not that we wanted to search them of course?). If any male was carrying weapons or anything of the sort, the female would hide them under her long black dress, while only the male got of the bus to be searched. One time, while we were on the Road Block, Fus Bob Stevens, fell into the canal and had a bit of trouble trying to climb up the slippery bank to get out as nobody would give him a hand. We just stood there and laughed at him. Because, (so it was put about)if you came in contact with water from the Sweet Water Canal which was used as drinking water, a lavatory, washing the dishes, dumping dead dogs, cats and donkeys. Even dead bodies had been found in it. Then you would have to have about 50 injections and wait to see what happens. I will today, e-mail Joe, a poem written by the Mortar's Fus Cronnoly recalling the time Bob Steven's fell into the Canal. (see A1 & A2 below Middle East Medal) However; back to the photo. I'm having trouble trying to recognise our lad on the left of the photo who has a Black Eye and Over Developed Nipples!! Take a look and see if you recognise him.(see C1 below) Cheers, Jim. Click on photo to enlarge A B C 1

Gun Boat Diplomacy HMS Euryalus and others support 1LF in the Middle East 1951 - 1952 When 1 LF landed in Egypt in 1950 the Middle East was in turmoil. Amongst the many flash points the Egyptians were planning to abrogate the Suez Canal Treaty; the Iranians wanted to nationalize the Anglo Iranian oil fields and the Jews in their newly established state of Israel had designs on the deep water port of Aqaba to give them access to the Red Sea. To safeguard British interests some 80000 service personnel were stationed in the Canal Zone and these had the backing of the Mediterranean fleet based in Malta. The first ship to give us direct support was HMS Loch Lomond when she came to stay for three days in the Gulf of Aqaba where we had the sea on our left, the Jews to our front, the mountains behind and the waterless deserts of Jordan to our right. With no heavy weapons to support us it was important that the opposition knew that should they decide to invade the might of the Royal Navy was close at hand. She was a Frigate on patrol from her base in Malta. She had recently been taken out of mothballs and commissioned into the Med Fleet. Her visit not only showed the flag but also provided an enjoyable diversion for both the crew and our Battalion. We had many competitions; shooting, sports, film shows etc and of course all washed down with gallons of Stella. God Bless the Andrew she stayed in the bay long enough to be repainted apparently they are not allowed to do this in Valletta harbor as it lowers the prestige of the Royal Navy A few weeks later our very own HMS Euryalus a cruiser bristling with weapons paid us a visit. It was a great occasion to be reunited on Gallipoli Day with the direct successor of the ship that carried the Battalion to Gallipoli on 25 April 1915 for the Lancashire Landing. As all Lancashire Fusiliers know we have always maintained the closest association and friendship with Her Majesty's ships of that name in commission. The Commanding Officers bugler carries a Silver Bugle presented by the 5th HMS Euryalus and of course the Ship's Bell of the 4th HMS Euryalus is with the Battalion and is struck every half-hour between Reveille and Lights Out. The partying and sports went on for days whilst across the Danert wire our Jewish friends were once again reminded of the might of the Royal Navy We next saw HMS Euryalus on the 12th July 1951 when she passed through the Suez Canal on her way South to relieve HMS Mauritius in the Shatt El Arab as the Persian situation was rapidly deteriorating. The Battalion turned out in force to wave to her as she passed down and we had two hours with then when she tied up to let the North bound convoy through. Bands playing and flags waving. It was a happy day. A week or so later A Coy HQ and a strong platoon flew from RAF Fayid to Basra and joined the ship they were to be the first ashore should the balloon go up. The rest of the Battalion's vehicles and weapons were also loaded on to aircraft at Fayid and ships in Suez. The A Coy contingent were on board for Minden Day so the OC Major T P Shaw contacted the regimental contractor Shaab Din back in Egypt and ordered 100 roses for the Fusiliers to wear in their berets. Surprise, surprise when a bum boat approached the ship and was given permission to come alongside with roses for Major Shaw. He found himself to be the recipient of 100 bottles of Rose's Lime Juice which caused more than a few laughs that day. This event later featured in a Rose's Lime Juice advert. Our last contact with HMS Euryalus was on 22nd September 1951 when she passed through the Canal heading for Turkey and back to Malta to prepare herself as an escort ship for the King and Queens visit to Australia. The A Coy contingent return by air from Basra Picture; HMS Euryalus in the Gulf of Aqaba The last occasion I can remember that the Royal Navy came to our aid was at the height of the rioting in Ismailia. We all had a big surprise when HMS Chequers steamed into Lake Timsah and dropped anchor. I don't think there was a thing she could really have done at the time but amazing the effect on the morale of the local population was considerable. It really was great in those far off days to know we had a splendid Royal Navy who like ourselves were always ready for a scrap. Maurice Taylor

RAF Vampire Collision EGYPT 1952 At crack of dawn on Thursday 1st May 1952 the Battalion Second in Command, Major John Corbyn DSO, MC and I had to take out a search party of Fusiliers and a RAF doctor in two Jeeps and two Bren Gun Carriers into the Sinai desert. Two RAF Vampire fighters had collided in mid air and dropped into the sand sea towards the Palestine border. Apparently they smashed during the morning of the previous day and RAF Desert Rescue Squads went out immediately but in twenty four hours they had only managed to cover two miles so the task was passed to 1LF. When we arrived at the Ferry across the Suez Canal we were told that a RAF Police vehicle has managed to get within two miles of the crash site but had run out of petrol. It took us five hours to get to the scene of the collision, a distance of about thirty five miles, the last twelve through sand dunes about three hundred feet high. Certainly the worst bit of desert I encountered in Egypt. We picked up one of the pilots almost immediately; he had bailed out and was found by Bedouins who looked after him for twenty four hours. We did not find the other pilot for seven hours and when we reached him he was dead. He had managed to get out of his plane but did not open his parachute. The Doctor who was with us said he was not fit to be moved so we buried him on the spot. The following morning after having supplies dropped to us we brought the first pilot in to RAF Ismailia and then went home and piled into bed. Friday evening we travelled down to Fayid to watch the Battalion boxing team fight the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment in the finals of the Army Egypt Competition. We beat them by ten fights to three ….they were not as tough as they were made out to be. An interesting couple of days with 1LF. Maurice Taylor

 

These pictures have been sent to us by Charles Critchley, 22499555 1st Bn XX The Lancashire Fusiliers. He did his basic training at Saighton Camp,Chester. During the period 1950 to 1952 the 1st Bn were at the Suez canal zone,Aqaba,Moascar,and Ismalia a very busy 2 and a bit years!

	A	B	C
1.
2.

These photos have been sent in by Pete Newton

	A	B	C	D
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.				This is the Fayid camp main road. The Guard room was in the distance, and the CO office nearly opposite but out of sight
8	Master Mariner Ken Cottam, ex Drums, Fayid, and one super cartoonist. Did many a guard with him when he was duty bugler.	we have been in Fayid two weeks, so very early May 1950. The Border Reg chaps only just arrived?

Ismalia

	A	B	C	D
1.
2.
3.
4.

These photos have been sent in by Jim Costello

Background music:-
The Mills Brothers singing Daddy's Little Girl.
Jim's mate, Mac McCormick pic A2 back row, used to sing this song
constantly. I'm sure it brings back memories to Jim!

	A	B	C	D
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.