The Page For Your Memories
I've added the memories from the old Masirah website below but please send me any new memories that you have recalled and I will add them to the previous 'Memories' page.
Memories archived from Dave Cromb's Masirah website
Hi Dave, your reminder about longer articles made me take a look into the My Memories section and the bit about flights again reminded me of my Shack flight.
The Shackleton crews used to bring their 'Confidential Greens' to the commcen for sending on to Coastal Command etc. with sightings of various dubious shipping in the Gulf, Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. I asked what the chances were of getting a 'jolly' on one of their flights and was told to report for briefing at 0400. Mission was to provide air-sea rescue cover for the single engine Red Arrows aircraft who were flying to Australia for a series of displays.
After getting instructions on the lifejacket, helmet communications etc. we took off at 0500.
So commenced one of my most memorable flights only to be equalled years later by a 9 hour submarine chasing Nimrod flight from Luqa.
Bearing in mind the Shack was based on the lancaster, or so I believe, it was quite a nostalgic feeling. You certainly got a flavour of what it must have been like to travel for hours in such an aircraft with the noise and the banter between the crew.
Breakfast and Lunch were knocked up on a real cooker in the galley, delicious meals which were all the better for the early start which made everyone starving!
We flew from Masirah to a point halfway to the Maldives and then performed a square pattern for a few hours before turning back to Masirah.
13 Hours in a Shackleton is an amazing experience but I must admit I did think twice when I heard the skipper asking the engineer if they had enough fuel to go for an endurance record. Luckily they did not or we could have been up there for about 36 hours or more!
I tried the same thing with the Vulcans when they visited to use the bombing range during an exercise but as Masirah was not equipped with decompression chambers I was told it was not possible. I had to be content with a tour around the cockpit and the 'below decks' working area for the engineer, air signaller and navigator. Still an experience that not many have had.
All the best DC.
Cheers
Dave Rose
Hi Dave,
I remember when on Xmas Eve in 1969 the officers got a bit stroppy when
me and my mate Scouse Carroll tried to get in their mess for a Xmas beer
with them, after all we had just had one in the Sgt's Mess! I was a
lowly J/T, Scouse was an even more lowly SAC.
Anyway, they told us politely to f... off so we stole the dartboard from
their patio. We then chopped it up and buried it in the bondu. The next
day the Orderly Sgt rang me and said "We know who you are and what you
did and if you just apologise to the officers and pay for a new board,
nothing more will be said. And btw, your mate has confessed". I denied
it all and rang Scouse who told me he had said exactly the same thing,
namely that I had confessed!.
Over the whole Xmas period we had the snowdrops dropping hints in our
company, saying "Oh it won't be long now before we make a couple of
arrests". They never did, and we got away with it. Perhaps they should
have just let us have that beer after all, then maybe they could have
had a game of darts over Xmas :-)
Dave.
My thanks to Dave Kay for submitting this article.
DC
Dave,
I’ve been fascinated reading about people’s memories of RAF Masirah on your website. I didn’t serve at the original base; however, I was at the OTHER RAF Masirah. Perhaps I’d better explain!
From March 2003 until September 2004 I was based on Masirah – however not with the British military. I was a contract pilot working for the Clyde Group, providing airborne support to oil and gas platforms in the Gulf during Operation Iraqi Liberation (why do the initials spell OIL?).
We were based at the old RAF sand airstrip at Sur Masirah (9he old stone building with the rusty iron bars on the windows and stone plaque bearing the legend “RAF 1936” became our mess).
We provided security surveillance for platforms operated by British Gas and BP, flying in Britten Norman Islanders. The Royal Air Force of Oman not having its own maritime reconnaissance/surveillance unit, and the Lockheed P3 Orions of the US navy (based at the big ex-RAF Masirah base near Hilf) being far too busy keeping an eye on the Iranians on the other side of the Straits of Hormuz to bother with threats to rigs.
This was the period when piracy in the Red Sea/ Arabian Sea area began to grow to a much larger-scale.
We lived in a tented village clustered around the apron, but in some ways we probably had slightly better conditions than you guys – as the island became a home to a large US MASH unit handling walking wounded from Iraq we had female company!
Much of the same problems you must’ve faced up to we also had to deal with; homesickness, heat, sand, bed bugs...I could go on, but I won’t.
We did have satellite TV as well as the BBC World Service and satellite phones and internet to make phone calls as well as send emails home.
We set up our own local radio station with a tiny little FM transmitter, and I used to work as a volunteer DJ. A bit like Radio 65?
Barbecues were a feature of life. Beer fuelled late night discussions covered almost every subject from football and politics through to the best place to get a decent Balti! One thing we all agreed on was our job SHOULD’VE BEEN DONE BY THE RAF! At least if we’d been the air force our aircraft could’ve been armed! As it was whenever we found a Dhow or fast launch behaving suspiciously all we could do was orbit the bogey and contact one of the stand-by support vessels to intercept it
On the whole, I loved my time at the other RAF Masirah, made good friends, and have tons of great memories.
Love to hear from others who were at Masirah when it was a proper RAF station. As I’m now working as a radio presenter on community station in Stoke and studying for a degree in music radio, I’d love to hear from anyone who was on radio 65.
Take care,
Steve Rowney.
My thanks to Steve for this article,DC. 10/4/09.
Hi Dave. I was lucky to have experienced some months during 1956 on Masirah, the total RAF strengh was twenty. Station commander was a flying officer from 8 sqdn Khormaksar and the only officer, sadly on his return to Khormaksar and flying duties his venom a/c crashed while on a sortie and he was killed. My stay on Masirah was enjoyable, we spent a lot of time fishing off the old jetty, playing football and cricket and the usual elbow bending in the evenings. A question i would like asweringis about a Masirah cowre shell (photo enclosed) This shell was advertised on e/bay and i was fortunate to be highest bidder. I was wondering if anyone on the Masirah web site could possibly tell me if these shells originated from Masirah, also for some reason this one is misspelled, ie. Masirh, whether this was the local way of spelling it or not im unsure. Any info will be greatly appreciated
Many thanks John Irving Masirah 1956
That that were remembered by DC
People I remember. I made some very good friends whilst at Masirah. Here is a list of them. It would be great to hear from them again.
Danny Haigh John I'Anson Jock Thom
Dave Watson Geordie Patterson Graham Jackson
"Hank" Hancock Don McKay Colin Page
David Rice "Trapper" Jackson Charlie Hargreaves
Mike McCann Nick Adams (GRF) "Tricky" Dickie
Dave Hardy Dick Webb Jim Neale ( Catering)
Mal ( GRSF?) Dave Cousins Pat Cousins
John Illsey .Graham Flint
Mick Carey ( PTI )
Danny Haigh John I'Anson Jock Thom
Dave Watson Geordie Patterson Graham Jackson
"Hank" Hancock Don McKay Colin Page
David Rice "Trapper" Jackson Charlie Hargreaves
Mike McCann Nick Adams (GRF) "Tricky" Dickie
Dave Hardy Dick Webb Jim Neale ( Catering)
Mal ( GRSF?) Dave Cousins Pat Cousins
John Illsey .Graham Flint
Mick Carey ( PTI )