Policing in Hell
By Ex RMP Thomas B. Walker

Of all the units stationed in the Canal Zone  during the "Emergency"  The Military Police, because they had to deal with the  Egyptian Police and  civilians, as well as manning the roadblocks, suffered casaualties out of proportion to the size of their units.

These men had to patrol not only their own camp, but had to mann road blocks,  search vehicles and were forced to co-operate with the very unco-operative, and highly dangerous Egyptian police force, who would call them to report an incident and ambush them, on the way to the police station.

It was also the duty of these policemen, mostly young national servicemen, to look after and handle the cases of young servicemen who had been captured by Egyptian Terrorists and their persons badly mutilated prior to death, and of course floating face-down in the putrid waters of the Sweet-water Canal.  The following are some of the actions involving members of the Royal Military Police.

Brian Walker, Retired Policeman, was a Dog-handler  at 1 RMP Dog Company, and was on detachment at 10 Bod, Geneifa, Fayid, El Kirsh, and Tek and repeated postings to these Camps. In most of the Camps he patrolled looking for breaks in the wire or evidence  of entry.


These camps were ringed with high security fences strung with barbed wire about 9 ft high, strung with internal space of 10 to 12 f t  filled with rolls of Danert wire .   These  fences were also fitted with trip-wires and flares, search-light towers, with armed guards, some perimeters were also 'mined'. Armed guards also patrolled within the enclosed areas with dog-handlers  on occasions .  Still the Camps were infiltrated. There were instances of native labour secreting themselves and coming out after dark and committing acts of sabotage and theft, targeting army stores for ammunition and arms. I witnessed stores at Geneifa razed to the ground by a delayed action incendiary device.  One Egyptian was detained. Raids on Base Ordnance depots  by organised groups were common, targeting arms, ammunition, and stores.  One group of 27 I photographed, that were caught at TEK. All troop and vehicle movements required 2 Armed escorts per vehicle, and always in convoy if outside the Garrison  DR's if they were riding between vehicles. Land-Rovers, and Jeeps all, had a 6ft piece of Angle Iron welded up the front of each vehicle to cut wire stretched across the road at head height.  These vehicles traveled with the windshield down to give a free field of fire if ambushed.

Some labourers were still employed in most camps and the odd one would resort to terrorism.  It was common for the wives of soldiers shopping within the Garrison to have handbills slipped into their shopping bags, threatening death and atrocities. An incident where a Major operating a Mosquito spraying unit for the UN (unarmed)  was captured and tortured,  He was found buried to his neck in sand, with his testicles sewn into his mouth.

An attack on the BMH in El Ballah  when doctors and nurses were ambushed leaving the Hospital.  There were several casualties. A NAAFI truck manned by two soldiers, became detatched  became detatched from their convoy, whilst passing through Ish they were ambushed and murdered.  Their bodies were recovered later from the Sweet-water Canal.


C in Cs Escort 

RMP On patrol 

C in C Middle East 

 Suez canal road

Preparing for patrol
We were shot at on several occasions, once whilst returning from El Kirsh and whilst on duty at White Island on Lake Timsah,   The shots came from a Bren-gun nearby. On occasions  we were engaged in anti-terrorist ambushes protecting the lives of service-families in the armed residential villages.  One time while on patrol with the Royal Marine Commandos we found an Arab .with a Sten gun lying in wait at the RAF senior officers compound by the Bitter lakes,  he was apprehended.

Life for the British serviceman was not easy , always kept on a state of high alert exposed to life-threatening agenciers, not only human but physical (I contracted bacillary dysentery, which I suffered for six years after discharge), Malaria was not unknown,  and the  heat.  We were in the main denied social outlets and only in  exceptional instances, leave. It cannot go unstated thatr the policy used by the British Army on challenging persons intercepted in situations of suspected crime or illegal presence was, calling stanna three times, on failing to stop the soldier was obligeds to fire.  The British soldier is taught to shoot to kill.

During my service in Egypt I was for a short time employed in the Company Office and can clearly recall reading notices received from GHQ Middle East That all, units were engaged in "Active Service". A distinct atmosphere of 'confrontation' existed and there were many instances of Sericemen being killed and wounded in the legitimate line of duty by aggressive forces which we were employed there to repel in preserving the legitimate terms of the treaty.

I make this statement to illustrate experiences and situations I know to  have existed whilst serving as a soldier in Egypt at that time.  I have only little documentary evidence to prove my words but am confident that what I have stated is the truth and can be backed up by others who were there at the  time.

Thomas B. Walker
4th Sept 2000


This web site is maintained by