LT. COLONEL (Rtd) J F TIPPEN says FAREWELL TO 1915 FLIGHT

The Army Air Corps played a significant role during the Cyprus Emergency. Now

Please click on the images to enlarge.

THE 50th anniversary of the Army Air Corps - as we know it - took place on 1 September 2007. While this was a major milestone in the life of the Corps and a time for major celebrations, it was also a day of sadness too, for those of us who served in the Glider Pilot Regiment, since 50 years ago also marked the death of the Regiment of which we were intensely proud.

The wartime exploits of the glider pilots are legion and have a special place of honor in the history of aviation and the Second World War. However, little has featured in later history of those who trained at Middle Wallop and joined the Regiment to form the new light liaison flights instituted by the War Office in 1951.

Flying Austers, they operated in such diverse areas as Korea, Malaya, the Middle East, Suez, Cyprus and BAOR in addition to the UK. During the eight years of operations members of the Regiment won a further 35 honors and awards.

(EDITOR'S NOTE: Following the war in Korea, the British Government decided in 1953-4 to form a 'Joint Experimental Helicopter Unit' (JEHU). It was established at Middle Wallop a year later to provide integral support to the army.

(In 1956 a Support Helicopter Flight from the JEHU was deployed to Cyprus to assist in defeating EOKA. When Colonel Nasser, President of Egypt, decided to nationalize the Suez Canal, the JEHU ceased to be experimental. Carried by HMS Ocean the unit was taken to the Eastern Mediterranean and participated in the first amphibious airborne assault on El Gamil by ferrying Marines to the dockside. As the number of troops on the ground grew, they quickly completed the operation. The landing of the whole Commando was completed within two hours.

(The value of the helicopter was proven but the army was ill equipped to maintain such a force and so the Support Helicopter role was given to the RAF. However, it was also decided that the army's aviation assets, in the form of the remaining AOP and GPR elements with their Auster 9 aircraft, should be reformed into what is today's Army Air Corps.

(On 1 September 1957 the AAC joined the Order of Battle of the army with the primary roles of providing support in the form of observation and reconnaissance, artillery fire control, limited movement of men and materials and liaison. A number of additional roles soon evolved such as Forward Air Control, radio relay and so on. The AAC soon established itself as an indispensable supporting arm.)

1915 Flight - Winter 1956

FLIGHTS, which were numbered from 1911 onwards, were incorporated into existing AOP squadrons and many of their achievements have been recorded in squadron archives.

However, the story of the youngest, smallest and least well known flight, 1915 Independent Light Liaison Flight, was never formally recorded and this is perhaps a final opportunity to set the record straight.

1915 Flight was formed in March 1956 under the command of Captain JAF Morton with Captains O J Lewis and me making up the complement of pilots. Its aim: to provide support for UK forces in Cyprus in the action against Colonel Grivas and EOKA.

It was planned that the flight would operate three aircraft, initially out of Nicosia, and co-locate with 1910 AOP Flight already established there.

Armed with the news that their equipment would be waiting in Nicosia the whole flight flew out to Cyprus courtesy of BEA* on 3 April.

Expectations were high, but soon dashed, as the War Office had made no provision for the flight's Austers. Indeed it was some months before they all materialized and then aircraft had to be shared with 1910 Flight.

Luckily the ground equipment and vehicles were to hand and personnel were accommodated at Kykko Camp in Nicosia.

Pendaya Golf Course - used as a landing strip for Xeros.

INITIAL flying consisted of familiarization with the island and the airstrips from which we were to operate: Xeros, Limni, Paphos, Coral Bay, Episkopi, Limassol, Larnaca and Famagusta. It appeared that nearly all the strips were sited crosswind: rumor has it that they were selected by SASO Middle East Air Force during the one month of the year when the prevailing wind did not blow.

A new landing strip was selected at Famagusta.

Each of the eight strips presented a different challenge from Xeros, where the first hole of the local golf course was pressed into service, to Famagusta, where a football pitch with power cables at one end presented a distinct challenge, particularly if a passenger was at all overweight.

June 1956 signaled the arrival of the Flight's first aircraft, followed swiftly in July by the second and third. Now the combined total of eight Austers proved too many to operate from the small area the Army had been allocated and the RAF provided us with our own airstrip at Lakatamia, a disused airfield some five miles south of Nicosia.

Lakatamia, isolated and difficult to protect, was not ideal since the strip was curtailed at one end by a large bomb dump while the other was guarded by several tall aerials belonging to a Foreign Office radio relay station - but it was ours!

FROM Lakatamia, in addition to the normal liaison tasks, in an effort to keep the local populace on side, the Flight was required to fly sorties to warn villagers of impending operations in their local areas.

One Auster was fully equipped for this role having a black box almost filling the rear cabin and two large loudspeakers, one mounted under each wing. A jump seat was provided for the operator to sit on while using the microphone.

All this paraphernalia played havoc with the performance of the Auster VI and so it had been fitted with the more powerful Chipmunk engine and a metal propeller. The small battery and wires, charged by a wind generator and laughingly called 'the electrics', were replaced by a full blown 24-volt system. Nevertheless, it was still underpowered and the rear seat operator was soon replaced in favor of a suitable tape recorder.

As usual each aircraft arrived in its own wooden crate. The Auster box was large enough to provide both a flight planning area and a crew room, so a suitable flight operations base could be set up. While the resulting complex was comfortable, it was not wholly satisfactory.

WITH EOKA becoming increasingly active the Flight's aircraft were in constant demand and it became clear that some of the strips in use needed to be substantially updated.

This, coupled with several take-offs in hot weather narrowly avoiding contact with the bomb dump, resulted in several improvements being undertaken in the interests of safety.

First the football pitch at Famagusta was abandoned and a new landing strip selected on a road to the east of the town; the road to Episkopi, which had to be cleared by the RMP each time an aircraft was scheduled to land, was to have a custom-built strip nearby; and last, but not least, a new base for both flights was to be built north of Nicosia at Kermia.

Aircraft dispersal at Kermia.

AFTER several abortive attempts to construct a main runway at Kermia, using materials left over from 1945, the plan was abandoned and a tarmac surface was laid. Delighted to have a custom built 400-yard strip and a makeshift crosswind strip as well, the flight moved in with much enthusiasm.

Alas, the main strip had been treated with fine chippings to prevent the tarmac from melting in the hot sun and the Auster's propellers sucked up the grit. It only took a few takeoffs to erode their protective covering exposing the wood beneath.

The base at Kermia, 1956 - main runway still under construction - crosswind strip in use.

THE runway was abandoned and operations began using the crosswind strip only until repairs could be effected. By this time Captain Lewis had left for the UK and had been replaced by Sergeant T Driver. In addition Sergeant Peters had taken over the duties of flight administration from Sergeant Nickerson.

Increased EOKA activity meant much greater chance of ambush on the roads and flying senior officers all over the island kept us busy. In addition there were reconnaissance sorties, leaflet dropping over particular areas, and, of course, sky-shouting (See 'The Man Who Talked to Grivas'.)

Two incidents reminded us of the rugged nature of much of the land over which we flew: an engine failure over the Troodos mountains necessitating a stretched glide to Limassol strip; and the loss of a propeller from which the pilot executed a skilful landing despite the effect on aircraft center of gravity.

Subsequently, practicing engine failure over Mount Olympus, gliding for range, took one pilot over a group of EOKA setting up an ambush. Powerless to take direct action, the terrorists had disappeared by the time a patrol had been directed to the scene.

Refueling at Galounapetra

TO give us some 'teeth' in this type of situation, bomb racks were fitted to two aircraft. Each carried four 20lb bombs, which were released by means of Bowden cables.

Pilots placed little faith in this system. Although easy to aim, returning to base with all four-bomb releases operated, but one bomb still in the rack did not instill too much confidence. To our relief they were never used in anger since the staff could not agree on suitable rules of engagement.

Firmly ensconced at Kermia, the flight was kept extremely busy throughout the following year. The promised new strips at Episkopi and Larnaca materialized and the high availability of aircraft spoke volumes for the efficiency of our RAF maintenance crews.

In short, the Flight was operating efficiently, was highly thought of by the Staff and morale was at an all time high.

It was too good to last.

July heralded two major events: A violent dust storm wreaked havoc with the Kermia location resulting in the total disappearance of our canvas maintenance hangar and news of the disbandment of the Regiment at the end of August prior to the formation of the new Army Air Corps. Those saddened by the end of this story should take heart with the joyous.

Gloom descended on the whole flight. Spirits of the RAF crews lifted a little with the discovery of our hangar some two-miles away near the Kyrenia road. but there was nothing to brighten the horizons for the rest of us. The 31st of August marked the passing of the Regiment.

ON 1 September we removed the coveted regimental flashes from our uniforms, exchanged our red berets for navy blue ones and drowned our sorrows in an emotional wake.

At a stroke we had changed from a proud, close knit regimental unit to a motley crew of differing regiments and corps - a situation that was not finally resolved until the selection of the Army Air Corps permanent cadre in 1959.

* For the younger element, British European Airways (BEA) merged with British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) to form what is now British Airways (BA).

Goodbye to 16 Flight

Farewell to Cyprus

MAJOR Adrian Palmer adds his memories of 16 Flight AAC, which was first formed in 1958 within 656 Light Aircraft Squadron as a Recce Flight.

He writes: The Flight was disbanded on 1 April 1962 but immediately reformed in 653 Light Aircraft Squadron in Aden, moving to Malaya in September 1962 with the QRIH as one of the trial RAC pre-integration recce flights. In late 1964 it was re-designated 4 RTR Air Troop as part of the integration scheme and was subsequently moved from Ipoh to Seremban. The Air Troop was closed down during the withdrawal from the Far East in the late 1960s.

The Army Air Corps' presence in Dhekelia came into existence in January 1959. At Dhekelia there were two flights, 10 Recce Flight and 15 Liaison Flight. Both operated Austers, which explains why today there is a short, 390m runway at 16 Flight. The flights operated under the overall command of 653 Squadron HQ but, in early February 1961, when 15 Flight and 653 Sqn HQ left for Aden, 10 Flight was left to conduct the flying duties in Cyprus.

The Austers had been replaced with Skeeters which in turn were replaced with Sioux in April 1966; significantly increasing the flexibility of the Flight and its ability to support the Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs).

During the integration period the Flight was renamed the Infantry Air Platoon but this only lasted two years and on 24 October 1969, under AAC centralization plans, the platoon was renamed 16 Flight AAC. The Flight was fully independent and came under the direct control of HQ British Forces Cyprus.

Forbidden fruit: Ayia Napa, a playground out of bounds

IN 1978 the Flight was re-equipped with Alouette Mk2 aircraft, which had been extensively used in support of the British Army of the Rhine. The Alouette was very reliable but its low speed meant that moving around the Island took considerable time.

Therefore it was decided to replace the Alouettes with the much faster and generally more capable Gazelle AH1. In November 1988 four new Gazelles arrived and started operations in Cyprus, two of which are still on the Flight's inventory.

The primary task of 16 Flight was always to help preserve Britain's strategic interests in Cyprus by providing aerial recce information and internal security support in and around the SBAs. In addition, tasks include exercise support (both on and off Island), assistance to SAR, casevac and fire fighting and communications/liaison flights.

The Flight also provided 'Hot and High' courses for aircrew, technicians and ground crew, providing invaluable experience in operating helicopters at high altitudes and temperatures - as well as a chance to get a sun tan and do some water sports!

Dhekelia Garrison celebrates the Queen's Golden Jubilee

Following a long and distinguished history in Cyprus, 16 Flight became non-operational on 1 April 2003 and subsequently disbanded.

After closing down, the Flight's history was stored in the Museum of Army Flying where it remains.

It may be that in the future the name 16 Flight is once again appended to an Army Air Corps Unit. Hopefully a stand can be put together (along with artifacts from the UN Flight based in Nicosia over the period 1964 to 1994) depicting operations in Cyprus.

Flying frolics

PETER Higgins remembers: Those days in Cyprus were sometimes hair raising times flying as passenger/observer with Auster pilot Captain Mike Grove RA, then with 1910 Recce Flight based at Kermia Camp, Cyprus during the hectic years of anti-EOKA operations in 1956-1958.

Mike Grove was a long-standing great personal friend with whom I had previously served in Malaya in the 1st Singapore Regiment RA in 1950-1953.

In early 1954 I attended 101 AOP course at Middle Wallop, but due to bouts of airsickness, which I was unable, to overcome, failed to achieve my wings. However, later on I was able to enjoy straight and reasonably level flying in a Piper Tri-Pacer with the Kenya Police Air Wing while I was serving in the Kings African Rifles at Nauru in Kenya.

Then, in 1956, I arrived in Cyprus and was reunited with Mike Grove, flying with 1910 Flight on special operations with an independent Gunner Battery. Naturally, we were both keen to restart our adventures again, some of which certainly broke the flying rules of the day.

For example - unauthorized landings, low flying, carrying illegal passenger and broadcasting (accidentally) our flight conversation of the previous night's party activities on the RAF Air Traffic Control net, to give but a few!

Of course we did not come out of these activities totally unscathed. Mike had to appear before a Group Captain RAF to explain his low flying (over Famagusta beach) and why he negligently jammed the Cyprus Air Traffic frequency with our Saturday night party revelations of who did what to whom.

He also had to explain to his Flight Commander how, on one flight, the passenger who I delivered as a male was revealed as a female in male attire on their arrival back at Kermia.

There was also an unauthorized landing that we arranged that did not escape the wrath of an Army Staff ranking officer. Whenever I knew Mike was to fly in my area of operation, I would contact him by radio and, if it were at all possible, I asked him to pick me up to return to Kermia as my own HQ was not far from the strip.

This would save me from a longer and often more hazardous journey by road. I would recce a suitable landing site, often a straight road, and on this particular occasion, it was the main road connecting Nicosia to the Karpas peninsula just NE of Ayios Theodoros.

I positioned my vehicle and escort to control any road traffic and waited for Mike's imminent arrival. Unfortunately, on this occasion, it coincided with the arrival of a senior officer and party.

'What the hell is going on here?' asked the officer.

I explained that I was waiting for the arrival of an Auster, which had been arranged to collect me. Before I was drawn into a long debate to explain this unauthorized act, Mike landed.

I hastily disengaged myself from SOP and rapidly made off to climb into the Auster, with the now angry SO's shouting: 'How in hell does a mere captain get this sort of service that I'm denied'?

Needless to say, there were a few ruffled feathers to smooth after this, but fortunately it was explained away by our sympathetic Commanding Officer on the grounds we had showed great initiative.

All these misdemeanors, however, did not leave Mike without some sanctions, although they did not curtail his flying. In fact, they did not impede his military career at all. He eventually became Defense Attaché to the British Embassy in Tokyo. Unfortunately, he contracted motor neuron disease and died in 1996, not very long after we had enjoyed an Army Air Corps Association dinner at Wattisham.

As for me, after these Cyprus adventures, in 1964 I was re-established with the Army Air Corps and appointed Adjutant of 656 Squadron AAC in Kluang, Malaysia, then Staff Captain Air with HQ Wing AAC in Borneo and Singapore. Finally retiring in 1972 from 3rd Regiment RHA in Colchester.

A pilot dies
by the editor

DURING the EOKA conflict, the Army Air Corps suffered one fatality. The pilot was Captain T D G Mulady, The Queen's Regiment, 653 Squadron, Army Air Corps.

On 8 December 1958, Captain Mulady's aircraft struck overhead power cables and crashed in flames about 30 yards from where Royal Horse Guards Corporal Jeffrey Marklew was standing besides his vehicle with Trooper David Baxter.

The official record states that 'Marklew immediately ran into the flames to rescue the pilot but he could not open the door of the aircraft and was blown away from it by an explosion of burning petrol. Undaunted he again entered the blaze shouting encouragement to the pilot and tried to pull him thorough the window.

'This he was unable to do, because the pilot's clothing, drenched with burning petrol came away in his hands. Corporal Marklew then leaned into the cockpit through the window and took hold of the pilot under the arms and, with Trooper Baxter pulling, succeeded in dragging the pilot from the aircraft.'

Captain Mulady, however, slipped from their grasp and rolled under the burning fuselage, the official continues. Although by now suffering from burns, 'Marklew plunged under the tail plane and pulled the pilot out of the flames for a second time. He then continued to make every effort to tear off and extinguish the pilot's burning clothes until further assistance arrived.'

Unfortunately Captain Mulady died of his injuries a few days later. For his 'fortitude and bravery, an inspiration to those who witnessed his gallant actions', Corporal Marklew was awarded the George Medal. Trooper Baxter received the Queen's Commendation.

That's where the story would have ended, but for another account I found a postscript on the Veterans in Prison website.

Here a Lancashire Fusilier writes about how his actions that fateful December day in 1958 were ignored in the official version of events.

This is his account:

'B COMPANY, under the command of Captain Wilson - seconded from the SAS - was carrying out road blocks of vehicles coming and going into Nicosia. Just as we stopped a bus and were getting all the passengers off to search, a small plane came low towards us. The pilot must have been very interested in what was taking place on the ground, because he circled and came back for a second look. Unfortunately he came in too low, hit overhead electricity cables and touched the roof of the bus.

'The plane lost speed and I knew it was not going to gain height, so before the plane crashed in a nearby field, I threw my rifle to the ground and started running towards it, even though I had been trained that the rifle was my best friend - and to lose it was a serious offence.

'Before I reached the crashed aircraft two Royal Horse Guards in a scout car - who were on reconnaissance with B Company - reached it first. They were standing by the aircraft's open hatchway, but could not get inside because of the flames.

'I don't know what possessed me, but I jumped into the blaze and reached the pilot. He was still in his cockpit and barely conscious. He told me to leave the plane before it exploded. I took no notice and pulled him out of his seat. He was so badly burnt that his skin and wristwatch and strap came away in my hand. Unknowingly I put the watch in my pocket and dragged him to the door, where the troopers were waiting.

'The three of us carried the pilot away and were still carrying him when the plane blew up. Captain Wilson and B Company saw what we had done.

'I went to the British Military Hospital in Nicosia with the pilot to have my minor burns treated. On our way the pilot repeatedly requested to see a priest. He was in a terrible condition.

'After we reached the BMH, I remember very little, except that my burns were dressed as I sat by the pilot's bedside. The doctor was a lieutenant and the pilot again asked him to get a priest. The doctor appeared to ignore the pilot and insisted instead that I tell him my name and those of the two troopers. He next demanded the pilot's name, rank and serial number to which the man replied: 'I am the Adjutant of Acquateria.' Now the doctor told a nurse to get him a priest.

'The two Horse Guards, who had been waiting outside, drove me back to my battalion.

'Next morning, while checking the combat trousers that I had worn the night before, I found the pilot's watch in one of its pockets. Immediately I took it to Captain Wilson. He told me the pilot had died at midnight. Nothing was said about the rifle I had left behind.

'A few weeks later, the two Horse Guards came to see me. They said Captain Wilson had recommended them for the George Cross. They were surprised when I replied that to the best of my knowledge I had not been recommended me for anything.

'They suggested we went together to my OC to describe what had taken place. I refused, as I still had not completely recovered from knowing that the pilot had died despite all our efforts. One of the troopers said that had the pilot survived, it would have been due to me. He added: "For what you did that day, you should get a VC."

'That was an exaggeration, of course. We had all tried to do our bit. Had the aircraft blown up a mere few seconds earlier, all of us would have been killed - with the pilot.

'A month later, B Company was disbanded and I was transferred to A Company. Captain Wilson was posted back home to the UK.'

(EDITOR'S NOTE: During the Cyprus Emergency - 1955-1959 - the Army Air Corps in the Island consisted of:

* 1010 Flight; Auster AOP.6; Nicosia, Lakatamia, Kermia; September 1955 to 01-09-1957.

* 1915 Flight; Auster AOP.6; Nicosia, Lakatamia, Kermia; 04-04-1956 to 01-09-1957.

* 653 Squadron; Auster AOP.6; Nicosia; September1957 to 1960.

(Since its formation in 1957 the AAC has played a significant part in all British major operations and campaigns - from Malaya and Cyprus in the 1950s, Borneo in 1962, Northern Ireland from 1969, Rhodesia/Zimbabwe in the late 1970s, The Falklands in 1982, Kuwait in 1990, and the various Balkan conflicts through the 90s. At the start of the 21st century, the Corps was still in Northern Ireland. Today the AAC is in Iraq and Afghanistan.

(Traditionally, the carrying of a Guidon or Color remained the exclusive privilege of those who fought face to face with the enemy - the Cavalry and the Infantry.

(On 10 May 1994 in recognition of its role on the modern battlefield, Her Majesty The Queen was graciously pleased to authorize the grant of a Guidon to The Army Air Corps, and the emblazoning of Honors on it.

(The Guidon bears the Corps badge as the main device, with the AAC monogram in two of the four corners. The remaining corners show the badge of the Glider Pilot Regiment and that of the Royal Regiment of Artillery, to commemorate the founding constituents of the modern Corps. Emblazoned are the Theatre Honors awarded to the Army Air Corps: 'Falkland Islands 1982' and 'Gulf 1991'.

(The Guidon was formally presented to the Corps on the 10 May 1994 at Middle Wallop by HRH The Prince of Wales.

(For permission to publish parts of this article, I am grateful to the authors - Lt Col (Rtd) J F Tippen AAC, Major (Rtd) Adrian Palmer AAC and Major (Rtd) Peter Higgins AAC, the copyright holders, whose work appeared originally in various issues of the ACC Newsletter, and the Regimental Headquarters of the Army Air Corps.)

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