East Indies Cruise Plan Aden Berbera Yemen Border Pakistan Persian Gulf Tour Tour of India
At dusk, on October 17th, 1957, in a heavy sea mist, H. M. S. Gambia slipped anchor from her moorings and proceeded, between the misty mudbanks of the Medway to the English Channel.
Although the general atmosphere which pervaded the ship that night was one of sadness, as officers and men thought of families and friends whom they would not see for another year, this was somewhat alleviated by the knowledge that we would be spared the rigours of the winter at home, and were exchanging the grey skies and windswept quays of Rosyth for the azure and gold of the Indian Ocean.
For the next three days we headed down the Channel and across the Bay of Biscay, fortunately calm for the time of the year, and passed down the coast of Portugal close enough to see the mouth of the Tagus and the city of Lisbon.
On the morning of the 21st, Trafalgar Day, we actually passed through the very waters the battle had taken place over 150 years previously.
Later the same day we entered Gibraltar in bright sunshine, very conscious of our white knees in unaccustomed shorts. Although we only stayed a few hours to fuel, most of the ship’s company took the opportunity of a quick run ashore; for some their first taste of "going foreign"; for others, an eager seeking out of old haunts.
We left Gibraltar the same night, and headed East across a mirror-like Mediterranean under a star– encrusted sky. The next few days were idyllic – blue seas and brilliant sunshine, under which our pale bodies hardened and browned.
On the 24th, we passed close by Malta, unable to call in, to our disappointment of many. The anti-aircraft armament was exercised against a sleeve target, and a helicopter brought off some long awaited mail.
Late on the evening of the 26th, we anchored for a short while of Port Said, and a few minutes after midnight we led a convoy of tankers and cargo vessels into the Canal, the first large warship to do so since the incident of the previous year (The Suez Crisis).
Sunday, the following day, was spent on passage through the Canal, observing the desert and its inhabitants, both animal and human, with great interest. At midday, there was a very welcome pause for a swim in the Bitter Lakes; many who swallowed the accidental mouthful here can vouch for the aptness of this name.
Towards the evening, we left the Canal and entered the Red Sea. Here, although the heat was oppressive, we were lucky enough to enjoy a fairly cool head wind, instead of the seasonal following wind, which mitigated the atmosphere a little.
During the passage through the Red Sea we anchored for a few hours off Kamaran Island, a port of call for many Mecca-bound pilgrims. While the Captain paid a call on the British Resident ashore, all available hands touched up the ship’s side.
The following day we entered Aden Harbour after a voyage of about 5,000 miles, and began our preparations to become the flagship of the East Indies Station.
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The Ports of Call for this cruise were planned well in advance. The photo below lists all the intended Courtesy visits. Three sub-cruises had been intended and they were: -
Despite the best laid plans of mice and men, and according to Lower Deck gossip, around this time when H.M.S.Gambia was visiting a small island called Rodriguez in the middle of the Indian Ocean, revolution was reported afoot in somewhere in the Middle East and "The Good Ship Fred" sped off to Mombasa to collect troops and ammunition. (There was a 4 hour refuel stop en route at Mauritius).
The scheduled East African Cruise, including Courtesy visits to Mauritius, Seychelles, Mombasa, Dar-es-Salaam and Zanzibar, never happened.
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(Article extracted from the ship’s magazine – written by Lt. Cdr. A. I. R. Shaw, M. B. E.)
Gambia arrived in Aden on the 16th. December, 1957, there to spend three weeks and to enjoy such pleasures as that rocky stronghold had to offer, which compared with those of other places we had visited previously this commission, Rosyth included, were not inconsiderable. At least, we had ample opportunity to buy presents for families and friends at home, and at most, we were able to accept the ample hospitality of other Services and the civil residents of the Colony.
The spirit of Christmas settled upon us during the evening of the 24th. When a party of carollers, including some of our own carol choir, came aboard to charm us with their singing. They were enthusiastically received on the boat deck by a great number of our ship’s company. Later a large launch cruised around the harbour carrying another choir of carollers, making a beautiful sight and sound on that warm starlit night.
A well attended midnight service of carols and Holy Communion, held on the quarterdeck by Kenneth Evans, our Padre, ushered in Christmas Day, for many of us our first spent at sea. Come the morning, while our thoughts were mainly with our families at home, we indulged ourselves in all possible ways. Messes were decorated, goodwill visits exchanged between departments to the accompaniment of many and varied toasts, and a traditional dinner was enjoyed by all, despite the 95 degrees temerature throughout the ship. The C-in-C and Mrs. Biggs, with the Captain, toured the ship, adjudged the Petty Officers’ Mess the best decorated, and duly presented to the President, Petty Officer Tansley, a large Christmas cake. As a token of the spirit of Christmas, this cake was later to be found in the Juniors’ Mess,the gift of the Petty Officers.
Later, Vice Admiral and Mrs. Biggs and the Captain dined in the Wardroom admidst general hilarity, and the C-in-C himself greeted Father Christmas, as he arrived by boat, with a monumental one-thunderflash salute.
Dinner over it was time to relax, and what better place to do so than on one of Aden’s sandy beaches. There many of us resumed normal routine by spending the afternoon sleeping in the sun; dreaming perhaps of a White Christmas.
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(Condensed from an account by J.M.C.G. in the ship’s magazine)
H.M.S.Gambia was due to pay a visit to Berbera on the East African coastline en route from Aden to Trincomalee in Ceylon (now called Sri Lanka). By noon on the 6th January, 1958, with Gambia on her way to the firing range for a 6" shoot. After the shoot, two whalers with crews were dumped and left to their own devices with sails, provisions, communications and resourcefulness – instructions "Sail to Berbera"
On the morning of 7th. January, one of the whalers crew, A. B, Ray received by the 622 radio set, a telegram announcing the birth of a daughter. The arrival of Miss Ray was celebrated by the broaching of the, as yet, untouched beer supply.
Just before noon a Shackleton aircraft was seen far astern, making a fruitless search for the whalers. During the afternoon, the aircraft found the whalers and was able to give the crewe of the whalers a precise fix on their position and to inform Gambia of their whereabouts. The whalers had covered 43 miles in 24 hours – not good, but all we had then, was a force 3 breeze
That evening the wind rose to force 5, the sails were reefed and at 0415, the African coast was sighted and half an hour later, landed on a beach. At dawn the first whaler discovered that the 622 radio was U/S. The second whaler had beached across the bay 3 miles away. The wind had now dropped and it was some time later that day before both whalers were together.
As the tide had receded, there appeared a short line of rocks across what had been our landfall course, but an unbroken reef which stretched from one side of the bay to the other became visible.
Although, ever since leaving the Gambia, a course had been steered well to the East of that required to make good, the prevailing currents and the N.E. wind had, we surmised, carried the whalers far to the leeward, and before continuing the journey it was clearly prudent to find out on which side of Berbera the whalers had landed.
A little exploration during the day, and a night sleeping ashore with sand and breeze using an impressive structure of oars, blankets, flags and hammocks, the crews succeeded in keeping out both sand and heat. By 0730 the next day, the crews struck camp and re-embark at high tide to rejoin the Gambia in Berbera. Seven knots in a whaler under full canvas is an exhilarating experience, coupled with the boats’ behaviour on the crossing from Aden, bears out the feeling amongst both crews that given food and water, a whaler can be ‘left to get on with it’ under almost any condition.
Members of the Expedition
First Whaler Second Whaler
J. M. C. G
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Ten officers were invited by the Commanding Officer, R.A.F.Khormaksar, to pay flying visits to Lodar and Mukeiras, two "towns" in the Aden Protectorate very close to the Yemen border.
The party arrived at the airfield at 0830 to bebriefed on the flight, and to have explained the problems of maintaining the Aden Protectorate Levies in the field. Valleta aircraft are used for this purpose. They are twin-engine "maids-of-all-work", and carry everything from Government Officials. Levies on draft, Medical cases, food, stores of all kinds, animal;s of the similar breeds (e. g. sheep and goat but not (R) not camels, to Naval Officers in Tropical Rig! The terrain inland is so difficult that supply by land is very slow and laborious, and always subject to attack from venturesome tribesmen when the route lies near the border and "attractive" stores are being carried.
It was a sunny day, with some clouds at 10,000 ft., and for experience the pilot took the "bad weather" route up the Wadi Hassan to Lodar. This winding wadi lies to the East of Aden. It runs inland between jagged ridges of volcanic rock, with many smaller valleys entering from both sides. It was a thrilling experience to be flying at 120 knots, below the level of the ridges, and to bank around the bends with the inner wingtips apparently only a few feet from the sharp rocks. Even at this time of the year, the river still had water running, and many large pools were in evidence. The line of green vegetation spread outwards from the river-bed, and could be seen extending much further where wells and irrigation channels had been constructed.
We arrived at the Lodar airstrip an hour after taking off. This airstrip is a level part of the desert that has been swept clear of large stones and rocks, and lies about a mile from the town itself. We were met by Lt. Anderson, of the former R. A. F. Regiment, who took us to the A. P .L. camp before showing us around the area. The Officers’ Mess was in a square tent, which had been made reasonably comfortable, and while we were drinking tea, we could hear the workmen chanting as they built a dry-stone dyke round the camp. As they chanted at two different rates, enquiry was made, and a rough transalation was given. When a heavy stone is being lifted to the top of the wall, a slow chant, complete with suitable grunts and gasps of effort, is made, to the effect that "Allah will help us! Allah will help us!" As soon as the stone is raised and the strain removed from the workmen the chant changes to a faster one, to the effect "We did it without him...! We did it without him…!" Such is human nature!!!
As the Political Advisor was on tour with his escort at Levies, Lt. Anderson took us to meet the Assistant P.A. who answered all our questions. He was an educated Arab who impressed us with his quiet air of efficiency. He introduced us to the Police Superintendent who showed us over the local Fort...any small boy would have felt at home in it at once! From the top of the tower one could get a very good view of the surrounding countryside.
The more modern "town" of Lodar lay about a mile to the West, and is built of mud bricks, stone and mortar, with some buildings of concrete. These buildings lat at the foot of a small rocky hill, on top of which, there were four large, square castellated, four-storied stone buildings. The top one was occupied by the Sultan, and the lower ones by his relatives. The small town is built around, and extends from, the central Square, at one corner of which is thefort-like gaol. We saw a prisoner sitting outside the gate with iron fetters on his ankles, and we were told that he was a hostage from one of the neighbouring tribes. In the middle of the Square was a Ferguson tractor with plough attachment. This contrasted strongly with the primitive methods of cultivation we had seen outside the town, and is part of the agricultural policy to improve the output of crops. Already, the words "cawbage", "caulif", "tomat" and "teem" (‘sweet’ for orange, ’sour’ for lemon) have been incorporated into the local language, as they did not have any equivalents before. There are no roads or pavements in or around Lodar and transport is by foot, donkey or camel. The crowd that gathered around us, men and boys were poorly dressed but very cheerful, and very willing to have their photographs taken. One tall, fierce-looking warrior, said to be "on holiday" from the Yemen, cheerfully demonstrated in the middle of the closely packed crowd, just how he would destroy his enemy with downward slashes of his jambia, or curved knife, that every man carries in the middle of his waistband. That none of the audience was slashed is still a mystery! This man also carried the much-prized silver-bound rifle, and bandolier filled with polished brass cartridges. In this area, a gun costs about 150/- and a wife costs the same!
We drove on, past the old village of mud stones and cadjan huts, to see the wells and irrigation canals that are so essential to this agricultural scheme. Fortunately there is a good underground water supply which is easily reached. Much ploughing is still done with a wooden plough, as in Biblical times, but modern methods are slowly coming in, as more tractors become available on "on-hie". Round one of the wells was a large orange grove with green and yellow oranges on the trees. Guarding the grove was a small boy, sitting in a large nest of rags on top of an old tree. One of the officers asked the Assistant P.A. if he could pick an orange. The A. P. A. replied, "Certainly", adding that his uncle owned the grove. Although the officer appeared to be out of sight of the nesting guardian, no sooner had he picked the orange than the small boy let out a yell, and was down from the tree and round to the scene of the "crime", and he took a lot of convincing that valid permission had indeed been given. He strongly disapproved of the whole business!
It was now time to fly on to Mukeiras, on top of the high plateau, which is over 6,700 ft. in these parts. The Valetta soared easily over the perpendicular, jagged cliffs that lay about five miles to the North of Lodar, and a quarter of an hour later we had landed on the airstrip. Here we were met by Major Stamp and three of his officers, and an escort of Levies in two scout cars. The ubiquitous Land Rover took us up a rocky track to a look-out post on a hill two miles away, which overlooked the Yemen. On arrival at the hilltop, the Levies immediately took cover behind a dry-stoned dyke, which was used as protection from stray bullets. Two of the officers from separate hills carried out an observation sweep over the Yemen territory. It was interesting to listen to them conversing over the R/T, and one realized that one was listening to two well-trained and keen young men who were thoroughly enjoying their Active Service.
Major Stamp told us of a prolonged battle fought about here last Sunday. The local tribesman had engaged a Yemen tribe in rifle fire all morning, at a reasonably safe range. They were eventually persuaded by Major Stamp to withdraw at least some distance back, thereby enticing about forty of the Yemen onto a convenient hillside, where they were pounded by a 75 mm. Field gun from in front, and by the scout cars from the flanks. After several hous of fighting, four Yemen were killed and some wounded. One Levy was wounded. This illustrates the difficulty of ever achieving a decisive result in this wild country and against such wiry and wily opponents. It is regrettable to have to add that the Yemen "blotted their copy book" that afternoon, by shooting a field-worker long after the battle was over. The tribesmen usually stain their clothes, hands and faces with indigo, which makes them very difficult to see against the rocks. On the way back to the airstrip, down the steep, rocky and bumpy track, the Major remarked that this was the main road, and that a bus travelled over it every week! He also told us of the scenes which had occurred a short time before, when it was decided to recruit volunteers for the Levies from the local tribe, for the first time. Seventy were finally selected from the three hundred volunteers, but the Major and the local Sheikh, together with the fortunate seventy, were besieged in the local fort for some hours by the angry, stone throwing, disappointed two hundred and thirty. Regular food and pay, uniform, a rifle and ammunition and the chance of fighting make service in the Levies very popular.
On our way back in the Valetta, it was possible to see extensive areas of the plateau under cultivation, usually with a central green strip denoting the source of the water supply. We quickly crossed over the Lodat plain and returned by the Wadi Hassan route. Approaching Aden, we had a good view of the saltpans, looking like a draughts-board, and of a slim, grey cruiser in the distant harbour
For four brief hours, we had been in a totally different world, and returned with a much greater appreciation of the problems to be faced and overcome by the Army and Royal Air Force in the Protectorate of Aden.
J. M.
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