Major excercise 1967 Libya

I am trying to find someone else who was on exercise in Libya 1967..if I remember we flew from Düsseldorf to El Adam airport where we were involved in major desert exercises'. I was there when the Israeli/Egyptian 6 day war was on. Shortly after we were told to leave by King Idris. We were  based in Timimi and had to drive all the way to docks at Tobruk. Loaded the ships then to Malta for a week R and R then back on the ship to Naples. Then I was with the recovery vehicles at the end of the convoy as we set off driving the length of Italy to the Mt Blanc tunnel then into France and Germany.
The only vehicles that broke were the recovery trucks at the end and we finished 2 days behind the main convoy.
The reason is, i'm trying to find out if anyone can recollect this event as i'm putting together a book as when we got back to Germany I went home and got married 50 years ago this year.

Duty,
I was on one of the 'Battle Group' training exercised not long before you! This is where we trained with tanks/field guns, live firing, before we moved the training to Canada following getting kicked out of Libya.

Which Unit were you with. At the time I was with 32 Hvy Reg't RA Reme. We were a 175mm gun regiment in BAOR. In Libya we used 25 Pounder Field Guns. There were loads of Centurian Tanks taking part.

I'll try posting a few photos.

Alan

20130129134645_11 by Alan yates, on Flickr

Chatham camp, Libya by Alan yates, on Flickr

46 Battery, Libya, 'Fire' 2 by Alan yates, on Flickr

Alan,

Great, great photos.  Thanks for sharing.

Cheers,
Dan.

PS: Your photos on Flickr aren't available for public viewing.  Can this be changed?

Dan,
Please view again and let me know if photos can be seen or not.
Thanks

Alan

Alan,

Thanks for that. What's available on your Flickr account is the photo of Chatham Camp, two different photos of the battery firing, and three identical photos of the YMCA canteen on German autobahn. The photo identified as 20130129134645_11 is not included.

Personally I find info on the British Army in the '60s fascinating. Your photos are a unique view and of historical value. Thanks again.

Cheers,
Dan.

Here is the missing photo of 46 Talavera Battery Royal Artillery. Playing their part in the Battle Group in Libya, around 1969.


33086355145_dc49a0ac6c_c - Copy by Alan yates, on Flickr

20130129134645_11 by Alan yates, on Flickr

OK, just for Enigma:  What I wrote got missed in the mists! But what I wrote was as follows:

I arrived in Libya by sea from Cyprus on the Empire Petrel or the Empire Guillemot in January 1967 with some troops from Germany we camped at a place called Timimi under the command of a Colonel from a Scottish Regt (there was no Scottish regiment present) It was a confusing time setting up and I can't remember which units were there now.  I remained at the Timimi base right up until just prior to the outbreak of the Six-Day war in June that year.  During this time I saw the 2 Anglians, 1 Wessex, some artillery, 2 RTR, 14/20th Hussars plus their polo ponies and an assortment of other RAOC, Signals and REME - I was the longest-serving squaddies sitting in Timimi throughout my stay.   We had exploding 432s during uploading in Tobruk and a very singed gunner assigned to me as an "assistant" - he assisted in no way at all.   We were buzzed by a Royal Navy  Buccaneer which made a lot of the blokes think we were being attacked by the Egyptians, Russians or God know's who.  Also during this period the whole "Battalion Group" as they called themselves got struck down with the biggest case of diarrhoea I have ever witnessed.  To this day I am convinced we were "poisoned" as a test of what would happen if attacked with a chemical weapon.  By some strange coincidence, we had a Special Forces medic on hand who provided an instant cure for the condition. We had a bloke shot by accident on exiting a 432 and a REME bloke who blew his fingers off tampering with a 50mm round that was found laying around.  Loads of unexploded stuff was around from the war one of which looked very small and we all stood close by to watch it disposed of.  The resulting explosion was so big it looked like a nuke had struck and we were engulfed in enough dirt to build a hill!  I the week or so leading up to the Arab-Israeli war we had to "evacuate" Timimi and relocate to El Adem where we were NOT welcomed by the RAF.  All the kit was brought back and all the vehicles (Tanks etc)were brought into 10 Vehicle Company.  At this point, I was recalled to Cyprus!!  I had saved a barrow load of money and settled back into nice comfortable Dhekelia life until I was sent for and told that as I "knew the lie of the land" I was to go back to El Adem with a group from the Ord Depot and recover all the remaining kit while all the "troops from 2 Div Germany shipped out as they were a political problem being from Germany but in the Middle East... Politics.  We RAOC blokes spent all our time shipping the kit back to Cyprus to ship on to Germany in some cases and then boarded one of the Empire LSTs and set off back to Cyprus leaving what was there to be disposed off.  We had even poured petrol on the 432 spare rubber tracks and set fire to them (on orders from above) and even drove armoured vehicles over toolsets paid along with the kerbstones.  All that was to remain in Libya were troops who were already based there.  So from the end of July 67, I have no idea what happened or was left or when the last British left Libya for good, But I can see from here that exercises started up again until, whenever.  The "babble" Enigma, was the link to a photo I had tried to post sorry to disappoint you.

Richard500...... do please tell us what your babble "B0120k" is supposed to mean. I think I 'know' you from an RAOC forum.... you 'did' Libya with 2RTR if I'm not mistaken. Thank you.

Richard,

I think your dates are 2 yrs out!   It should be 1969 for the last Training Exercise.

I was Op 'VITULAR' in July -Aug 1969.

Gaddafi took over in Sept 1969.

I think the Pull Out of British was end of March 1970?


Alan

More Info for those interested!



http://historicalrfa.org/archived-stories2/1487-the-army-and-raf-withdrawal-from-libya


Alan

Thanks Alan, however the account fails to mention my former Royal Signals unit that covered the communications for the withdrawal, a D13 (medium radio) detachment from B Tp 1 Sqn 14 Sig Regt (formerly 645 Sig Tp) based at Norton Barracks Worcester, normally airportable but this time by ship, departing the UK on the LSL Sir Tristram 6 Feb 70, a detachment from 30 Sig Regt arrived 13 Feb 70, based at RAF Station El Adem, switching off on the 28 Mar 70 and sailed on the LSL Sir Geraint for the UK via Malta and Gibraltar (Royal Signals records differ from the above account).  I arrived in Jan 70, however was on the other detachment that had just returned from Ulster, being among the first strategic reserve troops there at the very start of the troubles.

alan8376 wrote:

Richard,

I think your dates are 2 yrs out!   It should be 1969 for the last Training Exercise.

I was Op 'VITULAR' in July -Aug 1969.

Gaddafi took over in Sept 1969.

I think the Pull Out of British was end of March 1970?


Alan

No, I was in Libya from Cyprus arrived with the Empire Petrel in January 1967 until just before the six-day war. Arrived BACK in Libya at El Adem in July 67 for about a month and then back to Cyprus. Went initially with Ex Phantom Sail. The Exercise was based at Timimi and a brief stay near Derna. I was out the Army in 69.

Enigma wrote:

Richard500...... do please tell us what your babble "B0120k" is supposed to mean. I think I 'know' you from an RAOC forum.... you 'did' Libya with 2RTR if I'm not mistaken. Thank you.

jan67 - June67... short break and back in July for a month.
I was attached to several different units during my stay..... 14/20 Hussars ... 2 RTR.... Royal Anglians... Wessex Regt.... cant remember the others now. I can only imagine that BO120K is a predictive text type bollox!

alan8376 wrote:

Richard,

I think your dates are 2 yrs out!   It should be 1969 for the last Training Exercise.

I was Op 'VITULAR' in July -Aug 1969.

Gaddafi took over in Sept 1969.

I think the Pull Out of British was end of March 1970?


Alan

RichardB wrote:

alan8376 wrote:

Richard,

I think your dates are 2 yrs out!   It should be 1969 for the last Training Exercise.

I was Op 'VITULAR' in July -Aug 1969.

Gaddafi took over in Sept 1969.

I think the Pull Out of British was end of March 1970?


Alan

I have a photo of me in Derna.... the Flag of the Regt is flying near the ammo dump.