One from a few years ago

Hi,
I have just discovered this forum. I was a second pilot in 511 Squadron, RAF Lyneham from July 1952 to January 1953, when my National Service was completed. Apart from the usual continuation training, I did three paratrooping detachments at RAF Abingdon but only two overseas trips. The first, in September was to Aden with WJ337 skippered by F/L Burgess; the route was via Idris (Tripoli) and a overnight flight across the Sahara to Wadi Seidna (as Khartoum was temporarily closed to four engined aircraft. We returned by the sme route.
The next trip was Operation Sterling. Four aircraft WJ332; TG601; and TG556 together with either TG571 or WJ328 took part. We flew first to Idris and then to Fayid, where we arrived from the north in formation before peeling off (it must have looked quite impressive from the ground) to land. At Fayid we picked up troops, I think they were the East Lancs Fusiliers, to ferry them down to Kenya for operations against the Mau Mau insurgents. We stopped for refuelling and a meal at Wadi Seidna, before going on down the Great Rift Valley in the dark to arrive at Nairobi. One of the aircraft diverted to Entebbe with some sort of trouble, so we had to go over the next day to pick up their passengers. We then returned to Fayid, loaded up with the East Lancs equipment and went down to Nairobi for the second time. On one leg we invited an Army captain to the flight deck; I got out of my seat to let him see what it was like "up front". It became apparent that he was desperately searching for an intelligent question to ask, then it came; he pointed to the undercarriage lever and asked "Is that the lever that trnsfers the drive from the wheels to the propellers on take off?"
If anyone is interested I have a copy of the nominal roll of air and groundcrew who took part in the operation.

John Payne          

TG510 at Katunayake 511 Sqn courtesy of Chips Rafferty c1958-60