By a Special Operator

TRAINING:

Early in 1961, after three tours of flying on Nos 230 Sqn (Flying Boat), 220 Sqn and 205 Sqn (Shackletons), I was on a ground tour at RAF Hullavington as an instructor, teaching u/t (Under Training) Air Signallers, u/t Air Electronics Officers and Air Signallers on the Advanced Air Signallers Course. I had been instructing for about eighteen months when a notice appeared on Station Routine Orders (SRO's), asking for volunteers, who had completed at least two flying tours, and the Advanced Course, to apply for training as Special Operators on Squadrons under the direct control of No 90 Group (Signals). No details of what the job would entail were given but initially all applicants were required to attend RAF Watton for interview, assessment and suitability. If successful, and subject to security clearance and a decompression check, you would then be posted to RAF Watton for a five-year tour. As I was beginning to tire of the classroom and "Chalk and Talk" I applied, and shortly afterwards travel warrants and a movement order arrived for me to attend for interview. There were about twenty of us who had applied and the interviews went on for the whole day, after which we were told to report back to our units and that we would be informed of the outcome in due course. It was about two months later that I received notice that I had been accepted for training and was given a posting date and joining instructions for the Special Operators Training Section at RAF Watton.

When I arrived in the Sergeants Mess at Watton I met four other SNCO's who were also joining the course and the following day after completing our arrival on the Station we went to the Training Section and were joined there by the one Officer who completed our course. The six of us were the only personnel on the course and we were told that on completion we would be posted to No 51 Squadron, which was equipped with two Comet IIR aircraft, and six Canberras. Our course was scheduled to last twelve weeks, the first six being in the classroom and the last six flying in the sections two Varsity aircraft. We settled in to the Mess and for the first two weeks of the course we were pounded with radar theory. We still didn't know what our job was eventually going to be and members of the Squadron who lived in the Mess were not at all communicative about what they did on the Squadron. There was another Squadron based at Watton, No 115, and they were equipped with Avro Lincolns. We soon learnt that the Spec Ops on that Squadron were operating radar jamming equipment and that most of their flying was conducted against the various Early Warning radar stations around the coast of Britain.

At the end of our two weeks of radar theory we were informed that provisional security clearances for us had been received and we were introduced to the equipment that we would be operating in either the Comet or the Canberras. This was all American equipment and for the next four weeks we learnt Block Diagrams, frequency coverage and how to use all the different black boxes. We now knew what we would be doing as the equipments were all receivers, capable of analysing radar signals from Metric radars through "L" Band, "S" Band, "C" Band, "X" Band up to "J", "K" and "Q" Band. In other words virtually the complete radar spectrum as it was then. The equipment was also capable of D/F (Direction Finding) on individual radars and we were taught how to plot the positions of these radars on a chart showing the aircrafts course and timing points.

We learnt how to measure "Pulse Widths", "PRF's", (Pulse Recurrent Frequencies. Now more often referred to as PRR, (Pulse Repetition Rate), and scan patterns using the equipment and how to recognise different types of radar from the "Audio" patterns of the PRF's. We also learnt that the radars we were most interested in were all from the Soviet Bloc and we spent hours listening to tapes of different Soviet radars until we could almost recognise individual types of radar from their scan patterns and PRF's.

At the end of our six weeks in the classroom it was time to put all our training to the test in the Varsity aircraft. We would take off from Watton and head out to sea and then fly a course parallel to the Eastern coastline, searching for and D/F'ing any radars that we intercepted. Because of its small size, one of the Varsity aircraft was fitted out for "L" and "S" Band radars and the other for "X" Band. Most of the Early Warning radars were in "L" and "S" Band and we were soon producing plots that gave an accurate position for each of the Early Warning radar sites. It took us about two hours to fly from Watton to the north of Scotland so we would land at RAF Kinloss for lunch and to refuel and then do the same thing on the return trip. This would allow the six of us to work in pairs, one doing the search and the other the D/F and then to swap over so that we all spent an equal amount of time on all the equipments. In the Varsity equipped for "X" Band we would fly up the centre of the country, again landing at Kinloss for lunch, or down to St Mawgan in Cornwall. The following day would be spent plotting and analysing all our results. Also, fitted in each aircraft was a tape recorder that was capable of recording the audio from all the radars that we intercepted and by playing these tapes through the laboratory equipment we could check just how accurate our airborne analysis was.

After four weeks of flying we were all becoming quite expert working in the Varsities and we were then told that for the next two weeks we would be detached to RAF Gutersloh in Germany and that whilst there we would fly parallel to the ADIZ, (Air Defence Intercept Zone), and would be able to listen to and plot the Russian radars sited over the East German Border. These trips were called "Baby Crawls" and were our first insight as to what we would be doing in the Comet and Canberras once we were assimilated on the Squadron. As our trips in the Varsities were only flown at eight thousand feet we could not look very far into East Germany but in the "X" Band Varsity we did manage to record our first Russian AI, (Air Intercept), radar from an East German fighter patrolling the border.

We returned to Watton on the Wednesday of the second week and on the Thursday morning we had a complete wash-up on everything that we had done throughout the course. We were told where our weaknesses and our strengths lay and we were shown our confidential reports that would be passed on to the Spec Op Leader on the Squadron. One of the other members of the course had been recommended for specialisation on "S" Band radars and I had been recommended for specialisation on "X" Band radars. In the afternoon we were visited by two men from the "Ministry" who informed us that we had all had our security clearances upgraded to that necessary to work on the Squadron and we were given a lecture on the need for security and what would be expected of us regarding security on the Squadron. On the Friday morning we were taken to No 51 Squadron hangar and shown over the two Comets (XK655 and XK659) and the Canberras and how all the equipment was laid out in each aircraft. We were told to report to the Squadron after lunch for interviews with the Squadron Commander and the Spec Op Leader and to collect our security passes for the hangar.

The interview with the Squadron Commander was very brief; mainly to welcome us to the Squadron and wish us well in the future but the interview with the Spec Op Leader was much more in depth where he went through everything that had been written on our confidential reports and how he thought our future on the Squadron would progress. He agreed that I should specialise on "X" Band radars and said that, whenever possible, I would be paired up on that position. After our interviews we went to the crew room where a barrel of beer and food had been laid on to welcome us.

OPERATIONAL:

Our first few flights in the Comet were training flights mainly to familiarise us with the layout of the equipment in the aircraft and the way the whole system worked. Because of all the aerials that were mounted in the skin of the aircraft, and carried in the canoe suspended below the fuselage, the aircraft was only cleared for partial pressurisation. Consequently, when the aircraft was at thirty-seven thousand feet the cabin pressure was around twenty-five thousand feet. This meant that as we climbed through ten thousand feet we had to go on oxygen and remain on oxygen until we descended at the end of the flight. There were twelve positions in the aircraft, six down each side, and each position could accommodate two persons. In addition to the operators there were also two supervisors who looked after the tapes and all the recording equipment. The front-end crew was the normal Transport Command crew of two pilots, two navigators, a signaller and an engineer. Our training flights were very similar to those that we had flown in the Varsity except that we would take off from Watton, fly up the east coast to the north of Scotland, then down to Lands End and then back to Watton; a round trip of approximately six hours. This was done for a purpose as most of our operational flights were between six and seven hours in duration and we needed to get used to working on oxygen for that length of time.

After about four weeks of just flying on training trips on the Comet we were included on the crew list for our first operational sortie, which was a "Crawl" down the full length of the ADIZ and back and was primarily to update the positions of known radar sites and to find any additional sites that may have been put in place. I was doubled up on the "X" Band position and our brief was to search for Fire-Control radars that were associated with SAM sites as well as monitoring the AI, (Airborne Intercept), frequencies for Eastern Bloc aircraft. We were also to record any new signals that we might hear during our search that emanated from the East. The day after landing we would plot all our results on a chart provided by one of our navigators and the positions obtained would then be compared against previous results. The Canberras were used mainly for these flights against specific targets as well as being used jointly with the Comet as "Probes".

We would leave Watton and climb to height, (normally around thirty-seven thousand feet), and cross Denmark on an Easterly heading to pass between Sweden and Germany until we were about twenty miles from the Polish coast. We would then track northeast and then north to remain twenty miles off the coast towards Finland. When we came abeam the Gulf of Finland we would reverse course and fly back but adjusting our flight path to pass just twelve miles east of Gotland. We were briefed before each trip as to what we were looking for - at that time it was usually new or relocated SAM Sites - and on "X" Band we continually monitored the AI frequencies. We would usually pick up our first AI as we passed north of Poland and by the time we turned northeast and then north we would have picked up an escort of one or two Soviet fighters. (Usually Mig-17's or Mig-19's, but occasionally Mig-21's and Yak-28's). As we proceeded further north our escort would change and we would check carefully that no attempt was being made to "Box" us in. On many of these trips a Canberra would also be used as a probe. The Canberra would take off from Watton and proceed at high level until crossing the Danish coast outbound when it would descend to low level. It would then proceed towards the Soviet Bloc coast and pull up to high level when about ten miles from the coast. The timings would be arranged so that the pull up to high level would coincide with the Comet being in the same area. The theory was that this sudden "Pop Up" contact on the Soviet radar would induce them to possibly switch on further radars that would then be intercepted by the Comet. The Canberra would then reverse track and recover to base independently. Our orders were that if the fighters showed any hostility towards us we were to turn immediately on to a westerly heading and recover to base over flying Sweden and Denmark. In the six years that I was on the Squadron we were never chased out of the Baltic, unlike some other places that we operated in, but more of that later.

The Squadron operated very loosely as two flights. When one aircraft was away on detachment the other aircraft would carry out all the base duties and training. One of these duties was a three-day detachment to Bodo, north of the Arctic Circle in Norway. This was the land of the "Midnight Sun" and for nearly six months of the year our trips from Bodo would be in daylight irrespective of the time of day and likewise for the other six months of the year would be in complete darkness. Transit to Bodo was undertaken covertly and the aircraft was parked in the secure aircraft park away from prying eyes. Only one trip was flown from Bodo and the timings for this trip were varied each month both during the winter and summer months. Our route varied slightly each time from that shown overleaf but in general was very similar. Only one pass was ever made and we were under radar surveillance from the Norwegian radar situated at North Cape, at the very top of Norway, for the whole trip. The Americans, who also carried out this type of radar reconnaissance with B-47 aircraft had lost one of their aircraft, (believed to have been shot down), on an earlier occasion in this area but that aircraft had reversed track at the northernmost point and was returning on a reciprocal track when it had disappeared from the Norwegian radar.

Murmansk was the headquarters of the Soviet Northern Fleet and many of our intercepts were of shipborne radars but Novya Zemlya, (Arkhangel), was one of the two main Soviet testing grounds for new SAM Systems and new Fire Control Systems, (the other being the Sevastopol Peninsula in the Black Sea), and was a source of many new intercepts.

Whenever we flew from Bodo on this route there was always a flurry of activity from the Soviet radar sites and we were regularly acquired by Fire Control radars and by the search elements of the SAM Sites but there was very little air activity and Soviet fighters never intercepted us. We heard the occasional AI but it was always at long range and was of a type that we knew. Occasionally the SAM radars would lock onto us but only for brief periods. We were convinced that they quickly recognised what we were up to and closed everything down once they were convinced that we were no threat to them.

During the winter months the outside air temperature at altitude was in the region of -50(C and because of the partial pressurisation the temperature inside the aircraft wasn't very much higher. For these trips we were issued with Arctic Parkas and fleecy lined underwear to wear under our flying overalls but even with these it was still extremely cold working in the aircraft. The floor of the aircraft got so cold that if any hot coffee was spilt on the floor it turned to ice almost immediately. We used to hook our feet up on top of one of the black boxes under the rack to try and obtain a little warmth from the equipment. It wasn't very much but it did provide a little bit of comfort. We were always glad after we had landed to soak up the heat in the sauna in the Mess. Our accommodation with the Royal Norwegian Air Force was excellent. All the buildings were double-glazed and heated by steam from a central boiler house. The blankets for our bedding were contained in a linen cover and this was our first experience of Duvets. Food was another thing! The Norwegians seemed to live on a diet of fish and cod liver oil. They put cod liver oil on their cornflakes at breakfast and lunch was always a fish dish. For dinner there would be fish soup followed by either a fish or reindeer main course and a sweet that was usually mostly raw yoghurt. We managed to convince the powers that be to allow us to eat in the airfield restaurant where we could obtain the kind of food that we were more used to at home.

As we were only there for three days it wasn't too much of a hardship and the results we obtained were well worth the small inconveniences. The Norwegian servicemen made us very welcome in the Mess and providing we weren't flying that night they treated our visits as an excuse for a party. They also organised outings for us during the summer months to show us the splendour of some of the local fjords and visits to local villages where the main occupation was woodcarving and furniture making. During the winter months everywhere was icebound but a few of the more hardy members of the Squadron did try their hands at sledging and skiing.

Our main detachment every other month was to the Middle East. We would fly as a normal Transport Command aircraft from base to El Adem in Libya, but from there we would transit covertly to Akrotiri in Cyprus. We would spend three to four weeks in Cyprus but sometimes, we would deploy to Teheran for a few days, or to Sharjah in the Trucial Oman States. Our trips from Akrotiri were mainly conducted in the Black Sea with the occasional flight flown against the Soviet radars sited in Egypt. Our trips from Teheran were all flown in the Caspian Sea. The Sharjah flights were working transit trips made so that we could look along the northern and southern borders of Iraq. Separate sorties were flown along the eastern border. The maps below and overleaf show the typical routes that were flown on these flights.

By far the most productive of any of our flights were those flown in the Black Sea. We would take off from Akrotiri and climb to height crossing Turkey under Diplomatic Clearance and then approximately follow the course shown on the map. The timings of these trips varied, by night and by day, and were flown in both clockwise and anti-clockwise directions. Similarly, the flights along the Egyptian and other Arab countries borders were varied in time and direction but were never flown on a Friday, as this was their Sabbath.

One of the security requirements of the Squadron was that we were not allowed to tell anyone where we were going on detachment, including our wives, but they soon got to know as we would pack KD, (Khaki Drill), for our trips East and cold weather clothing for our trips to Bodo. Also we were not supposed to write home until we had been away for three days, and letters from the wives had to be delivered to the Squadron Headquarters for onward posting to us. As we were normally briefed for a detachment a good week before we left the wives knew where we were going so used to write to us c/o the Mess at Akrotiri.

During the summer months at Akrotiri nearly all our spare time, when we were not flying was spent on the beach during the afternoons and in the bar in the Mess in the evening. The mornings were spent recovering from the after effects of the previous evening and normally meant a walk to the NAAFI Shop, which had it's own café, for a pint of ice-cold milk. In the winter, although the weather was still warm compared to the UK, trips were organised to take us up to Mount Troodos, where we could borrow skis and sledges and try our hands at winter sports. January was always a good month to go to Akrotiri as it was the height of the citrus fruit season and for a pound it was possible to buy a basketful of Tangerines, Oranges and Grapefruits from the local plantation to bring home. Cigarettes and Spirits were rationed but as we lived in the Mess and were temporarily on the strength of the Station we had no problems with getting our Duty Free allowance to bring back with us.

Sharjah was situated about ten miles north of Dubai and the RAF detachment was built around an old fort that was used by the "Cable & Wireless" personnel who ran the airfield. During the summer months the temperature rose to over 120(F coupled with a humidity of 100%. Our ground crew, who travelled with us, were only allowed to work outside on the aircraft for a maximum of twenty minutes at a time because of the temperature and the humidity, and we spent most of our spare time in our air-conditioned accommodation until the sun went down and it was comfortable to venture out. The big problem came when we were scheduled to fly in the heat of the day. A mobile air cooler would be fed into the front door of the aircraft and kept running until after we had started the engines and were ready to taxi. But even with this, by the time we had taxied to the runway, we would all be like grease spots until we started to gain height. Then, as we climbed, the temperature would drop rapidly until at height we would all be putting on extra clothing to get warm. During the winter months, it was still very warm during the day but the humidity was less and at night the temperature dropped to almost zero.

Sharjah was a very small Muslim town ruled over by the local Sheikh. No alcohol was allowed to be taken off the Base but the Sheikh regularly visited the Mess in the Fort with several of his wives, completely covered from head to toe no matter how hot the weather, and always left with a case of spirits. The town was "Off limits" to us on a Thursday as this was punishment day and all punishments were carried out publicly in the Town Square. These ranged from floggings for violating another man's wife to hands being cut off for theft. The punishment for murder was beheading! On the odd occasion when we spent more than a couple of days at Sharjah we would get a taxi to take us into Dubai to the local bazaar but we never felt really safe there and always went in groups of at least four. We were always glad to leave and get back to Cyprus. Fresh water in Sharjah was only for drinking. All showers and washing was with salt water and we found that the only way to get a lather was by using either shampoo or a local soap called "Vel" to shower with.

After I had been on the Squadron for about eighteen months one of the specialist "X" Band Operators was posted and I moved into his slot permanently. I had thought after a year of requesting a move to the Canberra's but the Spec.Op. Leader said that I would be better employed on the Comet. I did fly the odd sortie, but only when I was covering for one of the regular operators who was on leave. My partner, and I quickly developed our own system of working together so that our task was achieved without the need for a lot of inter-com chatter between us, which allowed more time for recording, and D/F.

Early in 1968, there was a major reshuffle in the organisation of the RAF. Bomber, Fighter, Coastal and Signals Commands were all amalgamated to form Strike Command. Transport Command became Air Support Command and a lot of the smaller airfields were scheduled for closure. Watton was one of these airfields and we were posted en-bloc to RAF Wyton, four miles outside Huntingdon and the home of Nos 543 "Victor" Squadron and No 321 Canberra Squadron. Our sister Squadron at Watton, No 115, was disbanded, and the Spec. Ops joined us on No 51 Squadron. Since 90% of the Squadron was married and living in Married Quarters there was a period of about twelve weeks where we were commuting whenever possible between Watton and Wyton whilst we waited for Married Quarters to become available at Wyton, but once we had all settled in we much preferred our new Base and the extra facilities which the "V" Bomber crews already enjoyed but which had not been available to us in Signals Command. We were now entitled to pre-flight and post-flight meals in the aircrew "Feeder" situated in the Operations Block, also our safety equipment and flying clothing was stored and looked after for us by the Safety Equipment Section. When flying helmets, oxygen masks, oxygen tubes and Mae Wests were required for servicing or inspection these tasks were all automatically carried out for us. Our "In-Flight Rations" were also provided from the Aircrew Feeder and were much better than we had received at Watton.

On one of our detachments to Akrotiri, we were tasked to fly a night sortie in the Black Sea with a Valiant "V" Bomber of 543 Sqn acting as a high level probe for us. Routes, timings and heights to fly were all briefed about two hours before our scheduled take-off time and afterwards we all went for a pre-flight meal together. During the meal we noticed one of our Spec Ops going round the crew of the Valiant giving each of them a little white tablet and telling them to keep it safely tucked away in a pocket in their flying suits. When they asked what it was for he very nonchalantly replied that this was their "Lethal Pill" that was to be taken in the event of their being forced down over Soviet Territory. He explained that all the Comet crew already carried theirs as a matter of routine but would collect them up at the end of the trip at our post-flight meal. The flight went off without any untoward interference and at the post-flight meal the tablets were all collected from the Valiant crew and replaced in a small medicine bottle. Then, to the horror of the Valiant crew, the Spec Op took out two of the tablets and proceeded to pop them in his mouth and chew them. Needless to say they were harmless saccharin tablets but it took the Valiant crew a long time to live down the fact that they had been spoofed.

In December 1963, the Squadron was tasked to fly a sortie against Borneo. This meant flying out to Singapore under the guise of an Air Support Command aircraft and then pre-positioning covertly at Labuan in North Borneo. We flew out the normal Support Command route of Base to El Adem, in Libya, then on to Aden where we rested for a day before flying to Gan, in the Maldives, and then to Tengah in the north of Singapore Island. We stayed at Tengah for a couple of days before flying covertly to Labuan where we stayed overnight. The following day we took off from Labuan and flew down the east coast of Borneo before turning southeast and proceeding to Darwin in northern Australia. We spent almost a week in Darwin being burnt by the sun and eaten alive by the flies. The RAAF were our hosts for our stay but were a bit "miffed" that they were not allowed to see inside the aircraft. We carried our own ground crew with us and they did everything necessary to turn the aircraft round ready for our flight home. Whereever we went it always caused a stir as the aircraft handlers weren't used to seeing a Comet arrive and about fifteen aircrew, all in flying kit, pour out of the front door. Darwin at that time was a bit of a frontier town; the main highway from Alice Springs was under construction and the town was full of people working on the highway. The bars in town were doing a roaring trade dispensing beer through what looked like a petrol pump nozzle. Our accommodation on the base was very basic. Darwin was not geared up to accommodate some thirty SNCO's and Officers, consequently we were crammed in three to a room that was designed for a single person. We were glad when we were invited out to some of the permanent staffs' quarters. Their houses were all built on stilts with the car garaged beneath the house but all the doors and windows had gauze screens, which kept the flies at bay. Whilst we were at Darwin a couple of the crew managed to travel down to Alice Springs but they were only there for a day as they spent four days travelling, two down and two back. We left Darwin and routed back via Singapore, Gan, Aden and El Adem as per an Air Support Command aircraft, arriving back at base just two days before Christmas, just in time to have our Christmas break before starting on our detachment cycle once again.

About the middle of 1964, we were told that we would be getting another Comet, XK695, but this aircraft would be completely fitted out with British equipment. Some of the equipment had been provisionally installed in one of the Varsity aircraft for evaluation but had been a mix of some British and some American. The new Comet was to be fitted out completely with all British equipment. By this time I was the most experienced "X" Band Operator on the Squadron so I was tasked with carrying out all the evaluation flights along with other Operators experienced in the other Bands. This meant that we missed all the detachments for about three months while minor adjustments were made to the equipment and we were satisfied that it could be operated efficiently. The biggest difference with the new equipment was that whereas we had worked in pairs previously, we now worked completely independently, doing the search and analysis as well as the D/F. Those of us who had spent most of our time working in pairs were not convinced that this was a step forward as we had become so used to that method of working but the new operators who were joining the Squadron had only been instructed on the new equipment and seemed to settle in quite quickly.

In December 1964 we were once again tasked to fly a sortie against Borneo but this time we were also to fly a sortie against Indonesia on the return trip. We routed out exactly the same as the previous year, and in one of the original Comets, but this time we were accommodated at Darwin in a local hotel. Conditions were much better in the hotel than they were on the base and for two days we lived like lords. It was steak for breakfast, steak for lunch and just for a change a large T-bone steak for dinner. All the meals were served with salad and a choice of roast, boiled, or chipped potatoes. Our rooms were all air-conditioned with wire grills to keep out the flies and other insects, and the staff of the hotel treated us very well. This time we only stayed at Darwin for two nights before departing, flying south of Indonesia en route to the Cocos Islands. This small group of islands in the Indian Ocean was administered by Australia and was staffed by local Malays and about forty Europeans, mostly Australian, some of whom had their wives staying with them on the island, and all stores were brought in by supply ship. There were two air traffic controllers who manned the tower on the airfield on a prior notification only basis and most of the Australians were either first or second generation Australian. We were made very welcome, as we were the first and most British visitors they had had for a long time, and we were billeted in small lodges along the seashore. Food was supplied in the clubhouse close to the airfield and was as good as we had eaten in the hotel in Darwin. As we were staying for six days and because it was so close to Christmas they decided that they would hold their Christmas party whilst we were there. We helped with the decoration of the clubhouse and on the evening of the party all arrived with a balloon tied to one ankle! This started, what they said, was one of the best parties that they had ever had, and we all staggered off to bed at about five o'clock in the morning. Not to be outdone by our reference to their all being convicts they invited us to go fishing with them later the following day, which we readily accepted, but their idea of fishing and ours was totally different. Instead of a rod they used a jeep and the hook and line was a meat hook spliced on the end of a steel hawser with the other end firmly attached to the jeep. Tied to the hook was a large piece of meat, which was dropped over the edge of the coral reef. It wasn't very long before the wire tightened and then the jeep was driven inland pulling with it the shark that had been silly enough to take the bait. After we had hooked three sharks it was time to pack up and take them back to the clubhouse where they were turned into our meals for the following day. Swimming in the sea was definitely out. The twenty-seven coral islands that make up the Cocos Islands are in the shape of an atoll. There were sandy beaches leading down to the coral and then about fifteen yards of coral reef that was covered at high tide but this abounded in Stone Fish which are deadly poisonous. There were also hundreds of hermit crabs that could be heard scuttling across the coral at low tide. Being only twenty-eight degrees south of the equator, there was very little tidal change but enough to reveal the coral when the tide was out. The chief product of the islands is copra, which is harvested by the local Malays and then shipped to Australia for processing. Christmas was rapidly approaching so we left on the morning of the twenty-second, planning to fly two legs each day. We flew to Gan first where we refuelled and then on to Aden where we night stopped. The following day we flew from Aden to El Adem, refuelled and then flew back to base. As we were flying mainly in a westerly direction we were gaining time all the way but the temperature difference was what hit us most. In two days we had gone from temperatures in the high nineties to an ice-bound Britain but at least we were home in time for Christmas Eve.

Early in 1965, my partner on "X" Band was posted and I had a new partner for the flights in our original two Comets. The new Comet, XK695, was now operational and looked identical to the other two except that it had round windows instead of the square ones fitted to XK655 and XK659.

In May we were once again on detachment to Cyprus to fly a series of sorties in the Black Sea. The first couple of trips were uneventful, apart from the usual escort of Soviet fighters and this had always been standard on our trips, but in the third week of our detachment we noticed that the Russians were becoming more aggressive in their intercepts and instead of just accompanying us on our route, were starting to buzz us and make very close passes to us. We put this down to a bit of over zealousness on the part of the fighter pilots but on a subsequent flight all seemed fine from take off until we entered the Black Sea. It was the middle of the day and the sky was crystal clear without a cloud in sight. The first indication of anything out of the ordinary was the AI that we started to pickup on the "X" Band receiver. This was the latest known version that was fitted to the Tu-28, one of the newest fighters to enter service, also, it wasn't just one radar, it was about six different radars that seemed to be coming from all directions. We were also picking up an increased amount of ship borne fire control radars that were locking on to us. In view of all the activity it was decided that we would amend our track and fly the east-west leg further south than had originally been planned. Even so, it was not long before we were completely surrounded by five Tu-28 fighters who were indicating that we should follow them to a Soviet Air Base. The fighter pilots were indicating that if we did not comply with their instructions they would force us to follow them. My partner and I were keeping the aircraft Captain informed of the positions of all the fighters that he could not see and he instructed the whole crew to strap themselves in and be prepared for some violent manoeuvres. As the fighters started to become more aggressive the Captain suddenly cut the power and deployed the airbrakes, at the same time putting the aircraft into a steep diving turn to the south. Our actions took the fighters by surprise and by the time that they had turned and started to come after us we were rapidly approaching Turkish airspace.

They made several fast passes in an attempt to turn us but we held our course and maximum rate descent until we approached the north Turkish coast where we levelled off and took stock of our position. As soon as we were in range of base we notified them of our actions and after landing were fully debriefed on the incident and were told that we had most likely unwittingly flown into the middle of a Soviet Air/Sea Exercise taking place in the "Russian Lake", as the Black Sea was known. We flew back to base two days later, only to face another intense debriefing with, "Men from the Ministry". That was the last trip that was flown by the Squadron in the Black Sea up until the time I left the Squadron. We still continued with our detachments to Cyprus, Teheran and Sharjah, but these were never as fruitful as our previous flights.

For the rest of 1965 I was paired with another operator, who was being schooled to take my place when I was posted at the end of my tour on the Squadron, and in January 1966 I was told that my posting had come through and that I was being posted to the Radar Research Flying Unit at Pershore, near Worcester. In my five years on the Squadron I had spent two and a half years on detachments and had flown over one thousand hours on operations in the Comets. It would be nice to spend more than two months at home without having to go away.

Most men are earthbound - but those who fly, touch the sky