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Memories
of Libya
1956 to 1959
Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A
Libyan Extras Continued.
Photos by
David Croton R.E.M.E.
LAD REME 38
Coy RASC
Prinn and Medenine
barracks were homes to the L.A.D. attached to 38 (MT) Coy. R.A.S.C.
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The three photographs below were taken at
38 Company R.A.S.C. Tripoli. The self-propelled gun and the two half-tracks
were used in the film ”Ice Cold in Alex”. They were on "the other
side" hence the German markings.
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R.E.M.E. of 10th. Arm’d
Div. captured the ‘German’ self-propelled gun and posed proudly in front of
their ‘spoils of war’ just before the division was disbanded.
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Desert weather oddity. The half-tracks
are standing in water which was the result of a sudden torrential downpour,
totally unexpected, that the ground couldn't absorb. Not sunshine all the
time.
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Prinn Barracks was also home to the
Royal Military Police of 10th. Arm’d Div. as seen on the boards
below.
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Land Rovers of the 10th Arm’d Div. Provost Company, Royal Military Police. Photo probably taken after ‘Operation
Musketeer’, originally designated ‘Operation Hamilcar’, had been
abandoned. The front vehicle still
appears to have the white ‘H’ recognition sign on the tilt which had not
been altered from the original operation.
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1957 was a year of change, illustrated by
the RMP photos below.
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10th Arm’d Div.
Provost Company, Royal Military Police Land Rover, Unit Flash 43 as per the
signboard above, and Formation Flash the White Rhino. To the right a Morris MRA with the ‘H’
recognition sign on the tilt.
Through the windscreen, an Austin K9, also with the same ‘H’.
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Royal Military Police Land Rover which,
with a pot of paint and transfers, had morphed into Tripolitania District
when 10th Arm’d had been disbanded. For a while it was quite common to see
Rhino flashes driving the Dhow of Tripolitania and vice-versa.
If it had wheels, tracks, weapons or
wings, REME got to play with it. The
Army Air Corps had just been formed and servicing and maintenance was
handed over by the RAF to become the responsibility of REME. This provided the opportunity for
interesting trips out to Idris Airport at Castel Benito, just south of
Tripoli, to visit 8 Independent Recce Flight. One spectacle was the mounting of ‘Exercise Quickstep’
when plane spotters could have a field day.
1957 also saw the welcome return of the
families who had been evacuated back to the U.K. in a panic measure. Life soon settled back into a familiar
routine for those who were seen as the garrison troops.
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A Morris MRA leading
the Scammell Explorer astray.
The Morris MRA
struggling over some rough terrain.
The Scammell Explorer
struggling over some rougher terrain.
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3 Day Recreational Scheme.
To keep the troops happy and minds
occupied, short exercises were arranged where a few vehicles would set off
to visit areas where you would not normally get a chance to visit. These
photos were taken on a 3 day trip to Ben Ulid and
the mountains in the region. Obviously it was a photo opportunity for the
new-fangled Scammell Recovery 6x6 which we had recently taken on strength.
However, the Scammell had a surprise of
its own to deliver. Back at base, as it drove into the LAD there was a very
loud bang, sounds of compressed air escaping and dust and debris flying
everywhere. Grinding to a stop the driver was very surprised to see one of
his rear wheels, still attached to the brake drum, carry on past his cab
and go bowling down the LAD forecourt. Luckily it came to rest without
doing any damage.
Evidently Pickfords,
who used a similar vehicle for heavy haulage in the UK, had experienced the same
situation. Their fix was to
fabricate a large spanner with a handle about 10ft long with which to apply
sufficient torque to hold the bearing nut in place. Very primitive but
that’s the solution we adopted until the backroom boys came up with a more
secure method of locking the nut in
place.
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First
Published: 1st June 2008.
Layout
Revised and Updated: 15th October 2017.
Latest
Update: 1st June 2018.
  Libyan Extras
Continued.
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