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Memories
of Contributed
by Trevor STUBBERFIELD 52A Libyan Extras Continued. Photos
and comments by John Doggett, Royal Engineers. 22 Field
Engineer Regiment, Gialo Barracks, Tripoli. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Editor’s
note: |
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When rain fell in the mountains, it flowed down and across the
plains in the normally dry wadii, which could very
quickly become raging rivers, and then out to the coast. On this occasion, it coincided with a
torrential downpour over the Gialo area and the results are captured in these
remarkable photos by John Doggett who was stationed in Gialo Barracks, as was
‘The Editor’. Several related photos have been included and are individually
attributed. |
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(236) 30-10-57. Gialo
Barracks main gate. |
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(232) 29-10-57. Road flooded at the corner of the camp. Libyan police arrive to relieve the officers
on point duty’ |
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(228) 29-10-57. Wadi filled with rain water crossing the road near the
camp. |
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(230) 29-10-57. Flooded
roundabout at the corner of the camp.
Road to the right leads to the beach. |
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(229) 29-10-57. Road
closed at the roundabout by the corner of the camp. |
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(233) 29-10-57. Heavy
traffic at the roundabout. |
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(093) 29-10-57. Red Cross in
trouble. An Austin K2 Ambulance
belonging to 38 Coy. R.A.S.C. |
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(094) 23-10-57.
Civilian vehicle stuck in the wadi. Top right gives an idea of the width of the
wadi which had been scoured out by many years of
floods. |
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(026) Vehicle park of 22 Field Engineer Regiment, Royal
Engineers. The buildings to the right
can be seen in the next photo. Photo by
Trevor Stubberfield, 52A. |
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(025) Workshops of the L.A.D. R.E.M.E. attached to 10th. Arm’d Div, Royal Signals Regt. Photo by
Trevor Stubberfield, 52A. |
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(14-02) Across the road, in the Gialo Annexe, the downpour
caused considerable damage to the buildings of 19 Arm’d
W/S. R.E.M.E. Photo by
Tony Burton R.E.M.E. |
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(1008-02) It wasn’t only the buildings that sustained
considerable damage. Photo by
Tony Burton R.E.M.E. |
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(211) 18-10-57. Local labour clearing the square of the flood
water before a parade. |
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(095) 29-11-57. The
rain stopped and the delayed O.C.s inspection took place. The formation flash
is a white triangle with red border on a khaki background denoting the 1st.
Infantry Division. This was the farewell parade for the return of the
regiment in December to the U.K. and Chiseldon near Swindon. ______________________________________________________________________________________ |
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Editor’s
note (2): |
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Rule 1: If there are any signs of water in the wadi, do not cross.
Many who did not believe the ‘old wives tale’ were later recovered,
dead or alive, with the remains of their vehicles. The text extract below gives a graphic illustration
of what the power of flood water could do. |
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David
Baines. R.A. In 1947,
Baines was serving as adjutant with 74 Heavy Anti-Aircraft Regiment RA in
Libya. On the night of October 22, near Homs, a civilian bus loaded with
Arabs ran off the road into a wadi or ravine which
was flooded after a cloudburst. Baines was one of a rescue party which
arrived at 20.00 hours on a tractor. By this time the bus was overturned in a
torrent about 10 yards from the edge of the road. Eighteen Arabs were
clinging to the bus. Four others had been swept downstream and two of these
were 120 yards away and holding desperately to some rocks. After the Arabs in the vehicle had been
rescued by means of an improvised ropeway, Baines floated a lifeline to the
two nearest Arabs. He rescued one. The other was washed away by the strength
of the current. When all attempts to float a line to the two remaining Arabs
failed, Baines dived into the river. He was tied to the bus with one rope and
carried another, but he was still 50 yards from the two men when he reached
the end of his rope. He tried to float the other line to the men, but this
failed and he made the perilous return journey for more rope. Several times
he disappeared under the water but eventually he got the line to the men and
they were slowly pulled against the current to safety. When the rescue
operation ended at 0300 hours, Baines had been in the water for more than
three hours. |
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The report above is an extract from the Obituary for Brigadier
David Baines M.B.E. who died on the 1st of March 2018. Copyright © and the source is acknowledged as The Daily
Telegraph. |
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Published:
1st May 2018. Latest
Update: 15th May 2018. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ |
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