From Arctic Snow to Desert Sand Read online

  I watched as Lieutenant Hobson dropped his bombs. The eight of them demolished the wall and part of the gatehouse. I saw, however, that the Nanak lurched to the side. As he banked I saw that the gunner was not sitting upright. When he banked to pass me, I signalled for him to head home. His gunner was hit. I came in low from east to west and fired at the Dervishes who were trying to move the gun. I kept firing until there was no one near the gun. My bullets had also damaged the wheel so that it was lying at a strange angle. I rolled up over the wall to make a second pass. I heard the other DH 9as as they strafed the fort. I came in east to west. There was a second gate and men were fleeing through it. I fired at the door. By the time I had emptied the magazine, there were just wounded and dying men left. I waggled my wings and headed home.

  Lieutenant Hobson’s gunner was our only casualty. Captain Connor was waiting for me. “Hobson is a little upset about his gunner.”

  “I understand how he feels. Good gunners are hard to come by. Did he say what happened?”

  “An enterprising Dervish, apparently. He used a rope to throw a grenade into the air. It exploded just below the Nanak. Hobson saw the man but he was already beyond him. We took Jones to the Ark Royal. He has shrapnel in his legs. It will be some time before he is fit to fly again.”

  I nodded, “Get Jack to write his report as soon as he comes in and then tell me when you receive the reports from the Rifles and the Camel Corps. I will be in my tent writing my report.”

  “Sir, do not dwell on this. We have had one casualty. In Palestine, we had two or three every mission.”

  “But there you were fighting aeroplanes, tanks and troops with modern weapons. We are fighting men who go to war with a spear, a sword and a camel!”

  “But you said it yourself, sir, they are fighting men. It is what they were bred to do from the moment they could cling to the back of a camel!”

  I nodded, “I know but it does not sit well with me.”

  I went to my tent and poured myself a whisky. I had husbanded the bottle I had brought from Egypt but I needed it. I lit my pipe and closed my eyes. Gradually my breathing became easier. Ted was right. Jones would walk and fight again. Our enemies would not. We had one fort left to go and then this would all be over but I had had my warning. It would not do to underestimate our enemies. I would speak with my two colonels directly. I had an idea how we would take Taleh. First I would have Jack go with one of his pilots and overfly it. Photographs would have been perfect but we did not have that luxury. Instead I would have them draw what they saw. I would not be rushed into this attack. They were on the back foot and I intended to keep them there.

  Chapter 15

  I had Swanston take the reports to the Ark Royal by motor cycle. He seemed to enjoy riding it. When the reports came in from the colonels they were positive. Both forts had been taken and more prisoners were on their way back to our camp. I had no idea what we would do with them when this was all over. It seemed a nonsense to me that, having defeated them, we should just let them go. What was there to stop them fighting against us again? I would worry about that when the time came.

  That evening we made sure that Hobson was kept occupied. He seemed the type to brood and dwell on such matters. The three of us took him for a walk around the perimeter. It was a way for us to check the security but it also afforded us the chance to chat with the young pilot. It seemed to help. By the time we had got back he saluted, “Thank you, sirs. I appreciate that you took the time to talk to me. I realise that I was being foolish but Jones is a good man. I should have seen that Dervish.”

  “Hindsight is always perfect, Eric. Ifs and maybes are a luxury we do not have in the Royal Air Force. When we are in the air we make decisions in a split second. If we make the wrong one then we have to live with it. That is the key word, live. Learn from your mistakes but do not let them rule your life.”

  “I won’t sir. Thank you.”

  As we headed back to our tents I said, “I need you to give me as much information about this fort as you can, Jack. I don’t want to chase this fellow all the way to Timbuctoo!”

  Ted threw his stump of a cheroot away, “The thing is, that would be a perfectly satisfactory outcome, as it is half a continent away. I do not think that we can guarantee that we will totally end the threat of this Mullah, Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan. However, so long as we destroy his bases and his men we will have succeeded.”

  Ted had given me an idea how to kill two birds with one stone. I would sleep on it. I often found that my best ideas came when I did that. When I awoke it had worked. I knew what to do with the prisoners and how to ensure that Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan was no longer an issue.

  After breakfast, I had Sergeant Major Robson give every aeroplane a complete check. Lieutenant Hobson’s had holes in the fuselage. It was not being tended to.

  “Sergeant Major why is no one working on M for Mother?”

  “It didn’t seem urgent, sir. He has no gunner.”

  “But it is a bomber and we need every aeroplane we can get to finish the job. Besides he has a gunner.”

  “Who, sir?”

  “Me!”

  Leaving him dumfounded I headed to the admin tent. “I am going to pop to speak with the resident. I shall take a motor cycle. I won’t be long.”

  It had been some time since I had ridden a bike but one never forgot. I donned my goggles and flying helmet and zipped down the hill.

  The resident’s major domo, Ravi, hid his bemused smile behind his hand as he greeted me, “Wing Commander. Are you expected?”

  “Afraid not, is he busy?”

  “He will make time to see you, sir.” He held out his hand for the goggles and helmet. “If you would like to follow me, sir. He is in the garden with his secretary. He is dictating.”

  When I appeared the two of them started like guilty schoolboys and then St. John Browne stood and extended his hand. “This is a pleasant surprise, Wing Commander.” Then he frowned. “I hear you had a spot of bother after my party.”

  “Nothing we couldn’t handle, sir, and it worked out well. Had we not stumbled upon them then they might have done some damage to our aeroplanes.”

  Take a seat. Ravi, whisky and water for the Wing Commander and I.” Seeing him light a cigarette I took out my pipe. “Now then what can I do for you? I don’t think for one moment this is a social visit.”

  That made me feel guilty. He obviously yearned for company and we were just a few minutes up the road. “In the next few days I intend to bring to an end the threat posed by Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan. When I do that the work of Z Force will be finished. Or almost finished. I need to pick your brains.”

  He leaned forward and grinned, “At last, someone has a use for this dried up old fossil.” He looked at his secretary, “We will finish that off when the Wing Commander has finished. Go and ask cook to make us some sandwiches.” Ravi appeared with the drinks. The old man toasted me, “Cheers! Your arrival has given me a new lease of life, Wing Commander. I feel I have a purpose once again. Now what do require of me?”

  Over the next two hours I picked his brain. Peter Hardwick also helped. I asked the questions and the resident gave me both problems and solutions in equal measure. When I finally rose, I said, “That is an answer to my question, sir.”

  He stood, a little unsteadily for he had had four whiskies, “You are even more remarkable in the flesh, Wing Commander, than in print. You have hidden depths. You were more than a little modest about the attack the other night. Captain Mainwaring read your report and spoke to Captain Connor. I know what you did. Today you have shown that you are a thinker as well as a man of action. I am pleased to have met you. I have high hopes for the Empire. I thought the best of the best had fallen in Flanders’ field. Now I see that there are new blooms. If I had had a son then I would want him to be just like you. Thank you, Wing Commander.”

  When I arrived back the patrol had returned and there was a delegation waiting for me. I rub
bed my hands as Jack handed me the sketch map he had made. “Excellent. So, it is more substantial than the others.” I saw that it had three smaller forts or redoubts clustered around it. I looked closely at the drawing. “What are these crosses?”

  “They are artillery pieces.”

  “Like the ones we faced the other day. We need to make our attack a little different when we attack, the day after tomorrow.”

  “Not tomorrow then?”

  “No Jack. Tomorrow I fly up to the forts and meet with the colonels. When we attack, we fly in at five hundred feet and we dive. It need not be a steep angle but I want to minimise the possibility of them using grenades against us.”

  “Sir, the stresses on the wings.”

  “The DH 9a is a sturdy aeroplane, Sergeant Major Robson. It can cope.” I turned back to the others. “Once the bombs are dropped then we strafe the building and the Dervishes. I want us to support the Camel Corps and the Rifles when they attack. We only leave when we have no more ammunition or we are running short of fuel. I want every air gunner issued with half a dozen grenades. When the bombs are gone, we drop grenades.”

  I could see that Lieutenant Hobson had been bursting to say something. He looked guiltily at Sergeant Major Robson and burst out, “Sir, is it right that you will be in my bus when we attack?”

  “Yes, Mr. Hobson. I will be your gunner.”

  I had astounded all of them but Ted. He just smiled. “But you are a Wing Commander! You are an ace! You should be piloting the DH 9a.”

  “Lieutenant, I began life as an air gunner. I shot down many German aeroplanes from the front of a Gunbus! I can assure you that I can do the job!”

  “I don’t mean that, sir. I mean, well, let me be the gunner and you the pilot.”

  “Without being rude, Lieutenant, you have never been an air gunner and besides, you know the Nanak far better than I. This will be fine. I need to be in at the kill and you have a spare seat. Argument over.”

  “Yes sir.” I had bemused him. He did not know whether to be happy or sad.

  After he and Sergeant Major Hale and Sergeant Major Robson had left us Ted pulled out a bottle of whisky and poured one for each of us, “Sir, I have to say this and I mean no disrespect when I say it but you, sir, are as mad as a bag full of frogs.”

  “I know, Ted, and the day I change is the day that I hand in my resignation.”

  “I’ll drink to that.”

  I left after breakfast the next day. The two colonels were expecting me. I had already identified a landing area just five hundred yards from the encampment. Any closer and my landing might have startled the camels. I had asked for a fire to be lit so that I could see the smoke and therefore the wind direction. The two units watched my landing. I had time, as I taxied a little closer, to see that they had managed to bring down most of the walls of the fort. It would still provide shelter but not defence. My orders had been followed.

  I chocked the wheels and donned the sun helmet I had brought. It was bakingly hot. I had learned to respect the sun. The colonels had erected a canvas shade and I gratefully stepped beneath it.

  Both colonels were effusive in their welcomes.

  “Splendid operation thus far, Wing Commander.”

  “Your chaps know their job and it has been impeccably planned.”

  “Thank you. It would be a mistake to become careless at this late juncture. We will attack Taleh tomorrow. We will set off at dawn and it will take one and a half hours to be in position to begin our bombing run. I need the fort to be surrounded by then. Once the bombs have been dropped I want you to attack on all sides. My bombers will provide covering fire. I intend to end this war tomorrow. When that is done, we will win the peace.”

  I explained my plan and they nodded approvingly.

  Colonel Farquhar said, “You know that you almost killed Sayyid Mohammed Abdullah Hassan on your first attack?”

  “Did we?”

  “One of the fellows we captured told us. Apparently, he was standing close to where a bomb exploded. Luckily for him a camel bore the brunt of the explosion. He has been hiding in Taleh ever since. Your aeroplanes have put the wind up him.”

  “Good, then we have the advantage. When it is over, bring the prisoners back to Berbera. You have been in the field for a long time but if you have time then try to make the fort indefensible. You wouldn’t want to take it a second time.”

  “We could always bomb it again.”

  “I am afraid that the bombers will be needed in Egypt. Z Force will be disbanded once this police action is over.” They both looked genuinely crestfallen. “However, I believe that the Minister of Air will be sending aeroplanes here when the resources are available. I will certainly make that case when I return to England.”

  “You are not staying in Egypt?”

  “When this is over the squadron will be granted a leave and after that… who knows.”

  As I headed back I wondered at my own words. Perhaps I would be based in Egypt. Who knew what the Royal Air Force had planned for me?

  There were looks of relief on everyone’s faces as I climbed from the cockpit. I am not certain what they thought I would do in the desert on my own. “We will have a squadron briefing after dinner. Tomorrow will need to go like clockwork. We will be operating further from this base than ever before and timing will be crucial. If all goes well then the men can celebrate tomorrow.”

  I was left alone and I scribbled a few lines to Beattie.

  “Sir, we have the shower ready again if you want it. The water should be a bit warmer today. sir. Not such a shock to the system.”

  “You know Corporal, that sounds like a wonderful idea.”

  I made it quite clear, at the briefing, of the difficulties which faced us. “The Dervishes have been learning. As Lieutenant Hobson’s gunner found, to his cost, they can now throw hand grenades into the air. They are using artillery to try to bring us down. We fly fragile aeroplanes. They just have to get lucky once and we will be downed. For that reason, we go in higher and dive at an angle of forty-five degrees. There will be two columns and we will fly in line astern. Squadron Leader Thomson will lead one and Lieutenant Hobson the other. I have spoken with the colonels who have watched our other attacks. They agree that the rolling barrage technique seems to work. Our first pass will be to destroy the main fort. Each bomber will drop its bombs forty yards further east so that the last two should take down the last wall. We then peel to port and starboard and take out the three forts in the same way. They are smaller. When we are out of bombs we strafe. The army will be attacking whilst we are bombing. Finally, the air gunners have grenades. They have discretion to use them on any target not destroyed by the bombs. We stay over the site until the army has reached the top or until we need to head back to refuel.”

  I saw nods. “Gentlemen, if we do not get the job done the first time then we go back… the same day. Let us get it done the first time!”

  Even as I wrote a few lines to Beattie I wondered if I would beat my letter home. If all went well, then we would be leaving by the middle of February; perhaps even earlier. Letters had reached us quite quickly in France. Captain Connor had told us that the lack of mail had caused much distress amongst the men in Palestine and Arabia. I could be a father again and not know it. I fell asleep wondering about my unborn child.

  As well as my Webley, I took my German pistol. It had been some years since I had been a gunner but I remembered that you had to be prepared for anything. I checked that I had two spare magazines for the Lewis. The Scarff ring which was fitted to the DH 9a made life a lot easier. I was able to traverse the gun through a full circle. While Eric checked the bus, I made sure that it had been greased and worked smoothly. It did. I secured the grenades in the rope nets hanging from the cockpit. It would be cosy. I had my flying coat with me. If it became too hot then I could take it off. I was not the pilot!

  “Ready sir?”

  “I am indeed, Lieutenant. Forget that I am your Wing Comma
nder. I am your gunner. Do not try to do anything different because you have a different man behind you. Jones will be back.”

  “Yes sir.”

  The Nanak was noisier than my Dolphin but we could still communicate by shouting. We needed little conversation anyway. I peered over the side. The land was a true wasteland. Where there was grazing, you would see a few goats or sheep being tended by two or three boys. At the few watercourses I saw girls carrying clay pots filled with water. Life had not changed since the time of the Pharaohs! I saw the other Nanaks in line astern. Their eight bombs looked innocuously harmless hanging from the wings but I knew how deadly they could be. I had seen their effect.

  “Forts coming up sir! Descending to five hundred feet, sir.”

  “Checking my gun!” I cocked the Lewis. The Lewis was a good gun but it was not as reliable as a Vickers. I had never had a Vickers machine gun jam on me. I had with the Lewis gun. I swung the gun around the Scarff ring and aimed it to port and starboard, pointing down. Here the danger would be from the ground and not from the air.

  “Prepare for the attack!”

  I braced myself with my back pressed against the seat and my feet against the fuselage struts. I looked over the side and saw the lines of soldiers preparing to attack. They were at the bottom of the hill and, as such, seemed like little dots. They had an escarpment to climb. I looked to starboard and saw Jack Thomson in A for Apple. His gunner had the added duty of operating the radio. Jack waved and Hobson shouted, “Diving now sir!”

  Even though the angle was just forty-five degrees it was a shock to the system. I was used to this but I normally faced the earth and I was in control. My life was in Hobson’s hands. I held on to the Lewis gun. I had no target yet but, when we climbed, then I would. I sensed the movement as the four bombs were released and then I felt the pressure as we began to level out. Hobson began to fire his Vickers at the men on the wall. I stood and aimed my Lewis to the port side. I saw men at a tower. They had an ancient cannon. They were firing it at the ground troops and not at us. They also had machine guns mounted on the walls. I recognised an ancient Maxim as well as a couple of Lewis guns. They would slaughter troops advancing up the hill. I fired a short burst to gauge the effect. It had been some years since I had fired a Lewis as a gunner and it showed. My bullets struck the tower. I raised the barrel as I fired and the bullets made a deadly line up the tower. One of them sent a shower of splinters, making the gunners duck and then the rudder was in the way.