1950s: RAF's 6 Squadron led attack in the Suez zone

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When the Suez Crisis came to a head in October 1956, Glynne Eaglesfield was just 22 and an armourer with the RAF’s 6 Squadron, based in Cyprus. Then, one day, he was ordered to arm the squadron’s aircraft for attack – as Glynne, of Rolleston-on-Dove, recounts here.

I WAS 22 at the time of the Suez Crisis. Having served an apprenticeship with British Railways, I joined the RAF for a three-year spell.

After training, I flew out to Iraq to join 6 Squadron as an armourer.

In April 1956, the squadron moved from Iraq to Akratiri in Cyprus, this being a very large base still under construction.

Our working day was 7am until noon. These were the summertime hours but, for some reason which no-one questioned, they carried on through the winter months.

One afternoon, we were all sitting around, doing various things, when the “Snowdrops”, the RAF police, came and told us to report to the squadron dispersal area.

There we were told to arm the aircraft – the squadron was operating Venoms at the time – and then dig some trenches.

It quickly became apparent what was happening and we all became excited.

A number of sergeant pilots who had served in the Second World War were attached to the squadron and we heard some amazing stories from them.

As the Suez operation was an Anglo-French strategy, a lot of Frenchmen were posted to Akratiri. They really thought a lot of themselves but we soon brought them down a peg or two.

Six Squadron led the attack on what were formerly British bases in the Suez zone and, of course, for the young pilots it was their first taste of combat.

Naturally, they were all a little apprehensive. However, when they returned, having met little opposition, they were elated.

“B......great!” exclaimed Nigel Budd, one of the first pilots to go in. “I lobbed four rockets straight through the open hangar door.”

Morale on the squadron was sky-high and, although we worked long hours, no-one complained.

This happened at the same time as the EOKA terrorists were targeting British installations and personnel on Cyprus, but they had to take a back seat while the Suez operation was in full swing.

It was, of course, a short-lived war and most of us felt aggrieved when it came to an abrupt end due to pressure from the Americans.

For a long time, I felt that there might have been less upheaval in the Middle East in the years that followed if Britain had regained a strong presence in the area.