[Oman-L] Masirah (a request for ifo.)

Mon, 14 Apr 2003 09:10:41 +0100

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Masirah

Tales from a Desert Island

Colin Richardson

Starting in the mists of ancient history and folklore, Masirah is the 
fascinating story of an Omani Island in eastern Arabia. In the 1930s 
Masirah became one of a number of unmanned staging posts between the RAF 
bases in Iraq and Aden. It was a hazardous trip for the crude RAF biplanes 
of the era since the route crossed underpopulated and inhospitable terrain. 
The flights were not without serious incidents.

The Second World War led to a major expansion of activities at Masirah. 
Anti-submarine flying-boats and land aircraft were based on the island 
together with high speed rescue launches. There were also RAF and American 
staging posts to the war against the Japanese, and a BOAC outpost. The RAF 
and the Dutch squadron endured extremely primitive living conditions, and 
it was little better after the war when the station strength shrunk from 
about a thousand personnel to just eleven.

In the late 1950s there was the secret Jebal Akhdar War, an insurrection in 
the mountainous interior of Oman. RAF Shackleton bombers operated from 
Masirah, and this chapter is the most complete account yet written on this 
war. The full RAF participation is recounted and includes the operations of 
transport aircraft and ground attack fighters. After this war the Masirah 
base was expanded and modernised to become a staging post on the new RAF 
route via the Maldives to the Far East.

The British withdrawal from Aden, the Arabian Gulf and the Far East left 
Masirah stranded as the very last RAF base east of Suez. It was retained 
due to another Omani conflict in the southern province of Dhofar. British 
Forces assisted the Sultan, and Masirah was again involved. Air operations 
in the closing stages of the war are recounted.

After the Dhofar War the RAF withdrew from Masirah and the airfield was 
sold to Oman as an air force training base. Most of the personnel were RAF 
or ex-RAF. The story continues to modern times and includes a devastating 
cyclone which also wrecked the BBC Eastern Relay Station on the island. 
There is a chapter detailing the full account of the disastrous American 
attempt to rescue their hostages from the Tehran embassy. After this the 
base was once again expanded and modernised to accommodate a new Omani 
Jaquar fighter squadron. In 1990-91 the Americans again used the base 
during the eviction of Iraqi forces from Kuwait.

This is a hardback book of 363 pages with plenty of maps and photographs, 
and a wealth of first hand stories of the British involvement in this 
corner of Arabia. It covers a neglected area of RAF history and there is 
also much that is new and of interest to those already familiar with the 
eastern and southern fringes of Arabia. To those who are not, it provides a 
vivid description of the landscape and people.

Colin Richardson is the son of an army officer and was educated at 
Wellington College and the RAF College Cranwell. He was on the island of 
Cyprus at the height of the EOKA terrorist campaign and took part as a 
ground attack fighter pilot during the Suez operations in 1956. Following 
two years on the resident ground attack squadron in Aden he became a flying 
instructor on Vampires at Cranwell, and then for two years on Harvards at 
the Pakistan Air Force College in the North West Frontier Province where he 
also flew the ground attack Sea Furies. He flew fighter reconnaissance 
Hunters in Germany before reverting to flying instructional duties at 
Leeming and Cranwell.

He left the RAF at the end of 1973 and joined the Sultan of Oman's Air 
Force as a ground attack pilot during the Dhofar War. He had known Masirah 
in the 1950s and returned there for eight years in 1976. He then returned 
to Cranwell for six years, but the Call of the East was too great. He 
returned to Masirah where he remained until his retirement aged 60 at the 
end of 1994. He still flies his own small light aircraft from his private 
airstrip behind his home.

the first print run has sold out but colin richardson may have had another 
batch printed. any further queries please contact me directly and i will 
refer to colin.
regards

peter rowland

At 00:30 14/04/2003 +0100, you wrote:
>  Greetings to you all.
>Can anyone provide me with information about the island of masirah?
>I was there in 1975, yes that's right 1975, but the island and Oman on my 
>visits to the mainland, have left such a lasting impression on me that it 
>could have been 28 days not 28 years since my visit.
>When I was there two ships were still to be seen stuck firmly onto reefs 
>at the north and south of the island. At the southern point "World Jury"? 
>and another wreck, name unknown to the north. Any information appreciated.
>One of my lasting memories was to be invited to the home of a local family.
>I don't think I told them how important this was to me.
>What is Masirah like today? Prospering I hope.
>Will I return? Yes I hope to visit again, that's why I seek information on 
>Oman.
>My appologies to anyone who finds this letter rather trivial compared to 
>the other subjects up for discussion.
>My thanks in advance to anyone who cares to reply.
>Regards from Wales.
>Vernon

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Masirah

Tales from a Desert Island

Colin Richardson

Starting in the mists of ancient history and folklore, Masirah is the
fascinating story of an Omani Island in eastern Arabia. In the 1930s
Masirah became one of a number of unmanned staging posts between the RAF
bases in Iraq and Aden. It was a hazardous trip for the crude RAF
biplanes of the era since the route crossed underpopulated and
inhospitable terrain. The flights were not without serious
incidents.

The Second World War led to a major expansion of activities at Masirah.
Anti-submarine flying-boats and land aircraft were based on the island
together with high speed rescue launches. There were also RAF and
American staging posts to the war against the Japanese, and a BOAC
outpost. The RAF and the Dutch squadron endured extremely primitive
living conditions, and it was little better after the war when the
station strength shrunk from about a thousand personnel to just
eleven.

In the late 1950s there was the secret Jebal Akhdar War, an insurrection
in the mountainous interior of Oman. RAF Shackleton bombers operated from
Masirah, and this chapter is the most complete account yet written on
this war. The full RAF participation is recounted and includes the
operations of transport aircraft and ground attack fighters. After this
war the Masirah base was expanded and modernised to become a staging post
on the new RAF route via the Maldives to the Far East.

The British withdrawal from Aden, the Arabian Gulf and the Far East left
Masirah stranded as the very last RAF base east of Suez. It was retained
due to another Omani conflict in the southern province of Dhofar. British
Forces assisted the Sultan, and Masirah was again involved. Air
operations in the closing stages of the war are recounted.

After the Dhofar War the RAF withdrew from Masirah and the airfield was
sold to Oman as an air force training base. Most of the personnel were
RAF or ex-RAF. The story continues to modern times and includes a
devastating cyclone which also wrecked the BBC Eastern Relay Station on
the island. There is a chapter detailing the full account of the
disastrous American attempt to rescue their hostages from the Tehran
embassy. After this the base was once again expanded and modernised to
accommodate a new Omani Jaquar fighter squadron. In 1990-91 the Americans
again used the base during the eviction of Iraqi forces from
Kuwait.

This is a hardback book of 363 pages with plenty of maps and photographs,
and a wealth of first hand stories of the British involvement in this
corner of Arabia. It covers a neglected area of RAF history and there is
also much that is new and of interest to those already familiar with the
eastern and southern fringes of Arabia. To those who are not, it provides
a vivid description of the landscape and people.

Colin Richardson is the son of an army officer and was educated at
Wellington College and the RAF College Cranwell. He was on the island of
Cyprus at the height of the EOKA terrorist campaign and took part as a
ground attack fighter pilot during the Suez operations in 1956. Following
two years on the resident ground attack squadron in Aden he became a
flying instructor on Vampires at Cranwell, and then for two years on
Harvards at the Pakistan Air Force College in the North West Frontier
Province where he also flew the ground attack Sea Furies. He flew fighter
reconnaissance Hunters in Germany before reverting to flying
instructional duties at Leeming and Cranwell.

He left the RAF at the end of 1973 and joined the Sultan of Oman’s Air
Force as a ground attack pilot during the Dhofar War. He had known
Masirah in the 1950s and returned there for eight years in 1976. He then
returned to Cranwell for six years, but the Call of the East was too
great. He returned to Masirah where he remained until his retirement aged
60 at the end of 1994. He still flies his own small light aircraft from
his private airstrip behind his home.

the first print run has sold out but colin richardson may have had
another batch printed. any further queries please contact me directly and
i will refer to colin.

regards

peter rowland

At 00:30 14/04/2003 +0100, you wrote:

 Greetings
to you all.

Can anyone provide me with information about
the island of masirah?

I was there in 1975, yes that's right 1975,
but the island and Oman on my visits to the mainland, have left such a
lasting impression on me that it could have been 28 days not 28 years
since my visit.

When I was there two ships were still to be
seen stuck firmly onto reefs at the north and south of the island. At the
southern point "World Jury"? and another wreck, name unknown to
the north. Any information appreciated.

One of my lasting memories was to be invited
to the home of a local family. 

I don't think I told them how important this
was to me.

What is Masirah like today? Prospering I
hope.

Will I return? Yes I hope to visit again,
that's why I seek information on Oman.

My appologies to anyone who finds this
letter rather trivial compared to the other subjects up for
discussion.

My thanks in advance to anyone who cares to
reply.

Regards from Wales.

Vernon 

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