Oman Pics, Hunter, Jaguar USS Midway

Hello, 

My dad is an retired RAFO officer. He was stationed in Thumrait from 1985 to 1988. The new school in the Wali camp had just opened and so the family tagged along too. The other night, my brothers and I were reminiscing about our time in Thumrait before we were moved to Salalah on account of all the beating’s we took at the school. Our fondest memories were racing the Go carts (particularly the Pink Panther) on a little track, and flying down the runway at the weekend on land yachts (my mother once took out a hangar door).  I also remember the model aircraft that have been mentioned in this post. 
 

Anyway, I thought I would share a little of what we remember! 
 

Happy New Year Dag 🙂 Glad to hear all is well in the USA 🙂 Emailed Keith Cawley and Paul Lewis over the holidays. Sad to see a Beaver crash into the water off Sydney, all killed 🙁 A REAL workhorse, the Beaver 🙂 I will be 83 in April 😉 Happy Oman days 🙂 Say hello to all our era guys. Regards, Barry.

How would you like to see some pix of the ‘old’ original SOAF? Here’s one from my days in Oman between 1966 and 1968.
While I’m here….Does anyone know of any of the old Airwork engineers from June 1966 to Nov. 1968? I am in touch with several,
but there are many more I’d like to find. I am in touch with: Ted Weinel, Chris Perry, Bill Stewart, Bob Hobson, Barry Leeming and one of the pilots Roger Henson. I’d like to find Fred Wilgrove, Tommy Thompson, Aiden Fenlon, Ron Perkins, Pilots Mike ‘Spider’ Webb, Jules Brett and Peter Wright. What a great reunion we could have!! [ATTACH=CONFIG]258072[/ATTACH]

Hi All,
JB-Many thanks for sharing wishing you and your family.
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Geoff.

Hi everyone

It has been a while since I’ve last l last logged in so apologies to those that have messaged me and haven’t had a reply.

I popped to my mums last week and picked up 3 albums of photos, there are many more hunter photos as well as a quite a few of friends and colleagues out and about in Oman, I expect a few of you could well be in the photos.

I need to find another source for hosting photos since photo bucket now want $300 a year for the privilege.

Anyway. Merry Christmas to all

Cheers

James

This photo was used on a Christmas card they sent to the Rhodesian AF 1977.

Many thanks BK.

Bill T.

I think he mentions Paul Day too was there. Anyway here is a link.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fifty-Years-Flying-Fun-Dean/dp/190980827X

Hi Black Knight,
Rod Dean was there when we were, From dimming memory he started off on Hunters then moved onto Jaguars. He would come out on Airfield when we were flying and watch, usually when he was on QRA alert. Didn’t know he had written a book, can you pass the details of it into here. Thanks. Bill T.

Rod Deans book is a good read & he tells of his time out there.

LOL !!!!
Hi Paul,
Nice to make contact again. RGR that, I’ll see Williams tomorrow and caution him about this. He’ll be going on about Thumrait now all morning–lol !!! Remember “VIC” in Wendy House Bar,—- “Nobody makes Barbeque sauces like what I do “. Marty took him off to a Tee and still does. Sold all my OS stuff and Model Aircraft off yrs. ago. Was talking to Lighthouse 3 days ago. he’s still flying models and “Perma-Gritting”. And Mark got his Mick Reeves Hurricane back a few yrs. ago. Ron Tookey died of cancer in USA bout 2 yrs ago. Pm me to talk about anything else otherwise guys in here will chuck us out.
Chuckle !!!

Bill T.

Greeting Bill and Marty. Next Swaree Wendy House tomorrow at 7. Mines a Brandy Lime and Soda. lol Bring the OS Catalog.

For anyone that was in Oman with SOAF (or RAFO), I would recommend a one hour documentary called “Operation Oman” on the Dhofar war. There is some good footage of Strikeys and the Bell 205’s and it is done with interviews with some of the contract and seconded officers that were doing the fighting. It is available on Amazon Prime and if you don’t have Prime it can be rented for a one-time view for a few dollars.

I was with SOAF at Seeb from the late 70’s to mid 80’s and I found this documentary on a little known war to be very well done.

Hi again James,
Glad to see you re-posting on your thread again. As those days slip back into history, they certainly are vivid for us who were there. If Keith would have been 66 yrs old now, I’m at 75 and of course all those folks in pics. you see will be following the same route. LOL !!! Glad I did finally locate the pic. of Keith–“Lighthouse” –Mark Summersgill–and the famous Paul Barker. ( Hi Paul.—– Marty Williams sends you salutations and asks when the next “Swaree” is—-lol !!! ) That “Tiger Moth” Model Plane in my last pic. was the actual Model going for Air test, wheras I really thought it was Keiths till I finally located this pic. I’m sure though, that his model “Flier” was still in one piece after,which means we would have packed it up and sent it home with his other gear. Posting any pics. of his model aircraft that you have, could sort that out. So please do James.

Myself and Martin Williams are members / Volunteers of TAC up here on the Wirral located at the Old Hangars at Hooton Park former RAFVR airfield that is now home to Vauxhall Motors. Look Up :- The Aeroplane Collection and Hooton Park Trust on face Book. (Though I don’t do Face Book myself. ) So it continues.

Please wish your mother well James and hope to C U Posting in here again soon. All the best to you,

Bill T.

Today would be my dads 66th birthday, whilst sat at work looking at a few pictures from days gone by I remembered I hadn’t been on here for some time.

I have to say I’m rather overwhelmed by the comments and pictures posted, If I didn’t have 101 jobs to get done today I would spend some time replying to everyone, I will however be sure to dig out some more photos and get them posted, I really have been meaning to do that for some time.

For those asking after my mum, she is still well thankyou, I only work in the next village to where she lives, still in the same house she and my dad purchased in 1981, which still has the paintings on my bedroom wall that my dad did for me when I was young.

I must get on but thanks again for the comments and brightening up my day.

James

I was in Thumrait at that time of your father’s crash; my father was O/C Eng at Thumrait (1984 to 1987), I must have been about 15 or 16. I remember being in the Mess the night before, and your father was there, sitting on a bar stool having a beer, talking to some other pilots. I do remember your mum, but I can’t remember if she was out there at that time – I have a feeling she wasn’t. I am sure that I talked to your father briefly that evening, but needless to say cannot remember the detail of any conversation had…

I certainly remember hearing about the crash – there was a Land Rover going out to join the search party (I think driven by Ron Wilkinson) and for some reason I was offered a seat; once the crash site was found, I think we spent about half an hour out there walking about the wreckage before heading back. The whole experience made a huge impression on me. A few months later in my English O Level exam, there was a question along the lines of “what was your most memorable experience” and I wrote about your father and the crash; I am glad to report that I passed with a B grade!

Like so many other people who have commented on this thread, Thumrait was an amazing experience, and one which I remember with tremendous fondness.

Tom Gordon

I’m the guy in the middle with the beard, Paul Barker. I remember that day well. Happy Toy Town days. Mark and I had a radio controlled boat which we ran on the pond near the golf course. Toy Town made Thumrait bearable. I remember Keith well. Great bloke.

Hi Ozjag,
Thanks M8. Yes!!! must admit, a very atmospheric pic, it turned out well. You see those “S**** Pile” hills on horizon, they are slightly indistinct because of the blowing/ suspended sand particles. On the day of Keith’s crash, the weather was like this, but much worse down at low level, almost like a sort of indistinct fog and Keith and Martin Johnson were carrying out “seek and find”/evasion from other plane, type of sortie.(Pretty sure they were flying Hunter Mk. 9’s ) Keith was doing the escaping part and he was down close to the top of this “Fug” and hit top of a hill like those in pic. He was a great chap and very much missed in “Toytown” after that,— let alone elsewhere.

Bill T.

WV-903
That’s a great photo.

Hi James,
Took a long time to find I know, but here is pic. of your dad a short while before he died in the Hunter crash. Kieth (Your dad) is the man on right in shorts holding the “Brick”. “The Brick was a slang name for the 2 -way radio Pilots carried around with them when they were on QRA duties. Kieth was one of the Hunter Duty QRA Pilots on day of pic. Pilots were allowed to wander around the Base until called up to closer readiness, as one was already geared up for that.

This pic. was taken on the morning of Base “Day off” for most and “Toy townies” would waste no time in getting out on Airfield to fly their models. In this case, the “Tiger Moth” held by Ian Richardson, was about to depart for its first ever flight. Ian was a good model pilot and Mark next to him was the “Tiggie” owner who was trying not to show concern, Other chaps name was Paul I think.

Ian Richardson went on to become one of UK’s top model builder/Fliers, he won many awards for his “Ducted Fan” and Jet engine models and took over the “Perma Grit” files business, that we were all using out there then. He still runs it to this day.

I took the pic. as it looked right to lay down and snap the shot. The Tiggie flew well in fact and did many more trips, I’m pretty sure Mark packed it up and took it home with him when he left Thumrait and Oman.

Wish you and your Mum well James.

Bill T.