Chapter 9

UK, Bosnia, Croatia and Kosovo 1983–2002

Back at Netheravon the Squadron resumed the customary round of exercises in Scotland, Denmark, Canada and Kenya; as well as an operational deployment to Belize from March to July. Captain P.J. Andrew accompanied the family of Staff Sergeant Griffin when they made the long trip to the Falklands in April 1983, via Montevideo, to attend a series of memorial services. In May, fifty-four members of the Squadron were presented with their campaign medals by Major General W.E. Withall, CB, Director Army Air Corps. The next major development would be the arrival of the Westland Lynx AH1 to replace the Scout. In preparation for this the Flight Commander, Captain S.M. Welch and Captain S.D. Jones, attended a Lynx/TOW missile course at Middle Wallop from the middle of September to November. TOW was an anti-tank missile, which had been in service since 1981, the initials standing for: tube launched, optically tracked and wire guided. The first Lynx to arrive were ZD273, ZD274 and ZD275 on 2 October, and were followed by XZ663, XZ613 and XZ221, which had all been delivered by December. The Lynx had been operational with the AAC since 1978 and was proving to be a worthy successor to the Scout, albeit with an inherent vibration problem, and a history of unserviceability which tainted its reputation among REME and aircrew alike.

The new year of 1984 began with a roulement tour to the Falklands. The main party departed Ascension Island in the MV Keren and arrived at Port Stanley on 3 February. The Squadron became operational with six Lynx and five Gazelle three days later. At the end of March a TOW live firing exercise was carried out. Meanwhile, back in the UK, the rear party participated in the regular operational deployment to Belize between March and July and an exercise in Denmark. Activities in the Falklands culminated in a field training exercise in May/June, with the final Lynx task on 6 June being a fly-past at a memorial service for those lost in the conflict of only two years before. Back at Netheravon again, the usual round of exercises and training carried on, with the Squadron’s role being formally defined as, ‘Under command of 1 Infantry Brigade and additional helicopter support to AAC, UKLF and detachments worldwide.’ Colin Sibun departed in October 1984 and was replaced by Major John Stirk, who recalls his early days with the Squadron,

‘Even though the War had ended in 1982, there remained, quite rightly, a deep sense of pride and exhilaration of what the Squadron had achieved and the experience it had been through. Regrettably, at some time the Unit had to be brought back to earth and accept that we were back to peacetime accountability, accountancy and bureaucracy and that our war role was to support 1 Brigade in Denmark or Schleswig Holstein. So, it was time for lots of conventional war training and getting the vehicles up to scratch. There were also a number of stores accounting irregularities to sort out. Somehow the Squadron managed to lose a Land Rover, which only came to light when our neighbouring 658 Squadron asked for it to be returned. On the plus side, we gained an Argentinian Mercedes Benz which, again, required a bit of creative accounting to dispense with.’

The Balkans 1996–2002.

A detachment from the Squadron deployed to Belize from March to July 1983.

He was less than completely impressed by the facilities at Netheravon,

‘We were the poor relatives of Netheravon Airfield Camp. The Squadron HQ was “a little house on the prairie” lined in asbestos and with regular power cuts and some distance from the hangar where the majority of the personnel were officed – probably much to their satisfaction! The MT shed was a listed building, being one of the original RFC hangars and boasting one of the largest unsupported roofs in the UK. It was, also, a total disgrace that peacetime soldiers had to put up with such miserable working conditions. Poor lighting and no heating made for a dingy and uninspiring workplace. The only positive element was the ventilation that whistled through the shed, making it necessary for the drivers and mechanics to take regular warm-up breaks as the Salisbury Plain winter winds swept through. Little wonder that they felt like second-class citizens in relation to their flying compatriots in the main hangar; however, their morale was indefatigable and their efforts tireless. Whilst I took every opportunity to point out the MT inadequacies to our many visiting “glitterati,” I’m afraid my efforts won sympathy rather than results, as the future of the Camp was always in the balance and it was felt that funding the modernization of the shed would be money poorly spent. Needless to say Netheravon lived on.’

When the Squadron returned to the South Atlantic between May and October 1985, there was no problem filling the spaces, the selection process was very straightforward: volunteers followed by those who had not been on the previous deployment and had no welfare issues. The unreliability of the Lynx made it a non-starter for the Falkland Islands, with a long supply line and a paucity of spare parts making its deployment untenable. This meant that half the aircrew had to refresh or convert back onto the Scout; which as John notes was, ‘always a pleasure but a retrograde step.’ WO1 Sean Bonner, a very experienced pilot, was brought under command for the tour to bring some added Scout experience.

Pre-deployment training brought some unexpected excitement,

‘Following dunker training at Portsmouth we practised deck landings at Portland. We conducted our wet dinghy drills in the North Sea, operating from RAF Boulmer, as I felt that we needed to get a real feel for the Atlantic swell and winter temperatures. The RAF was all too happy to oblige and they, literally, kicked us out of their Sea King Mk 3s. Worryingly we were conducting our drills on an incoming tide and a fresh onshore breeze. The result was that the exercise had to be prematurely curtailed as we needed to be rescued before we were thrown onto the harbour breakwaters.’

John thoroughly enjoyed the tour,

‘I was privileged to assemble a wonderful bunch of lads to go south with, who looked after me and maintained the reputation of the Squadron better than I deserved. Morale was high, they were highly motivated, well trained and high jinks was the name of the game. I cannot remember a single disciplinary issue and I can say that I have never enjoyed a tour or a command so much, even accounting for us having the dubious honour of getting three winters on the trot. And what a winter was in store for us. The weather raced over the Islands and it was quite normal to have three or four pressure systems pass in a day. The wind speeds were frightening, making it often impossible to stop the rotors in all but the most sheltered areas. The Gazelles fared well under the prevailing weather conditions but the Scouts showed their age and with a lower cruising speed and less flight endurance it was often touch and go to make the few refuelling sites on the Islands. Fuel and distance computations started soon into every flight and our mental arithmetic improved markedly. On one occasion, with the refuelling site visual but flying into a horrendous headwind, I was obliged to turn downwind and return to the last fuel stop. Much of our work was spent replenishing the radar sites, the radio re-broadcast sites and the men manning the marvellous RAF Rapier sites that had to put up with the most miserable circumstances, but who were always cheerful and utterly professional (they were always our first priority customers). All of these were positioned on the high ground and were often in cloud and covered in snow or ice. It was quite normal practice for passengers to deplane and kneel on the ice-covered helipads before they slipped on the ice. The pilot would then pull pitch and blow the passengers to the side of the pad.’

He was rightly proud that the tour was free of accidents, nor even a serious incident, which he put down to the professionalism of both aircrew and technicians and the close bond between the two that a small unit living under difficult conditions fostered. Though it was not entirely without incident,

‘My worst decision was to arrange a night flying sortie that went from bad to worse. We were encouraged to keep night current in case there was a medevac mission. We had strayed into non-currency when we had one of the few beautiful days of the winter. It was 17 July, a cold but consistently gloriously bright day – not a cloud in the sky and such a change to what we had become accustomed to. I had spent most of the day flying and radioed Murray Heights to advise our QHI to arrange a night flying session, with me being the last to go as I would not be back before dusk. The briefing took place and the aircrew were pre-flighting the aircraft as I landed. On receiving my briefing I prepared my maps for what was going to be a straightforward triangular flight to two waypoints and proceeded to take off in the Scout. The first mistake was not switching off the dispersal lights which shone straight into the pilots’ eyes and destroyed any chance of night adaptation. The second was to go flying at all – when the snow squall hit the aircraft soon after transitioning away. So, on instruments, in snow, and flying towards the high ground of the Two Sisters with a windscreen that had iced up was not the best of situations and everybody else was having their own moments. The real fear was that this was more than a squall and that the snow was set in, as there was no aircraft approach radar to help us down if we remained in cloud. We had no option but to keep to the plan and, as things worked out, we all got home safe and sound. Needless to say a sheepish OC apologized and “Sir” bought the drinks and promised that we would refrain from flying after “dark-o’clock” for the rest of the tour.’

Socially there were diverse pleasures to be sought out and enjoyed,

‘We had a tremendous time, thanks largely to a proposal that was put to me soon after arriving on the Islands. It went along the lines that it was regrettable that you always met the best people when you are saying goodbye. So, if we had our farewell party early then we’d have a good chance of getting to know the right people early on. Consequently, we had our first “farewell” party six weeks into the tour and it was a great success, helped with WO2 “Mario” Clayton’s Moose’s Milk cocktail. The milk had to be flown in from the “Camp” and it often arrived in open containers. On pain of death from the REME the aircraft were flown with the greatest care in order not to spill a drop. We also rebuilt the crewroom so we had the only “neo-tudor” portacabin in Stanley. Our “Happy Hour” became so popular that the number of visitors had to be reduced to “on invitation only” as there were occasions when Squadron members couldn’t get to the bar. The Squadron fund coffers spilled over. We built up a great relationship with the Royal Navy, fortunately the responsibility of the 2 i/c, as it was undoubtedly the most complex bit of planning of the entire tour. We had ongoing exchanges to give the Navy boys a bit of shore time and for our lot to try their sea legs. Everyone benefitted. My only drawback was to land on a ship to find that my lot was watching my landing and giving me scores for precision and artistic merit – regrettably, I didn’t do well on either count.’

One of the delights of a tour of duty in the post-conflict era Falklands was sitting by peat-burning Rayburn stoves, sampling the hospitality of the islanders, who always offered coffee and delicious home-made cakes. One of the pilots (and his Gazelle) paid a visit to South Georgia on the RFA Olwen, a fleet tanker of 36,000 tons, with a helideck and hangar aft. The culture shock after experiencing the spartan conditions at the Squadron’s base of Murray Heights was immense,

‘It was warm! There were no draughts, the food was superb and laundry was cleaned and ironed daily. We had a large, heated hangar for the aircraft, and joy of joys, one’s own cabin complete with telephone – and a steward who brought tea in the morning and made the bed. It was beyond belief after braving the Falklands’ snowstorms to find a Portaloo.’

All was not completely plain sailing; however, as the weather was rough enough to blow the wheelhouse on the top deck over the side. The ship had to turn into wind for nearly three days to ride out the storm. They eventually anchored off Grytviken and gazed upon South Georgia’s austere and forbidding beauty. As the sea was far too rough to launch the ship’s boats, the Gazelle earned her keep by flying three passengers or 600lbs of stores at a time to the garrison. In company with a Westland Lynx HAS2 from the Type 21 frigate, HMS Avenger, a multitude of other tasks were undertaken – including patrol insertions, route recces and area familiarization trips. Time was taken to pay respects at the grave of the polar explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, who made an ‘impossible’ journey across the island’s ice mountains and glaciers in May 1916 to bring help to his stranded crew on Elephant Island. Other memorable sights included thousands of elephant seals, reindeer (introduced by Norwegian whalers in 1909), seals and penguins. Four deployments of this nature were made over the course of the tour. On one occasion, as the helicopters were delivering freight, a sea fret set in out of nowhere and the ship was lost in the fog. Fortunately, at very much the last minute, the ship was found and the helicopters landed safely with ‘little more than vapour in the tanks’.

Once the South Atlantic tour was over it was a case of taking part in exercises in the UK and Kenya. Squadron personnel were also detached on individual tours to Northern Ireland, Belize and the Falklands in 1985, while REME Staff Sergeant J.P. Byrne distinguished himself by playing ten matches for the Army rugby team and one for the Combined Services. On 23 October, a Lynx lifted a generator to Flatholme Island in the Bristol Channel, in connection with a Youth Opportunities Programme scheme, turning the area into a bird sanctuary.

In January 1986 there was a five week deployment to Kenya for Exercise Grand Prix in support of 1 Royal Green Jackets, where the Squadron’s main function was in the medevac role. John’s chief memory of this period concerns a training incident, which could have turned out a lot worse than it did,

‘We were accompanied initially by Major Ian Cornall (Senior Flying Instructor UKLF), an exceptionally experienced pilot and always excellent company. His role was to competency check the three pilots and then return to UK. He could be a bit abrasive and intimidating in the air, which resulted in a potentially serious misunderstanding with our least experienced pilot. It was not made sufficiently clear that the exercise being practised was an auto-rotation to a recovery. Regrettably, under persistent pressure, the wrong impression was gained and the throttle was closed, leaving the SFI with no alternative but to conduct an engine-off landing. So, after a tense interchange, a misunderstanding, a lot of quiet, a fast run on, a controlled debrief, the sortie terminated with a trip to the heads and onto the bar in that order. I understand that this was the first time that an engine-off landing had been undertaken so hot and high. Fortunately, Major Cornall’s landing was immaculate and the detachment was saved the ignominy of bending an aircraft on day one.’

The final six months of John’s time as OC were dominated by the issue of the change of the Squadron’s status from ‘Independent’ to becoming part of 7 Regiment. Fortunately, the CO of 7 Regiment was Lieutenant Colonel Colin Sibun, ‘who did not impose too heavy a burden on us, nearly a mile away in RHQ’ – John once more recalls,

‘A time had been reached when the luxury of independent units was unsustainable. This was precipitated by two unavoidable factors, a shortage of REME technicians and the Lynx helicopter, that was placing an unrelenting burden on those who worked so hard to keep it flying. The maintenance effort required was quoted at being a little under twenty maintenance hours for each flying hour. The best use of resources was to consolidate the REME technicians into a regimental workshop, making it a sub-unit in its own right. Generously, I was given an opportunity to argue against this move and, of course, I did my best for the sake of my successor but the argument for pooling was overwhelming.’

Indeed John concludes his account of his time with 656 with a heartfelt tribute to REME,

‘You need to mention the importance that the REME personnel brought to 656 Squadron; as they did to all independent sub units (I was lucky enough to cut my teeth in 665 Squadron and later commanded the BATUS Flight, both independent, but also saw the other side of the equation when I commanded 661 Squadron). They were such a marvellous bunch of individuals; professional, loyal, industrious, rightly ambitious, and with great integrity. They, also, were the greatest fun and brought a balance to those fortunate enough to fly the machines that the REME maintained. The biggest differences emerged when there was a difference of opinion between the “menders” and “benders”. Such events were few and far between and when they did the Court would be in session. We would assemble in the crewroom and each side would make its case. Emotion and rhetoric would spill out from the aviator community, whereas the REME fraternity would come with charts, statistics and logic, and, although I felt sorry to have to make the final judgement, the REME did better than average.’

Deployments in 1987 included exercises in Canada, Kenya (twice), Scotland, Denmark and Italy, as well as flood relief work in Wales and an appearance on the BBC children’s programme Blue Peter, with an underslung load of lead for the roof of Hammerwood House in East Grinstead. Major Andy Simkins became OC in March of that year and recalled being based in an old hangar of Second World War vintage, with an even older hangar, dating back to the Great War, accommodating the MT section. As for his office, ‘It was away from the hangar and looked like a small cricket pavilion. It was perhaps from the early days of the RFC. I would like to think so.’ He describes the general circumstances as follows,

‘We were well served with facilities, and felt self-contained. The Lynx had Mark 1 engines which restricted us a little, but, except for the odd single engine failure, we suffered no major incidents. We were, operationally, under command of 1 Mechanized Brigade, based at Tidworth. Our operational area was Schleswig Holstein or Denmark. We trained there every summer, which was a good opportunity to move the Squadron assets away from Netheravon and exercise command with the full Squadron. We did not have any Squadron operational deployments during my command. However, I sent aircrew, REME personnel and ground crew around the world during my tenure. I listed the number of countries once and came to nineteen.’

He has very fond memories of one visitor in particular,

‘One day, at about 1100 hours, I was in my Squadron office when a gentleman, in his 70s, turned up in his dinner jacket and bowtie. He said he had just come from a Burma Star Dinner in London and had been searching for the present Squadron for some time. His name was Nobby Clark, and he had been one of the original Squadron members and indeed was the radio wizard from the Burma Campaign. During the subsequent discussion I learnt much about the early history of the Squadron and that there had been a very active Association after the war and into the 50s. While I was a little sceptical, I took up Nobby’s offer of joining us at our forthcoming Squadron Open Day. He came along with his wife, Claire, and tubs of fuchsias which he grew in his greenhouse; these he sold for a Gurkha charity. Former RAF sergeant, Bill Peers, who had also served with SHQ in Burma, came along with his model passenger train, which was numbered 656 and called the “Burma Star”. The contribution of this small contingent from the past proved a success and paved the way for the re-establishment of the 656 Squadron Association.’

Andy was also involved in a flying venture which harked back to the earliest days of Army aviation,

‘During my tenure I was encouraged by the then Regimental Colonel, Ed Tait, to form an Army Air Corps Hot Air Balloon Club. The balloon, registration G-OAAC, was built by Bob Pooley’s small balloon company. While it was under construction we used another balloon, and a small nucleus learnt how to control a bag of hot air over Southern England. By the time I handed over command we had taken the balloon to many events and participated at the Bristol Balloon Fiesta. After the handover to David Joyce I stepped into the balloon and departed skywards towards Salisbury.’

Major David Joyce began 16 March 1989, celebrating the arrival of a baby daughter at 0635, before driving from Middle Wallop to Netheravon for a handover meeting with Andy Simkins at 1030, which included,

‘At 12 o’clock two gentlemen arrived at the office door having travelled from Somerset. Nobby Clark and Bill Peers had come to introduce themselves to me as the new OC and explain their recent founding of the 656 Squadron Association which, at the time of that first meeting, had forty-six members. Over lunch at the Simkins’ house, Nobby and Bill’s enthusiasm for the whole project was clearly evident, and it is to their eternal credit that the Association has grown into what it is today.’

When he reported to Netheravon a month later to take command officially,

‘I found … nobody! The Squadron had deployed lock, stock and barrel to Capel Curig in North Wales to enjoy a week’s adventurous training in Snowdonia. It had been arranged that I would join the Squadron in Wales, so after a quick introductory office call with the Commanding Officer of 7 Regiment, Lieutenant Colonel Colin Sibun (who would hand over command to Lieutenant Colonel Nick Hall within a fortnight), I climbed into a Gazelle with the Regimental Second-in-Command, Julian Bourne, and headed for Capel Curig, which was a marvellous way to meet everyone for the first time, and it was good to be able to chat with the officers and soldiers as we dangled on abseil ropes, walked the hills and enjoyed an evening drink.’

Once back at Netheravon, the pace of life changed gear. In early May a recce party from 1 Mechanized Brigade deployed to Schleswig Holstein in Northern Germany to examine its NATO reinforcement role and recce wartime positions in this vital area should Soviet forces be unleashed from their bases on the other side of the nearby Iron Curtain. A small detachment of Lynx and Gazelle spent a week supporting this activity, known as Exercise Bandit Girl 3. Then in June the Squadron deployed to Exercise Burmese Cider on the Somerset Levels and in Devon to practise its role, revise procedures, and undertake small arms training and live firing at Yoxter Ranges.

The following month the Squadron had the honour of preparing to fly Queen Noor of Jordan from her residence near Virginia Water in Surrey, to Felden Grange near Hemel Hempstead, for a reception in support of the Hospital Order of St John. David takes up the story,

‘This was scheduled for Saturday, 8 July and required an immaculate Lynx for the flight and another as a standby. It was NOTAM’d as a Selected Flight, and everything seemed to be going to plan during the preparations. On the preceding Friday evening one final starting check was to be made of each aircraft after they had been inspected for cleanliness, the suitability of a padded passenger seat (a sheepskin!) and working passenger headsets. During this process, the standby Lynx had an immediate “heart attack” and refused to start, and the REME couldn’t fix the fault easily. Everyone stood in shock as it seemed that all the hard work had been wasted! “Well”, said Staff Sergeant Galston, “it looks like we’d better clean another cab”. In the best 656 tradition, everyone turned to, and by about 2100 hours, two immaculate Lynx were ready to go as intended. The next day OC 656 and the Squadron QHI, Lieutenant Pete Douglass, flew the sortie, which included a diversion under Heathrow control to take the aircraft straight across the airport at 1000 feet to avoid a localized thunderstorm! Having parked the aircraft at Felden for the night, numerous members of 656 enjoyed the party that was to follow into the wee small hours.’

After summer leave the Squadron turned to its next task, hosting a visit by Dennis Thatcher, husband of the Prime Minister. After receiving a briefing on the Squadron’s role and watching Forward Arming and Refuelling Point (FARP) drills, Mr Thatcher joined a sortie on board a Lynx as the Squadron conducted a dummy HELARM exercise to the west of Salisbury Plain, before flying him to the front of the Officers’ Mess at Wallop, where he took lunch with Director Army Air Corps, CO 7 Regiment and OC 656 Sqn.

Later that month the Squadron deployed a party of personnel and both aircraft types to Germany to umpire 9 Regiment AAC during a major proving exercise of the operational concepts of the emerging 24 Airmobile Brigade. This was an excellent opportunity for the AAC to demonstrate its ability to conduct rapid engagement of large Soviet armoured forces. But as David comments,

‘Times, however, were changing under our feet, and within two months the Iron Curtain had collapsed, the Berlin Wall had been breached and, in the prophetic words of our brigade commander, Brigadier Jack Deverell, we had entered an age where certain threat had given way to uncertain risk.’

Throughout a typically busy year, which also included daily tasking to all parts of the UK, 656 also supported several battlegroup exercises in Canada (Ex Pond Jump West) and Kenya (Ex Grand Prix), and deployed roulement crews to Belize.

It was a stormy start to 1990, in which thousands of trees in the region were felled by winds of up to 100 mph. Netheravon’s fragile buildings of 1913 vintage were exposed to the full force of the gales and roof tiles from the neighbouring squadron, 658, were embedded edge on into the tree outside 656 Squadron’s office. The 2i/c, Captain Alistair Keith, had a close shave as first, one tree fell across the narrow lane ahead of his car as he drove towards Netheravon, and then another fell just behind him, trapping him, unharmed in his undamaged car, until he could be released by local farmhands with a chainsaw!

After a period of intensive training the Squadron deployed on 2 February as the first AAC squadron ever to undergo the Porton Battle Run, complete with its aircraft, operating in simulated nuclear, biological and chemical warfare conditions for three days at Porton Down Training Area. Exercise Burmese Lexicon included bombardment by simulated multi-barrelled rocket launchers firing CS gas, a nuclear strike in the middle of the night, aircraft decontamination drills, attack by chemical-spray jets, and a squadron HELARM strike to the south of Salisbury conducted in full NBC equipment, including one pilot in each aircraft flying in a respirator. David Joyce recalls,

‘This was an impressive catalogue of activities, but things hadn’t started so well. The weather was so bad that it was decided to erect a nine-by-nine tent for the guard to shelter in when not patrolling the position. To start with, a couple of soldiers began to put up the tent in the dark in a strengthening wind. More came to their aid, followed by the OC and SSM, and any others who were around. Just as the tent was about to be pinned down the whole thing was caught by a gust of wind and disappeared upwards into the darkness of the night. We had no idea where it had gone, but within seconds everyone was being showered with pieces of tent frame as the poles parted and fell to earth! The sodden canvas was found the next day a couple of hundred metres away. Despite the conditions and the challenge of taking the aircraft on the exercise, we were pleased to be assessed as having given one of the best performances by a sub-unit ever seen on the Porton Battle Run.’

In April the Squadron deployed again, this time to Thorney Island on Exercise Burmese Spring to practise HELARM drills in new terrain. It also gave the ground crew an opportunity to act as airborne infantry, which they always enjoyed, as well as conducting an intensive period of underslung load training by day and night. In late July, the Squadron deployed to Salisbury Plain on Exercise Druids Drake in support of 1 Mechanized Brigade,

‘Spending the time in blistering heat, watching all kinds of aircraft, including Concorde and a Vulcan, fly by at low-level en route to the Middle Wallop Air Show which, by dint of the exercise, we missed. Nevertheless, training in this new period of uncertain risk was important, as we were about to learn.’

In August 1990, during Squadron block leave, Iraqi forces invaded Kuwait. At one point 656 was proposed as an option to deploy to the Gulf as part of 9 Regiment, but in the event, 661 Squadron, from 1 Regiment in Hildesheim, reinforced 4 Regiment from Detmold as the aviation force during the first Gulf War in early 1991. Training continued nonetheless and in October the Squadron reinforced 9 Regiment on Exercise Gryphons Flight for a week, centred on Salisbury Plain. This was an enjoyable, fast-moving exercise with the Squadron for once operating within a regimental context.

In late November a visit was made to the Otterburn Ranges to undertake TOW live firing, adopting the concept of Joint Air Attack Team operations whereby TOW was used in coordinated attacks with artillery, mortars and fast-jet strikes to destroy large concentrations of enemy armour,

‘The RAF had agreed to supply some Harriers, but after the first day they withdrew for operational reasons and we were left with what we had initially thought would be a second string – the US Air Force’s A-10s from Bentwaters and Woodbridge. Since Sergeant Duff had chatted up the Americans to join the exercise some weeks before, they had been warned for operations in the Gulf, they now had endless supplies of cannon ammunition to fire, and were keen to try new methods of attack prior to their deployment. Consequently, Exercise Burmese Snipe was a roaring success (literally) as countless A-10 attacks, controlled by the Squadron’s own Airborne Forward Air Controllers, ripped up the North Range with over 60,000 rounds of cannon fire whilst TOW were fired by the Lynx. The Range Commandant came out to see what was happening and broadened the arcs for A-10 directions of attack, allowed vertical dive attacks and gave his final endorsement by saying he would welcome us back to do the same again on another occasion. Most importantly, it gave the American crews the opportunity to work with the Brits before doing it for real.’

In mid-January 1991, airstrikes were launched against Iraqi forces, so beginning the Gulf War. The Squadron continued to train throughout the period, whilst supporting HQ UKLF and other headquarters with numerous sorties to move senior staff between Wilton, High Wycombe and London. In April the Squadron deployed for a short exercise, but after two days the order came to return to Netheravon immediately, as the option to deploy to the Persian Gulf as a follow-on force was being considered. However, in the time taken to recover to base, the plan had changed, and no deployment to this theatre took place after all. A high point in May was the return from another exercise in Yorkshire,

‘As an eight-aircraft Vic formation which we could see attracted the gaze of many as we traversed the country.’

David Joyce sums up his time as OC,

‘It was a brilliant tour, unrivalled in its challenges both in and out of the cockpit, on 24 May 1991 – and thanks to Nobby’s sterling efforts, with a Squadron Association strength now topping 250 – I handed over command to Gary Coward.’

Major Gary Coward took command of six Lynx, six Gazelles (although at least one of each was almost always either in Canada, Cyprus or Deep Maintenance) and 140 personnel assigned as the aviation squadron to the UK Mobile Force (UKMF) and, while still nominally part of 7 Regiment, along with 658 Squadron, was heavily engaged in the airmobile trial, acting as 9 Regiment’s second anti-tank squadron. The more mundane routine on Salisbury Plain was well established – day-to-day tasking was mostly providing aircraft to support training around the south of England and transporting senior officers from A to B, mostly from Land HQ at Wilton. The OC remembers,

‘One of our standard routines was a HELARM demonstration for JDSC, putting up as many aircraft as we could to “ambush” the course in the midst of a TEWT (Tactical Exercise Without Troops) at the Hindons, a few miles south-west down the A303. We had a watercolour painted by Gilly Maclaren to commemorate our return to the airfield after one of these demonstrations. Professionally, we spent our time attempting to deliver a more offensive aviation capability.’

Gary Coward explains the concept of airmobility,

‘4 Regiment had established the concept of aviation patrols in the Gulf War and so we sought to develop this concept within the context of “airmobility” in Europe. Teamed with 657 Squadron in 9 Regiment, we developed quick orders formats and associated procedures to ensure that we could play a full role within a Combined Arms manoeuvre battle. We trained on our own in the south-west (Exmoor, Bodmin and Dartmoor) all the way down to Lands End, even collaborating with David Hanbury-Tenison attempting to find wild boar from the air with newfangled thermal imaging sights (as they were then). Major exercises took place up near Dishforth, on Salisbury Plain and in Germany, where we were closely monitored by Observer Controllers, ultimately leading to the declaration of a Full Airmobile Capability based on 24 Airmobile Brigade.’

He also has fond memories of Denmark,

‘Perhaps our most exciting training event during my tenure was a major test exercise in Denmark – three weeks away from RHQ, as an independent aviation squadron working to both UK and Danish commanders. The Danes were much more adventurous in their use of aviation and so we tended towards them, building up an excellent rapport. And of course there was a little time for R&R and while Copenhagen was not too far away, it was far enough to put off all but the most adventurous, who happily tended to be the best behaved. I seem to recall the aircraft also being reasonably well behaved, although we did leave a small trail of broken helicopters across Germany and Holland on our way home! Our Lynx at the time were Mk1 (GT), halfway to becoming Mk7 – that is uprated engines, but old style main rotor blades and tail rotor. They performed relatively well, especially during the summer.’

Gary noted in 1992,

‘The Squadron has participated in support operations following Operation Granby in Kuwait and Iraq and a series of exercises, culminating in Certain Shield, the Multinational Airmobile Division trial in Germany. In the main the Squadron was fully manned and equipped, though suffering a high degree of turbulence due to personnel being posted on roulement tours to Northern Ireland and constant aircraft changes for the Lynx Mk 7 improvement programme. The high point of the year was Exercise Burmese Argonaut, the deployment of a two Lynx detachment on board HMS Fearless to Sevastopol in the Crimea between 10 October and 6 December 1991. The RN had run out of Mk3s and so an enterprising skipper requested Army support! Murray Whiteside and his half flight were quickly trained in deck landings and ship approaches, joining the ship on its way past the Isle of Wight. While the skidded Mk1 could not take the punishing deck landings that a Mk3 could, they returned two months later with the RN singing their praises. They were probably fed up of washing aircraft and engines quite so often though.’

He had happy memories of trips to Italy,

‘Perhaps the travel highlight of both 1991 and 1992 were the exchanges with 4 ALE (Aviazione Leggera dell Esercito) based in Bolzano, Italy. Each year we would send a couple of Lynx full of intrepid exchangees to Italy for a week and the Italians would reciprocate with a couple of AB-205 Hueys. On each occasion we would attempt to outdo each other’s hospitality – it became known as the “European Military Eating and Drinking Competition.” In 1992 the QHI, Mick Goss and I led the UK team to Italy, coming a close second to the Italians who outlasted us all, even when flying. Yes, they drank wine (only white not red) prior to flying, on one occasion flying us through the biggest, darkest alpine thunderstorms any of us Brits had ever encountered – scary! On the other hand, when on our way to Edinburgh during the return match, we landed them at Giles Bentley’s folks’ place in Cumbria and the Italians were suitably amazed to spy a huge herd of llamas, Mrs Bentley’s pride and business joy at the time.’

Another highlight was the annual Middle Wallop International Air Show,

‘The Squadron was almost 100 per cent committed, certainly in aircraft terms, providing two airborne crash crews and then participating in the famous “Massed Approach” – in those days over 100 helicopters took part and I recall well, sitting at Barton Stacey awaiting the call to rise up and join in the fray. A long trail of helicopters then flew low and slow to the area east of Danbury Hill before rising up in two rather unsteady ranks and approaching the huge crowd. Thankfully, the crash crews were never needed.’

The highlight of the year was undoubtedly the Jubilee celebrating the Squadron’s 50th Birthday. This was a splendid occasion and much enjoyed by all present. It was a great privilege for members of the serving Squadron to meet so many of the ‘Old and Bold,’ complete with an alarmingly large number of medals! One of the most important parts of the Jubilee was the commissioning of the Silver Chinthe. In order to pay for this the Association raised the magnificent total of £2500. This was topped up with donations from the AAC fund and others and the Chinthe purchased.

Gary Coward has happy memories of this event,

‘First on the parade ground in front of the Colonel Commandant, General Sir John Learmont and then in the Officers’ Mess (it helped I was the PMC at the time), where we held an All Ranks Lunch, washed down with wine brought over from Calais on a booze cruise. Thank goodness we benefitted from a tame Guardsman pilot, Sergeant Tombs, who drilled us sufficiently not to look a shambles in front of the Colonel Commandant and Nobby Clark!

It took me some time to track down enough drawings and examples of a Chinthe for the sculptor; the best figure came from the First Secretary at the Burmese Embassy in London. Unfortunately, I left the small wooden figurine in my office with my mad Labrador for just a little too long – she had decided to give it a good chew – it was a complete wreck! Once I had plucked up enough courage to confess everything to the First Secretary, he let me down very quickly, explaining that it was his birth sign and he had many of these wooden carvings – he would not miss this one and no, I did not need to pay him a King’s Ransom for it! This story, when recounted to the assembled masses at the Jubilee Dinner in the Museum of Army Flying caused a few chuckles.’

The main changes during 1993 were the arrival of a new OC and a change of location. The new OC was Garry Key, who took over from Gary Coward in July. In December 1993 a skeleton 656 Squadron packed its bags, bid a fond farewell to Netheravon and commenced the long journey to Dishforth in North Yorkshire to become part of 9 Regiment, along with 664 and 657 Squadrons, under the command firstly of Lieutenant Colonel Pat Lawless, who was followed later in 1994 by Lieutenant Colonel Chris Walch. On arrival they subsumed 672 Squadron and the majority of its new manpower, but not its aircraft. Until this point 672 had been equipped with the new Mk 9 Lynx in support of 24 Airmobile Brigade. This role, along with the rest of 9 Regiment’s Mk 9 Lynx was transferred to Wattisham and gratefully received by the newly ensconced 3 Regiment. Six Mk 7 Lynx and six Gazelle, all of which were Gulf War Veterans with plenty of ‘character’, filled the aircraft void in respect of 656’s requirements.

The Squadron became a fully integrated part of 9 Regiment whose role was to support 3 (UK) Division – ‘a Division for all seasons, which must prepare for conventional war and sub-conventional conflict. It can expect operations to be joint, probably conducted with allies, quite possibly under a United Nations mandate.’ It had three Brigades under its command, two mechanized and one airborne. It was the latter, 5 Airborne Brigade based at Aldershot, to which 656 Squadron now had its affiliation and which the Squadron would be most likely (though not exclusively) to go on operations with. It was, as usual, kept very busy in 1994, with heavy commitments in squadron, regimental, brigade and divisional exercises. This constant workload made a great contribution towards the successful combination of 656 and 672 Squadrons. The OC summarized those early months as follows,

‘We embarked upon a series of exercises and training courses intended to “Explore Operational Reach Potential.” This involved Squadron helicopters and vehicles being prepared for deployment by RAF C-130 Hercules transport aircraft, two of which landed at Dishforth to test loading procedures. Other vehicles were prepared for deployment by sea using ships of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA). These ambitions were supported by intensive training activity involving deck landings on the dummy deck and RFAs Black Rover and Gold Rover and others, the crews of which appreciated the practice marshalling and refuelling. The REME LAD really pulled out the stops to refine aircraft strip down procedures and reduce time for reassembly. NVG (Night Vision Goggle) categorization was an important part of our operational potential. Gazelle Flight all qualified to CAT1 (first of three levels of qualification) and received roof mounted Laser designators. Twelve aircrew qualified in the use of the designators, enabling better ranging and greatly assisting in the control and accuracy of fast-jet support. At this time the Squadron embarked upon an ambitious training programme, which within a year saw it flush with qualified Forward Air Controllers (FACs). Lynx Flight progressed rapidly from Cat 1 to CAT 2 and some achieved CAT 3 at this early stage and demonstrated their capability on Exercise Pegasus Strike.’

Garry goes on to describe this important exercise in some detail,

‘We supported 5 Airborne Brigade, with elements of the Squadron deployed by air (two aircraft in a C-130 from RAF Lyneham) and by sea, involving a sail around the Isle of Wight courtesy of the RFA, to provide proof of concept and build knowledge. The remainder deployed from the holding base area and all arrived at Keevil, a disused airfield adjacent to Salisbury Plain. Close cooperation with HQ 5 Airborne Brigade staff, the RAF and RFA ensured that we all arrived on time. After conducting various training events including deployment and retrieval of medical and surgery teams from a Field Hospital (arranged ad hoc the day before); the main event was a long-range night raid by four Lynx aircraft at a creative interpretation of CAT 2. This included a night flight from Keevil to the disused Bodmin Airfield on Bodmin Moor, to be refuelled by RAF parachute-inserted FARP, a return flight to Deptford Down and a simulated TOW attack to cover the tactical withdrawal of Parachute Regiment troops, who had been parachuted in that day to simulate a raid on an HQ in some far flung foreign field. The flight also conducted a live mortar shoot with a PARA mortar platoon. Post exercise the Squadron continued training in NVG, FAC and deck operations as crews left and new replacements came in, placing a heavy strain on the Squadron and Regimental QHIs. We also sent detachments and individuals to Canada, Kenya and Belize.’

Sadly, on 19 September 1994, Captain Julian Pooley, an AAC Territorial Army pilot, who was serving as the Belize detachment commander, was killed in a motorcycle accident while returning from a visit to Mexico. Julian had helped to instruct Andy Simkins in the intricacies of controlling a hot air balloon when serving under his command back in the late 1980s. It was a tragedy made worse by the fact that he was doing so much for disadvantaged children there.

In October, the Squadron returned to the Far East to take part in Exercise Suman Warrior, which took place in Singapore and was part of the Five Nations Defence Agreement (S=Singapore, U=United Kingdom, M=Malaysia, A=Australia, N=New Zealand). The journey by RAF Hercules took thirty-two hours in the air, via Cyprus, Abu Dhabi, Sri Lanka and Kuala Lumpur. Garry recalls that the accommodation ‘was terrible, very cramped, no mattresses, no hot water and no air conditioning,’ though ‘the Officers’ Club opposite Raffles Hotel was very obliging.’ The exercise was particularly successful; it helped Squadron personnel to gain valuable experience in the kind of multinational operation that was becoming the norm. For many it was the first visit to the Far East. Being so close to 656 Squadron history made the remembrance service held at Changi Cemetery all the more poignant. Wreaths were laid by, and on behalf of, the Squadron and the Association.

Throughout 1995 the Squadron was once again stretched to fulfil its commitments to provide personnel for roulement tours and exercises in Northern Ireland, Canada, Kenya, Belize, and Cyprus – to name but a few. When combined with support to the rest of the Army and maintaining its own training regime to meet the high standards it set for itself, this was to prove a demanding schedule. It continued to make significant advances in night operations, which generated interest Corps wide. Garry Key recalls with gratitude the efforts of all members of the Squadron and in particular,

‘I think mention should be made of then WO2, SQHI Mick Galston, who took over from Mick Goss. He was a consummate professional pilot and provider of consistent support to our aims and ambitions, especially in respect of deck landings and NVG. Over and above this I was blessed with a squadron full of vigour and keen to succeed in a climate of warmth of spirit, family and fun. One of our most enjoyable activities was mountain flying in Snowdonia. We carried out underslung load activity for the Snowdonia National Park, lifting pathway materials and tree shoots as well as practising various mountain flying techniques. We usually stayed over in a B&B, courtesy of the National Park service.’

With the deployment of the Rapid Reaction Force in the Former Republic of Yugoslavia and the heavy aviation commitment to this force, the workload again increased. In addition to the normal commitments, personnel were provided to fill temporary posts which had been vacated by regiments earmarked for deployment to Bosnia. Due to its impressive level of training, especially in night flying, the Squadron was the first port of call for those squadrons and regiments who were seeking to boost their own numbers to fill their establishments. The result of the above was a very heavily tasked light Squadron remaining in Dishforth, with the ground crew working especially hard with extra duties on top of normal Squadron tasks. Captain Patrick Logan led a very successful twenty man detachment providing three Gazelles on Exercise Medicine Man in BATUS, Canada, from August to October. Also in October, the Divisional Artillery Exercise was supported with Air OP aircraft provided by the Squadron, and three aircraft with crews participated in a very worthwhile Aviation Reconnaissance Patrol Demonstration on Salisbury Plain for Officer Cadets from RMA Sandhurst. The OC has particular memories of Exercise Pegasus Fury,

‘This follow on to Pegasus Strike involved HQ 5 Brigade and a para battalion dropping on Otterburn. Preliminary operations included 656 picking up the pathfinder platoon the day before and deploying them to Carlisle and Otterburn via a FARP at Warcop under NVG Cat 3 conditions, followed by a return there to refuel, then back to pick up the pathfinders from Carlisle and fly to them to Otterburn. The Squadron then conducted live TOW firing, while the Gazelle flight enjoyed doing airborne FAC for 3 x Tornados, 3 x Jaguars and 8 x 8 ship of Harriers, all firing and dropping live munitions. The Gazelles then conducted a live Artillery shoot with Brigade 105s while Lynx flight converted two aircraft to casevac role. The Brigade was flown in by thirteen Hercules, coming in low-level up the valley before popping up to 800 feet over the DZ for a drop in, wind conditions were at the margins to say the least! Following the light drop, aircraft, including RAF and 656, picked up several casualties and evacuated them to hospital. Then came the heavy drop, which as the second Hercules dropped its load, gave a new meaning to FFR Rover – in this case, Free Flight Rover – as the 1 Tonner, carrying live mortar ammunition parted with its load pallet and parachute and proceeded to bury itself into the Otterburn peat. The Free Flight Rover began to cook off and after half an hour or so blew up in front of several hundred visiting environmentalists brought in to discuss road widening for AS90 self-propelled artillery, which had recently been introduced.’

As the main exercising squadron, 656 also played a key role in the Regimental Exercise Eagle Strike in October. This took place on Salisbury Plain and concentrated on night flying, in particular NVG operations. The two weeks provided some difficult and testing situations for both aircrew and ground crew and served to prove their readiness for challenging times ahead. In December, Major Garry Key left the Squadron at the end of his tour in command and was replaced by Major Steven Marshall, who later recalled,

‘I was told that the Squadron was warned for deployment to Bosnia to support Major General Mike Jackson’s Multi-National Division South-West and I was to lead them on this deployment. I asked when we were deploying and was told that we might just see Christmas at home! I busied myself moving my family and getting to know the people in the Squadron and the wider Regiment. I had only recently completed my Lynx course and was also trying to consolidate my flying, which the winter weather and the demand for hours pre-deployment conspired to make difficult. A memorable difficulty was trying to learn to operate the special equipment that our aircraft had been fitted with for the tour. There was no formal training or documentation and we had to rely on the previous experience of air and ground crews and by “buying in” knowledge from outside of the Regiment.’

The Balkans

The Squadron detachment prepared to deploy to The Former Republic of Yugoslavia and looked forward in the New Year 1996 to the somewhat wintery climate of Bosnia Herzegovina. Some fifty-two members of the Squadron, six Lynx and four Gazelle were sent as part of the 9 Regiment package, with likely duties encompassing the full spectrum of peacekeeping and peace enforcement as part of the multi-national UN force (IFOR), Operation Resolute, supporting the Cessation of Hostilities Agreement, facilitating the development of a durable peace within the Bosnian Muslim/Croat Federation, policing the Contact Line with the Bosnian Serbs and enhancing humanitarian assistance to the people of Bosnia Herzegovina. The start of the operation was not without some difficult moments,

‘We did end up spending an anxious Christmas at home, constantly waiting to get the final deployment call. The call finally came at a period of very poor weather with thick fog preventing the departure of our Lynx and Gazelles. We peered out across a freezing and foggy airfield for the next few days, which did nothing for the nerves and morale of our crews and families as we said goodbye every morning and then returned in the evenings to start the same frustrating performance the next day.

I eventually made the decision to leave Dishforth and head south, even if we simply crawled to one of the RAF airfields near to us: we simply needed to make the break and get underway. When we did depart, the weather broke sufficiently for us to get to RAF Manston on the Channel, where we spent two nights. Reports from Bosnia told us that the mobility which we provided was much anticipated by the Division and the pressure was on for us to get to Split in Croatia and join the Regimental advance party who had flown out by RAF transport.

The next morning we crossed a claggy English Channel and made our way slowly and steadily through France. At every fuel stop we checked the increasingly poor weather which lay ahead of us. The Alps simply could not be crossed at altitude, and poor stormy weather south of the Alps would make that route long and difficult and we were constantly being made aware of the importance of getting into theatre as quickly as possible. Our navigation was made easier by the use of personal GPS units jury-rigged into the aircraft to make up for the poor and intermittent performance of the systems on the Lynx.’

However, the Squadron pressed on,

‘We were struck by strong winds and torrential rain throughout our journey through France and at one stage my Lynx had inches of rainwater sloshing around in the foot wells which caused the radios to degrade. Good teamwork and initiative kept the group in communication with ATC, and slowly, we proceeded via Reims to overnight at Lyon.

The next day we made our way to Nice. At times, flight at ultra-low-level was required and we found ourselves making use of our pylon crossing techniques and our mountain flying as we negotiated our way, finding a route through the valleys. The following day saw us going via Pisa to Ancona. Here, sea fog infuriatingly prevented us from making the final leg across the sea to Split. We arrived at Ancona, just as the RAF mounting unit (which had been staging RAF units into theatre) was just leaving. They literally threw us the keys to their office, gave us their airfield entry passes and left! Two frustrating days later we made the crossing to Split, the longest sea crossing that most of us had ever undertaken: it was amazing how many “new” noises and vibrations we felt as we stared out over nothing but miles of empty sea!’

Once in theatre the Squadron settled in and got to work,

‘We arrived in Split to a largely “miffed” regimental HQ who had for some reason expected us the previous day and had arranged the defence press to be in attendance! We then began the normal painful process of induction into the new theatre and the signing over of various stores and documents. This process took a day, so our move from Croatia “up-country” to Gornji-Vakuf (GV) in Bosnia was delayed. When we did get to GV, we found a ramshackle collection of Portacabin type huts called CorriMecs, after their Italian manufacturers. The HLS was in a dreadful state due to its location in a low lying muddy field and to the ravages of the winter weather. That very day we began the soldierly tradition of improving accommodation for our aircraft and ourselves. We also immediately began the movement around theatre of the GOC, Major General Mike Jackson, who I knew from being my Company Commander for a while in 2 PARA. From there the work just spiralled and we slipped into a rostered duty approach to life.’

The flying was very demanding: high altitudes, appalling wintry weather and only a rudimentary infrastructure for men and machines. The locals generally had it much worse. The country had been ravaged and there were still sporadic instances of inter-ethnic violence happening,

‘It was heartbreaking to see the conditions and suffering that the locals had had to endure. During the first few months we experienced armed Mil MI-8 “Hip” helicopters breaking the no-fly embargo, anti-aircraft cannon fire from disgruntled factions whilst making IMC (Instrumental Meteorological Conditions) approaches into Sarajevo airport directed by laissez-faire French military controllers and several near and actual wire-strike incidents caused by the locals jury rigging power supplies back to rural communities and stringing power lines without notification, sometimes by rocket line!

We survived the winter and enjoyed the beauty of the Bosnian spring and early summer. Towards the end of our tour, the MND HQ moved from GV to Banja Luka and we were left in the camp with an infantry battalion that filled the gap on reorganization left by the HQ. Both the Squadron and I enjoyed the greater freedom and responsibility created by the HQ’s departure.’

Back in the UK (again)

The Squadron left Bosnia in June 1996 and returned to Dishforth, which was in the view of the OC rather an anticlimax. They returned to very poor aircraft availability due to spares shortages, particularly for the Lynx and struggled to keep aircrew current and aircraft fit and healthy. It was a major engineering and administrative undertaking, to scrape together the resources to support formation exercises. The most important operational development was the Government’s announcement concerning the creation of the Joint Rapid Deployment Force (JRDF), which was formed on 1 August 1996, with the Squadron being nominated as the Lead Aviation Squadron. What this meant in practical terms was that several vehicles were kept packed and ready to go, while Squadron members’ interest in the news and in particular foreign affairs intensified. With each flare-up of violence somewhere in the world the possibility of having to deploy as a part of a British response became very real.

Garrison life in late 1996 and 1997 also included: Squadron members and detachments supporting Army training and operations in Belize, Bosnia, Canada, Cyprus, Germany, Kenya and Northern Ireland, all in addition to the ongoing support provided to the Army in the UK. It was difficult to find a time when a significant number of Squadron personnel were actually at home rather than abroad. However, there was one particularly enjoyable event,

‘We were directed to support training with the Italian Army in November/December 1996 and I took some of our Lynx Flight to Bolzano in Northern Italy where we swapped experiences and seat time on the AB 205s of the unit we were exchanging with. The Italians, used to the much less spirited and somewhat plodding AB 205, relished the power and responsiveness of the Lynx. Their first take-offs were always amusing however, with the aircraft shooting skywards from the hover and then plunging down, as they tried to rapidly come to terms with the Lynx’s very different characteristics.’

Major Tim Sharp arrived in November 1997 to assume command and his first impressions were of,

‘A sense of belonging to a family which everyone was proud to be a part of. I remember looking up at the board which held the names of previous OCs and felt somewhat in awe.’

It was not long after his arrival that the Squadron was warned of a deployment as a formed unit to BATUS in September 1998. This was a first for any AAC unit, as previously, only the Gazelle crews had ever deployed to fly aircraft that were pre-positioned to support the ‘Square Battle Group’ training. They would be taking an additional two Gazelle aircraft and four Lynx, plus ‘all the trimmings’ – to Alberta in Canada. Tim recalls,

‘Fortunately, I was blessed with probably the best 2i/c in the (somewhat round) form of Alex Willman, who was still sporting a gunner cap badge, who sorted out the logistics. These were not inconsiderable and involved hiring a couple of Russian Antonov An-124s and a slack handful of Fat Alberts (C-130J) to get the kit over there, whilst a couple of fuel bowsers were shipped across the Atlantic and taken by train across Canada.’

One of the pilots, Gazelle Flight Commander Paul Hayhurst, retains vivid memories of the flight, in formation, of the six helicopters across the prairie from Calgary to Medicine Hat. The whole experience was made even more challenging, as the Squadron was to undertake the ‘Deep Operations Battle’ in conjunction with the Blues and Royals, led by the larger than life character, Lieutenant Colonel Barney White-Spunner. Tim continues,

‘If BATUS was a sausage machine for churning out Battle Groups ready to go to war, we broke the machine and threw it away. The only “Blue” forces on the vast expanse of what is the BATUS prairie, were 656 and Barney’s Medium Recce vehicles – the rest of the tanks and APCs were “targets” or “Red” forces. During the planning, we soon realized that even BATUS wasn’t big enough for us, so we used another training area at Wainwright as either a FOB or a FARP to stretch the range equivalent to what Deep Operations was meant to represent. We knew, as we were planning the training, that the Squadron was going to be the first to receive the Apache, and so, in effect, we were preparing the crews for the type of missions they would undertake with the Apache, albeit with a now rather aging airframe – the Lynx.

We had a brilliant time; lots of challenges, many records broken, plenty of hours and loads of missiles down the range. We broke the mould, developed new doctrine on the hoof and demonstrated to the Armoured Corps that they had better watch out. I think the funniest moment for me was watching the exasperated SQMS, Staff Sergeant Stokes, who was trying to keep us supplied with water whilst out on the hot and dusty prairie and all he had was a Land Rover and an extremely leaky water trailer which was more like a sieve. Needless to say, it was topped up when he left Camp Crowfoot but usually arrived without enough water to boil an egg, when he found us. This activity kept him occupied for days, whilst the prairie turned green again!’

Paul Hayhurst also remembers a remarkable first accomplished during exercise, the first targeted ‘kill’ using an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), as he says, ‘a sign of things to come.’ The RA was trialling the Phoenix UAV, which searched for a formation of Warrior armoured fighting vehicles (AFVs) at night and in adverse weather conditions. Surveillance tapes were collected in the field by a Gazelle and brought back to HQ, where a brief was prepared for the Lynx crews, who then took off, found the AFVs and ‘destroyed’ them with simulated TOW missile strikes.

Tim reported back to the CO of 9 Regiment (then Lieutenant Colonel Tim Goble) that,

‘We were like a blade that had been honed to fine cutting edge and that if the Antonovs and C-130s wanted to turn left at the end of the runway and deploy us on operations, rather than turn right to bring us home – that was fine with us because we were ready for anything!’

As it was a twelve hour trip by Hercules to Goose Bay and a further twelve hours of noisy boneshaking across the Atlantic, it might even have been preferable.

On 1 September 1999, as part of the Strategic Defence Review, 9 Regiment was moved from 3 (UK) Division to 16 Air Assault Brigade and its role was changed from anti-tank to air assault. Later that month a very enjoyable and successful exchange visit was made to Bolzano in Italy by two Lynx and thirteen personnel, the Squadron having hosted a party of ten Italian airmen at Dishforth. Mountain flying training and absorbing the local culture were both accomplished. Two Lynx and two Gazelles participated in the 16 Air Assault Brigade Opening Parade at Wattisham Airfield in the same month. In October, an exercise was held on Salisbury Plain, in which four Lynx and four Gazelles from the Squadron took part, this was the first 16 Air Assault Brigade exercise. Paul Hayhurst recalls that a memorable part of this event was the sight of an entire Brigade’s worth of transport occupying the car parks at South Mimms Motorway Services and where the only sustenance available was frozen Cornish Pasties.

The Balkans Once More

During the first part of 2000 the Squadron was very well occupied with its pre-Bosnia training. This included the regulation UNTAT (United Nations Training Advisory Team) course and a highly successful week spent mountain flying in Wales. The move to the Balkans on Operation Palatine as the UK Aviation Squadron was spread out over several weeks, but all eighty-six personnel, under the command of Major Alex Tucker, had finally arrived in theatre by 22 April. Bosnia experiences its rapid change from winter to summer over the month of April and those in the first move were lucky enough to experience temperatures in the 20 to 30 degrees Celsius range, whilst still having large pockets of snow on the ground. The terrain was stunningly beautiful but potentially hazardous for flying. There was much to do on handover, from inventory checks to driver familiarization and theatre qualifying the pilots. The purpose of the mission was to support Multi National Division (South-West) (MND (SW)) which had its Headquarters in Banja Luka. The Squadron initially deployed to Gornji Vakuf in the Vrbas Valley, which was its Main Operating Base for the first three months of the tour. It also manned two FOBs at Banja Luka and Sarajevo, as well as a logistic detachment in Split.

The main tasks were to provide one Lynx AH9 in support of the Deputy Commander Operations of the Stabilization force, Major General Philip Trousdell, one Lynx for the GOC of the MND (SW), Major General Robin Brimms, and one Gazelle undertaking observation tasks for the National Liaison Team. All aircraft were at an hour’s notice to move day and night. This was achieved on all but a few days when the weather or unserviceable aircraft intervened. Bosnia was found to be much changed from its turbulent days in the mid-nineties. Although there were numerous uninhabited villages and many parts of the country were still mined, the general attitude seemed to be one of rejuvenation. On the drive up country from Split, new plastering and fresh paint could be seen gradually replacing the once familiar bullet ridden houses. In Sarajevo, where one of the Lynx was normally based, there were houses with satellite dishes, but no windows. The once proud television building stood ruined in the centre of a thriving metropolis. The local people were generally friendly towards SFOR (Stabilization Force) personnel and though troop levels were being reduced, there was a feeling that much had been achieved and there was still a worthwhile job to do.

At the end of June the Squadron moved its Main Operating Base from Gornji Vakuf to Split. To say goodbye to Gornji Vakuf an international heli-meet was organized, which included participation by Americans, Canadians, Dutch, Czechs, as well as the RAF and RN, with a variety of aircraft types including Chinooks, Apaches, Blackhawks, A109s, Cougars and MI-17s. The evening started with a memorial service for the crew of the Lynx that crashed at Gornji Vakuf just before Christmas in 1998. (On 22 December 1998, Lynx AH.7, XZ610, of 669 Squadron, suffered mechanical failure and crashed with the loss of all three crew.) The crew bar at Gornji Vakuf had already been named the 610 to preserve its memory and was a popular venue for unwinding and socializing, with weekly quiz nights being a star attraction.

The Burma Challenge was the Squadron’s charity fund raising effort during the tour. This took the form of a sponsored run/row covering the distance from Dishforth to Burma (the location, of course, of its first operational deployment in 1943). All personnel logged their running and rowing mileage to gain the grand total of 8716 miles. Over £6000 was raised towards books for two Bosnian schools and Action Against Breast Cancer. The 2i/c, Paul Hayhurst, came up with the idea of selling out of date oil and lubricants to a local dealer, thus saving the MOD the disposal costs and also raising a considerable sum of money for charity. During the tour, Springfield HLS at Banja Luka was rebuilt (complete with hangar) and handed over just in time for the new independent Gazelle Detachment to move in. As the Squadron left, the new Lynx Detachment was looking forward to moving into Sarajevo airport by the end of November. In summary, the Squadron flew 826.7 hours Lynx and 525.1 hours Gazelle, whilst closing down the base at Gornji Vakuf and drawing down the aviation commitment from a squadron to two independent detachments of two Lynx which operated in support of the Deputy Commander and two Gazelles for special tasking. Flying conditions had often been challenging due to rapidly changing weather, the smoke caused by massive heathland fires and the abundance of overhead power cables. Crews gained experience in mountain flying in hot and high conditions.

Home Again

After a long break, that included post operational tour leave for many and Christmas block leave for all, the Squadron regrouped on 8 January 2001. With a large influx of new Airtroopers and changes in virtually all the key positions, the first priority was a shake-out exercise. It therefore moved to a FOB in Driffield for thirty-six hours. This provided the opportunity to practise basic drills that needed to become second nature by the time the Squadron deployed on the Tactical Engagement Simulation Exercise Druid’s Dance in March. It also helped everyone to get back into the air assault mindset after nearly a year away from it. Having got rid of some of the rust, the next challenge was the Brigade Exercise Eagles Flight. This was a chance to do some Squadron training, rounded off with a live firing raid on Castle Martin. Unfortunately the weather was to curtail much of the training. By the end of the first day, only two helicopters had made it to the FOB on Salisbury Plain. The rest were strewn out across the country as Aircraft Commanders and Patrol Commanders had rightly listened to the old saying, ‘it is better to be on the ground wishing you were in the air than in the air wishing you were on the ground.’ By the end of the next day seven of the Squadron’s ten aircraft had managed to reach Salisbury Plain. With four Lynx TOW and three Gazelles there was enough combat power to do the raid. However, the forecast weather was again marginal. After a five hour delay whilst waiting for the fog to clear the decision was made to give it a go and the raid was launched. It was possible only to get to within about twenty miles of the target location where they were again frustrated by fog and had to turn round. With the weather closing in around them, they only just made it back, arriving at the same time as the missing three Gazelles. With better weather forecast, they needed to make the most of it before handing over the aircraft to 664 Squadron around midday the next day. Following some hasty planning a very concentrated scenario that practiced most aspects of the Squadron’s role was put together. After the disappointment of the previous day, this was just the tonic that was needed and the Squadron was able to return to Dishforth satisfied with having achieved something despite the weather. The highlight of the second week of Eagles Flight was an escape and evasion exercise for the aircrew. The hunter force consisted of the ground crew, a troop from the Queen’s Dragoon Guards and three tracker dogs. The weather was suitably cold and wet. After a search of their kit to ensure no contraband was taken, the aircrew were dropped in pairs at different locations around Catterick training area. The wet weather proved to be a blessing in disguise as the dogs were unable to pick up the scent of the evading aircrew. Despite the best efforts of the hunter force, only two of the escaping teams were captured. All the aircrew were then picked up by a Lynx the next day. The cost to the OC in bottles of champagne for those who managed to evade was considerable!

The Squadron also paid tribute to Burma veteran, Nobby Clark, the founding member of the reformed Squadron Association, who passed away on 20 March, at the age of eighty-two. The OC represented the Squadron at the funeral held at St Mary’s Church, Huish Episcopi in Somerset. A Gazelle from the Squadron and an Auster V flown by 656 Association member, Eric Downing, conducted a fly-past as the mourners emerged from the church.

The focus of the Squadron’s efforts shifted to an operational deployment to Kosovo and three overseas training exercises. A detachment of two Gazelles departed to Kenya in April, commanded by Captain David Wilkins. As soon as they were up and running they found themselves tasked to search for a missing soldier on the slopes of Mount Kenya. This tested both pilots and aircraft alike, as the majority of this task was completed at night, operating up to 10,000 feet above sea level, using NVG with a handheld thermal imaging camera. The detachment flew over six hours per day for six days during the search, to no avail. Fortunately, the missing person, a Royal Engineer explosives specialist, was found on the mountain at 8000 feet on the morning of the seventh day, none the worse for wear.

9 Regiment was tasked to support Operation Agricola in Kosovo for a ten month period and to achieve this it was decided to split the tour into four detachments. Captain Simon Hill, the Gazelle Flight commander, was selected to command the initial deployment by 656 Squadron. They deployed to Pristina and began the Theatre Qualification training and formally took over responsibility from 847 Naval Air Squadron on 18 May 2001. The tasks undertaken during the initial period were mainly in support of the Multi National Brigade (Centre) and were a mixture of command and liaison tasks and limited overwatch using the Nitesun. The nature of the tasking did however change shortly after this and they found themselves operating from a FOB in the south-western area of Kosovo known as the Bootleg. Here they supported the efforts to check the flow of military materiel from Albania into Macedonia. In conjunction with this they were also required to support specialist tasking. This rapidly began to account for the majority of the hours flown by the detachment, with the flying being, in the main, a solo pilot with an observer in the left-hand seat.

Later in the year, two more Gazelles were earmarked for detachment to Canada and a further two in support of an exercise in Kenya. Meanwhile, back in Dishforth during the period of May and June, the Squadron supported the efforts to control the spread of Foot and Mouth disease, which included taking fly epidemiologists working for MAFF around the infected areas of Cumbria and the Pennines. The use of aviation in this manner was thought to be of great value to the epidemiologists and vets, who were attempting to predict the spread of the disease and implement containment measures to prevent further outbreaks. In July the Squadron focus was again split. At home it supported Exercise Phantom Bugle, an exercise that takes place on Salisbury Plain three times a year to train the next generation of Squadron and Company commanders. It deployed with four Lynx and four Gazelle and an enhanced ground crew element for a week in the field. This provided an opportunity for personnel to test themselves against a live ‘enemy’ force in their primary role as an anti-tank squadron. Having not had a chance to test these skills for some time, some valuable lessons were relearned and by the final battle run, helicopters were once again proving decisive to the Battle Group Commander’s Plan. It was during this exercise that the Squadron hosted a film crew from Carlton Television, the makers of Peak Practice. The storyline involved both ground and air elements of the Squadron with Airtroopers Robinson and Rolfe taking a starring role as extras. Just prior to the Squadron taking some well-earned leave over the summer, Captain Alex Rogers took another Gazelle detachment to Canada to participate in Exercise Iron Anvil. This differed from normal due to the restrictions on training imposed due to Foot and Mouth in the UK. They therefore ended up supporting 12 Mechanized Brigade, the first time that an AAC detachment had supported a brigade-sized force at BATUS. They spent forty days on the prairie prior to a brief adventure training package, returning to Dishforth in early October 2001, when Major Neil Dalton assumed command and who recalls,

‘The start of my tenure in command seemed to be very indicative of what was to come. Some two days into the job the Squadron deployed on a Brigade FTX chasing the enemy all over Scotland in the type of weather that one would expect up north at that time of year, so testing us in the cockpit and out. But we were determined to maintain the pace and in January 2002 we subsequently deployed for a Squadron live-firing exercise at Otterburn, achieving some excellent TOW firing by day and night and testing the ground elements of the Squadron to provide support in extreme conditions.’

The following month the Squadron was the lead element of 16 Air Assault Brigade participation in a joint, multinational air exercise at RAF Leuchars (Tactical Leadership Training Night Exercise), acquitting itself well. Additionally, a further detachment was sent to Kenya early in the New Year, whilst the Squadron as a whole, was also warned for potential operational deployment to Afghanistan, which in the event did not happen but provided useful stimulus for planning activity and preparation. However, to facilitate support operations the CO, Lieutenant Colonel David Short, directed the Regiment to reorganize from mixed Lynx/Gazelle to single type squadrons. Consequently, the Squadron undertook three long-term operational commitments concurrently, these being a two Gazelle detachment to Kosovo on Operation Agricola (one year), a two Gazelle detachment to Bosnia on Operation Palatine (six months), and a two Gazelle detachment, UK-based, at twelve hours’ notice to move on Operation Salvage (one year). In addition to the exercise and operational commitments, the Squadron had other challenges heaped upon it. Firstly, the restructuring demanded much from the command, SQMS and ground crew elements, while at the same time also being tested by the start of planning in respect of yet more restructuring in anticipation of the arrival of Apache in 2003. A significant commitment for this was a project to develop tactical scenarios for the Apache simulator located at the airfield that took Neil away for one week every month throughout the latter half of 2002 until his departure in February 2003. He could, however, celebrate the Squadron winning the Boroughbridge Sword (the inter-Squadron sports challenge), the first time that it had ever been won by a flying squadron. As Neil notes,

‘We held an excellent BBQ to celebrate and were fortunate enough to be presented the trophy by General Sir Michael Walker, the Corps Colonel Commandant and Chief of the Defence Staff.’

Another item high on the agenda from late 2002 onwards was preparing for the Squadron’s 60th Jubilee. Much time and effort was given over to make the day very memorable. The Jubilee was celebrated in style at Dishforth Airfield on 21 June 2003. The day commenced with a brief introduction from the Squadron to the assembled guests. The Acting OC, Captain Andy Gilks, gave a brief outline of the Squadron’s history and splendid achievements over the previous sixty years. Burma veteran Arthur Windscheffel then unveiled a bespoke display cabinet, made from Burmese Teak, the Association’s gift to the Squadron. This was from a design by Nobby Clark and was dedicated to his memory. After the group photograph Association members then visited various exhibits or took the opportunity to fly in a Gazelle. In the afternoon there was a buffet in the WOs’ and Sergeants’ Mess, where a second presentation was made to the Squadron of two new paintings by Lieutenant Colonel David Joyce and Peter Elliston. The day concluded with a dinner dance at the Crown Hotel in Boroughbridge, presided over by Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Simkins.

WO2 (SSM) Jim Lyons had been with the Squadron three years in 2003, having been promoted from Staff Sergeant. He had witnessed the transition from a Lynx and Gazelle equipped anti-tank unit to Gazelle only, as the arrival of the Apache drew closer. He recalls a period of considerable upheaval as a series of exercises for the mostly inexperienced ground crews were laid on to develop cohesion and field skills. It was his aim to make sure that the spirit of 656, which was an elite unit always at the forefront of events, was maintained. The following chapter will show just how successful the Squadron was in achieving this goal.