RAF El Adem, Libya
El Adem oblique looking NW post war
Mark Herrington recently pointed out to me that his late father, Ray Herrington, had served with 103 Squadron at RAF El Adem Libya as a Senior Aircraftsman in the late 1950s – early 1960s. 103 Squadron were based in Cyprus at RAF Nicosia at the time but had a detachment of 2 Bristol Sycamores based at El Adem for search and rescue, communications and special duties. I was unaware of this and it is certainly needs to be added to the list of 103 Squadron airfields.
RAF El Adem was an airfield situated 15 miles south of Tobruk in Lybia. After the UK declared war with Italy in June 1940 El Adem, which was the the main Italian air base in Cyrenaica, was one of the first targets to be attacked by RAF aircraft. When the airfield was captured in early 1941 during the first British advance into North Africa the wreckage of over 80 of Italian aircraft littered the airfield. In the opening months of 1941 detachments of 73 Squadron (Hawker Hurricanes) and 70 Squadron (Vickers Wellingtons) spent short periods there but with the arrival of the Germans in Africa and the loss of Cyrenaica it was not until December that RAF units returned and then only temporarily in the shape of 112 Squadron with their Curtiss Tomahawks and later Curtiss Kittyhawks. 112 Squadron was back again in February 1942, alongside another Hurricane unit 274 Squadron. In 1942, Cyrenaica was lost for a second time and the airfield again came under Axis control.
Curtiss Tomahawk 112 Squadron 1941
Westland Lysander El Adem airfield Libya Jan 1941
At the Battle of El Alamein in October the situation changed dramatically and the British Army advanced this time for good. No less than five Hurricane squadrons (Nos 33, 73, 80, 213 and 238) passed through, together with a pair of Lockheed Hudson squadrons (117 and 267) which remained until January 1943. The RAF's planned long term stay here was reflected in the formation of the Station on 12 December 1942 Its main role was to provide servicing and refuelling facilities on the North African reinforcement route.
BOAC began operations in February 1943 and throughout the first three months of the year over 1,400 battle casualties were processed. The nature of this air traffic led to the disbandment of the Station and its redesignation on 1 April 1943 as No 12 Staging Post. In spite of this, it played a brief role as a bomber air field (January/February 1944), hosting 178 and 462 Squadron with Consolidated Liberators and Handley Page Halifaxes respectively. Two fighter squadrons were also based here in the last three years of the war, 94 with many Yugoslav pilots, and 336, a Greek-manned unit carrying out bombing training on Supermarine Spitfires.
On 1 August 1945 the airfield once again became RAF Station El Adem, although it was still handling a vast amount of through traffic both in terms of types and numbers. This resulted in many unusual visitors and tasks. BOAC schedules ceased in November 1948, but there were always new commitments such as visiting de Havilland Hornets on long range navigational training flights from England.
The Station Avro Anson (VM310) joined Lancasters from Malta, and Middle East based Douglas Dakotas and Vickers Valettas to search for a De Havilland Vampire of 73 Squadron which crashed in the desert in February 1950 on its way to El Adem. The Vampire was one of many similar squadron visits which included Avro Shackletons (37 and 38 Squadrons) based here in October 1955 to carry out anti arms smuggling patrols in the Cyprus area.
The constant need to provide search and rescue facilities prompted the attachment, in 1960, of Flight of Bristol Sycamore helicopters from 103 Squadron in Cyprus. In July 1963 this become 1564 Flight re-equipping with Westland Whirlwinds.
El Adem with 2 103 Squadron Bristol Sycamores visible in front of the hangar
103 Squadron Bristol Sycamore at Norfolk and Suffolk Air Museum thought to have served at El Adem
From the 1960s, detachments of units based in the United Kingdom and elsewhere began to make much greater use of the fine weather at EI Adem to carry out training. Foremost among these was 242 OCU at Thorney Island which regularly sent out Armstrong Whitworth Argosys and Blackburn Beverleys together with their student crews. In addition, the Air Weapons Range was much in demand by English Electric Canberra squadrons and the Hawker Hunter ground attack units on Armament Practice Camps. A well-known navigation point for all El Adem based aircraft was the 'Lady Bc Good' a USAAF B24 Liberator which had come down in the desert in April 1943.
Blackburn Beverleys El Adem
Scottish Aviation Pioneer 230 Squadron El Adem
For communications duties the Station had a single Percival Pembroke (WV706), which also took on casualty evacuation. Although off the strategic trunk route to the Far East, the airfield was used by Bristol Britannias during the Zambian airlift and continued to attract light aircraft working for the oil companies. By the mid-1960s Avro Vulcan Lone Ranger flights were in full swing, the aircraft remaining for four or five days. Similar visits were made by Handley Page Hastings from the Bomber Command Bombing School at Lindholmc.
In August 1966 Kingdom of Libya Airlines began a twice-weekly schedule using Fokker Friendships for the benefit of local residents and the oil companies. Four months later the weapons range was used for trials on the AS-30 missile. One of the highlights of El Adem's calender in the late 1960s was the annual competition for the Lord Trophy when RAF transport crews from all commands used the Station to fly air support sorties and exercises. The competition normally followed one of the many 38 Group air transport exercises and it was during one of these exercises that Argosy XR133 crashed killing all on board in May 1968. Next month, following a sabotage threat, two Westland Wessexes of 72 Squadron arrived as air freight aboard Short Belfasts. The helicopters were used to patrol the airfield perimeter but the threat did not materialize.
By August 1967 El Adem was the last remaining British base in Libya and Army units including four Bell Sioux helicopters arrived for the defence of the Station. An opportunity to test the newly-installed airfield Rotary Hydraulic Arrester Gear was provided by the arrival in February 1968 of the first English Electric Lightnings to visit El Adem. These were four aircraft of 23 Squadron which had flown non-stop from their base at Leuchars. A need to provide desert search and rescue facilities was fulfilled, in April 1969 by the re-emergence of the previously disbanded 1564 Flight with two Westland Whirlwind HAR I0s.
Events were now overshadowed by the Libyan coup d'etat and Colonel Gadaffi's announcement that all British bases must go. Following talks that agreed on a British withdrawal from Libya by 31 March 1970, No 1564 Flight was disbanded in December 1969 and the Army Sioux (No 12 Aviation Flight) followed suit a month later. The Station Pembroke was despatched to Cyprus for 70 Squadron and the final handover parade was held on 28 March.
I checked this site on Google satellite maps and it now looks very run down and deserted.
3 helicopters are visible but whether they are serviceable it is impossible to say. No motor vehicles are visible at all.
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Ray Herrington
Ray Herrington was transferred from 208 Squadron in Kenya to 103 Squadron at RAF El Adem, as Senior Aircraftsman on the Sycamore Search and Rescue detachment in 1959.
103 Squadron Ray Herrington and Bristol Sycamore
Whilst with 103 Squadron he was involved with assisting Special Forces as well as Search and Rescue work. He was stationed at El Adem from late April 1959 until September 1960.
In all he served with 10 different Squadrons working on a huge range of aircraft including 5 years on the Queens Flight. After his 25 years service he went on to work at BAe as an accident investigator and so spent all his working life involved with aircraft and engineering.
Compiled by David Fell with much thanks to Mark Herrington. Photos from Mark, the IWM and the RAF El Adem FB group
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