Desert Mapped From Camel-Back
The following is an excerpt from page 13 of “ The
Dhow” - Combined Forces Newspaper,
Aden dated 29th November 1963 (price 50 cents)!
Soldiers mounted on camels doing a job? Peculiar
perhaps, but this is one of the unusual tasks 19 Topo Sqn RE have
carried out in their time in the Middle East.
As the name implies they are a map making squadron and have been in
existence, in one form or another, since 1850. A long serving member
of the squadron, S/Sgt. Des Davey, recalls that his father was
surveying in Ireland with the Sqn. in 1900! During the 2nd World War
as 19 section, part of 512 Coy., Topo retreated from Dunkirk and then
moved to their present theatre, the Middle East in '41.
In '48 the Sqn was reformed as 19 Topo, part of 42 Svy Regiment and
carried on its work mapping the Middle East. Surveyors were working in
such places as Jordan, with the Arab Legion, and Egypt. The present
SSM, John Bickers was in Jordan at the time and tells of a rather
amusing incident when some surveyors crossed the border into Saudi
Arabia and were promptly jailed by the locals.!! After some hectic
diplomatic manoeuvring they were released, presumably with a very
accurate map of where the border was !
'51 saw the surveyors scattered as far apart as Kuwait, Cyprus and
Libya.
The main party were working in Iraq and due to the ticklish situation
wore civilian clothes. This did not prevent them from having to
evacuate rather quickly during the Iraq revolution. In '58 most of the
equipment was left behind but one enterprising officer sold an army 3
tonner for fifty pounds before he departed. That is initiative !!
After this the Sqn returned to their parent unit in Cyprus united for
the first time since their formation. Within six months Topo was off
again, a troop being based in Aden and detachments in Trucial and
Muscat Oman, Kenya, Kuwait and Somaliland.
The beginning of the sixties, the Technological era, brought the much
disbelieved camel incident. It was absolutely necessary to map the
desolate and rocky wastes of the Trucial States, yet Landrovers could
not penetrate into the area. Nothing daunted, surveyors climbed aboard
their camels or donkeys and disappeared for weeks at a time into such
arid areas as Leewa, a colossal sand sea in Muscat Oman. Other parties
worked with the Trucial Oman Scouts, travelling in such mundane
transport as Landrovers and three tonners.
During this time the remainder of the Sqn moved to Muscat and finished
off the areas to be mapped. Even then the unit wasn't together, as HQ
was located in Bahrain. When the map sheets were completed the
squadron moved en bloc back to Aden.
Here they are producing a much needed map of the WAP. Detail for the
map will be filled in from air photographs, which are annotated on the
ground by surveyors visiting every point of detail. Control for the
maps is produced by radar methods or the more conventional system of
Triangulation, aided by Astronomical Observations.
At the beginning of next year Topo will be returning to UK, and hope
to leave behind a memento in the form of a dependable map. Something
everybody will be grateful for!
The name of the writer of the article is not given
Comment from
Des Davey
I have just read the article re mapping the desert from camel
back, and must say I was very surprised to see my name mentioned.
Although I was a S/Sgt at the time in Aden I cannot recall ever having
given an interview to any reporter of "The Dhow", nor indeed ever
having seen this article before. I would certainly have remembered it
because I would have corrected it immediately. As to the remark - a
long serving member of 19 Sqn, I certainly served with them in
Transjordan (as it was known then) from May 1948 to Sep.1950 and again
in Aden from March 1963 until they were replaced by 13 Sqn. but it makes
me sound as if I was the only one to have spent any time in the Sqn.
As to the reference about my Father, he certainly was in Ireland in
1900,but he was still only a Boy (Bugler) aged 17 and I doubt very much
if he was in 19 Sqn even if it was there at that time.
As for the long serving bit, when I eventually got back to the Regt.
in Egypt in Sep.1950,I was told I was only supposed to stay in T/J for
6 months and not two and a half years. I'm glad they forgot me, I
reckon it was my best posting of all.!
As to John Bickers account of the Sgt. who went missing in Saudi
Arabia for about a week, we also later had some members of 1 Tp. who
were arrested after crossing the border into Syria to get to a Trig.
Point, they finished up in Damascus for a couple of days.
Incidentally the border with Saudi Arabia was only claimed to be shown
by a track marked on a 1:750,000 black and white map in English and
Arabic which only showed tracks and a few names and major wadis, which
was our only map, and I believe a lot of the area which we ran our
trig control and mapping through has now in fact been ceded to Saudi
Arabia.
Regards,
Des Davey
With thanks to John Bickers via Andy Anderson and Des Davey for this contribution.