29 January -
16 February
|
Air Mobility Training
|
Gatwick to Germany and
return to Abingdon
|
Plt Off Stevens. Training at Iserlohn with Coldstream Guards. BEA
Viscount Flight 507 and Beverley XB288
|
19-25 February
|
Exercise Winter Trail
|
Benson to Vaernes, Andoya,
Bodo And Bardufos, Norway
and return to Lyneham
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. 1st Inniskillings and 43 Marine Commando
Group. Argosy XP441 and Britannia XM636. This was the first use of our
newly issued Arctic clothing, which I recall was most effective! (See
picture below)
|
27 February
|
Special
|
Benson to Thorney Island
|
Plt Off Stevens. Transporting 38 Group Signals. Argosy XP138
|
2-7 March
|
Exercise Wagon Train
|
Benson to Keevil and
Odiham, return to
Abingdon
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. 5 Infantry Brigade. Argosy XP848 and Beverley
XB269
|
17-20 March
|
Exercise Cold Winter
|
Benson to West Raynham,
then on to Bodo, Norway.
Return to Benson via
Lyneham
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Positioning of 1 Squadron (Hunters).
Btritannia XM658 and Argosy XP139
|
26-28 March
|
Exercise Cold Winter
|
Benson to Vaernes, Bodo
and Gardemoen, Norway
and return to West
Raynham and Benson
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Recovery of 1 Squadron (Hunters). Argosy
XP141 and XP441
|
31 March -
2 April
|
Exercise Regal Stamp
|
Abingdon to shuttle
between Leuchars and
Kinloss, Scotland and
Wittmundhaven, Germany.
Return to Abingdon
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Positioning of 74 Squadron (Lightnings).
Beverley XB290
|
13-15 April
|
Exercise Regal Stamp
|
Abingdon to shuttle
between Wittmundhaven,
Germany and Leuchars,
Scotland. Return to
Abingdon
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Recovery of 74 Squadron (Lightnings). Beverley
XB150 and XB269
|
20 April
|
Exercise Travel Agent
|
Lyneham to Gutersloh,
Germany and return
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Positioning advance party of The Black Watch.
Britannia XM638
|
24 April
|
Exercise Easter Lightning
|
Abingdon to Aldergrove,
Northern Ireland
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Positioning 5 Brigade. Beverley XB287 (the
Beverley captain was Major Von Haven, USAF)
|
1 May
|
Exercise Easter Lightning
|
Nutts Corner, Northern
Ireland to West Freugh,
Scotland, West Raynham
and Abingdon
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Hastings TG487 and Beverley XB150
|
2-9 May
|
Exercise Easter Lightning
|
Abingdon to Aldergrove,
Northern Ireland and
return to Abingdon
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Beverley XB287. Exercise recovery phase
|
1-3 June
|
Exercise Pond Jump
|
Lyneham to Namao, AB,
Canada and return to
Lyneham
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Positioning Forresters advance party. Britannia
XM659
|
10-17 June
|
Exercise Pond Jump
|
Lyneham to Namao, AB,
Canada and return to
Lyneham
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Poisitioning main exercise body. Britannia
XM489 and Britannia XM657
|
6-10 July
|
Exercise Grand Cross
|
Abingdon to Lyneham then
Wildenrath, Germany.
Return to Lyneham
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Recovery of 16 Para Brigade and 23 SAS (TA).
Beverley XB288 and Britannia XM640
|
16-18 July
|
Exercise Tiger Camp
|
Benson to Wattisham and
return to Benson
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Deployment of Mobile ATC Unit. Argosy XP136
|
8-9 September
|
Special
|
Lyneham to Ballykelly,
Northern Ireland, then to
Bodo Norway. Return to
Lyneham via Ballykelly
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Shackleton engine change. Britannia XM657
|
10 September
|
Exercise Unison
|
Benson to Cranwell and
Tangmere, return to
Benson
|
Plt Off Stevens. 38 Group Signals. Argosy XP821 and Argosy XP140
|
20 September
|
Exercise Dazzle
|
Benson to Wattisham
|
Plt Off Stevens. Argosy XP141
|
7 October -
March 1966
|
(FEAFMAMS)
|
Penang, Malaya
|
Bill Girdwood, Derek Hartland, Derek Smith, Bob Turner, Rab Devlin,
Flint McCullough and Bill Holder. Movement of construction materials
needed to build a radar station atop Penang Hill, which would become
RAF Western Hill
|
16 October
|
Exercise Pied Piper
|
Odiham to Tangmere and
return to Odiham
|
Plt Off Stevens. 38 Group Signals FSKs. Argosy XP134 and Argosy XP857
|
18 October
|
Special
|
Odiham to Benson and
return to Odiham
|
Plt Off Stevens. Circuit training, special demonstration loads. Beverley
XB283 and Argosy XP442
|
20-21 October
|
Special
|
Odiham to Abingdon and
return to Odiham
|
Plt Off Stevens. Circuit training, special demonstration loads. Beverley
XB290
|
23 October
|
Exercise Pied Piper
|
Benson to shuttle between
Thorney Island, Tangmere,
West Raynham and
Odiham. Return to
Thorney Island
|
Plt Off Stevens. 38 Group Signals. Argosy XP139
|
24 October
|
Exercise Pied Piper
|
Thorney Island to Abingdon
|
Plt Off Stevens. Recovery from 38 Group Signals exercise. Beverley
XB269
|
8-10 November
|
Special
|
Lyneham to Luqa, Malta
and return
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Positioning of aero engine for onmove to Kano.
Britannia XM637
|
17-27 November
|
Exercise Sugar Cane
|
Colerne to Belize and
return
|
Plt Off Stevens plus team. Positioning of Royal Engineers to Belize.
Hastings TG487 and Hastings TG528. **See story below**
|
29 November '65
- November '66
|
Kenya, Tanzania and
Zambia
|
Several teams were involved with the oil lift, including those led by David
Stevens, Ian Stacey and the dreaded Pilot Officer Wiblin (DPOW!).
|