9th-12th-Lancers - Year 1984 - Page 0104
Image details
| Regiment | 9th/12th Lancers |
|---|---|
| Year | 1984 |
| Transcription |
th 9lH’tZTH rttiyAt LANi [RS REGIMINTAL lullRNAL The British Force in the Lebanon Even the GLC would have problems sorting this out l lell Germany on the 2nd November 15383 in the middle (it Exerctse Eternal Triangle and headed (7" to tho Lebanon for a six month emergency tourwnli BRITFORLEB Eventually, thanks to the RAF, l arrived at Beirut litternal Airport or B l A , as the Americans called it. There was quite a reception party waiting for me, inarrily because General Langley was iin my Highland, the tact that the ltalian Prime Minister arrived ctmrcrrlontally lust down the runwayt We unloaded the Chinook and set otf tor an hour’s drive to our camp on the outskirts of BElRUT The drive was quite an eye opener! Paris nl the city were blown to bits by artillery and tldclled With bullet holes but this appeared to make very little dilterehce to the way ot lite ot the people The locals would still be standing on street corners selling everything that could possrbly be sold v bar wornenl The new centre 0! the city was not so badly damaged, it was only riddled wrth bullet holes and the occasronal house was partially demolished The old City centre however was a complete and utter ghost town and had been totally destroyed during the 1973 wart While we drove around the city the traffic was unbelievable ll easily beat a London rush hourl Cars appeared to it): be going in almost any dllBCTILttl permanently [ilaSttt'tg their horns The tact that we were part lit the Mtlltt National Force tMNFl made little (litter . it to our late {ll progress, but ii did allow us in htoutll kerhs whenever and wherever we wanted to Our rlrivers thoroughly enioyott themselves because there were virtually no tratlrr: laws. It was theretore a case of the biggest vehicle having the tight at wayl The most important rule was that a rzar gttlllg oowrrhrlt had priority over all other cars The reason tor this, very tow cars had brakes worth talking about! Eventually we arrived rat the camp at Hadith which was a block of flats, tour stories high It was built originally to accommodate eight single people who were employed in the Cigarette tactory lust behind our positon BRlTFORLEB managed to Cram t27 people lll, and still have room tor 10 extra men who came to do some plumbing! The rooms were very spartan and small My humble abode was about 15 leer by 12 teet and slept 5 or 6 people a depending on the pluinbei‘sl The base was initially occupied by a QtD.G. Squadron on my arrival but these were soon replaced by a 16/5L Squadron lrorn Tidwortli. Havrrig been shown around by the oftlcer that I was replacing I went to bed as l was on duty the next day Duty involved going to the President‘s Palace, It! the Linisnn Celt This wasn‘t really a rrzlt but an ex r~ttrre with par glass thirjnws tn the nth . litysotl there Willa a French ttaliein and Amen 1n Ohm, repr .nnirng earirlil :liS MNr Ciittlttltt. its ln ihu tiCxt tllrttt tilliito llit" lerrarrtzsr: had their littelllttt‘tlt‘e Cnil tinsr .rr tlir, titett will be» W. rmuldi irst at): in t: iin . iogcihli and thtlllJ tEll us what lltt' lebanmri Militia gr lttp‘w V‘Jt‘lu irrr rii in; MM sniti nr , ’ig 'vViitJttl‘Uirtl‘t in the ltétlr‘tfft} (tl rrlirlut 09ml Iris There wort. in i lEtCIlllltrb tin us lt eat in tlir- ’i «n he wriiiltj g ti r MOD litttldttig in i M the tar tl lrrtid This was fitllpllsl'ttlly (llt’lll, :rll ll ltitl‘y4,rtliSl(ll)V!ttl, but thr-ro we ‘titlptb ni l'ittlgs lliitt Lli'tl vtlt'llttj knrrws Wllrll they wore Tni-y iletinrtnty raster! u lrrtlo sltiitiqe in say the leasrll A »r lunch ii \\"ruld llr luck to run ttlllllE‘ i ,2 mdrir sot rind thi- shell hy sllell acttutitil ill the war. until the ant] til the 24 hnur stag The intotrnaiiirir was given to us by the Lebanese anil iheri St'lll down iriir radios. lt‘ keep lltl: relevant MNF Citniingni t5 intnrnied «in the Slllti’r'tt'rtl The Bntrsii Ollium in the Palace lelStltt Coll would also have to write it all down in chronological order I! would then be typed and ClinlES dlStrlblllHd [(r all lltn forces {along With almost every other Torn, 0er W Harryl The Dilly sllghtly rrrlrl Tliltttj about It .rll was thtt the rntrrrrnarrnn was supposed to be class rliad RESTRlCTED but the ertnnese accepted it all over the telephone which everybody udersrond to be tapped To cap it all we then had In transmit the iritorrnation on a secure radio not1 As a Liaison Ollicerl managed to ger quite a bit at nine ntt whrch I spent rn matty drtterenr ways. Tlrere arc always. iidbags to be tilled, the lortrficatroris or living quarters to he rnrprovect One ot the mairrl iobs involved moving the kitchen This was originally rm the ground floor, but dire to the odd stray RPF 7 round in the night, it was decrded to irrrrve the sleeping areas to the ground lloot and the administration area to the top two llnors. Fortunately iiurattiliated ship] HMS Brazen, arrived Ollshtlre at this llltlel so they sent a crew at plumbers and bricklayers ashore to help us ln return l went aboard for a very good ltthh' |
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