I'm glad I saw this; it has helped me decide never to return! I had a damned good tour there 1970-71, but now it's just another tropical island among hundreds just like it. It was good to see that the old RAF No Parking signs are still in use, though!
It was my 20th bday when I arrived in 1960 and I came out urgently it seems by BOAC Britannia Beirut, Bahrain, Clacutta and then Singapore then onwards to Gan by RAF aircraft! I was in supplies and the base had not been built long. I was in supplies and there were 3 large tanks at end of the island where they were refuelled from ships. There was a little bar there which me and another supplier opened! Wng Cmdr Constable-Maxwell was the CO on his last tour and I had come from North Weald after BE training (coincidentally he had served in BoB there!) There was virtually nothing there then, but a fantasic first tour at my age (I was made up to Cpl by the CO then)Only got 2 weeks leave as a 'singly' so had to go to Singapore for this - not UK. Great! Gordon Morris
I was there in 61flew from Brize via Aden by Britania ...best 12 months of a 10 year career ... flew back in Comet IV its first flight from HK casavac through Gan.
If you flew from Newcastle to Gan on that - its a bloody sight longer than my Brit flight from Tengah-Gan-Bahrain-Akrotiri-Brize... lol..... you want to see the current flight sim version of it its so accurate..
Well that came as a surprise! How did you get there? I spent my year there in the 60’s as a Wireless Op, both on MCR and on base…Always fancied going back for a looksee, but difficult from Brisbane….Still have hundreds of 35 mm Slides of the place…looks very different now… Hope it was worth the trip for you..happy days eh!
RAF Gan and Hithadhoo was also used as a secret base for the formation of a team Called the "AA's" .They also used Merebrook Camp. In 1969-70 a Cpl Slater was found hung in a metal power unit .They recorded his death as suicide .IT WAS NOT .
