64 FLYPAST February 2018
The insurrection was deemed to
have been quelled by February 3.
The four Mesopotamia squadrons
had logged just over 4,000 flying
hours from July to December
1920 and dropped nearly 100
tons of bombs. Throughout this
period the RAF element was under
Army command. British forces
lost 426 killed, including nine
RAF personnel. Eleven aircraft
were lost to rifle fire and no fewer
than 57 were seriously damaged.
Up to 10,000 Iraqis were killed or
wounded. The cost of containing
the revolt was put at up to £100m.BURDEN OF
ENTANGLEMENT
In 1921 Winston Churchill, Secretary
of State for the Colonies, referred to
the revolt as the “burden and odium
of the Mesopotamia entanglement”.
There was an urgent need
for a strategy and he
called a conference in
Cairo for March 1921.
This meeting agreed that the
Hashemite Sheikh Feisal from
the Hejaz (part of modern Saudi
Arabia) would be placed as King of
Iraq, with his brother Abdullah as
Emir of Transjordan.
After a brief campaign in
Somaliland (Africa) in 1920, inwhich a scratch RAF unit of DH.9s
demonstrated the value of air support
in local colonial uprisings at little
cost, the RAF was given responsibility
for maintaining the peace. In a
complete turnaround, it now had
control of a much-reduced Army
presence of 12 battalions.
Early in 1921, the DH.9As of 8
Squadron were transferred from Egypt
to the new main base at Hinaidi
in Baghdad. It was followed by 1
Squadron, with its Sopwith Snipes and
reputedly hard drinking pilots, which
had previously been in India.
It was planned to add two
transport units, taking the number
in Mesopotamia to eight within
RAF Iraq Command, formed on
February 1, 1922. This was 30% of
the RAF strength.Squadron Type Base Role
1 Sopwith Snipe Hinaidi Fighter
6 Bristol F.2b Hinaidi General purpose
8 De Havilland DH.9A Hinaidi Bomber / general purpose
30 De Havilland DH.9A, RAF RE.8 Hinaidi Bomber / general purpose
55 De Havilland DH.9A Mosul Bomber / general purpose
84 De Havilland DH.9A Shaibah Bomber / general purpose
45 Vickers Vernon I Hinaidi Transport
70 Vickers Vimy, Vernon I Hinaidi TransportRAF SQUADRONS IN IRAQ, JUNE 1922RAF SQUADRONS IN IRAQ, JUNE 1922
to the west of Ramadi when a large
force threatened Mosul.
Flying was not easy in Mesopotamia,
the best time being an hour or so
after dawn. Temperatures in the
summer were about 115°F (46°C) in
the shade. An inversion layer up to
1,500ft (457m) created considerable
turbulence. Sandstorms were common
up to 8,000ft, their sudden arrival
causing many landing accidents. In
the north, snowfall could be a major
problem.
Lines of communication were
fragile and included 910 miles
(1,464km) of road, 856 miles of
railway and around 900 miles of
navigable river. In June 1920, the
Army had garrisons spread widely,
but had no mobile reserve. The two
RAF units were thinly distributed,
detached from their base at Baghdad
West to Mosul, Bushire and Kasvin.
Shia and Sunni Muslim sects
put aside their differences and the
insurgency, an armed revolt, started
on June 30 at Rumaithah and by
the end of July, 35,000 Arabs had
taken up arms. The only route open
to Baghdad was from Basra via the
River Tigris. Defensive positions
were constructed around Baghdad,
the airfield fortified and the Army
reinforced by ten infantry battalions.
A third DH.9A unit, 84 Squadron,
was formed at Baghdad West,
moving south to Shaibah. As the
situation worsened a fourth DH.9A
unit, 55 Squadron, was brought
in to support forces in the north,
deploying frequently to Mosul. The
DH.9As carried out convoy patrol,
reconnaissance, bombing and supply
drops.
Gradually, sieges and conflicts were
brought under control by the end of
1920.
There was still tension around
Baghdad and on January 5, 1921, a
formation of 28 F.2bs and DH.9As
flew over the city in a show of force.Top left to right
A SE.5a of 72
Squadron, based at
Baghdad West.An RE.8 of ‘A’ Flight,
30 Squadron over
Persia in 1920.Snipe E8249 of 1
Squadron, fi tted with
light bomb rack, over
Hinaidi in May 1926.1918 2018