FlyPast 12.2018

December 2018 FLYPAST 33

HABBANIYA 100 YEARS OF THE ROYAL AIR FORCE

Above

The Air Headquarters

building at

Habbaniya, 1944-45.

MARILYN ALSTON VIA RAF

HABBANIYA ASSOCIATION

Left

A map showing the

base’s position, just

west of the Euphrates.

TOD NICOL

Below

The sign at RAF

Habbaniya’s main

gate. It points to

London (3,287 miles)

and Baghdad (55

miles). RAF HABBANIYA

ASSOCIATION

Kirkuk were handed over to the
Royal Iraqi Air Force (RIAF), but
Basra’s supply depot, flying boat
station and neighbouring Shaibah
airfield remained in RAF hands.
The air force began to move in to
Habbaniya in 1936. The first
operational unit was 30 Squadron,
flying Hawker Harts. In 1937, 55
Squadron arrived with Vickers
Vincents, accompanied by
70 Squadron and its
Valentia bombers.
At the outbreak of World
War Two the AOC at
Habbaniya was AVM Harry
George ‘Reggie’ Smart. He

No.4 Service Flying Training School

(4SFTS) moved from Abu Sueir,

Egypt, to the seemingly more

peaceful skies of Iraq.

By late 1940, Habbaniya was home

to around 1,200 RAF officers and

men, eight companies of enlisted

Iraqis, their families and civilian

workers, amounting to nearly 10,000

occupants employed in a variety of

roles. Equipment comprised 18

Rolls-Royce armoured cars, the

Communications Flight’s three

Valentia bombers, and a trio of

elderly Gloster Gladiators. In

addition, 4SFTS’s motley selection of

aircraft included three Gladiators, 30

Hawker Audax, seven Fairey Gordon

bombers, 27 Airspeed Oxford

trainers, 28 Hawker Hart

bombers, 20 Hart dual-

control trainers and one

Bristol Blenheim Mk.I.

UPRISING

The nominal

ruler of Iraq

in 1939 was

four-year-

old King

Faisal II,

represented

by his

was no stranger to Iraq having

previously led 6 Squadron at Mosul

in 1922. Habbaniya’s

operational squadrons

were moved to Europe

and the Middle East,

where need was more

pressing, while

IRAN PERSIA

BAGHDAD

RUTBA WELLS FALLUJAH

BASRA

MOSUL

KIRKUK

DAMASCUS

PALESTINE

TRIPOLI

CYPRUS

HAIFA RAF HABBANIYA

ARABIA

TRANS

JORDAN

SYRIA

TURKEY

IRAQ

EGYPT

PERSIAN

GULF