No 1 Radar Air Survey Liaison Section RE.
 (1 RASLS)    

I joined 1 RASLS ,in Cyprus, in June 1954. The section was based in Polymedia  Camp ,above Limassol. The unit was attached to 18 Field Park Squadron, 35 Engineer Regiment. 

       1 RASLS-Polymedia Camp-Cyprus-1954.

Back row  L-R   Derek  Fletcher, Ron Skidmore, Mike Vernon
Sitting       L-R  Dave Stockbridge, Eric Davey.

I’m not sure if RASLS had been left behind when 19 Topo left Cyprus or it was formed up from 19 Topo  in Iraq and despatched to Cyprus.  It was a small section of about 8 surveyors and a driver. We boasted the last jeep of the British Army in the Middle East ,our only means of transport. 

The section was commanded by National Service or Short Service Commissioned officers. I believe the first OC was Lt Baden Powell followed by Lt “JB” Hughes, Lt Andy Anderson and Lt Foxy Fox. As the section and its tasks increased we were commanded by Maj Ernie Sainsbury, Maj Huw Thomas and Maj Goulden. At this time there were no bases at Episkopi, Larnaca or Dekahlia and Akrotiri was a minor RAF base. 

Our main tasks were 1/500 Tacheometric Surveys of Polymedia Camp, Episkopi where a base was to be constructed including a survey of  Beach 4 and siting the tunnel entrances and exits from Happy Valley, adjacent to Episkopi. Life was very blissful at this time, interrupted only by the Admin. visits of Maj Pritchard from 42 Regt in Fayid. His arrival always heralded  worse times ahead as regards parades etc with 18 Fd Pk Sqn. These generally subsided some weeks after his departure. 

In January 1955 the section was attached to the Royal Navy and boarded HMS Dalrymple, a Hydrographic Survey Ship, for a Primary Survey of Malta.

HMS Dalrymple - Grand Harbour- Malta.

 For this task we loaded a brand new Landrover that had replaced our beloved jeep only to see it wrecked as the ship encountered   heavy storms in the Med.

 A rough crossing to Malta

This resulted in us  initially using  RN bikes to get around Malta . We were sad to leave the ship at the end of the survey in June 1955. Their departure from Grand Harbour was somewhat delayed due to the fact that we had rowed out the previous night and padlocked the ships hawser to the mooring buoy!! 

From August to October 1955 we were employed on large scale surveys of proposed army bases in  Libya- around Tripoli. 

October 1955 saw us back in Cyprus carrying sub base traversing  in the countryside outside Nicosia. 

By January 1956 we were back in Libya where we were based in the desert, south of  Misurata and east of Beni Ulid near an outpost called Bir Dufan. The main object was to recover/rebuild existing trig points and photo ID their positions . The area was to become  a training area for the army under the title of TA 24. We spent 8 months  under canvass, self contained and oblivious to the outside world. 

About August ’56 events in the Suez Canal  area developed and we were re called somewhat hastily to Cyprus where ‘EOKA’ was causing a good deal of strife. 

Cyprus had, by now, been transformed by the evacuation of the   British Army bases from the Canal Zone to Cyprus. 42  Svy had moved to Zyyi- some miles to the East of Limassol,  2 AFSD had moved into Polymedia and we were tasked to assist in its establishment there, and 47 GHQ had moved into the new base at Episkopi. Gone were the balmy days !! 35 Regt had also moved  back to UK and the section was attached to 16 Field Squadron of 37 Engineer under the tender! mercies of SSM Wildgoose who had a fanatical hatred of all things survey !!!! 

October 1956 saw the Suez canal invasion.  1 RASLS had, by now, doubled in strength. Roy Isherwood drew the short straw and took a detachment to Suez after the initial landings. Yours truly took a small detachment to Malta where we were tasked to site in Artillery Positions around the island in the event of the conflict spreading. 

 Jan 1957 saw the Malta detachment back in Cyprus  and we were attached to 47 GHQ to plot coverage of Air Photography of Kenya. Freddy Grist was at the Nairobi end of operations. 

April 1957 was my time to return to the UK and I was horrified to see, on leaving Polemidhia Camp for the last time, the construction of a Parade Ground. Quite unheard of in our day.!! 

It is difficult to remember the comings and goings of RASLS members as so many were National Service and three year regulars. Names that stick out were Pete Davey (my brother). Brian Reader, ”AJ” Robinson, “Sue” Shopland, Roy Isherwood, Dave Stockbridge,. Ron Skidmore, Smudge Smith, George Walsh, Derek Fletcher, Den Thursby, Mike Vernon, Ken Newnham, Freddy Grist and Ken Needham. My apologies for any oversights.

Photos etc Courtesy of Eric Davey.