Coll 17/17 'FO Annual Reports, 1932-1938, 1947. Annual review of events 1939-1942. Political Review 1943-1944' [‎84v] (168/483)

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IV.— Air and Military Matters.
Royal Air Force.
Command.
251. On the 26th February Air Vice-Marshal C. L. Courtney took the place ^
of Air Vice-Marshal W. G. S. Mitchell as Air Officer Commanding, British
Forces in Iraq.
Strength.
252. The number of fighting units in the Iraq Command remained
unchanged. The distribution of the units at their permanent stations at the
end of the period under review was as follows :—
Dhibban—
No. 70 (B.T.) Squadron.
Nos. 30 and 55 (B) Squadrons.
No. 1 Armoured Car Company (less one section).
Shaibah—
No. 84 (B) Squadron.
One section of No. 1 Armoured Car Company.
Basra—
No. 203 (General Reconnaissance) Squadron.
Re-equifment.
253. During the year the Air Ministry decided to re-equip No. 30 (B)
Squadron with Blenheims. These aircraft began to arrive in November.
No. 55 (B) Squadron was re-equipped with Vincents in March.
Dhibban.
254. The construction of the new cantonment at Dhibban is almost complete
and the transfer of units effected by the end of 1937 when Hinaidi cantonment
was in course of being handed over to the Iraqi Government.
Landing Grounds in Iraq.
255. During the year landing grounds in Iraq were handed over to the
Iraqi Government in accordance with the 1932 treaty. Although the Iraqi
Government have undertaken to maintain all these landing grounds, it is doubtful
whether they will, in practice, keep up those which are not in regular use.
Inter-Command Flights.
256. In January 1937 the Singapore Reinforcement Scheme was practised.
Nine aircraft of No. 70 (B.T.) Squadron, twelve of No. 84 (B) Squadron, and four
aircraft of No. 203 (G.R.) Squadron flew to Singapore, and there Nos. 84 and 203
Squadrons took part in combined operations.
257. In October No. 55 (B) Squadron carried out an inter-command flight.
Twelve aircraft left Dhibban on the 4th October and proceeded to Aden via
the Hadramut coast. After remaining at Aden for five days, they left on the
15th October and flew to Fgypt via Port Sudan and Khartum. The squadron
returned to this command on the 26th October.
258. At the request of the Government of India a flight of four aircraft
of No. 70 (B.T.) Squadron flew to Risalpur arriving on the 31st May. During
the period May to September this flight took part in the Waziristan operations.
They were employed in ferrying supplies to isolated garrisons and evacuating
casualties. The flight returned to Iraq at the beginning of September 1937.
Liaison Flights to Syria.
259. On the 5th April Colonel Roques, Commanding the French Air Forces
in Syria and the Lebanon, visited Hinaidi. At his suggestion, flights of Nos. 55,
84 and 30 Squadrons visited Syria during the summer. These flights flew to