Air Enthusiast 1999-03
A.Thomas - Red Sea Guardians
The original pilots of the Aden Battle Flight pose in front of a cannon-armed Hurricane IIc of 73 OTU at Sheik Othman in mid-1942. Rear row, left to right: F/Sgt C Hunton, F/O F C Hill, F/O T Bates, F/O H H Moon. Front row, left to right: F/O G Leggett, F/O EH C Kee (CO), F/O C A Blackburn, F/O A Anderson.
Hurricane I Z4760 'H' banks away from V7830 'A' <...>
Aden Defence Flight Hurricane I P3978 ‘O’ patrols off the coast of Aden, though by this stage there was little risk of air attack to the port.
The ADF was replaced in Aden by 3 Squadron, SAAF, which took over the Hurricanes and added its squadron markings to some of them.
ADF pilots also used a couple of Harvard IIs, although whether they remained on 73 OTU strength is unclear. This is believed to be AJ774, at Sheik Othman, mid-1942.
Blenheim V BA874 ‘A’ of 8 Squadron was named ‘The White Phantom’ after its pilot. Based alongside the ADF at Khormaksar the unit flew anti-submarine patrols and used the ADF’s Hurricanes for fighter affiliation. No.8 Squadron records
Also based at Khormaksar with the ADF was a small Hudson detachment of 459 Squadron RAAF. Mk.IIIA FH250 ‘G’, was there in late 1942, it later joined the Aden Communications Unit.