Tales from the Frontline: The Middle East Hunter Squadrons

A fully illustrated account of Middle East Command's strike force as told by its pilots and airmen, from the author of Hunters Over Arabia. After two years servicing Vampire trainers at the RAF's Central Flying School, Ray Deacon left Little Rissington and joined thirty fellow airmen for a voyage out to Aden aboard HMT Nevassa on her last sailing as a troopship. Posted to 8 Squadron at RAF Khormaksar, he spent the next two years living and working in the torrid heat of this desert outpost. It had its compensations, however--the opportunity not only to experience life on a busy front-line operational squadron while working on ground attack and fighter reconnaissance versions of the Hawker Hunter, but to savor the delights of a trip in aeronautical engineer Sydney Camm's most versatile aircraft topping his list. In addition to defending the skies above Aden and its Protectorates, Middle East Command expended a large proportion of its energy supporting army activities in the mountains of the Aden hinterland: dropping supplies, transporting personnel between posts, and in the case of the Hunter squadrons, attacking dissident targets and patrolling the border with Yemen. It was against this background that Deacon wrote his first book on RAF Middle East Command operations, Hunters over Arabia. Tales from the Frontline: Middle East Hunters is a fully illustrated companion volume that comprises anecdotes, stories, and experiences of life on the Hunter squadrons as told by the pilots and airmen who flew and maintained the Hunter during its twelve-year tenure in Arabia.

About the Author :
Ray Deacon was born in Farnborough, Kent, in 1942, grew up in South-East London and went on to study at William Penn Technical School before joining the Royal Air Force. On passing out in December 1959, he was posted to the Central Flying School (CFS), before arranging an exchange with a fellow radio mechanic on the DH Vampire T.11 line. Much to Ray's delight, the squadron was also responsible for handling Hawker Hunters the CFS Type Flight whenever they paid visits from their operating base at RAF Kemble. The opportunity to work on the 'queen of the skies' kindled a passion that has remained with him ever since. His career in the Royal Air Force involved service in Aden, where he lived for two years, working on a busy front-line operational squadron equipped with the more potent ground attack and fighter reconnaissance versions of Hawkers impeccable aircraft. He also worked at RAF Little Rissington on the Varsity squadron, a posting that was followed by time spent at the CFS Gnat Base Engineering Team, where he became familiar with the Gnats operating with the Red Arrows Aerobatic Team and 4 Squadron CFS. He left the RAF in May 1967. A year with the RAE at Farnborough was followed by a 25-year career in computing with IBM. Early retirement enabled Ray to dedicate his free time to carrying out in-depth studies of his favorite subjects; RAF Little Rissington during the CFS years and Hawker Hunter operations in the Middle East.