WAR OPS: SUEZ

CANBERRA

SEAN FEAST DISCOVERS HOW AL GREETHURST’S BOMBING AND NAVIGATION SKILLS IN THE ENGLISH ELECTRIC CANBERRA WERE TESTED DURING THE SUEZ CRISIS

CLASSIC JETS

Al Greethurst was lucky to even fly in the Canberra. In fact, he was fortunate not to have been kicked out of the RAF completely, for earlier in his career while with 8 Squadron in Aden in the early 1950s, he had refused to fly [see In Arabian Skies, March issue].

In the five years prior to his posting to RAF Khormaksar in Aden, however, he’d logged hundreds of hours in the Lancaster, Lincoln and his firm favourite, the Mosquito. His logbook includes taking part in Operation Guzzle to ditch the unused Upkeep bouncing bombs into the sea, flying in the same Lancaster Guy Gibson had captained during the now legendary Dams Raid.

<

Become a Premium Member to Read More

This is a premium article and requires an active Key.Aero subscription to view.

I’m an existing member, sign me in!

I don’t have a subscription…

Enjoy the following subscriber only benefits:

  • Unlimited access to all KeyAero content
  • Exclusive in-depth articles and analysis, videos, quizzes added daily
  • A fully searchable archive – boasting hundreds of thousands of pieces of quality aviation content
  • Access to read all our leading aviation magazines online - meaning you can enjoy the likes of FlyPast, Aeroplane Monthly, AirForces Monthly, Combat Aircraft, Aviation News, Airports of the World, PC Pilot and Airliner World - as soon as they leave the editor’s desk.
  • Access on any device- anywhere, anytime
  • Choose from our offers below