Norma Lilburn's Memories

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Whilst my Husband was serving in Aden at Steamer Point I worked for the Aden Government in the Veterinary Department and worked there until just before we returned home.

Norma (right) with her daughter Julie and friend Sonia 

I remember when I flew out it was a Britannia plane and I had never been out of Yorkshire before then and was absolutely terrified. In those days it took us 12 hours from Stansted Airport in England to arrive in Khormaksar and the whole time I dare not go to the toilet in case the plane tipped over! how naive!

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My Husband went out to Aden in a Troop Ship, the Oxfordshire, which was strange with him being in the RAF but that took him two weeks.

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Whilst we were in Aden the Canberra Immigration Ship came into Aden Port and broke down for three days on its maiden voyage and they had no electricity or anything which must have been horrendous as it was about 70 degrees during the night time with high humidity, and during they day they must have just about baked as it would get up to 120 degrees with a 90 degrees humidity.

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I have a lot of slides which though they are very old, have fortunately been kept in a tin. Have quite a few of the Trooping of the Colour in front of Government Buildings and some of Father Christmas arriving at Steamer Point RAF Fire Section on Christmas day.

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There is also one of Sheikh Othman Gardens, a native street and one of an RAF plane scaring everyone out of Elephant Bay and as he went over the cliff everyone was waiting for a plume of smoke so you can tell how low he was, it was pretty terrifying. I do think there was an investigation and he was reprimanded.

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The first year we were there the Black Arrows Display Team of the RAF (superseded by the Red Arrows) was at the Air Display at Khormaksar and one of them when they did the bomb burst did not pull out and went 6ft into the ground killing a few spectators. 

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At that very same air display the Vulcan made its first non-stop flight to Khormaksar and it was all white with a black nose, it was known as the Queen of the Arabian Sky.