Local resident, David Mowat, was recently presented with a medal by the Lord Mayor for serving as a soldier in the Suez Canal Zone, in the 195Os. He told me his story.
“I was signed up in the army in 1951,” David (pictured left above) said. “I was too young to go to Korea so, in November 1952 I was sent to Suez, as a linesman in the third GHQ regiment. I was demobbed in 1954, two years before the Suez Crisis but even then there were rumours that the Egyptians wanted to take over the canal. For me, however, it was a good time. I maintained the communication cables at the military base at Fayed, just below the Great Bitter Lake.
“It was an interesting place: we saw all the ships on the canal and there was a breeze off the water even in the hot months.We did all the usual soldiering duties: drills, inspections, guard’s duties, and we developed a great sense of camaraderie: we were all mates, like brothers, really. In the two years that I was there, I never saw anything untoward.
“A few Egyptians worked with us on the base and they were all friendly. I remember one big strapping lad, Mohammed, who had terrible toothache one day. He asked if he could borrow my pliers and before I realised what he was doing, he had yanked out the tooth, washed the pliers and returned them to me with a ‘thank you’! He smiled and told me that felt better. He was quite a character!
“By the time the Suez Crisis erupted in 1956, I was back in Sheffield, married and although I thought about going back, my wife wasn’t keen on it.”
So why the fifty-year wait for his medal? I wondered. He told me:
“Initially the government refused to give medals for those serving in Suez, saying we hadn’t really been part of a campaign. But then they changed their mind. It was only a while ago that I heard that anyone who had served in Suez could apply for a general service award. The Lord Mayor offered to make an occasion of it and present the medals to us at the Town Hall… which was fantastic! I was there with my brother, who also served in Egypt, at a civic reception. What we did in the campaign has finally been accepted as service worthy of a medal.”
David is now in his 70s and an enthusiastic learner on a word processing course at Firshill Primary School.
“My son is a computer whiz so he’s my inspiration. And my niece in Canada sends me emails… and I want to be able to reply. I’m really enjoying getting back into learning! I go with another retired friend – we stick out a bit from the other students who are younger women – but our tutor, Robert, is a real cracker and keeps us motivated. It’s great to be learning new things!”
Thanks to David Mowat for telling me the story of his service in the Suez Canal Basin.
by Nikky Wilson
The fiftieth anniversary of the Suez Crisis was in July this year. It was caused by Britain and France’s decision to recapture the Suez Canal after Egypt’s president Nasser nationalised the company controlling the canal and took over the vital sea route in the declining days of the British Empire.