MALTA 1962 - the first Gulf War

Almost anyone asked "in which year did the first Gulf War with Iraq take place?" would say "1992 after Iraq invaded Kuwait". They'd be wrong - the first "war" was in July 1961 when Iraq threatened to invade Kuwait. Hardly anyone remembers that but, at the time, I was stationed at RAF LUQA in Malta where I worked in the ground wireless section in the Air Traffic Control tower. Out of the blue "OPERATION VANTAGE" was set going and the first I knew about it was when I returned to my billet from an evening in Papa Joe's "Friends Bar" in Luqa village. I was then on my first day off from shift and was consequently scruffy and pretty well oiled by the time I got back to my billet, to be confronted by two irritated RAF Police who said that they had been looking for me for the past three hours. They wouldn't say what they wanted me for, which worried me that some forgotten 'crime' had surfaced but they just rushed me into their Landrover and off we went..
As we sped around the airfield and passed the bomb dump, I realised that we were heading for the building wherein sat the secure communications equipment which, at that time, only I at RAF Luqa was authorised to operate on weekly tests of the crypto equipment to the UK - both to HQ Bomber Command and the MoD. On our arrival at the building, on entering the outer room I found myself being glared at by a crowd of very, very senior RAF and RN commanders who looked far from impressed at the late arrival of the scruffy and partly boozed junior airman upon whose pleasure they had been awaiting for urgent communications with the UK.
The most junior officer there was my flight commander (Flying Officer Fraser) who rushed me into the "back room" to the crypto equipment and urged me to get it going as soon as possible. Which I did and we watched with interest (strictly speaking, not allowed) the operation orders streaming into Malta. That went on for about three hours, during which time I was provided with coffee and sandwiches in the outer room by the Officers' Mess stewards until the tele-conference, all conducted via teleprinter, ended. I thought, "that's it, back to bed for me" but was told, "you are to stay here until relieved". I said "but there isn't anyone else at Luqa to relieve me." "Correct", said the high-priced help "so you will have to stay here until we get something sorted out".
And so, unwashed, by now sober and still attired in my scruffy jeans I remained at my post for the next 36 hours, having meals delivered as and when someone remembered to arrange it. My relief arrived off an aircraft from the UK in a state of some confusion, having been dragged out of his work somewhere and stuffed onto a plane for Malta and thereafter we worked 24hrs each turn and turn about until things returned to more like normal some two weeks later.
The background to the first Iraq 'war' can be summarised as follows: Following Iraqi claims on its oil-rich neighbour Kuwait, the threat of invasion prompted the ruler of Kuwait to request British military support. Between 1 and 6 July, 7,000 men and 720 tons of material were flown into the Persian Gulf area from airfields in the United Kingdom, Cyprus, Aden and Kenya. Two squadrons of RAF Hawker Hunter ground-attack aircraft were also despatched to Kuwait, English Electric Canberra squadrons from RAF Germany were concentrated in the Persian Gulf, and aircraft from the 'V-force' were held at readiness in Malta. The operation successfully deterred any aggression, and British forces were gradually withdrawn.
From 1961 in Malta, we now roll forward to 1992 for the second Gulf War with Iraq, which found me serving at HQ No.1 Group as a communications systems engineer desk officer. Because my senior officers had all been pulled away into the conflict I found myself being responsible for attending the daily 'prayers' meeting to brief the Air Officer Commanding (AOC) on all aspects of the communications links. The run-up to each 'prayers' meeting was for all of the desk officers to gather to discuss events and decide on what the AOC should be briefed about. Quite early on signals were flying around about sending Jaguar fighters to Barhein, some saying Bahrein and others referring to Muharraq which I knew as being the same place.
A senior air operations officer - a Wing Commander who looked to me like 17 years old - asked the assembled desk officers "I am confused, we seem to be sending the same Jaguar aircraft by fin number to two different airfields - that is, Bahrein and Muhurraq" so does anyone know what's going on?" With much shuffling of feet amongst the assembly, no one wanting to expose either themselves or the Wing Commander as being ignorant, none spoke. Me, being unworried about such things said "Sir, they are the same place - the main airfield in Barhein is called Muhurraq and, when I was stationed there was called RAF Muhurraq - Oh, and by the way Sir, this is the second time I have been involved with going to war against Iraq, the first time being in July 1961 with Operation Vantage.
No one present had ever heard of it and I felt rather like a dinosaur but not yet quite dead......