6RTR Libya-Barce, Homs-Cyprus 1957-1959 Intro and Request

[tankgirl]

Hello Everyone,

My name is Lizzie Taylor, currently residing and working in Calgary, Canada.
I'm researching the topic of 6RTR in Libya 1957-1959 with a view to producing a book, or books, on life there as perceived by soldiers, wives and children who were fortunate enough to have been in Barce and Homs (and for some soldiers, in Cyprus from Libya). There'll be a big focus on 6RTR and if I can obtain enough material, I'll produce a book specifically on 6RTR in Libya rather than say, just a chunky chapter that is part of a book featuring other units and places in Libya.

I intend for my work to be an accurate, attention-grabbing, 'easy to read' reflection of those times and, to do so requires me to seek your assistance in my endeavours. I'm on here to find out more about 6RTR in those sunny, sandy places and I would like to request if you would be willing and kind enough to engage in communication, primarily by direct means with email, writing and by phone to contribute your or your relatives' memories, anecdotes, facts, documents and photos to my pool of material please?

I'd be happy to call you on your home telephone (I can call toll- free from our landline here, keeping in mind the 7 hour time zone difference) for a chat about Libya though in the beginning, I'd like to write as everything you tell me about Libya will serve me best if written down and sent by the yourself, the orator. I have so many questions to ask about those days, the answers to which if memories do not fail, will help me in my endeavours to be able to portray as big and vibrant a picture as is possible.


I have had much assistance from some people who you may remember from Libya and Cyprus, in particular the then 2nd Lt Peter Doyle (B Sqn), 2nd Lt Martin Timmis (B Sqn), Capt David Sands (Adt) and Sgt Ronald Gill REME. Others I write to include 2nd Lt J. Tate, Lt T. Walcot (RSO), 2nd Lt R, Carter-Jonas, 2nd Lt H. Brooke, Sgt David and Mrs Charlotte Sherry, Sgt Dennis and Mrs Anne Fisher and Cpl M. Feldt (Ord Rm Clerk). Most have sent to me their original photos, negatives and slides so that I can scan them professionally.

I have the Tank journal for the Libya period and the Peace Diary for Jan 1957 - Mar 1958 (Unit History) though the final installment for Apr 1958 - Oct 1959 seem untraceable.
Museums and The National Archives have been absolute gold mines though difficult to search remotely by the internet.

Oh, I nearly forgot! I too lived in Homs in one of those Libyan Lodges just outside the bottom end of the camp. As a child aged five and six. 1959-61. My father was the ASM REME of 2RTR, the regiment that replaced yours. Happy days. As HMT Dunera sailed into Tripoli mid-August 1959 with little me and the main party of 2RTR and families, my father was on the quayside with his car to greet us and take us to our new home in Homs (he'd driven over from Germany-UK-France-Spain-Morocco-Algeria-Tunisia and into Libya in his ex-German army WW2 Mercedes staff car – with much bribing of corrupt Arab border 'officials'). The same day in Tripoli, 6RTR main party and families boarded the ship to set sail for Southampton.

I have a presence on the 2RTR Old Boys forum where I'm known as ...... TankGirl and I have several Libya threads running with lots of photos. Some 'who were there' in Libya remember my father, some my mother, some my siblings and I (two of those soldiers were 'volunteer' baby sitters for us, one who later was the D&M instructor at Catterick for my brother who joined the 1st QDG!).

I know too that 6RTR have now had a very enjoyable 60th 6RTR reunion in London (Nov 2017) where they met up with so many friends. Did you attend?

If you know of any housewives, mothers and children who were in Homs, feel free to enrol them in my endeavours as they too are particularly valuable people for me to get to know as there are precious few of their ilk that I know of who would have your take on the life and times there.

I'd love to see all your photos from those days of the tanks, the barracks, the schemes and so on, all the real military stuff in the lovely Light Stone paint finish. I hope you've loads and that I'll get to see them.

Just a couple of questions for you to get the memory machines clanking along as, the detail I'm looking for evades my research elsewhere.
1. Were any of you on the last tour of duty to Cyprus from Homs? I want to know if you brought the tanks back to Libya and if not, what happened to them? On the same theme, after the last Cyprus tour, did the regiment have three full squadrons of tanks in Homs or did they 'share them out' as the tanks from Cyprus were not returned to the regiment?

2. Did any of you 'invade' Sardinia from Barce with the composite troop of tanks and, did you take a REME Centurion ARV Mk2 with you?

3. Did any of you have any dealings with the FV421 Cambridge Load Carriers bein trialled at Homs? One of the drivers was a 6RTR chap whose first name was 'Mick', does anyone know more about him as I believe he is a volunteer workshop mechanic at the Tank Museum (Mondays) and I 'must' connect with him to find out more about the trials?

With regard to any photos that you may be kind enough to furnish me with, they'd need to be hi-resolution professional scans coming out at around 4 megabytes each to enable detail to be observed and to be fit for a publisher's purpose. I'd be happy to pay for the costs involved if you are unable to scan yourselves. Alternatively, if you would please post the original photos, even the albums if the photos are glued in to me securely by registered mail then I'd be delighted to scan them myself, returning all to you with a copy of everything scanned on a CD and with a UK cheque for costs reimbursement, by registered mail.

I'll post some Homs and some 6RTR photos on the forum from time to time which I hope you'll enjoy seeing; why, you even may recognise some of the faces or scenarios.

My email address is: [e-mail]

I do so hope that we can connect and that I can learn so much more of what service life was like for you in Libya.

Really looking forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,
Lizzie Taylor

[scouse13]

Gday Lizzie
I was a member of A Sdn Lad R.E.M.E with the 6th RTR 1957-59 stationed in Libya and Cyprus,you mention that you have been in contact with Sgt Ron Gill,I was the one who was with him when he fell off a tank that was being transported to a R.E.M.E workshop it Tripoli,we had just gone down the pass [forgotten name of it now] when Ron wanted something from out of the tank,so he started to climb up when he lost his footings and fell very heavy to the ground.No such things as mobile phones in those days,but luck had it that an American troop carrier came by so I asked if they had a medic with them but they had not, I left Ron with the 2 R.A.S.C drivers and thumbed a ride back with them towards Homes there was a police station in a small Village and they let me use the phone to our base in Homes for an Ambulance,I said that I would wait at the police station until they came through and pick me up.Which they did after quite a long time,there was a Dr and 2 orderlies on board,I thought the Dr who was driving was going to kill us all with his driving skills.When we got to the accident scene Ron was in a very bad way,they loaded him up and carried on to Tripoli Hospital,stayed with the tank to the workshops.

I first met Ron when we were on the advance party to the troop ship Devonshire in Liverpool,as this is my home town. That is why I asked to join the advance party,after my days work I was allowed to go home,I could walk from the ship as she was in Gladstone Dock at this time.

Hope this is of interest to you.

By the way I was one of the last to leave Libya as i was due to be demobbed,I spent a short time with the incoming troops, and the Regiment went on to Germany to be disbanded.

Bert In Oz