First National Ceremony For Suez Canal Veterans
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Some 800 veterans of Britain's occupation of Egypt's Suez Canal zone paraded yesterday in the first national commemoration of one of Britain's least celebrated military engagements.
At the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, representatives of several dozen regiments laid wreaths beside a 3ft pyramid and watery blue stones set in sand.
It was not until two years ago that the Ministry of Defence issued a general service medal with a bar saying Canal Zone. Only a few men at the ceremonies, organised by the Suez Veterans Association, took part in the 1956 invasion.
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Not Before Time
It odd there is so little known about this episode, when you think that 200.000 reservist were recalled to colours, there were about 6 through deck British Air Craft Carriers there and three of those were used as troops ships carrying about 5,000 men and there equipment on each one. The first wave of men ashore was about 45,000 and second was more than doubled that. There were battleships blazing away and it was the first time ever that landings were carried by helicopter thanks to RM. The whole of the eastern Med was jammed packed with ships laden with men and equipment it makes the all conflicts since that time look rather small.
