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| Manning
checkpoints has been one of the ceaseless tasks of the Pompadours
who have been kept hard at work examining and searching cars,
lorries, camels and pedestrians, at checkpoints leading into and
out of the Battalions operational area of Sheikh Othman. |
Checkpoint
" Golf " which lies to the North of Sheikh Othman,
astride the main road from upcountry, has been the target for
several grenade,
mortar and small arms fire attacks by terrorists. |
| Other
checkpoints manned by the Pompadours during their Aden stint have
been the familiar " Bravo " and "Charlie "at
each end of the RAF Khormaksar runway. Not so well known is
"Checkpoint Juliet" which lies at the head of the other
main road into Aden. |
| Juliet
is in fact the isolated post on the beach road north of Radfan
camp. Thousands of vehicles and pedestrians pass through these
checkpoints every day keeping the Pompadours busy. |
| Its
a hot and thankless task for the Pompadours who even in the cool
season have been buying up to 3000 bottles of soft drinks a day
from their camps "pop" shop. |
For
a spell they where joined in Aden by a Company from the 4th
Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment [ The Tigers ] which was
flown in for a two month security stint during which they shared
guard with the RAF at Khormaksar.
Companies from several other Units have been attached to the
Pompadours to help them give full patrol cover to their
widespread operational area. They came from the 1st Royal Irish
Fusiliers, the 1st King's Own Border Regiment and 45 Commando
Royal Marines, whilst the 1st The Queen's Dragoon Guards gave
Armoured car support. |
Soldiers
of the local FRA also helped out at checkpoint and Companies of
other units of Aden Brigade joined in special operations in
Sheikh Othman.
Day and Night support also came from RAF Khormaksar whose
helicopters are to be seen regularly on searchlight patrols and
dropping flares over the Area. |
| The
Pompadours have been wardens of terrorist detainees at Al
Mansoura Prison, their second such guard role, for before coming
to South Arabia they had stood guard over the last three
remaining Nazi prisoners in Spandau prison in Berlin. |
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