I have a photo album from the North African Campaign and one of the sections in this album is headed "Specialist Wing" / "Gunnery Wing" Abbassia, has anyone got any reference to these kind of wings. As this section is fall of Allied and Axis tanks and artillery pieces would they be some sort of valuation/testing section? Earlier on in the album it mentions the 5th Royal Tank Regiment, unfortunately not much more to go on so I am having to put my guessing head on Below are a few of the pictures
Kieron - wrong end of Africa actually -more to do with the Middle East Forces as the Abassia Barracks were in Egypt and a well known training facility - hated by all - even sundry....... Built around the tenth century and was home to all the bed bugs known to man.....there was always a scramble to lay your blankets in the centre of the square... and the progress of the bugs could be measured by the screams of the various circle sleepers as the bugs made their way towards the centre before heading back to barracka as the sun came up.....one did not go to Abassia voluntarily....a form of punishment really Cheers
Cheers Tom and Andy Tom, so Abbassia wasn't like a stay in the Hilton then? My other chain of thought was maybe they went there for a refit. A few more of the pictures taken at Abbassia
Kieron - It was said that skin grafts were badly needed after a stay in Abbassia - we fared better in Italy with better - and cleaner - barracks in Rieti and Gubbio for Tank training...note the brothel creepers on that Officer with the glasses on pics # 3 & 5
Excellent pictures Kieron. With so many different types of tanks and guns, of both sides, it must be some kind of comparative testing unit.
Tom it sounds like a stay I had in a YMCA in New York . Here are a few more pictures, these are official photographs taken at the time and passed by Publicity Censor, probably seen many times but still very interesting.