RAF Shaibah was an
RAF stationA Royal Air Force station is a permanent Royal Air Force operations location. Many RAF stations are aerodromes, or airbases, being the home to one or more flying squadrons. Other RAF stations are training units, administrative units, headquarters , or carry out ground-based operational tasks...
situated about 13 miles south west of the city of Basrah in
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
. The area was the site of a battle with Turkish Forces during the
Mesopotamian campaignThe Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the Great War fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
of the
First World WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. First occupied by the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
(RAF) in 1920, the resident squadron was
No. 84 Squadron RAFNo. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, it uses the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter.-History:...
until 1940 when No. 244 Squadron RAF took over. 244 Sqn was involved in the
Rashid Ali rebellionThe Anglo-Iraqi War was a conflict between the United Kingdom and the rebel government of Rashid Ali in Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. It is also referred to as the Rashid Ali Rebellion...
on 1941. RAF Shaibah was a small and primitive base in the desert with a harsh hot and humid climate.
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RAF Shaibah was an
RAF stationA Royal Air Force station is a permanent Royal Air Force operations location. Many RAF stations are aerodromes, or airbases, being the home to one or more flying squadrons. Other RAF stations are training units, administrative units, headquarters , or carry out ground-based operational tasks...
situated about 13 miles south west of the city of Basrah in
IraqIraq , officially the Republic of Iraq , also known as Mesopotamia, is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert.Iraq shares borders with Jordan to the west, Syria...
. The area was the site of a battle with Turkish Forces during the
Mesopotamian campaignThe Mesopotamian campaign was a campaign in the Middle Eastern theatre of the Great War fought between the Allies represented by the British Empire, mostly troops from the Indian Empire, and the Central Powers, mostly of the Ottoman Empire.- Background :...
of the
First World WarWorld War I , also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All Wars, was a global military conflict which involved most of the world's great powers, assembled in two opposing alliances: the Triple Entente and the Triple Alliance...
. First occupied by the
BritishThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
Royal Air ForceThe Royal Air Force is the United Kingdom's air force, the oldest independent air force in the world. Formed on 1 April 1918, the RAF has taken a significant role in British military history ever since, playing a large part in World War II and in more recent conflicts.The RAF operates almost 1,109...
(RAF) in 1920, the resident squadron was
No. 84 Squadron RAFNo. 84 Squadron of the Royal Air Force is at present a Search and Rescue Squadron based at RAF Akrotiri, it uses the Bell Griffin HAR.2 helicopter.-History:...
until 1940 when No. 244 Squadron RAF took over. 244 Sqn was involved in the
Rashid Ali rebellionThe Anglo-Iraqi War was a conflict between the United Kingdom and the rebel government of Rashid Ali in Iraq during the Second World War. The war lasted from 2 May to 31 May 1941. It is also referred to as the Rashid Ali Rebellion...
on 1941. RAF Shaibah was a small and primitive base in the desert with a harsh hot and humid climate. It expanded during the Second World War but was handed over to the
Iraqi Air ForceThe Iraqi Air Force or IQAF is the military branch in Iraq responsible for the policing of international borders, surveillance of national assets and aerial operations...
in 1956. It became the site of a British Military Hospital and logistics base following the
Gulf WarThe Persian Gulf War , known also as the Gulf War, the First Gulf War,or often as the Second Gulf War and by Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein as The Mother of all Battles, or commonly as Desert Storm, for the military response...
of 2003. Original RAF buildings remain.
By July 1942 RAF Shaibah was under the control of the RAF's Air Headquarters in Iraq. At this time several units were based at Shaibah. They included:
- No. 115 Maintenance Unit
- No. 119 Maintenance Unit
- No. 8 S & T Column
See also