From the Cold War to the War on Terror: The Personal Story of an RAF Armourer and Engineer from Nuclear Weapons to Bomb Disposal

by Mick Haygarth

Overview

A bomb-disposal expert shares stories from conflict zones ranging from the Falklands to Kosovo to Iraq.

Michael Haygarth left home just before his seventeenth birthday to join the Royal Air Force as a Weapons Technician. At the time, everything seemed routine—but his thirty-eight-year career turned out to be anything but. Training with nations all over the world; fast roping out of helicopters with US Army Rangers; being driven around Basra in a beaten-up taxi wearing civilian clothes with a 9mm pistol in his waistband; convoying at speed around Baghdad with the US Army looking for unexploded bombs—all were way beyond the usual experiences of an RAF Engineer.

In his early career, he was a member of a Buccaneer Nuclear Weapon Loading Team stationed in RAF Germany at the height of the Cold War. Frequently woken by sirens in the early morning hours, he’d rush to work wondering if it was yet another practice or the start of nuclear Armageddon. After further tours, and having passed his Bomb Disposal courses, he was then sent to the Falkland Islands. He also served in Kosovo as part of a huge multinational force tasked with clearing thousands of bombs and cluster munitions, as well as working with the International Crimes Tribunal to clear numerous mass graves. He was responsible for all UK Bomb Disposal operations in and around Pristina.

Next came an operational tour to Iraq, where he made further use of his bomb disposal expertise. After promotion to Squadron Leader, he worked in the Ministry of Defense and then took charge of the RAF’s only Bomb Disposal Squadron as it withdrew from Iraq, and was instrumental in refocusing the squadron to carry out operations in Afghanistan alongside the Army. His final role, in what was a truly exceptional career, was in charge of the RAF’s only expeditionary Engineering Squadron as it worked through the busiest period in its history during the UK forces’ withdrawal from Afghanistan and the escalation of events in support of operations in the Baltic states and Syria. In this book, he tells his remarkable story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526759351
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	04/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	20 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

SQUADRON LEADER MICHAEL HAYGARTH served in the RAF for thirty-eight years as an Armourer and Engineering Officer. He carried out many of the routine disciplines associated with those roles, but it was the Bomb Disposal specialisation that ultimately defined his career. Born and raised in Bishop Auckland, County Durham, he now lives in Cambridgeshire with his wife Dawn. He is a keen golfer, walker and cyclist.

Table of Contents

Introduction vii

Acknowledgements viii

Chapter 1 Swinderby and Halton 1

Chapter 2 West Raynham 5

Chapter 3 Laarbruch 11

Chapter 4 Lossiemouth 17

Chapter 5 Wildenrath 23

Chapter 6 Gutersloh 33

Chapter 7 Leeming 37

Chapter 8 Cranwell 44

Chapter 9 Leuchars 49

Chapter 10 Falkland Islands 54

Chapter 11 5131 (Bomb Disposal) Squadron (1) 64

Chapter 12 Kosovo 69

Chapter 13 5131 (Bomb Disposal) Squadron (2) 87

Chapter 14 Cottesmore 102

Chapter 15 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Role Office Marham 104

Chapter 16 Iraq 111

Chapter 17 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Role Office Wittering 124

Chapter 18 Joint Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) & Search Staff MoD 136

Chapter 19 5131 (Bomb Disposal) Squadron (3) 148

Chapter 20 Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) Role Office High Wycombe 164

Chapter 21 Secret Location Middle East (SLME) 172

Chapter 22 RAF Wittering 187

Epilogue 194

Index 198

Editorial Reviews

"Anybody who has served in the military will feel like [the author] was describing episodes in their own career and any non-service readers will welcome the insights into defence force service in general and the role of the Bomb Disposal Teams in particular."

Flight Line Book Review