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On this day ninety-nine years ago on the 27th February 1927, Sergeant Major John Murphy of the Royal Air Force Police force died of pulmonary tuberculosis at the military hospital in RAF Hinaidi and was buried at the cemetery there (now called the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery) in Plot 3 Row L Grave 3. Though his headstone is not one of the 77 headstones that have survived the years out of the original 300 burials at the long abandoned RAF cemetery, I have attached a photo of Plot 3 taken in 1930, not long after AC1 Murphy's burial, with his grave marked in red. RIP. For more information on how the cemetery became abandoned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, visit the Ma'Asker Cemetery Maintenance Timeline page on Steve Buster Johnson's website, the information taken from every CWGC Annual report from 1937 to 2019. For more general information visit the Ma'Asker section . Grave of Sergeant Major John Murphy, Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery, Baghdad (photo 1930)

Exactly ninety-six years ago today, the 27th February 1930, Flying Officer Frederick B S Downey of 55 Squadron Royal Air Force died of Typhoid Fever at the Military Hospital at RAF Hinaidi and buried at the RAF Hinaidi Cemetery (now known as the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery) in Plot 1 Row A Grave 4. Before he joined the RAF in 1927 Frederick Downey was a 2nd Lieutenant in trhe 8th Battalion Durham Light Infantry. Sadly, his headstone is not one of the 77 (out of 300 burials) that has survived in the long abandoned CWGC cemetery, but I have attached below a photograph of the cemetery as it was in 1930. For more information on how the cemetery became abandoned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, visit the Ma'Asker Cemetery Maintenance Timeline page on Steve Buster Johnson's website, the information taken from every CWGC Annual report from 1937 to 2019. For more background information on the cemetery visit the Ma'Asker section. Plot 3 of the CWGC Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery, c1930

To coincide with 6 Squadron's official 100th anniversary celebrations in April, I have donated the WW1 message bag streamers that my grandfather brought back from Belgium in 1918. They are already in the safe hands of George Robertson (see photo) and will shortly be taken to the squadron's home at Leuchars (just across the water from where George lives). Mike Baulkwill, the present OC 6 Squadron, has promised me the streamers will take to the air in a Typhoon during the 100th anniversary celebrations of 6 Squadron Royal Air Force. WW1 Message Bag Streamers

One hundred years ago, RAF Hinaidi was the centre of operations for all British Forces in Mesopotamia, an area covering present day Iraq, parts of south-west Iran, south-east Turkey (Turkiye), north-east Syria and Kuwait. In its heyday in the late 'twenties and 'thirties, the heavily guarded cantonment located in the southern suburbs of Baghdad was home to nine thousand people and over the sixteen year operational life of RAF Hinaidi, a total of seven RAF Squadrons were based there at one time or another, as were the Armoured Car Companies, the Iraqi Levies, RAF contractors and civilian employees. The facilities provided for those who worked and lived there eventually included three clubs (two for officers), playing fields, a swimming pool, tennis courts, squash courts, a golf course, a ‘point to point’ course, a large stadium, three churches, a college with library and even a post office. Last but not least, a large hospital was built along the western edge of the cantonment. I have hundreds of private photos given to me over the years that show the life at RAF Hinaidi, and here is just one of them, showing men enjoying off-duty time at the swimming pool. For more information see the RAF Hinaidi section of Steve Buster Johnson's website. Off-duty Swimming at RAF Hinaidi, Baghdad, 1933

In my aim to gradually release interesting photos in my collection, here is an aerial photograph of the Amman camp in Jordan, and its aerodrome. The photograph, an aerial view of Amman, was taken by the grandfather of Sian Sumners, who was a squadron leader and doctor who stationed at RAF Shaibah and RAF Hinaidi in the late nineteen-twenties. An avid photographer, he took this aerial photo on a flight from Baghdad to Egypt in 1929. Aerial view of Amman Camp, Jordan 1929

Here is another photo from Sian Sumners' albums produced by her grandfather when he served with the Royal Air Force in Iraq (RAF Hinaidi and RAF Shaibah) as a Squadron Leader during the late nineteen-twenties. This is a photograph of the Suez Canal in 1929, taken through the window of a 70 Squadron (LXX) Victoria on a flight from Baghdad to Egypt. I have also attached a photo of a 70 Squadron RAF Victoria that has just landed in Kuwait. 70 Squadron Victoria landed at Kuwait 1929 View of the Suez Canal from a 70 Squadron Vickers Victoria 1929

Here is another photo from Sian Sumners' albums produced by her grandfather when he served with the Royal Air Force in Iraq (RAF Hinaidi and RAF Shaibah) as a Squadron Leader during the late nineteen-twenties. This is a photograph of the Maude Bridge, Baghdad 1929. The bridge was built on thirty-five pontoons across the Tigris River in November 1918 and could carry vehicles up to fifteen tons. The bridge could be opened in a matter of minutes by means of a powerful winch. Maude Bridge, Baghdad, 1929

Though I don't know the actual date of this accident on the airfield at RAF Hinaidi, it took place during the rainy season around the end of the nineteen-twenties when a 70 Squadron Vickers Victoria crashed whilst attempting to land on a sodden runway. The weight of the aircraft as the wheels were baulked by the mud made the undercarriage collapse and the aircraft slid along the landing area on its belly, buckling both propellers, until it came to a halt. No record of the incident has survived and there are no unexplained injuries, so I would say that only the pride of the pilot and the aircraft itself were damaged that day. For more infomration see the page on the Steve Buster Johnson website on 70 Squadron RAF. 70 (LXX) Squadron Vickers Victoria III crash-landing at RAF Hinaidi

On this day one hundred and four years ago, the 13th March 1936, Private John Waller of the 2nd Battalion East Yorkshire Regiment, died from causes unknown and was buried in the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery (now known as the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery) in Plot 2 Row C Grave 3. Sadly his headstone is not one of the seventy-seven headstones that have survived out of three hundred burials at the long abandoned cemetery, but attached is a photograph of Row A of Plot 2, taken in 1935 for the burial of Corporal Mark Osborne of the Royal Air Force when the cemetery was still being tended by the Imperial War Graves Commission (named changed to Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1960). For more information on how the cemetery became abandoned by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, visit the Ma'Asker Cemetery Maintenance Timeline page on Steve Buster Johnson's website, the information taken from every CWGC Annual report from 1937 to 2019. For more background information on the Ma'Asker cemetery visit the Ma'Asker section of the website. Burial of Cpl Mark Osborne MC in Plot 2 of the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery, Baghdad

I came across an old photograph of the grave for Group Captain Hugh Manford Vaux MC, who was killed in a flight from Amman when the Proctor in which he was a passenger crashed into the River Euphrates on the 25th January 1949. His pilot, Wing Commander Edward Piercy DFC was also killed. As well as the old photograph I have attached a current photograph of Vaux's headstone as well as the position of his grave in Plot 4 at the Habbaniya War Cemetery. The grave of Royal Air Force Group Captain Hugh Vaux MC at the Habbaniya War Cemetery, Iraq Photo c1954 of the grave of Royal Air Force Group Captain Hugh Vaux MC at the Habbaniya War Cemetery, Iraq Present day headstone of Royal Air Force Group Captain Hugh Vaux MC at the Habbaniya War Cemetery, Iraq

Exactly one hundred years ago, on the 16th March 1926, Lieutenant Harold A Redding MC of the Kings Regiment died of causes unknown in Iraq and was buried at the CWGC maintained Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery (originally named the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery), Baghdad, in Plot 3 Row J Grave 1. Though his headstone is not one of the 77 headstones to survive in the long abandoned cemetery out of the 300 burials, I have attached a photograph of Plot 3 taken in 1930 with his headstone marked in red. RIP. For more details as to how this British military cemetery came to this sorry state, visit the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery Timeline on this website. Headstone for Lieutenant Harold A Redding of the Kings Regiment at Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery, Baghdad

Eighty-eight years ago today, on the 20th March 1938, twenty-one-year-old Leading Aircraftman James William Barton of 203 Squadron, Royal Air Force, died from unknown causes at Basra in Iraq. He was buried in the cemetery at Habbaniya in Plot 4 Row G Grave 3. His squadron operated the Short Rangoon sea-plane which were often moored in the River Tigris at RAF Hinaidi. May he rest in peace. Attached below is a photograph of another Habbaniya War Cemetery headstone, that of LAC Barton as well as a wide-angle photograph of Plot 4. I have also attached a photo of his original but damaged headstone. For more information on the burials at RAF Habbaniya, visit the Habbaniya section on Steve Buster Johnson's website. Current Headstone for LAC James William Barton at Habbaniya War Cemetery, Iraq Original Headstone for LAC James William Barton at Habbaniya War Cemetery, Iraq Present Day Plot 4 at Habbaniya War Cemetery, Iraq