This page shows photographs of every headstone in Plot 4 of the Habbaniya Military Cemetery Plot 4 Headstones - Habbaniya War Cemetery This page contains photographs of the sixty (60) headstones in Plot 4 of the Habbaniya War Cemetery. The photographs appear below in Row and Grave sequence but can also be accessed directly by clicking on the name of the person of interest by via the cemetery diagram page. The background image for this page (visible on all devices except mobile 'phones) is a wide-angle photograph taken of Plot 4 at Habbaniya. Click HERE to see a copy of this photo. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 Anchor 3 Anchor 4 Anchor 5 Anchor 6 Anchor 7 Anchor 8 Anchor 9 Anchor 10 Anchor 11 Anchor 12 Anchor 13 Anchor 14 Anchor 15 Anchor 16 A

This is a brief operational history of RAF Hinaidi in Baghdad and the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery (name later changed to Ma'Asker al Raschid RAF Cemetery) Ma'Asker Al Raschid (Hinaidi) Cemetery Restoration - Stage 1 The photographs on this page are of the Rasheed Cemetery (originally the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery and later the Ma' Asker Al Raschid Cemetery), taken prior to, during and after the construction of a new perimeter wall around that was completed at the end of October 2021. The top four photos show the appalling condition of the graves prior to the work being carried out. Note that the cemetery adjoins a large rubbish dump, used for household waste and building rubble. Rubbish is strewn over the cemetery and most of the headstones have been pushed over, defaced, damaged or displaced. Until October 2021, a busy access track ran diagonally across the south-eastern corner of the cemetery, used by Iraqi trucks to access the nearby Al Rasheed military air base (the path of the track is visible in the 5th photograph below).

Schematic diagram of the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery (Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery) with estimated grave usage date sequence for burials between December 1921 and December 1937. Also the changes made to the reference system over time. Ma'Asker Al Raschid Cemetery Burial Sequence / Analysis by Service Comments on Burial Sequencing Methodology and Anomalies The Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery (formerly the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery) was operational from Dec 1921 to Dec 1937, when control of all British forces in Iraq was at RAF Hinaidi. Only the western half of the land set aside for the cemetery was ever used and this was divided into three plots. Plots 1 and 2 were of equal size, each with four rows of fourteen graves, whilst Plot 3 occupied the northern half of the cemetery, with fourteen rows of fourteen graves. With the entrance to the cemetery in the centre of the north wall, the first Plot used for burials was Plot 3, followed by Plot 1 (first burial in April 1929) and finally Plot 2 (except for Plot 2, Rows C and D). The CWGC has always referenced each of the 300 graves at Ma’Asker according to its Plot Identifier (1, 2 or 3), Row Identifier (A to N) and Grave No (1 to 14), as specified in the official Commonwealth War Graves 1964/5 plan of the Ma'Asker Al Raschid Cemetery (see below). However, the original flow of grave numbers (North-South) was changed at some point between 1937 and 1964 to South-North. the reason for this has yet to be determined. Anchor 1 The cemetery diagram below shows the approximate burial sequence of the 300 men and women who were buried at the Ma'Asker Cemetery. Note that the 225th burial (located in an isolated grave between Plots 1 and 2) was for Sir Gilbert Clayton, British High Commissioner to Iraq at the time of his death in 1929. The grave numbering sequence is based upon the Date of Death as inscribed on every headstone, since no records have survived at the CWGC for the individual Dates of Burial. Every grave on the chart is coloured to indicate either the applicable branch of the British Military or whether the burial was for an RAF contractor or civilian. Empty grave sites are marked with an 'X'. By examining the numbering sequence according to the Date of Death on the Burial Sequence diagram there appear to be many anomalies. Some of the minor differences would most likely be due to the fact that the Date of Burial was days or weeks after the Date of Death, (depending upon where the death took place) whereas other inconsistencies, especially in Plot 2 Rows C and D, appeared to be random. The questions I’ve addressed in this paper are: 1 Is there proof that grave locations were left vacant and if so, why did this happen? 2 Why were burials reversed for the first four graves in Plot 3 Row D? 3 Why did burials in Plot 2 Rows C and D seem random, with 'Dates of Death' ranging from 1922 to 1929 4 What is the reason for apparent grave sequencing anomalies in Plots 1 and 3? 5 When was the grave numbering system (1 to 14) changed from 'North-South' to 'South-North'? 1 Is there proof that grave locations were left vacant and if so, why did this happen? On the 1965 official CWGC Plan of the Ma’Asker Cemetery (see above) there are five burial locations marked as ‘Vacant Grave Space’. After taking into account the Vacant Grave Spaces in Plot 3 Row G Grave 2 and Plot 2 Row B Grave 1 are respectively the final resting place of AC1 John Maxton Ramsay and the last remaining empty space in Row B (immediately following the 300th and final burial at Ma’Asker on the 19th December 1937), this number becomes three, viz: Plot 1 Row A Grave 13, Plot 1 Row D Grave 3 and Plot 3 Row N Grave 8. Plot 1 Row A Grave 13 I have been unable to find the reason why this burial location remained vacant for the life of the Ma’Asker Cemetery but have found photographic evidence that this probably was the case (see photo below). In the row behind the headstone for AC1 David Oldfield, who died on the 20th August 1930 and was buried in Plot 1 Row B Grave 11, there is a headstone for Sergeant George Garlinge, who died on the 16th June 1929 and was buried in Plot 1 Row A Grave 12. It is evident in the photograph that the grave to the right (or north) of Sergeant Garlinge’s grave was still vacant more than a year after Sergeant Garlinge died, so it is likely that it has remained vacant ever since. Plot 1 Row D Grave 3 I have been unable to find the reason why this burial location remained vacant for the life of the Ma’Asker Cemetery but have found photographic evidence that this was probably the case (see photo below). LAC Robert Raw died on the 2nd June 1935 and was buried in Plot 2 Row A Grave 3. As his death was more than one year after the Vacant Grave Space was left in Plot 1 Row D Grave 3, shown empty immediately behind LAC Raw’s headstone in the photograph, it is likely it has remained vacant ever since. Plot 3 Row N Grave 8 I have been unable to find photographic evidence nor the reason why this burial location might have been left vacant for the life of the Ma’Asker Cemetery. The graves on either side of Plot 3 Row N Grave 8 were only eighteen days apart, at least according to the ‘Date of Death’, so that does not give us any clues. Perhaps there was a rock beneath that particular location. We will never know unless new photographic evideince comes to light. 2 Why were burials reversed for the first four graves in Plot 3 Row D? In researching the deaths for Sequence Nos 51 and 52 (see photo below) I noticed that the two men died on the same day in the crash of a Vickers Vernon. Further research revealed that the aircraft crashed whilst taking off from Kirkuk, some 170 miles north of Baghdad, before bursting into flames. The bodies of AC1 Albert Milne and Flt Lt Robert Holme arrived at RAF Hinaidi at the same time. They would have been buried side by side except for the fact that the first vacant grave site was Plot 3 Row C Grave 1 (the southern end of the Row C). Rather than bury Flt Lt Holme at the northern end of Row D in Grave No 14 in a separate ceremony, it was decided to bury him in Row D Grave No 1 , less than three yards away from the grave of AC1 Milne. At this point the normal burial sequence could have been resumed, except for the fact that a third man, Flt Lt Alfred Messenger, who happened to be the pilot of that same Vickers Vernon, was also injured in the crash. He sadly succumbed to his injuries twelve days later and his body transported back to RAF Hinaidi, but not before another man had been buried in the cemetery, next to the grave of Flt Lt Holme. Consequently, Flt Messenger was buried in Row D Grave 3 . For some reason, another burial took place out of sequence before the normal ‘status quo’ was restored and the next burial was made in Row D No 14. 3 Why did burials in Plot 2 Rows C and D seem random, with 'Dates of Death' ranging from 1922 to 1929 Even a cursory glance at the burial sequencing chart on Page 2 will reveal a significant difference in the way burial spaces were utilised in the last two rows of Plot 2 (Rows C and D) compared to the rest of the Ma’Asker cemetery, as the ‘Dates of Death’ for the 23 men buried in these rows result in a seemingly random sequence. For example, the earliest Date of Death is February 1922 (Row D Grave 2) and the latest in September 1929 (Row D Grave 3), an interval of 7 ½ years, yet the men are buried side by side. However, an analysis of the circumstances behind the 23 deaths tells a different story. Though I could find no details for 4 of the burials, all but 2 [see Note below] of the remaining 19 deaths took place at distant locations, with 13 at Mosul, 2 at Sulaimaniya, 1 at Kirkuk and 1 in the Trans-Jordan region. To add administrative complication to what was intended to be a cemetery where burials were carried out in chronological order, several of the men who died at Mosul were initially buried at the Mosul cemetery and later their bodies were exhumed, transported the 260 miles to RAF Hinaidi and reinterred at Ma’Asker. To give one example, below is a photograph showing the graves of 3 RAF personnel, Sgt Pilot Charles Dicks, AC2 Edward Barber and Flying Officer Rupert Pontifex. The bodies of the three men were initially buried side by side at Mosul but reinterred some months later at Ma’Asker at different dates, with their new graves separated as a result. In summary, I would suggest that Rows C and D of Plot 2 at Ma’Asker were reserved for burials that were out of the ordinary in terms of chronology. NOTE: There are plausible reasons as to why the two men who apparently died at RAF Hinaidi ended up being buried in Plot 2, one in Row C and the other in Row D. The first man fell into the Tigris and was washed away, with no information recorded as to when or where his body was recovered, so the time delay could have been significant. The second man died just 3 days before the death of Sir Gilbert Clayton and a burial so close in time to Sir Gilbert’s grave/memorial service would have interfered with the ceremonial event for the latter. 4 What is the reason for apparent grave sequencing anomalies in Plots 1 and 3? If you disregard the 23 graves in Plot 2 Rows C and D (see above 3 Why did burials in Plot 2 Rows C and D seem random . . . . ) there are 277 other graves at Ma’Asker that need to be examined. In looking at the grave sequencing for Plots 1, Plot 2 (Rows A and B) and Plot 3, there are approximately 13 sequencing anomalies. This number is surprisingly low when you consider the fact that many of the deaths did not take place in and around Baghdad. In carrying out further research, I was able to identify 38 instances where the place of death was a significant distance from Baghdad and would naturally result in a burial date much later than the 'Date of Death', used by myself for the purposes of the sequencing diagram as that was the only date available to me. Shown below is a map of Iraq highlighting the areas where men who were buried at Ma’Asker actually died. Transportation of bodies was often fraught with danger and delays, so it is hardly surprising that burials would appear to be out of sequence when the only information we have today is the ‘Date of Death’. In summary, I would suggest that if we were ever able to find archival material that provided the actual dates for every burial at Ma’Asker, the only anomalies would be in Plot 2 Rows C and D. 5 When was the grave numbering system (1 to 14) changed from 'North-South' to 'South-North'? It can see seen in many photographs of the completed Ma’Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery that the grave numbering system for each Row was originally ‘1’ to ‘14’ from North to South, yet in the official CWGC Plan of the cemetery released in 1964 and updated in 1965, the grave numbering system is clearly shown as being ‘1’ to ‘14’ South to North (refer to diagram above). After raising the issue with the CWGC, sadly there apparently remains no documentation in the CWGC archives that explains why the change was made and when that change took place. Fortunately, this does not have any impact on who was buried and when, as only the most recent grave numbering system is used currently – by myself and the CWGC. Shown below is a photograph of the Ma’Asker cemetery that shows graves with the original grave number marker.

Aerial photos of Hollebeke Village, taken by an RE8 of 6 Squadron before and after the Battle of Messines 6 Squadron Aerial Photos - Hollebeke Village (Before and After) The two photographs on Page 43 (the last page of the document produced by the Army Printing and Stationery Services department) were taken by an RE8 of 6 Squadron, part of the squadron's aerial reconnaissance operations over the Western Front during WW1. The photographs were taken to show the destructive impact the Battle of Messines had on the village of Hollebeke. The photographs were taken on the 3rd June 1917, 4 days before the Battle of Messines, and after the bombardment on the 17th June 1917, taken over map coordinates 28. O. 11 and 28. O. 12 .

This page provides a brief biography of Lt Colin Girvan, 6 Squadron Royal Air Force, using WW1 service record information and many other sources Lt Colin Cuthbert Gemmil Girvan - 6 Squadron Royal Air Force Lieutenant Colin Girvan was one of the many British army officers who transferred into the Royal Flying Corps as observers, often with a reduction in both rank and seniority. After completing his observer training, twenty two year old Lt Girvan was posted to 6 Squadron on the western front in January 1917, after the squadron had lost four airmen and two wounded over a short period of time. For the first few months he flew on operations as an observer in various variants of BE2 until the squadron was re-equipped with RE8s in April 1917. There is no mention of Lt Girvan in the official squadron operational records until 7th June 1917. He took part in the well-documented Battle of Messines, when the allies detonated one million pounds of high explosive beneath the German positions as a prelude to driving the enemy off the Messines Ridge. Flying contact patrols at altitudes as low as 500 feet due to darkness and poor visibility resulted in the greatest number of casualties suffered by 6 squadron in any single day, a record that still stands to this day. Between the first sortie at 3:00 am and the last at 10:30 pm, three 6 Squadron airmen were killed in action, one died of his wounds, another was taken prisoner and three were injured, including Lt Girvan who became yet another of the Royal Air Force casualties when he received a bullet wound to the thigh from enemy ground fire. Though close to losing consciousness from the loss of blood, Lt Girvan still managed to submit a report on the latest infantry positions before collapsing. For conspicuous gallantry and devotion to duty, he was awarded the Military Cross in August 1917. All of the above I managed to glean from the official 6 Squadron records and various public archives, but I was unable to determine what happened to him after he was wounded. That is, until I was contacted by Clive Girvan, nephew of the late Colin Girvan, who helped me fill in the missing pieces of the puzzle. After spending several weeks in a Belgian hospital, during which time it is thought that his mother went out from England to be with him, Lt Girvan was shipped back to England where he slowly recovered in hospital, having lost five inches of his right femur and suffering a severe infection. Apparently, beginning in October 1917, he wrote at least ten letters asking for a “wound gratuity”, for which he was entitled, but nothing was forthcoming from the British government. With the war at an end and still unable to get government assistance, Lt Girvan resigned his commission in July 1919, citing his injuries as the reason. Disillusioned with the treatment he had received from the country he had fought for and almost given his life to, as soon as he had got his affairs in order he boarded the 11,000 ton Cunard liner the SS Royal George (nicknamed ‘Rolling George’ for apparently obvious reasons!) at Southampton and set sail for the Americas, stopping first at Halifax before disembarking five days later at New York’s Ellis Island wharf on 1st October 1919. Colin Girvan settled into life in his new country and in the nineteen twenties married an American lady. Though they were childless, Helen Girvan wrote numerous children’s adventure novels over the next four decades, the last book being published in 1970. In 1926, Colin’s brother Alan, ten years his junior, emigrated from England to Canada, stopping off first in New York where he stayed with Colin for a week. Colin later visited Montreal in the mid nineteen thirties to attend Alan’s wedding (see photograph). Colin Girvan lived and worked in the United States of America until his death in 1972, having surprisingly outlived his younger brother by nine years. His nephew, Clive Girvan, tells me he met his uncle once in 1969 when he was driving back to Canada after his honeymoon. He found him to be a ‘wonderful man but not very interested in recounting any war stories’ – so typical of the men who fought in the Great War. I am happy to report that despite having no children of his own, Colin’s name and legacy has been passed down through his brother’s side of the family. Colin’s nephew, Colin Clive Girvan, has two sons, the elder son naming his first child Colin. Military tradition and service to their country is as evident today in the Girvan family as it was when their great uncle answered the call back in 1914, as one of Clive's sons is a firefighter in Ottawa and the other a captain in the Canadian Special Forces.

A brief history of 84 Squadron, from its formation in 1917 until the 1930s when it was serving in Mesopotamia and based at the RAF Baghdad West aerodrome 84 Squadron Royal Air Force Page 7 of "An Introduction to Iraq" provides a brief history of 84 Squadron (one of the Royal Air Force squadrons to be based in Mesopotamia during the inter-war years). At the time of publication (August 1935) the commanding officer of 84 Squadron was Squadron Leader (later Air Chief Marshall) F J Fogarty DFC, AFC. The photograph is an aerial shot of a flight of 84 Squadron's two-seater Westland Wapiti general purpose military aircraft.

Searchable database of the 23 members of five RAF Armoured Car Companie who were buried at the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery between December 1921 and December 1937. RAF Armoured Car Company Burials (1922 to 1935) - part of the present day RAF Regiment Of the 197 RAF personnel buried at the Ma' Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery (Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery), 24 were serving with one of the RAF Armoured Car Companies stationed in Iraq or at the Armoured Car Wing HQ. Listed below, in chronological order of date of burial, is a summary of the men who died, the cause of their death and the location of every grave. Service details and honours are also provided for each of the officers as well as the various RAF units served by each officer during his RFC / RAF /Army career. You can either scroll through the data or search by entering a character string. Note that two of the men buried at Hinaidi were commanding officers of No 6 Armoured Car Company, with the first, Squadron Leader Andrew Cruikshank, the officer commanding when No 6 Armoured Car Company was formed in 1922. Note also that four of the officers listed were WW1 veterans who between them shared one OBE, one MBE, one MC and a MiD. Note also that (unlike the other Armoured Car Companies) No 5 Armoured Car Company which was stationed within the Hinaidi cantonment, fell under the control of No 6 Squadron RAF. For full details behind the deaths of two Armoured Car Company men buried at Ma'asker Al Raschid, click on Rosavaere or Kerslake .

This is an interactive schematic diagram of the Hinaidi RAF (Peace) Cemetery - now called the Ma'Asker al Raschid RAF Cemetery. It shows the names of all 300 burials with links to photographs of 71 headstones (complete and partial) that have so far been discovered on the site. Interactive Grave Diagram - Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery The diagram below gives the name and grave location for each of the 300 burials at the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF cemetery (formerly the Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery). The names displayed in pale blue represent the seventy-one (71) surviving headstones (complete, damaged or fragmented) that I have been able to identify from hundreds of photographs taken at the cemetery between 2021 and 2023. Clicking on one of the blue names will link you to a present-day photograph of the headstone. Alternatively, click HERE to view all seventy-one headstone images. If you would like to search for a name that may be associated with a surviving headstone, the full list appears in alphabetical order on this page below the cemetery layout. Click HERE . The background image for this page of my website shows what the cemetery looked like in 1935, viewed from the grave of Sergeant William S Woods of the RAF Aircraft Depot (Plot 3 Row M Grave 1( towards the north-west corner of Plot 3. Anchor 1

6 Squadron Aerial photos of the White Chateau grounds at Hollebeke, one taken prior to the attack on Messines and the other 6 days after 19 mines we detonated along the Messines ridge 6 Squadron Aerial Photos - White Chateau Hollebeke The two photographs on Page 12 were taken by an RE8 of 6 Squadron, part of the squadron's aerial reconnaissance operations over the Western Front during WW1. The photographs on Page 12 were were taken over the same 500 x 500 yard section of the grounds of the White Chateau at Hollebeke, as defined by the mapping coordinates 28. O. 5. C . The first photograph was taken on the 23rd April 1917 and the second on the 11th June 1917, 4 days after 19 mines were detonated beneath the German lines along the Messines ridge at the start of the Battle of Messines.

The book, 'Over the Western Front with 6 Squadron' is written in two parts, Part One in the form of a detailed monthly journal of corporal Fred Johnstone and Part Two giving a complete account of the squadron's operations on the Western Front during WW1, with every action, aircraft movement and casualty associated with 6 Squadron Over the Western Front with 6 Squadron Royal Flying Corps ' Over the Western Front' was my fifth book, published in November 2018, though I started the research process back in 2003. It was published by Feed-a-Read and is available directly from the publisher or through any of the on-line book stores such as Amazon. The RRP from Feed-a-Read is AU$17 and the postage to anywhere in the UK is AU$5 (equating to approximately £12 per copy including postage). The postage to other countries will be higher, so a better deal may be had through sites such as Amazon , and Fishpond . If you would like to buy a signed copy, please contact me. For anyone living in Australia, the cost of a signed copy is AU$25.00 including postage. Press th e CONTACT menu item and send me a message. Over the Western Front is divided into two parts: Part One is an expanded version of my grandfather's war diaries, kept by him for the whole of the time he served with 6 Squadron on the Western Front during WW1. It has been written in the form of a month-by-month journal, covering the period November 1915 to January 1918 inclusive, and describes what is happening within the squadron as well as my grandfather's own personal experiences of the war. Reproduced below are three pages from Part One, in which my grandfather as an Air Mechanic 1st Class is describing his first month at 6 Squadron, which at the time was operating from an aerodrome at Abeele on the French/Belgian border, on the Western Front about ten miles from the Ypres. Part Two of Over the Western Front is a month-by-month detailed analysis of 6 Squadron's operations during the whole of the Great War, from the time 6 Squadron is sent to France in October 1914 to December 1918, one month after the Armistice was signed. In addition, the complete history of every single aircraft on charge with 6 Squadron during those fifty-one months is provided, along with every known squadron casualty. Complementing my first book, For God, England & Ethel , my latest book will give the reader a thorough understanding of the wartime operations of 6 Squadron and where it fits within the Royal Air Force casualties for the whole of WW1. Cross & Cockade Book Review - 2019 © 2019 Steve Buster Johnson. Proudly made by Wix.com

A brief history of 55 Squadron, from its formation in 1916 until 1935 when it was serving in Mesopotamia and based at RAF Hinaidi 55 Squadron Royal Air Force Pages 4 and 5 of "An Introduction to Iraq" provide a brief history of 55 Squadron (one of the Royal Air Force squadrons to be based at RAF Hinaidi during the inter-war years). At the time of publication (August 1935) the commanding officer of 55 Squadron was Squadron Leader A R M Rickards OBE, AFC. The photograph is a view of the airfield at RAF Hinaidi, looking towards the south-west with a cluster of hangars on the left-hand side, the nearest to the camera used by 70 Squadron and 55 Squadron. Hussar Road runs diagonally across the top right corner of the photograph. Gloucester (Nieuport) Nighthawk Though 55 Squadron officially operated the two-seater DH9a medium bomber from June 1920 to February 1930 when it was re-equiped with the two-seater Westland Wapiti, it did test one of three Gloster Nighthawk fighters that were sent to Iraq for evaluation. This photo was taken of the 55 Squadron Nighthawk when it was parked outside the 55 Squadron Hangar at RAF Hinaidi during trials of the aircraft in 1923. Note the custom desert exhaust. Photo taken by Pilot Officer (later Air Commodore) D.W.F Bonham-Carter DFC (via his grandson Jim Cownie) Westland Wapiti (55 Squadron)

Aerial photos of destructive shoots on enemy batteries near Neerwaastenstraat (south of Hollebeke) taken by a 6 Squadron RE8 prior to the Battle of Messines 6 Squadron Aerial Photos - Destructive Shoot at Neerwaastenstraat The two photographs on Page 29 were taken by an RE8 of 6 Squadron, part of the squadron's aerial reconnaissance operations over the Western Front during WW1. The photographs were taken of a destructive shoot (before and after) on a hostile battery 100 metres to the east of Neerwaastenstraat, 1 kilometre south of Hollebeke, as defined by mapping coordinates 28. O. 18. A and 28. O. 17. B . (present location in the middle of a field GPS coordinates 50°47'47.9"N 2°56'17.2"E), taken prior to the Battle of Messines. The first photograph was taken on the 6th April 1917 and the date of the second was 26th May 1917.

Aerial photos of two destructive shoots on enemy batteries east of Hollebeke White Chateau taken by a 6 Squadron RE8 before the battle of Messines 6 Squadron Aerial Photos - East of Hollebeke White Chateau The two photographs on Page 26 were taken by an RE8 of 6 Squadron, part of the squadron's aerial reconnaissance operations over the Western Front during WW1. The photographs were were taken of two destructive shoots on hostile batteries approximately one kilometre to the east of the White Chateau at Hollebeke. The upper photograph was taken on the 29th April 1917 and is misclassified regarding its coordinates, which should be 28. O. 12. B and not 28. Q. 7. A . The lower photograph is of the same shoots but taken of coordinates 28. O. 13. A and printed upside down. The date the lower photograph was taken is unknown. The exact locations of the two shoots are 1) On the hedge line of a field 100 metres west of Klijtgatstraat 1-5, GPS coordinates 50°48'23.9"N 2°57'15.4"E and 2) On the line of a stream/hedge 200 metres north of Hollebekestraat at 50°48'23.5"N 2°57'36.0"E.

This page shows photographs of every headstone in Plot 3 of the Habbaniya Military Cemetery Plot 3 Headstones - Habbaniya War Cemetery This page shows photographs of the thirty-nine (39) headstones in Plot 3 of the Habbaniya War Cemetery. Note that the CWGC plan of Habbaniya Cemetery indicates there are only 38 burials in total, with 10 burials in Row A, whereas in fact there are 11 (with James Peters, the son of E F Peters, buried next to his father in Grave 1A). The photographs appear below in Row and Grave sequence but can also be accessed directly by clicking on the name of the person of interest by via the cemetery diagram page. The background image for this page (visible on all devices except mobile 'phones) is a wide-angle photograph taken of Plot 3 at Habbaniya. Click HERE to see a copy of this photo. Anchor 1 Anchor 2 Anchor 3 Anchor 4 Anchor 5 Anchor 6 Anchor 7 Anchor 8 Anchor 9 Anchor 10 Anchor 11 A

Index of RFC / RAF Instructor notes on airborne wireless used in 1918 by my grandfather after he left 6 Squadron This is the main index of a notebook my grandfather produced during WW1, when he was a wireless instructor at the No 1 (T) Wireless School, located at Flowerdown, near Winchester (after he was invalided out of 6 Squadron). RAF 1918 Wireless Instruction Book - Index

Satellite images showing the location and dimensions of the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery with links to location and dimensions page for the Khanaqin War Cemetery Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery - Site and Dimensions The Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery, renamed the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery when RAF Hinaidi (the headquarters for the British Armed Forces in Mesopotamia) was handed over to the Iraqi government in 1937, has long been abandoned and has over time 'fallen between the cracks' with regards the CWGC maintenance of the headstones and the security of the site itself. Below are three satellite images taken of the cemetery. The first image was taken in 2019 before my involvement in the project and shows the cemetery on the edge of a rubbish dump, with no protecting walls and a well-used track carved across the NE/SW diagonal. I have circled no less than five trucks captured in the image and have added a white rectangle to the image that marks the original perimeter of the cemetery. The second image was also taken prior to the construction of the new wall and is a close-up satellite photo of the cemetery overlaid by the original 1964 Commonwealth War Graves Commission plan. You can see that it is only by sheer luck that the track only impacts a small part of Plot 2 and it is likely that the remains of the men buried there have not been disturbed. For the location and comparative dimensions of the Khanaqin War Cemetery , Diyala, click HERE 2019 Satellite Photograph of the Ma'asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery Royal Air Force Casualties at the Ma'asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery In trying to determine the exact grave locations for two 6 Squadron men who died in a flying accident in 1922 (see the story on Flying Officer Edwin Ffoulkes-Jones ), I contacted Dr Christopher Morris of the RAF Habbaniya Association who was able to provide some of the missing pieces of the jigsaw. Dr Morris also provided me with maps of Iraq (one as it was in the 1920's and another drawn in 1944) as well as a list of Royal Air Force personnel who died whilst in service and were buried at the RAF Hinaidi military cemetery, located in the Zafaraniyah district to the south-east of Baghdad, between the Zafaraniyah road (the old route to Kut and Amarahnext) and Rashid airport. 6 Squadron was one of many Royal Air Force squadrons stationed in Iraq at one time or another and the squadron moved from Baghdad West to RAF Hinaidi in October 1922. By comparing the names against the 6 Squadron Book of Remembrance I conducted my own research over a period of twelve months with the kind assistance of Peter Burlton, researcher for the RAF Habbaniya Association. In summary, 197 of the the total number of 300 graves at Hinaidi belong to Royal Air Force personnel, the remainder for 72 British Army personnel, 2 Royal Navy men, 29 civilian contractors (including 5 women) and 1 baby girl who was only eight months old at the time of her death. I also researched the service records of the RAF aircrew, many of whom were decorated WW1 veterans. Click HERE for details. Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery / Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery Dimensions

Details of the Iraq Command Wireless Stations, with Hinaidi being the location for the Control W/T Station. The other Iraq wireless stations were based at Shaibah and Mosul, with Posts at Kirkuk, Muscat, Ser Amadia and Dhibban. Iraq Command Wireless Stations - 1935 Page 10 of "An Introduction to Iraq" provides a brief description of the Iraq Command Wireless stations, with Hinaidi being the location for the Control W/T Station. The other Iraq wireless stations were based at Shaibah and Mosul, with Posts at Kirkuk, Muscat, Ser Amadia and Dhibban. At the time of publication, (August 1935) the Chief Signal Officer was Squadron Leader (later Wing Commander during WW2) C K Chandler, MBE.