providing dawn and dusk patrols of the Iraq-Kuwait border and such other reconnaissance sorties as were required. The remainder of the flying was devoted to practising ground attack in close support of 24 Brigade Units. On 8th August the Squadron was replaced by 8 and moved back to Bahrain.
For some time 208 had been privileged to provide the Middle East Command aerobatic team and as all the team members had recently been posted a new team was formed and began working up a sequence whilst in Kuwait during their second tour of duty in September. This culminated on 7th October in a diamond 9 formation aerobatic display over Kuwait New airfield. On 10th October, 208 was the last complete unit of H.M. Forces to leave Kuwait. They flew to Bahrain once more where within two hours of arrival they were operationally ready to strike forces crossing the Kuwait border or to re-enter Kuwait itself.
By the middle of November the Squadron was replaced by 8 and so flew to Khormaksar which was to become its permanent base in December. Once there familiarisation sorties were carried out in the Western Aden Protectorate. On 29th the Squadron really began its association with Aden by providing a flypast at the Inaugural Parade of the Federal Regular Army - the newly independent force which had been created out of the Aden Protectorate Levies.
History - 1956 - 1966 (7)
…... trade fair some months previously. Both the shield and spears were genuine and used, one of the spears being slightly bent having made forcible contact with a since deceased lion. The Squadron made a suitable presentation in return for these superb trophies and the latter still hang in the pilots crewroom today.
Shortly after the new Squadron Commander, Squadron Leader M.S. Goodfellow, took over, 208 departed to Nicosia for an air firing practice camp. After their return ugly noises were to be heard from the Kuwait direction and on 26th June General Kassem of Iraq laid claim to Kuwait. The Squadron spent three rather busy days in tentative preparation and on the fourth someone said “move”. Within twenty-four hours the Hunters were sitting on the ground at Bahrain waiting for the word to move into Kuwait in anticipation of seeing some action.
On 2nd July the Squadron moved into Kuwait and commenced the task of