21 Squadron War Diary
Ben Hagen
SQUADRON ROUTINE ORDER NO. 49/43 by LIEUT. COL. C. S. COPPEN D.F.C. Commanding Officer, No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F. Middle East. 5th July 1943.22170: SHOOTING:Para. 223 S.R.O. No. 57/42 refers.There will be no indiscriminate shooting, or firing of explosives, in, or in the vicinity of, the camp, aerodrome, runways or dispersal areas. This order does not affect organised firing under the supervision of the Armament Officer.171: COMMUNICATION WITH PRISONERS OF WAR IN ITALY – POSTAL ADDRESSES:With reference to M.E.R.O. 765 of 1942, the following amendment is made:-Delete existing paragraph (b) and substitute:-(b) If the name of the camp is not known.Posta di Prigionieri di GuerraRank.............Name...................Prigioniero di Guerra Brittanico in Italia,c/o Croce Rossa Italiana,6 Via Puglia.......Roma.ITALIA.(M.E.R.O. Para. 6049)172: WEARING OF CIVILIAN CLOTHING BY MEMBERS OF THE ARMED FORCES:The following decision of the Chiefs of Staff is notified for compliance by all concerned.Members of the armed forces (including those under the orders of combined operations formations) will NOT be sent on military operations, however, hazardous, equipped with civilian clothing.Members of the Armed Forces taking part in operations and apprehended in possession of civilian clothing are liable to be treated as saboteurs and guilty of war treason. They are likely to be shot without trial.The above does not affect the legal right of adoption of civilian dress by prisoners of war endeavouring to escape.(M.E.R.O. Para. 605)173: MARRIAGES – BRITISH SERVICE PERSONNEL WITH UNITED STATES ARMY PERSONNEL IN THE MIDDLE EAST.The following facts are notified for the information of all personnel, particularly members of the women’s services, who may contemplate matrimony with United States Army personnel.a. Before any United States military personnel may marry the permission of the theatre commander must be obtained.b. Marriage does not in itself entitle the wife of a United States Officer or soldier to any allowance; but the United States War Department desires and expects members of the armed forces to provide for the support of their dependants.c. Neither the United States Army nor any other government agency is responsible for the repatriation of wives to America.d. The responsibility of ascertaining that the form in which the marriage is to be solemnised will be recognised as valid in the United States rests with the parties.No chaplain or appointed officer will solemnise a marriage, one of the parties to which is a member of the United States Army Forces in the Middle East, without special authority of H.Q. R.A.F. M.E. which only will be given when the permission of the Commanding General, U.S.A.F.I.M.E. has been obtained.(M.E.R.O. Para. 611)174: DANGER OF USING PETROL DRUMS:Two accidents which have occurred recently have been due to the use of naked flames in the vicinity of or on drums which had originally contained highly inflammable liquids.In the first accident, a 40-gallon petrol drum was in use as an improvised work-bench at which welding was being carried out. A violent explosion occurred, as a result of which an airman received fatal injuries.In the second accident, brazing was being carried out on a 5-gallon drum, the original contents of which had not been determined. In this case also there//......S.R.O. No. 49/43 (Contd)2.there was an explosion, and a non-commissioned officer and an airman were seriously injured.The following instructions are to be introduced in all engineer instructions:a. The use of petrol drums for any purpose in a workshop where a naked flame is employed is strictly prohibited.b. The use of such containers for any other purpose, i.e. as water containers, etc. is to be regarded as a highly dangerous practice and must cease.c. In cases where it is necessary to carry out work involving the application of heat on, or heat to, any type of container which has previously held, or may have held, an inflammable liquid, the fullest precautions are to be taken to ensure that it is free from traces of liquid, sediment and fumes by the methods prescribed for dealing with aircraft fuel tanks before repair, as laid down in A.P. 1464A Vol. 1. Section 3. Chapter 2.(M.E.R.O. Para 611)Para. 165: AIR-MAIL LETTER CARD SERVICE:The air-mail letter card is available to the following countries:-Antigua*AustraliaBahamasBarbadosBasutolandBechuanalandBritish DominicaCanada.Cayman IslandsCeylonEireGrenadaIndiaJamaicaKenyaMaltaMauritius (via Durban)*Now ZealandNewfoundlandNorthern IrelandNyasaland.Rhodesia (Northern and Southern)St. LuciaSt. KittsSt. VincentSeychelles (via Mombasa)SwazilandTanganyikaTobagoTrinidadUgandaUnion of South Africa.United Kingdom.*Service by all-air route suspended.The postage rate is threepence each or, if Indian postage stamps are used, three annas, each.Air Mail letter cards may be used by Naval, Army and R.A.F. Personnel (British Dominion, Colonial and Allied) and merchant seamen at the scale of one per individual per week. Hospital patients are entitled to an issue of two per week, as also are Union Defence Force and Rhodesian personnel for despatch to their home countries only.Air mail letter cards are not to be sent to countries other than those mentioned in para. 1. hereof. Unit censors are to return any cards bearing other addresses.(M.E.R.O. Para 613)(Signature: J. S. Besson) Major,Adjutant No. 21 Squadron S.A.A.F.NATIONAL SAVINGS CAMPAIGN.Hitler sends forth his war machine and agitatesMussolini accepts his orders and meditates.Churchill looks to Victory and your "Certificates".--------------------------------------------------------------------------