The War that Never Was Read online

  CONTENTS

  About the Book

  Also by Duff Hart-Davis

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Author’s Note

  Dramatis Personae

  1 Clubmen Unite

  2 Nasser’s Wiles

  3 Mountain Warriors

  4 Beni Johnson

  5 Digging In

  6 Manna from Heaven

  7 Shortage of Gold

  8 Breach of Security

  9 Business as Usual

  10 A High and a Low

  11 In the Balance

  12 Fresh Blood

  13 Exit Jay

  14 Smash Hit

  15 Aftermath

  Select Bibliography

  Notes

  Plate Section

  Copyright

  About the Book

  September, 1962, Middle East: A lightning coup d’état is launched in the Yemen, backed by that scourge of the British at Suez six years earlier, the Egyptian president Nasser. A primitive nation descends into civil war. British interests in the region are threatened.

  March, 1963, London: A coterie of distinguished political and military figures sip brandies in White’s Club on St. James’s Street, discussing the deteriorating situation in the Middle East. A call is made to one Colonel Jim Johnson, an ex SAS officer of fine standing, and a favour is asked. Would he mind awfully sorting out this problem in the Yemen?

  ‘Well, yes,’ Johnson replies ‘I’ve nothing particular to do in the next few days. I might have a go.’

  So began one of the most secretive and wholly deniable campaigns that the British waged in the 20th century. Johnson arranged for a few British mercenaries to travel to the harsh mountains of the Yemen to arm, train and lead Royalist tribesmen in their fight against a 70,000-strong contingent of Egyptian soldiers. It was one of the most uneven running battles ever fought. The Egyptians fielded a huge, professionally-trained army and a modern air force. The British, living in flea-infested caves, frequently bombed with high explosive and poison gas, galvanised a ragtag force of tribal warriors so tenaciously that in the end Nasser lost more than 20,000 men and declared that the Yemen had been his Vietnam.

  This is the first full account of the covert war – an adventure-packed story told with huge panache and flair, based on the journals, letters and interviews with surviving soldiers and orchestrators of the campaign.

  Also by Duff Hart-Davis

  Earlier books include:

  Ascension: the Story of a South Atlantic Island

  Peter Fleming

  Monarchs of the Glen

  Hitler’s Games: the 1936 Olympics

  Armada

  Wildings: the Secret Garden of Eileen Soper

  When the Country Went to Town

  Raoul Millais

  Audubon’s Elephant

  Fauna Britannica

  Philip de Laszlo

  As Editor:

  End of an Era: the Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles: 1887-1920

  In Royal Service: the Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles: 1920-1929

  King’s Counsellor: the Letters and Journals of Sir Alan Lascelles: 1936-1952

  Novels:

  The Megacull

  The Gold of St Matthew

  Spider in the Morning

  The Heights of Rimring

  Level Five

  Fire Falcon

  The Man-Eater of Jassapur

  Horses of War

  THE WAR THAT NEVER WAS

  THE TRUE STORY OF THE MEN WHO FOUGHT BRITAIN’S MOST SECRET BATTLE

  Duff Hart-Davis

  For Jan Johnson and her family

  Author’s Note

  It was Jim Johnson who first suggested that I should write this book. He and I talked over the possibility some time during the 1990s, but he decided that it was still too soon to tell the story of the unattributable campaign waged by his private army in the Yemen from 1963 to 1967. Then in 2006 he made contact again, and I went to see him at his cottage in Wiltshire, where I met Tony Boyle, who had worked as his second-in-command during the war. At my behest Jim and Tony began to talk about their operation, and I recorded their conversation. But after an hour or so I stopped them and said, ‘This is ridiculous. I’ve never been to the Yemen, and I know hardly any of the people who were involved. Tony was there throughout and is familiar with every aspect of the story. Far better that he should write the book.’

  So it was agreed, and he began work. He already had in his possession files containing reports, cables, radio messages and correspondence generated during the war, and over the next two years he went to great lengths to amass further material, seeking out the diaries, tapes and logbooks of survivors, and collecting relevant published books. He drafted some parts of the story, concentrating on Aden (where he himself had worked at the outset) and on the Emirates of the South Arabian Federation. In his mind were all the details of the ultra-secret Israeli parachute-drops of weapons and ammunition, which he himself (a former fast-jet pilot) had organised.

  Then, alas, in May 2008 Tony died suddenly of a heart-attack at the age of only seventy-three, and in due course I was asked to take the book over. Jim outlived him by less than two months, dying on 20 July 2008 after a long illness, aged eighty-three.

  It should be emphasised that the campaign in the Yemen was not an official SAS operation. On the contrary: it was entirely unofficial, it had no name and it was denied by the British Government. Although most of the men who took part had been in 21 SAS (the territorial regiment) or 22 SAS (in which personnel serve full-time) all were either on leave or had been granted leave of absence from the regiment for the duration of their tours. The regiment did not organise the campaign, and Her Majesty’s Government (hereafter known as ‘HMG’) did not pay for it.

  In most of the narrative I have used Christian names, for the mercenary force was so small that this was how its members knew each other. I am enormously indebted to Tony Boyle for his painstaking research, and to the executors of his estate for entrusting me with the papers that he assembled. These led me to numerous survivors of the operation, among them Fiona Allen (formerly Fraser), David Bailey, Mick Facer, Philip Horniblow, Alastair Macmillan, Jack Miller, Bernard Mills, Frank Smith and Kerry Stone, all of whom I should like to thank for their cooperation. I am most grateful to Nahum Admoni, Brian Cluer, Sultan Ghalib al-Qu’aiti, John Harding, David Harrington, James Nash, Arieh Oz and Stephen Walton (Archivist at the Imperial War Museum, Duxford), for help of various kinds; and to the following for permission to publish extracts from family books and papers: Ben Cooper, Alexander Kennedy, Jack Miller, Christl Pearson, Xan Smiley and Michael Woodhouse. I owe particular thanks to Jim’s widow, Jan, and to his children, Rupert and Lottie, for entrusting me with their family memories.

  Sources

  Much of the material in this narrative is taken from the archive of reports, letters, diaries, logbooks and other documents amassed by Jim Johnson and Tony Boyle during the covert operation in the Yemen. The papers are still in private hands; and because they had not been numbered or indexed at the time of writing, it was not possible to give individual references for passages quoted.

  Other primary sources

  The National Archives (formerly the Public Record Office) at Kew. Records available under the 30-year rule include documents with the following prefixes:

  CAB Cabinet Office

  CO Colonial Office

  DEFE Ministry of Defence

  FO Foreign Office

  MINT Mint

  PREM Prime Minister’s Office

  WO War Office

  Imperial War Museum, Duxford

  Papers of Lieutenant Colonel Neil (Billy) McLean. Many of
these are duplicated in the Johnson/Boyle private archive.

  Dramatis Personae

  With approximate ages (if known) in 1963

  The Saudis

  generally in Riyadh (the capital) or Jeddah

  HRH King Saud bin Abdul Aziz 61 Deposed, November 1964.

  Prince (later King) Feisal bin Abdul Aziz al-Saud 59 Code name Burns

  The King’s half-brother, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister. Became King, November 1964.

  Prince Sultan bin Abdul Aziz 35 Tourist, Seymour Minister of Defence.

  Kemal Adham 34 Cambridge-educated Head of Security, brother-in-law of Feisal.

  Prince Mohamed Sudairi Governor of Jizan. The Sudairis were one of the most powerful Saudi families.

  The Yemeni Royalists

  Imam Mohamed al-Badr 36 Baby, Duncan, Dickens, Infant Head of the ruling Hamid ud Din family. Deposed in a coup orchestrated by Nasser, September 1962 Escaped into the mountains of the north-west. Spent first years of the war in caves at El Qara. Did no fighting, exercised little control.

  Yahya al-Hirsi The Imam’s father-in-law, secretary and boozing companion. Short and thickset. Sandhurst-trained, he had defected from the State Forces of ‘Lahej, in the Aden Protectorate. As a commoner, he was despised by other members of the royal family.

  Prince Hassan bin Yahya 56 Uncle of the Imam. Declared King after the coup, but formally relinquished the throne and was made Crown Prince and Prime Minister, operating from a cave.

  Prince Mohamed bin Hussein 28 AA Nephew of the old Imam. Quiet-spoken, gentle, with a youthful look. Good English. Educated in Cairo, then Yemeni Ambassador in Germany. Commander of the First National Army, in the Jauf, the eastern sector. The best and most inspiring of the Yemeni leaders. Showed great courage at the battle of Wadi Humeidat, April 1965. Highly ambitious. Hoped to become the next Imam.

  Prince Abdullah bin Hassan 26 Gardener, Abbey Educated at the American University in Beirut. Effective Commander of the Second National Army, in the Khowlan, the central mountains. Assassinated, July 1969.

  Ahmed al-Siyaghi A commander, and an adroit politician. Deputy Prime Minister. Killed late in 1963.

  Gassim Monassir Aggressive and effective military leader. Not a member of the royal family.

  Nagi al-Ghadr Nail, Pipsqueak Another effective commander in the Khowlan. Paramount sheikh of the Bakil tribes. Suspected of having been bribed by the Egyptians.

  Sayid Ahmed al-Shami 39 Sammy Yemeni Foreign Minister. Strong supporter of the mercenaries. Mainly in London, but often in Saudi Arabia.

  BEIHAN

  Sherif Hussein Whiskers The ruler. Well disposed towards the British.

  The Egyptians and Yemeni Republicans

  Gamal Abdel Nasser 45 Christie President of Egypt. Organiser of Yemen revolution. Backed by Soviet Union and (at first) the United States.

  Colonel Abdullah al-Sallal 46 Commander of the Royal Guard in Sana’a, but leader of the 1962 revolution. Became Nasser’s puppet in Sana’a.

  The British

  Lieutenant Colonel Jim Johnson 39 Jay Underwriter at Lloyd’s. Former Commanding Officer of 21 (Territorial) SAS. Leader of the British Field Liaison Force. Mainly based in London, but many trips to Jeddah, Aden, Tel Aviv, Teheran, Paris, etc.

  Flight Lieutenant Tony Boyle 28 Tea or T Former RAF fast-jet pilot. ADC to the Governor of Aden, then second-in-command to Jim Johnson in London. Numerous trips to Tel Aviv, Jeddah, Aden, the Yemen. Organiser of the Israeli air-drops.

  Lieutenant Colonel Johnny Cooper 41 Abdullah bin Nasser The first of the mercenaries into the Yemen, and the most active throughout the war.

  Colonel David Smiley 47 Grin Retired professional soldier. Made independent reconnaissance trips to the Yemen. Became Field Commander of the mercenary force in April 1965.

  Major Bernard Mills 31 Bee, Baptist, Sayf Professional soldier. First tour as a mercenary in the Khowlan, second in the Jauf. Planned the key battle of Wadi Humeidat, April 1965.

  Jack Miller 20s Worked with Prince Abdullah bin Hassan and the Imam. Kept extensive diary.

  Rupert France 40s Franco The mercenaries’ radio anchor man, first in Aden, then in Nuqub (in Beihan), then in Jeddah.

  Liam McSweeney 40s Mac Former wrestler. Became radio anchor man in Aden.

  Cyril Weavers 35 Radio operator and technician.

  Chris Sharma 20s Mansoor Spent much time advising the Imam.

  David Bailey 24 Damson or Dandy Three six-month tours. Regarded the whole thing as a great adventure.

  David Walter 20s Daoud bin Qasim In the Jauf, then with the Imam.

  Jimmy Knox 20s Former miner. Radio operator, worked with Bernard Mills.

  Alastair Macmillan 35 Mimic Three tours: one at El Qara, with the Imam, two in the Khowlan.

  Frank Smith 20s Squire, then Spearmint Tours in Wadi Heera’an.

  Kerry Stone 26 Kudu Tours at Sirwah, Wadi Heera’an and Beit Obeidi.

  Mick Facer 35 Fathom Mechanic, based at Najran in Saudi Arabia, but travelled through Yemen repairing vehicles. Known to the French as Fat Hom.

  Duncan Pearson 27 Gassim Tour at Gara, in the Khowlan.

  Advisers

  Lieutenant Colonel Neil (Billy) Mclean 44 Berber Conservative MP, well-known politician. Travelled indefatigably in the Yemen and to Saudi Arabia and Jordan, in support of the Royalists.

  Colonel John Woodhouse 41 Outstanding commander of 22 SAS. One of the founders of the mercenary force. Immediately after his retirement in 1965, made a tour of the Yemen.

  Colonel David Stirling 47 Wartime founder of the SAS. Prime mover in the initial despatch of mercenaries to the Yemen in 1963.

  1

  Clubmen Unite

  In the spring of 1963 Colonel Jim Johnson was working in London as an underwriter at Lloyd’s. A tall, dark, good-looking man, always immaculately dressed, with a silk handkerchief protruding from the breast pocket of his suit, he lived in Chelsea with his wife Judy (a former Wren), their two children and two budgerigars, and as he strode off in the morning towards the King’s Road carrying a briefcase, he looked every inch the city executive and club man. That summer he was awarded the OBE, for ‘classified reasons’, and later became an ADC to the Queen. Yet his smooth, conventional appearance concealed exceptional determination and a liking for adventure, which, at the age of thirty-nine, had by no means burnt out.

  As a boy he had spent time in Ceylon, where his father Paul and his Australian mother Dorothy were tea-planters; but he either did not know, or else concealed, details of his father’s career. In the 1930s, when he was eight or so, the family went to live for a couple of years in Florence,1 and Paul seems to have worked in some branch of intelligence. Jim’s most burning memory from the time in Italy was of the occasion on which he found the maid swinging a cat against the wall. Incensed, he picked up a tapestry-covered brick and slugged her with it. The girl fell to the floor and lay still – whereupon he raced upstairs to his mother and blurted out, ‘I’ve killed her!’ Three local policemen quickly appeared wearing magnificent tricorn hats, which impressed Jim enormously – and later in life he claimed that he was arrested for attempted murder. Whether or not this was an invention, he was forced to visit the maid in hospital and present her with a lace handkerchief in atonement.

  Sometime in the late 1930s the family returned to England, and for a while they lived in London. Then, on 2 September 1939, they suddenly moved to Letchworth Garden City (in Jim’s memory ‘a ghastly place’), where IBM was making primitive forms of computer equipment. Because this was relatively close to the top-secret, code-breaking establishment at Bletchley Park, Jim surmised that during the war his father was employed there on the Enigma project, although never a word was said about it.

  His school career – at St Edmund’s, Hindhead, and then Westminster – was undistinguished. He had no interest in sport, and never shone on the playing field; nor did he manage to win a place at university, although he would have liked to do so. Then, as a junior officer in the 2nd (Arm
oured) Battalion of the Welsh Guards during the Second World War, he had a disappointing time, in that, much as he wanted to fight, he never had a chance to become involved. In the spring of 1944, during the run-up to D-Day, he fell off a tank while training on Salisbury Plain and broke a leg. During the preparations for the Rhine crossing he went down with jaundice and had to spend months in hospital.

  In 1945, with the war in Europe over, he volunteered for a Guards’ Division that was being formed to join the campaign against the Japanese. The new unit, dressed in American kit, began training at Warminster, and was due to go on for further training in Florida; but in August the atom bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki put an end to the scheme. In 1947, feeling he had not got enough money to become a regular officer, Jim resigned his commission and went into Lloyd’s.