I sat up on the deck of the LST (landing ships transport), having a quiet smoke and listening to the hum of the engines as we continued on course up the Mediterranean. It was early morning on the 4th November 1956 and we were on our way to rendezvous with the French fleet, when I suddenly thought to myself, this is not an exercise, its the real thing this time. It is what all those years of training and exercises in defending and attacking other countries and territories, all the continual repetition in survival, weapons training, discipline activities whether in the UK or on commission abroad was all about!

It seems that at last someone has made up their mind , and we can stop being demoralised by the continual political hassle going on between Britain, France and Israel ,who were all involved in what the Americans and Russians were insisting was collusion to get back into the Canal Zone, the super powers were still insisting that England, France and Israel withdraw their troops immediately, obviously Anthony Eden has chosen to ignore them at the moment and the decision has been made to go in!  This we will do in the morning!!

During the day, the radio supplied more wranglings on the political front, but we all quietly attended final briefings and prepared our equipment for what now must happen! We identified our boat stations, ours is on the starboard side, and the Marine coxswain who is taking us in was primed with sippers out of our daily tots, this was as a pre-requisite to ensure being run right up on the beach at H hour and not left in so to speak deep water!

Laying in my bunk at night, thoughts played on my mind.

What will tomorrow bring, in Suez

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