GROUPS AND SINGLE DECORATIONS FOR GALLANTRY
Oh, God - somewhere ahead there was that ridge to cross, with Kabul still further on. Much went through my mind at this stage of the journey. I was continually looking at the leakage and the frightening appearance of the precipitous mountains around. The Jagfalak Pass, through which the road went at nearly 8,000 feet, was not yet visible. It was quite thrilling threading one’s way between high peaks. Suddenly on making a turn, the road appeared on a crest of the ridge ahead, but to my horror it was some height above the aircraft’s nose.
Remembering the smoke we had just left behind, I wondered whether we could gain enough up-lift to take us over the hills ahead. At about two miles away we were definitely below the ridge, so I said to myself “here goes” and, holding the nose up and with the four engines running full out we went sailing over the top and down on the other side. It was unbelievable - even now I can see the look Villiers had on his face! He quickly took to looking downwards from his side of the cockpit and with a grin gave me a “thumbs up”! Afterwards he told me that, on passing over the ridge, he saw a camel convoy of over 100 animals on its way to Kabul or the Khyber stampede in all directions, quite a number falling down the precipitous mountain side.
On getting over the ridge and regaining my breath I saw our target ahead, spread out over a vast area on a lush green fertile plateau; a marked change from the barren and mountainous terrain that we had just come across. With a population of 300,000, it was not surprising that Kabul covered such an area. It was also reputed to have the busiest and finest Bazaar in the East.
Owing to the risk of starboard engine failure, we had to cut our time over Kabul to a minimum. Nevertheless the bombing achieved good results, and if that didn’t frighten a city that had never seen an aircraft before, the sight and sound of the Old Carthusian roaring over the city at a few hundred feet with four engines fitted with stub exhausts certainly did!
On the return journey we again headed for the Jagdalak Pass, and believe it or not, had the benefit of a slightly following wind, which had veered through 180 degrees! As we were now relieved of our bombs we flew over the ridge with height to spare.
The return flight seemed interminable, and we were all very conscious of the water leakage on the starboard engine. My eyes were glued to the temperature gauge in the nacelle, and we had nearly reached the Khyber when I saw the pointer rise slowly above normal; there was nothing to do but switch off the engine and carry on with three running full out to keep height. This we were able to do, and landed at Risalpur after six hours in the air. It would be an understatement to say we were all greatly relieved!
The main object of bombing Kabul was to alarm King Amanullah, a result so successfully attained that a message came to the Viceroy immediately afterwards to the effect that the Afghans wanted peace. This was the end of the Old Carthusian’s career, which had been bedevilled by misfortune from first to last. Nevertheless, the old V/1500 had accomplished something unique in history - it had ended a war on its own! So finished the Third Afghan War, terminated by a strategic bombing raid at a negligible cost which must have saved hundreds of lives and the cost of an extensive land campaign. It also restored peace to a large slice of India.
The raid had one or two amusing angles to it. For example, when Amanullah’s uncle, a keen golfer, died suddenly under rather questionable circumstances, Amanullah had him buried under the first tee. As one of our twenty-pounders, carelessly thrown out by the crew, had landed near the grave, Amanullah complained to the Viceroy that we had bombed the tomb of his ancestor! Another comic episode appeared in The Aeroplane of 22 April 1942. The editor, C. G. Grey wrote, ‘The raid on Kabul was made with decisive effect - that was when Jock Halley blew out the walls of the King’s Harem and started the fashion of female emancipation in Afghanistan!’
A few years after the Afghan War, King Amanullah visited England as a guest, and was given an air display at Hendon. Being in Scotland at the time I was unable to attend. However, I received a letter from C. G. Grey: ‘Dear Jock, I noticed you were conspicuous by your absence at Hendon on Saturday. Had you been there no doubt you would have had a knife in your back!’
There is one final comment that I would like to make concerning the raid. As the pilot and captain of the aircraft I was given a Second Bar to my Distinguished Flying Cross. However, my stalwart N.C.Os, Flight Sergeant Smith and Sergeant Crockett, fitters, and Sergeant Brown, rigger, who accompanied me quite voluntarily and who had supervised the rebuilding of the aircraft, received no official recognition in spite of all my recommendations. They had all won the Air Force Medal for their efforts on the flight to India. Now, we know that the D.F.C. and D.F.M. are awarded for ‘distinguished flying in the face of the enemy,’ and the A.F.C. and A.F.M. for ‘distinguished flying in the face of Providence!’ Surely these brave men had earned some recognition in the former category and Lieutenant Villiers also.
Here, belatedly, let me pay my respects to them’ (Aeroplane August 1979, refers). The latter years
Gaining steady promotion between the Wars, when he enjoyed varied employment, including stints with the Fleet Air Arm in the Eagle and the Glorious in the 1920s and 1930s, he was Assistant Commandant at Cranwell on the renewal of hostilities. Posted to Gibraltar as C.O. of No. 200 Group, Coastal Command, in 1941, Halley pressed the Governor, Lord Gort, to back his plan for extending the runway to deal with “modern aircraft”, a plan which in fact the Governor refused to support, instead complaining to the C.-in-C. Coastal Command and thereby damaging Halley’s career prospects - indeed the latter was ordered to Silloth as Station Commander. Inevitably, the runway was extended in time for “Operation Torch”, the North African landings.
The Group Captain died on 13 December 1979, the exact 61st anniversary of the departure of the Old Carthusian on its historic flight to India - ‘one of the aviation “greats” of all time, a man cast in the heroic mould’ (his obituary refers).
Sold with a quantity of original documentation, including the recipient’s original Royal Naval Air Service Pilot’s Flying Log Book, covering the period February 1917 until September 1919, and two or three portrait photographs, together with a letter opener fashioned from wood taken from one of the Old Carthusian’s propellers, with ink inscription and Halley’s signature; copies of Aeroplane Monthly for December 1978 (with Halley’s account of the U.K. to India flight), August 1979 (with his account of the Kabul raid), and November 1979 (with his account of Hendon displays in the 1920s); and bound photocopies of the A.O.C. India’s official report on the U.K. to India flight and the text of a speech given by Halley on the same subject; so, too, a CD from the Royal Air Force Museum’s film and sound archive, with an interview with Halley.
www.dnw.co.uk
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