§ Mr. Donnelly79, 80 and 81. asked the Secretary of State for Air (1) what squadrons of the Royal Air Force took part in the bombing attacks on Egyptian airfields immediately on the expiry of the Anglo-French ultimatum;
15W(2) on what date the Valiant and Canberra aircraft that took part in the bombing of Egyptian airfields immediately on the expiry of the Anglo-French ultimatum left British shores; and on what dates their ground crews preceded them;
(3) on what date the Valiant and Canberra aircraft involved in attacks on targets in Egypt returned to the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. BirchThe Valiant and Canberra aircraft which undertook these operations formed part of the military forces which were deployed from August onwards as a precaution against an outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East. Some of the Valiant and Canberra squadrons left the United Kingdom in September and the majority followed in the second half of October when the state of our military preparedness in the Mediterranean was stepped up in view of the growing tension in that area. Ground equipment and a small ground handling party were dispatched from this country by air and sea from early August onwards. The squadron ground crews left this country by air at about the same dates as their squadrons. Some of the Valiant and Canberra squadrons returned to this country at the end of the first week in November, and some more squadrons have returned within the last two weeks.