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April 2024 April 2024
BERE REGIS FLORAL GROUP overthrown his father in a bloodless coup in 1971, and was trying to bring much
needed investment to the country. SAF was fighting an increasingly bitter guerrilla
war in the southern province of Dhofar, against rebels armed by the Soviet Union,
The next meeting of Bere Regis Floral Group will be whose ultimate aim was to close the Straits of Hormuz in the North of Oman, to
on Tuesday 9 April at 2pm in Winterborne Kingston stop the flow of oil to Europe.
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village hall.
But first, a daunting step.
Workshop leader Sandy Milne will be teaching us My soldiers would be
how to create a design entitled Spring in a Ring. We mainly Omanis, Arab
have 25 places available, and the class is also open to non-members. Sandy will soldiers who generally
supply items needed at a cost of £5, and you will also need some flowers with spoke no English, so I
small blooms – from the garden, or purchased, with some foliage from the had to learn Arabic! In
garden. Email or telephone for a full list of requirements if you would like to come. early 1972 I went
Visitors and new members are always welcome. Your first visit to the club is free of B e a c o n s f i e l d , t h e
charge. services language
school, for three months
For information, contact Chairman Bob Holman 01305 8482262 or email total immersion in the
bobdiholman@btinternet.com language. It was hard
work, but thankfully we
were expected only to
be learning the spoken
language, not the
written. Getting a grasp
GARDENING CLUB on the guttural Arabic pronunciation was a challenge. Whether I’d absorbed
enough would become apparent as soon as I spoke or listened to the language in
Oman.
At our March meeting we tried out a new format. In June 1972 I arrived in Muscat and flew on down to Salalah in Dhofar to join the
Bridget Kitley gave us a practical demonstration Oman Artillery, in action near the mountains surrounding the Salalah plain. We
with members learning how to divide and seconded Brits were totally integrated into the SAF structure, wearing Omani
propagate plants. We were all getting our hands dirty handling compost and uniform, and living cheek by jowl with our soldiers. When I arrived, my unit was a
cutting and dividing plants. You can divide and root many plants from one big Battery of 3 troops each with 4 guns with two British and one Omani officer. Within
one. You look for the nodes and cut the plant up and place it in seedling a few weeks, it had expanded to become a regiment of three batteries, each
compost and place it under a plastic cover (a mini greenhouse) and spray it with 4 guns. Jordan had donated a quantity of guns which enabled the
regularly. I keep looking at my little rosemary plants and a few weeks later they expansion. We were equipped mainly with 2 WW vintage 25pdr guns. Our
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don’t look happy but perhaps I should give them more love and time. soldiers were a mix of Omanis and Baluchis from a tribal area of Pakistan. Speaking
I am hoping members will go home and do more of these so we can have lots of and understanding Arabic was vital. Without the language I wouldn’t eat!
new Plants at the Plant sale and coffee morning which is to be held at I was very soon promoted from acting captain to acting major, and given
Honeycomb cottage in Shitterton on Saturday 11 May. responsibility for about 100 soldiers and 17 guns and mortars. My command was in
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Our next meeting is on 2 April when we have Derek Dexter giving us a talk on all various locations around the mountains surrounding Salalah. We provided fire
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you want to know about Fushsias. This is the time of year when one is looking support to our infantry colleagues who were patrolling the enemy held areas to try
ahead to the summer and Fuchsias are wonderful colourful additions to Summer to prevent attacks on government held positions and on Salalah itself. My job was
bedding and baskets to go out on these patrols to control the heavy weapons and bring down fire. It
was exciting, and at times dangerous work.
We meet at the Village hall in North Street 7.30 p.m All Welcome
We often had to climb up the 3000-foot scarp into the mountainous terrain

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