The airman gazed into the eyes of his girlfriend, wiping away her tears before they embraced one last time.
“Don’t worry I’ll be back soon,’’ he whispered as he kissed her forehead, his own eyes welling-up as he lifted his camouflaged kit bag onto his shoulder and got ready to board the RAF VC10.
It was a poignant moment repeated across RAF Leuchars on Saturday February 8 2003, as 130 highly trained 111 (Fighter) Squadron personnel flew out on routine duty to patrol the UN southern no-fly zone in Iraq, knowing that with the controversial Iraq war looming, they would likely be called into action as part of coalition forces.
As the Battle of Baghdad loomed, RAF Leuchars aircraft and personnel provided key air defence cover for coalition bombers and troops pushing into Iraq. Crews flew daily “defensive counter-air patrols” “well up’’ into Iraq, with intense missions typically about seven hours long.
Yet on the eve of battle, there were mixed emotions back home as anti-war protestors marched with placards to the gates of RAF Leuchars. They were met by a counter-demonstration by families of airmen, many of whom were serving in the Gulf, holding up banners urging people to “support our troops”.
The matter was even debated by Fife Council which declared the case for war against Iraq to be unproven. The rest of course is now history.
Amid national debate and Don’t Bomb Syria protests at parliament, there have been no placards at the gates of Leuchars this time around. With the closure of RAF Leuchars earlier this year, and on the eve of yet another conflict involving British military in the Middle East, it means that for the first time in a century, Fife-based aircraft won’t be involved in military conflicts overseas. That air defence role now falls to former Leuchars Typhoons based at RAF Lossiemouth which may yet become involved alongside RAF Tornados, expanding the UK’s bombing mission against IS which started in Iraq in September 2014.
From Bosnia to Kosovo, Afghanistan to Libya, Leuchars personnel were involved in just about every conflict of recent times. Whilst there is now an army presence at Leuchars, the government has said there are no plans to deploy British troops.
But as a 10-hour House of Commons debate culminated in a vote agreeing that the UK should join the US, France, Russia and others bombing so-called IS targets in Raqqa, the message from the military was that irrespective of where personnel are based, and irrespective of politics, they will always do the most professional job asked of them by their political masters.
Carroll Finnie, chairman of Leuchars Community Council for 12 years, said that if Lossiemouth crews do become involved in a Syrian campaign, the Lossiemouth community should support the families left behind.
She said: “When the RAF Leuchars crews used to get sent away, as far as the village was concerned we felt for the families and kids left behind. I was on the school board at the time and felt for the mothers. Saying that they had good internal RAF community relations and we were there if they needed us.”
Stuart Crowther, secretary of Lossiemouth Community Council, is neighbours with former Leuchars personnel now based at Lossie. With experience of military deployments dating back to the Second World War, and the triple fatalities of the 2012 Lossiemouth Tornado crashes still fresh in Moray minds, he said the town could “completely empathise” with what Leuchars went through previously. He said there was an element of fear from the Lossie community with Syrian military action on the horizon. But at the same time he said there was also pride as the community “closed ranks” in support of the RAF.
He said:”There is concern of course. Particularly when crews are being asked to go into dangerous situations. But at the same time we’ve all witnessed what happened in Paris a few weeks ago. There are large numbers of people in Scotland who’d rather we didn’t partake in bombing raids and a large number who know RAF crews have a job to do when asked. As a community we will support them no matter what.”
Former North East Fife Liberal Democrat MP Sir Menzies Campbell, now known as Lord Campbell of Pittenweem, threw his weight behind Lib Dem opposition to the 2003 Gulf War. He would have voted in favour of Syrian airstrikes if still an MP.
Lord Campbell told The Courier: “As someone who had a close association with the RAF at Leuchars for 28 years as an MP, I am well aware of the pressures on families by the fact that their loved ones may be engaged in military action. In particular in the first Gulf War, to expel Saddam Hussein from Kuwait, personnel from Leuchars played a very significant and worthwhile role.
“But wherever our military forces are engaged, and under whatever pressures they come, they deserve our unequivocal support and admiration for their professionalism.”