Website and Homepage of the records of The 107 MU Association
But lighten up a little before you start ( first pause the march past above ) then click the arrow below
This website serves as a memorial to Joe Shortland who spent his RAF service in World War 2 in a sand dusted airfirld called Kasfareet in far off Egypt. Set against the shores of the Great Bitter lake beside the Suez Canal, the men of this camp were charged with the task of supplying the Allied Forces fighting on the Western Front in North Africa with modern fighter aircraft. Day after relentless day they persevered in assembling, testing and shipping out aeroplanes supplied in crated form received by sea or flown all the way from the United States via South America then crossing the Atlantic to British West Africa to ultimately follow the Takoradi Run by short hops across Central Africa, then up the Nile Valley to Egypt and Kasfareet. Crated aircraft were also shipped to Takoradi and assembled there prior to their maiden flight in groups of six escorted by a Blenheim Bomber and later Baltimore,Marauder,Boston, and Maryland bombers to Egypt. No 107 Maintenance Unit at RAF Kasfareet was formed in the early days of the war and quickly established itself as the leader in re-stocking the valiant fighter and bomber squadrons operating deep in the Western Sahara Desert. In total, some 4500 aircraft passed through 107 MU during those perilous years and it was much later in his life that Joe felt charged to establishing the 107 MU Association to maintain contact with those men he had lived and worked with through the war years ultimately establishing his newsletter, " The Kasfareet Kronicle " to record their past moments and memories for all time.
His good friend, Eric Todd, penned the above tribute to Joe on the occasion marking the publishing of 100 issues prior to the final issue No 139 in January 2006. Joe eventually passed away after a long illness, sadly missed by all the friends of wartime Kasfareet that he had brought together under the banner of The 107 MU Association. Joe`s closing words of the penultimate issue of the Kasfareet Kronicle were :-
Desert Victory
In next monthe final issue I hope to publish THE HISTORY OF AEROPLANE REPAIR SQADRON detailing the part played by 107 MAINTENANCE UNIT whose personnel have every right to be proud of the part they played in the defeat of Rommel`s Afrika Corps..............WEAR YOUR BADGE WITH PRIDE..............MAY PEACE AND JOY BE YOURS THIS CHRISTMAS. The History is embedded in this website for posterity...Alwyn York
ps...Quite a lot of the images on this website have been re-worked from photocopies of pictures published in the Kasfareet Kronicles which explains the poor reproduction in some cases. Joe Shortland deposited his collection of photograph albums with the Elvington Air Museum where the 107 MU Association re-unions took place....Alwyn York
Desert Victory
In next monthe final issue I hope to publish THE HISTORY OF AEROPLANE REPAIR SQADRON detailing the part played by 107 MAINTENANCE UNIT whose personnel have every right to be proud of the part they played in the defeat of Rommel`s Afrika Corps..............WEAR YOUR BADGE WITH PRIDE..............MAY PEACE AND JOY BE YOURS THIS CHRISTMAS. The History is embedded in this website for posterity...Alwyn York
ps...Quite a lot of the images on this website have been re-worked from photocopies of pictures published in the Kasfareet Kronicles which explains the poor reproduction in some cases. Joe Shortland deposited his collection of photograph albums with the Elvington Air Museum where the 107 MU Association re-unions took place....Alwyn York