The LNER Encyclopedia

For those of you who have never seen one......this is what a very, very bad sandstorm looks like just before it hits you.
Yesterday....Kuwait...........5:00pm.

Malcolm

Ye gods--like a Hollywood movie,but scarier for the knowledge it's real!Hope you're okay Malcolm!

If that's what a sandstorm is like, and if Cambyses army really was caught in one, then it is no wonder that army was never heard of again.
Occasionally we hear of Saharan storms air-freighting sand far afield. It has probably happened since, but around 1967 when I lived in Surbiton I came out to find my (white) car, which had stood outside overnight, covered in a layer of fine pink dust. We later heard on the news what the phenomenon was - freak winds having brought sand from the Sahara.

Nice one Malcolm, ive been through a couple of minor ones in Saudi but you know what was the scariest. It was driving on Saudi roads after rain the Saudi drivers cant cope with it. It was also amazing to be in a snow storm up in the mountains, the traffic just stopped and all the Saudis were trying to take it in especially when i through a couple of snowballs at the crew in the van. They didnt get the concept at all.

G'Day Gents

Hope you survived your first BIG sand/dust storm, terrifying aren't they, and I know you will spend the next week cleaning up, it gets everywhere, we get quite a few here in SA, the wind picks the dust up in Central Australia (1,500 Kms away) and drops the whole lot on Adelaide and sometimes on Melbourne as well, the worst, I've been through was back in 1967/8 I was on a train coming home from work, as I was standing next to the driver, when we noticed a red cloud in the distance just above the horizon, within 20 minutes it was billowing up to about 3,000 feet. When we entered this dust storm, it was like having a sack pulled over your head, we could see nothing and the DMU's headlight penetrated about 3ft into the gloom, the driver slowed to a crawl only 2 or 3 mph as we both knew there was a level crossing only a 100yds away, in that distance visibility had doubled and we could see the cars headlights, waiting at the level crossing, I still had four more stations to go before my station, when I finally arrived at my station it was still pitch black, or rather very dark brown, I managed to cross the car park and arrived at a wire fence running round a council yard, I followed this for about 150 yds, by this time it was getting a little lighter (it was 7pm summertime) and I managed to get home with ease in the slightly better conditions, when I arrived home (To my parents relief ) the lounge looked as if 500 smokers were having a card school in it I hair was thick with dust and my suit had to be dry cleaned, it took weeks to clean the house.

We call them Dust Storms here in Australia because it is as fine as 'Talc' and gets into everything, a year or two ago we had a dust storm and then it started raining, and was actually raining MUD, boy! was the House and car a mess.

manna

We call them Dust Storms here in Australia because it is as fine as 'Talc' and gets into everything, a year or two ago we had a dust storm and then it started raining, and was actually raining MUD, boy! was the House and car a mess.

That's the main problem. We all have the windows and doors fitted tight for these occasions, and I have most of mine sealed.........but the bloody stuff still gets everywhere, and I mean everywhere! The cleaning up is a pain and it takes about three showers to get it out of your hair (and other places). Luckily, I was back at my place when it struck, but others I know were caught outside in it.

Back at work today, and a mountain of cleaning to be done here, too.

Malcolm

1950ish I was in the Canal Zone there was a sandstorm
After it was over a ww2 German tank was discovered with the crew dead inside, obviously it had been buried in a storm during the war.
They were given a military funeral after some of the remaining relatives had been found, I think they actually took thier relatives back to Germany, only the ones with no found relatives were buried in the zone

With regards to Boris's story I was in El Alamein last week or so and a similar story was recounted by the guide at the cemetery museum. A couple of years back after a sandstorm they got a call saying a WW2 vehicle had been uncovered, they sent out a recovery truck and found a standard British Army Bedford truck very near intact with the skeleton of the driver still inside, before they could touch it they had to inform the CWGC who removed the remains, found out who he was, informed surviving relatives before interring him in the military cemetery at El Alamein with full military honours, there was a photograph of the "proceedings" in the museum where the truck is now on display. The story goes that they changed the oil and battery, fuelled it up and it started.
A "story" made up by the guides or the real thing ? make your own mind up.

Many years ago our ship got enveloped in a sand storm off the Libyan coast, I thought at first they were clouds not sand. It was like sailing through fog.

That looks 'orrible!

I wonder which is worse - getting caught in a sandstorm, or trapped by volcanic ash fall?

(not had the misfortune to experience either! I don't count the very fine dust we sometimes get here in the UK)

'Ice Cold in alex' springs into mind

mr b

Maybe a couple of ROD loco's will be uncovered in the future I don't know if there's any out there but i can dream!

StoneRoad wrote:That looks 'orrible!

I wonder which is worse - getting caught in a sandstorm, or trapped by volcanic ash fall?

(not had the misfortune to experience either! I don't count the very fine dust we sometimes get here in the UK)

Now I can truly say that I have had the dubious pleasure of experiencing both. When I lived in Japan, Mount Asama regularly used to cover Tokyo with volcanic ash......and Mount Sakurajima in Kagoshima has erupted on me. Always in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Malcolm

'Ice Cold in alex' springs into mind

That very thought came to my mind Mr b wandering around the collection of hardware in the museum, it must have been terrifying sitting behind one of those tiny anti tank guns waiting for a panzer or in a Sherman knowing fine well there were 8.8s out there who could blow you away with one hit. They have an 8.8 in the museum and it looks a nasty bit of kit.
I have been to Egypt several times but this was my first chance to get to El Alamien and follow in my late fathers footsteps.
The guide said we hadn't time to go along to the Axis cemetery which was a shame.

Just come across this thread. I was with the army is Libya in 1960/1 and can confirm the sandstorm stories. We spent quite a lot of time in the desert and found quite a lot of abandoned WW2 gear far into the sand seas. QUite often you would find trench systems which, because of the lack of moisture, had un rusted tins and equipment half submerged in the sand.

I still have an Africa Corps helmet found this way. Additionally there was the skeleton of a Marauder which served as a marker about half way from Alamein to Kufra Oasis.

The German war memorial (in black marble) at El Adem is really to be visited if you can. It is so different from ours at Knightsbridge which is quite near.