03.2 The Staging Post

RAF Gan – the British acquired base in Addu Atoll in the southernmost island in the Maldive Archipelago was used for transit operation. In 1956, Sri Lanka Freedom Party came to power in Ceylon and upon the request of its founder, left wing Sinhalese nationalist leader, S W R D Bandaranaika, the Royal Air Force handed over its bases in Ceylon. With the loss of RAF Negombo, they looked for a replacement staging post between its bases in the Far East and the Middle East. A location became practically limited to Gan Island in the Maldive Archipelago.

Apparently, Britain obtained an agreement to re-establish the wartime airfield on Gan that required them to pay £2000 a year, along with 110 acres of Hittadu land for radio installations, for hundred years.

In 1957, leading politicians called for a review of this agreement in the interest of shortening the lease and increasing the annual payment or else cease construction undertakings of the base.

The southern atolls, largely Addu and the Suvadives, lavishly traded with the neighbouring countries on their ships called ‘odi’. They used to make year-round trips to harbour in Ceylon or South India without going through the sultan’s capital.

When the British began to withdraw from the Indian subcontinent, given India independence in 1947 and Ceylon in 1948, the Maldive Government imposed travel bans on southern atolls, also backed by disgruntled merchants from Malé. The Maldive Government in control of the archipelago’s internal affairs but operating under a British protectorate, moved towards controlling some part of the external affairs and with cooperation of the British authorities, imposed the requirements to carry passports and visas to Ceylon and India. These travel documents for the southerners were issued in Malé. The central government and traders of the capital aimed to control and revenue from this lucrative trade without consulting with the representatives of the concerned southern traders. A tax was imposed on trade. This unilateral action proved detrimental to the harmony of existing traditions concerning autonomous trade and it was perceived in the south as high-handed and contemptuous.

In addition, the central power posted police in the atolls to ensure that no trade was carried on without the government’s knowledge.

One confrontation with the police involved a son of a wealthy family that led to the first revolt in which a mob rose against the central powers. This man was given sanctuary by the British until the situation calmed down. Numerous arrests were made and prosecuted. Conspirators were brought to Malé and imprisoned. At that time nobody in the island capital would want to talk about it but they knew treatments in jail were exhausting, harrowing and shameful.

“We are on the verge of civil war,” said Sayye Saeed scraping a portion on the model, “tension is rising in the south. You know, the one person you should avoid is Adaran. The British sent a political officer who is trying to push for an autonomous region in the south. His name is Major W W Phyllis,” he straightened, “Take a look at the albums.”

Shakir turned a page. Saeed continued, “It is very different how you see it from the ground. Do you notice the thick grass and tall palms?” He paused beside him, “In this picture in black and white, taken in 1939, two Brits wearing sarongs, one resting in a hammock, a wind-torn cadjan hut behind them. Imagine! That’s how they stayed before it turned into a naval base. Two guys alone.

“Here’s another one. Brits passing cigarettes to a bunch of kids. They’re not five-year-olds. They smoke.

“This is Major Phyllis. Sixty-seven years old. He stays at this place called ‘Maranga’ in front of the mosque and he initiated a liaison office. He’s all brains.

“Here is a picture of the base hospital, a photograph of the post office hut, the RAF or the VHF station…radio installations located separately in Hittadu.

“Vessels in Addu waters. See the wreck of British Loyalty. This boat was hit and tugged to Addu for use as an oil storage vessel. Again, in 1944, a German U-boat, U-183, launched a long-range shot from outside the atoll and hit through a gap in its anti-torpedo net. Tanker didn’t sink but started leaking a hell lot of oil. They scuttled it close to Hittadu in 1946, still bleeding oil inside the atoll.

“Look! This aircraft with delta wing is a Vulcan capable to carry nuclear bombs. This one is a de Havilland Comet coming to land.

“This beast! An Avro 696 Shackleton MR2 long-range maritime patrol aircraft. It is refuelling at Gan.

“This one you must be familiar with…a Sunderland flying boat, often touches down in Malé waters refuelling from a fuel ship or drop some RAF officers to Doonidoo. In this picture it is docked near Abuhéra close to its base in the southern tip of Hittadu.

“They are unloading tonnes of ground handling equipment. Now, take your time and study the photos.

“When war broke out,” he motioned to Shakir to pay attention to the model, “British ships took sanctuary in Addu Atoll to hide from Japanese ships. I am talking about World War II. Early on 8^th December 1941, Singapore came under an air raid by long-range Japanese aircrafts. Royal Navy bases were bombarded, ships in the harbour were torpedoed. Japanese achieved complete air supremacy. And there was war in every front. Do you understand the importance of this base in Addu?

“Starting from 1941, Addu established an advance operational base to provide safe anchorage and refuelling point for the Royal Navy ships. An aerodrome was laid to island width at first. Now, they have paved a crushed-coral runway lying from east to west to island length as you see in the model. They kicked Gandu islanders to Feydu and Feydu islanders to Maradu. Bulldozed the dwellings and 11000 palms and trees are cleared.

“Tent barracks are coming up near Feydu causeway, which I am working on because they keep adding new structures. Still, most of them are tents and very basic. I am assuming locations by looking at the pictures. Along the north coast, you find a pier, big ships out here and an oil jetty. Further up, the oil storage.

“Asian quarters are here in southwest. A contingent of Pakistanis is flown in to work to build the base. Maranga House is near the jetty, here…

“And this area in the southeast woods, it’s a secret facility holding half a dozen tube houses and I haven’t constructed yet because I have no photographs. This is where Gandu islanders saw the boys heading. Those boys never seen again. Once a couple of guys from Feydu climbed from the lagoon and they were stopped,” Sayye Saeed continued, “You know how they say ‘locking-locking’ to mean looking around! They saw some crew in overalls and gasmasks. Do you have a clue what it means? They are doing some kind of experiment. Biochemical! Nuclear! Who knows! You would not believe if I tell you they were Australian.

“We haven’t got numbers and we won’t have figures. We cannot tell an Aussie or a Brit or a Kiwi. Unless of course you see an insignia. They generally wear khaki drill uniforms, the KDs. Sometimes dress in white, their service uniform.

“I have here some crests and emblems in the folder with charts of Addu, Suvadives and Gan for you to study. And bios of the lost boys.”

Shakir asked, “How do you make these houses?”

“Soap,” returned Saeed, “easy to work and painted with oil colour. Matchbox craft roofs. Landscaped of polystyrene foam with a wax coat all over to form the waves. Foliage is strewn of packet tea leaves. Grass, of course, sand dyed.”

“Is this to scale?”

“Assumingly, yes, 1:1000, it is nine feet long. At this scale, a big aircraft is roughly 4.5 and a small one at 1.5 cm. I sculpt miniature models from wood and moulds in cuttlebone. Then pour molten lead. They are building and I have to build up.”

“How big is the island?”

“A kilometre in length. 330 metres in width. An area of 2.8 square kilometres. Under 200 metres between Feydu. Gan Channel on the east is over 600 metres.”

“How do you get all this information?”

“Encyclopaedias in the library.”

“Saeed, you are a remarkable artist.”

“I’m honoured, humbly honoured. I did the artwork on the rufiya faces,” he revealed.

“You mean this?” Shakir pulled out a ten rufiya banknote from his pocket.

Saeed nodded, “Yes. Printed in 1947 in Surrey, England, for the first series of banknotes issued in the Maldive Islands.”

“Sign this, please!”

“My pleasure!”