Collecting Suez

Edward Hallett looks at collectables from Operation Musketeer and the armies of Britain, France and Egypt

Ed Hallett scours dealers in search of items of militaria related to the Suez Crisis for you to collect. There’s everything from medals and uniforms to weapons.

Collecting the Suez Crisis is certainly well within the reach of most collectors and interest in the British post war military is growing as collectors realise that the period is just as interesting as World War II which has long overshadowed it in the public consciousness. The Suez crisis involved the British, French and Israelis on one side and the Egyptians on the other. As collectors it is easier to find items from the British and French than either the Israelis or Egyptians however items do appear from time to time and so items can be picked up if you are vigilant.

BRITISH ARMY

The British Army deployed to Suez wearing its temperate woolen battledress uniform rather than the more expected khaki drill desert uniform and pictures abound of troops involved in Operation Musketeer wearing the 1949 pattern battledress. This was a post war update of the wartime battledress uniform that introduced a collar cut to fall open over a shirt and tie which presented a smarter impression than the wartime version of the uniform which fastened up to the neck. The updates also reintroduced pleats on the breast pockets and moved the map pocket on the trousers to the side of the leg rather than the front, a more comfortable position when anything was being carried in the pocket.

The 1949 pattern battledress is still widely available, although not as cheap as it once was. Unbadged examples of the blouse in a good wearable size 13 are being sold by Sentimental Journey at £40 each whilst Ceto Militaria has the matching trousers at £34 a pair.

Examples actually badged to units that fought in the Suez Crisis are harder to find and expect to add at least £20 to the base price for a badged blouse and more for the Parachute Regiment which attracts a premium due to the regiment's elite status.

The British soldier was still equipped with wartime weapons with the infantry using the Lee Enfield No. 4 Rifle, Mk. 5 Sten Gun and the Bren Gun. The No. 4 Rifle was the last widely-issued bolt action rifle used by the British Army and was based on the Lee action that could be traced back to the late Victorian era. It had an integral magazine to hold 10 rounds of .303 ammunition. World Wide Arms is offering a deactivated example of the No. 4 for £495. By 1956 the iconic spike bayonet had been phased out in favour of the knife bladed No. 9 bayonet, although it retained the old socket fitting of its forebear. Although produced in much smaller numbers than the spike bayonet, the No. 9 has been largely overlooked by collectors. Jaybe Militaria has an example with scabbard and frog for £60.

The Sten gun was still in use at the time of the Suez Crisis, however it was the more refined Mk. 5 that was on

widespread issue with its wooden butt and bayonet lug. This has always been the most sought after Sten variant due to its connection with airborne troops, however by 1956 it was issued to all units including the infantry. D and B Militaria has a selection of Mk. 5 Sten guns for sale at £475 each. The Bren guns in use during Suez included the Mk 3, introduced late in World War II which had a shorter barrel to make it lighter than the standard weapon. Colchester Militaria have this variant of the Bren Gun for sale at £900 each.

It was not just the British Army that deployed to Suez, there was also a sizable Royal Navy presence including the aircraft carrier HMS Albion. HMS Albion was a Centaur-class light carrier and she used her air group to attack Egyptian airfields and to cover the parachute landings in the Canal Zone. Despite being scrapped back in 1973, small mementos of the ship remain and Trinity Marine has an original ship's boat badge for sale which is cast in bronze on an oak base and would have been carried by one of the ship's boats to show to which parent vessel it belonged. This attractive item is priced at £420.

FRENCH FORCES

The French deployed troops in a mixture of World War II surplus US and British uniform as well as their own uniforms introduced in the late 1940s and early 1950s. One of the most distinctive elements of French uniform was the lizard camouflage used by the French Foreign Legion on operations abroad. The pattern consisted of a light tan base with swirling stripes in faded green and red brown. The 1947/52 camouflage jumpsuit consisted of a jacket and trousers in this distinctive camouflage, with large pockets on the breast and skirts of the jacket, secured with press studs. This uniform is quite scarce now and highly sought after, although replicas have been produced which offer a more affordable way of adding one to a collection. Heritage Militaire does an excellent replica of the jump suit jacket for €149.90.

French web gear was again a mix of British, US and French-made equipment. The French webbing set was the TAP 50 set which consisted of a belt with eyelets along it, which hung from a pair of suspenders and could be set up for rifle, submachine gun or pistol equipments. Original pieces are becoming more collectible, however pieces can still be found such as an original pair of suspenders being offered by What Price Glory in the US for $28 and a pair of cartridge carriers for $16.

EGYPTIAN FORCES

Items relating to the Egyptians and the Suez crisis are unusual to find in the UK, however one thing to consider is the Egyptian main battle rifle which was the Czech VZ 52 rifle. This was an early

self loading rifle developed in the late 1940s and sold in limited numbers abroad to countries including Egypt. It used an annular gas piston and tipping bolt and could carry 10 rounds in a box magazine and was also set up for charger loading. Sally Antiques currently has a carbine variant of the rifle for sale at £600.

Alongside the Czech rifle, the Egyptians used the Hakim, a locally produced rifle based on a Swedish design. This rifle was issued with an elegant bayonet, sharp on both edges and with a black plastic grip. These were manufactured in Sweden and have the quality one would expect of a Swedish made blade. Issued with a metal scabbard they are very attractive bayonets and IMCS Militaria is offering a scarce example for sale at €125.

MEDALS

The British did not issue a specific campaign medal for Operation Musketeer, however the General Service Medal was issued to those who took part with a clasp reading 'Near East'. The medal featured a figure of Victory in a Greek helmet and carrying a trident presenting a palm of victory on a winged sword on the Reverse and the crowned head of Queen Elizabeth on the obverse with a purple and green medal ribbon. It was originally issued with the clasp 'Near East' for the Suez Crisis. This clasp was awarded for service in the Middle East between 31st October and 22nd December 1956. The same clasp can be found on the rarer Naval General Service Medal and just 17,800 of this clasp were issued making it much more desirable. Baldwins has examples of both medals with a General Service Medal with ‘Near East’ clasp named to a Sapper S Theobold of the Royal Engineers for £90 and a Naval General Service Medal with a ‘Near East’ clasp named to Naval Airman Class 1 G W Narraway for £100.

The French issued their own medal to their troops who took part in Operation Musketeer. This medal was first issued in 1957 and featured the female embodiment if France on the obverse, and the words 'Médaille Commémorative des Opérations du Moyen-Orient 1956' on the reverse. The medal hung from a blue and yellow ribbon with a clasp that read 'Moyen Orient'. The bronze medal was issued unnamed and Liverpool Medals is offering an example for sale at just £45.

SOUVENIRS

Souvenirs from Operation Musketeer are scarce, however for the 50th anniversary of the operation there was a commemorative postal cover issued with images from Suez, a special stamp and postmark to commemorate the first use of helicopters to land troops. The cover is easily available for between £7 and £10. 10 years earlier, Gibraltar had issued its own postal cover for the 40th anniversary of the operation. This cover is more scarce but can usually be found for under £20. ■

The No. 4 Lee Enfield was still in widespread use at the time of the Suez Crisis British 49 Pattern Battledress is distinctive for its open neck allowing it to be worn with a shirt and tie The Bren Mk. 3 was the lightened version of the LMG with a shorter barrel The No. 9 Bayonet attached in the same manner as the old spike bayonet, but had a proper blade to it The Mk. V Sten was the most refined of all the Sten models and the only one still in use at the time of Suez

COVER STORY

The Czech VZ-52 automatic rifle was one of the designs used by Egypt during this period This elegant bayonet was bought by Egypt from Sweden to accompany its Hakim rifles

TAP 50 webbing was used by the French alongside British and US web gear

Right: The French lizard camouflage was in use with paratroopers at the time of Suez

Ship’s boats had brass badges showing which larger vessel they belonged to, this example is from HMS Albion

Far left: The General Service Medal was issued with the clasp ‘Near East’ for the Suez Crisis Left: The French medal for the campaign hangs from a blue and yellow ribbon and is typically French in its flamboyance Below: The same clasp can be found for the Naval General Service Medal, issued to the Royal Navy for Operation Musketeer

This commemorative postal cover commemorated 50 years of helicopter operations which had started at Suez in 1956 Right: This cover was issued by Gibraltar to commemorate the 40 anniversary of Suez