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133 Meanwhile, the SOAF helicopters had been involved from about 0730hrs in evacuating casualties. At around 1030hrs the first SOAF helicopters arrived on the beaches to the south of Mirbat to land twenty8three fully armed BATT from G Sqn to clear the remainder of the enemy and to collect the wounded. The helicopters, led by Sqn Ldr Neville Baker, were involved in several heroic incidents that day. Soon afterwards, when the majority of the fighting was over, I was tasked to provide Strikemaster top cover in support of the mopping up operations as the surviving enemy withdrew into the mountains. By this time, the cloud was lifting and breaking and I vividly recall the devastation in the area of the fort and how black was the terrain out to 100 metres as a result of enemy mortar strikes. Three years after the event, the UK government awarded Captain Mike Kealy the Distinguished Service Order for his leadership in this action, Corporal Bob Bennett the Military Medal and Trooper Sekonaia Takavesi the Distinguished Conduct Medal. Staff Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba was Mentioned in Despatches, although many thought he deserved the Victoria Cross. An Omani artilleryman, Waled Khamis was awarded the Oman Gallantry Medal, the Omani VC equivalent, and Squadron Leaders Stoker and Baker were awarded the Omani Distinguished Service Medal for Gallantry, an equivalent to the DFC. %u0010%u0013%u0016%u0017)2%u00061 Gardiner, Ian: In the Service of the Sultan (Pen and Sword, Barnsley, 2006), p1. 2 SAF Journal, Issue 8, 1971, p18. 3 Peterson, J E; Oman%u2019s Insurgencies (Saqi Books, London, 2007), p291. 4 SAF Journal, Issue 10, 1972, p6. 5 Peterson, op cit, p292. 6 SAF Journal, Issue 10, 1972. p6 7 At the time of writing the programme can be seen at: http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=last+stand+in+oman&aq=f 8 Peterson, op cit, p297. 9 Since the late 1940s the survival equipment provided for RAF aircrew has included a small radio, initially SARAH, superseded from the later 1950s by SARBE. Primarily intended as a locator beacon, transmitting on the international VHF/UHF distress frequencies (121c5 and 243c0 MHz), SARBE could also be used for two8way voice communication over short ranges %u2013 about 10 miles with early models. -10 Peterson, op cit, p301.