Mr Major’s Address to RAF troops at Dhahran – 6 March 1991

Below is Mr Major’s address to the RAF troops at Dhahran, given on 6th March 1991.

PRIME MINISTER:

[some sections inaudible and marked by …]

Well as I say, you have had a busy time since last I was here and quite a successful one and I see that you have not lost the gift of producing … well you can all go home soon except those lads, they can go home last.

Can I just say thanks for what you have done over the last few weeks, it has been a tremendous operation. At home everybody has watched, listened, read the newspapers day after day to see precisely what you are doing and how things are getting on and there has been a tremendous amount of pride in the success that you have had and that is true all the way across the United Kingdom and I can tell you it is right across America as well.

So thank you all for all you have done. I am quite serious about the fact that you will be going home soon. I do not intend to keep you here one day longer than is necessary and when you do go home there will be a bit of leave and I daresay that you will be able to put it to good use. But what will you do with it?

I was as pleased as all you were when we heard just a few hours ago that … and … were safe. I remember meeting them … their Tornado last time I was here. I am sorry they are not here today, I am glad they are elsewhere and safe and I look forward to meeting them all again soon. So really I have got no more to say except just this: it was a remarkable military operation, one of the best there has ever been and it was executed as well as it could have been and you certainly a front line part in it.

Absolutely fabulous, well done, thank you very much indeed.