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RAF Cinema Habbaniya (Astra)
Text by John Powell
Habbaniya is about 50 miles west of Baghdad in Iraq
It was an RAF base from just after the first world war when the UK managed the area, formerly part of the Turkish Empire
It was important as it protected oil interests in the middle east
Up to 4000 British personnel were based there during the 1930's and 1940's but it was reduced during the 1950's until 1962 when it was fully handed over to the Iraqi air force
It became quite a large township with many Iraqis providing services
The major building work was in the 1930's and the Astra cinema was built then - complete with open air cinema for summer use beside the main building
In the middle of summer, the cinema building was too hot, inside, for use
It was a job at the start and end of summer to dismantle the projectors and move them between the indoor projection box and the outdoor one
I was at Habbabiya during national service from 1955 to 1957 and I helped out in the projection box at the time
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