Naval Air StationPort Lyautey, Morocco

The following links to photographs are from the personal collection of Jerry (Gerald J.) Zimmerman who served at NAS Port Lyautey between 8/2/47 to 4/15/48. Former shipmates of Jerry may contact Jerry at Jerdadzim@cs.com.

Photographs from a Moroccan Water Hole

"The rest of this story," about a car break down far from any road service, can be found in Jerry's narrative and letters to Dolores. Navy personal could request the delivery of their personal automobile or motorcycle. If accepted it would be delivered, by ship, to the Casablanca seaport. When my friend Kiernan had his delivered we celebrated by taking a day's drive out into the remote countryside outside of Port Lyautey.

Unfortunately, Kiernan's car lost its radiator's water. Fortunately the car broke down beside a remote open well and watering hole used by wandering tribes and their livestock. Above, Kiernan, and a fellow shipmate survey the problem as an Arab boy returns to the well, with primitive bucket in hand, for more water for the empty radiator.

The emergency stop for water to refill Kiernan's radiator presented a rare opportunity to observe a busy group of families using the open well. Women and children are in the process of carrying water to their tent encampment on top of the hill. A shepherd is waiting his turn to bring his sheep to the water as is a young herdsman waiting with his cattle.

Cattle drink from the well's overflow of water. Large tents of the wandering tribe can be seen on top of the hill as cattle and sheep graze on the steep, treeless hillside.

At least three generations wait patiently at the side of the well as cattle try to satisfy their thirst from an almost too small of an amount of water that remains on the ground.

A young woman waits for another jug to fill with the precious water while another, on the left, prepares to carry a filled, tall clay jug of water to the tent camp on top of the hill. Behind her is an elderly woman, who carries an almost hidden baby. The baby's bare head can barely be seen outside the blanket it is wrapped in.

Kiernan kindly and patiently waits his turn for a tin of water to be drawn from the well for his car's radiator.

A pail of fresh, drawn water from the well is poured into a clay jug. What water spills to the ground will flow to where the cattle are drinking.

Above is an ancient, interesting method of drawing water from Moroccan wells. A burro, horse, or donkey is harnessed to a pole that, when continually walked in a circle, will rotate a wheel that has clay jugs bound to its outside rim. As each jug passes into the water it is filled. As they reach the top of the cycle and begin to return downward, the water is dumped into a stone and concrete reservoir. The blindfold prevents the burro, horse, or donkey from realizing it is walking in a circle and going no where.