Sun Expose

[endplay]

I see that the Sun newspaper has run a piece about the appalling transit accomodation at BZN. As the station lies within David Cameron's Witney constituency the s##t has hit the fan at an accelerated rate. Even allowing for the Sun "bigging it up" it's a pretty poor state of affairs. I hope the staish has got his ducks in a row with this as Des will no doubt be looking for a head to topple (and it sure as hell won't be his).

I've no idea how to pos a link so if some clever chappie could oblige?

[taxydual]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/article1052578.ece

[skaterboi]

Story here... (http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/article1052578.ece)

[noregrets]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/campaigns/our_boys/article1052578.ece

Here you go.

I've no great love for the Sun, 'the paper that supports our boys' (when it suits them), but occasionally these pieces are useful in getting a message to the great unwashed.

[Wycombe]

Before I read the article I thought it was going to be about Gateway House

....which looks like a Palace by comparison.

Shameful.

[Rigger1]

I'm sure the place will be tidied up quick, but lets face it the money will come from some other budget and some places will end up not getting fixed because of it.

At a largish Tornado unit we recently had to have a ramp put in for wheelchair access – nobody knew anybody who came onto camp with a wheelchair, but when the section heating failed in January it took until yesterday to fix it!

Lets face it the RAF is broke and as far as the Government is concerned, we can live in a rat infected sewage pit, we don’t win votes and therefore they really don’t care as long as we diligently trot of to do their dirty work overseas.
:ugh::mad: :mad: :ugh: :ugh: :mad:

[Mr C Hinecap]

I'll be very interested to see the 'truth' about this one. IIRRC, this isn't transit accomm and looks like the old Para accomm. Still - when did the Sun let the truth or facts get in the way of a bit of sales?

[fantaman]

Before I read the article I thought it was going to be about Gateway House
Having recently stayed in the Gateway, I found the accommodation there faultless. Clean rooms, half decent furnishings, firendly staff. I dare say that the rooms at the Gateway will be better than 90% of barrack block rooms on most camps.

As for the article. I think anything that highlights the appaling state of accommodation anywhere in the forces is a good thing. Parts of Brize wouldn't look out of place in downtown Sarajevo.

[airborne_artist]

It's possible that Gateway gets full sometimes, perhaps, and this is (pun intended) used as overflow accom, even if it's normally allocated to those on PTS courses?

[AR1]

Well its bloody shocking if it is true - though I smelt a rat (no pun intended) when I saw the pictures, as surely even our bankrupt credit crunched nation wouldn't resort to putting our forces in those. I stayed in some sub-optimal accom in my time, but even in the depths of the falklands , my ISO was WAY better than that. Please god tell me its not true..

You'd be better off in a tent.

[On_The_Top_Bunk]

Once the RAF's premier transport bases merge in the next few years I'm sure there will be buckets of cash to ramp up the infrastructure at Brize.

Or maybe not.....:ugh:

[FormerFlake]

As a former OIC Barrack Block at Brize I can confirm the accommodation is some of the worst in the RAF. I recall during a COs inspection being told to fix a broken/smashed window with fablon by the so called Health and Safety Officer.

To be fair most of the damage/broken windows came from drunk paras so if they are now complaining about it there is a limit to my sympathy.

[exscribbler]

That's absolutely disgusting.

Yet this so-called government can happily spend £1.7 million to pretty-up Mr Air Miles Speaker's free flat and much, much more to provide the latest and most up-to-date and comfortable accommodation for drug-dealers, illegal immigrants and any other low-life who happens to receive a short holiday as a guest of HM...

I'd rather sleep on a railway station.

[Mr C Hinecap]

Oh look - a little more balanced:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7352083.stm

[rej]

Cr@p Accommodation, Tired Airframes, Rubbish Arrangement ..........otherwise known as CATARA

[Headstone]

It may well be in the SUN however it appears to be true and even in the comment a few posts above purporting to show "a more balanced view" that more balanced report says -"they would have been used in that state". I don't care if it is overnight, only for people on a course or whatever feeble excuse is used. IT IS AN ABSOLUTE DISGRACE. Don't we have Stn Cdr's inspection any more? Well we can't have otherwise surely he would not have put people in this accommodation - would he?

[Knight Paladin]

It was also good to see that Keeley had something to say about the disgusting state of the accommodation. Nice to know she cares. Mmmmmm...... Keeley ......

[You Sir, Name!]

I must have missed Keeley's comments, can somebody post a link?

[Saintsman]

In my day, transit accommodation was usually a bed with half the springs missing, stained matresses and pillows, a mat if you were lucky, oh and a locker that wouldn't lock.

I once went on a course at Daedalus and we were shown a room that had about 20 triple deck bunk beds and two lockers. A bit of a shock for us RAF lads that was.

[VAFFPAX]

An utter disgrace... :eek:

And this is just down the road. I am ashamed to be from Oxfordshire and have this in my backyard. :ouch:

:sad:

S.

[Always a Sapper]

And then there's the Brize MQ's..... :(

Stunning little place's them, just what you want to put the family in, at least we get issued with ear def's so you can put em on to drown out 'OC Home Front' going on about the place all the time :E

Some were, apparently re-furbished in 2002.... sadly one of these wee babies

http://www.terex.com/images/sechead.jpg

was not involved in the re-furb works......

Without doubt, the worst ever Quarter I ever had in 22 years even compared to the one in Tidders and that pile of bricks, loosely described as a house really would have been improved with a few sticks of PE4...... :E:E:E