Name of a Book

[Rumsfeld]

Folks, looking for some help in tracing the title of a book. In essence it tells the story of a RAF airfield somewhere in RAFG, the story is set during National Service days and is based around a fast jet camp flying Meteors. The CO in the book is a WW2 Veteran and is slightly barking mad and drives the troops very hard. I read this book back in the mid eighties, and have forgotten both the name and the author, what I do remember about the paperback version was on the front was a busty young model wearing a pilot's no 1 Jacket, but displaying a very agreeable cleavage. I wonder could anybody help me with the name/author ?
Many thanks.

[bobward]

Could it by Flying Command, by Tom Dagger?

[sled dog]

I seem to remember a book called " The Camp ", read it years ago. Could that be the one ? That big South American river company stock same name book written by Gordon Williams ( who was stationed at Gutersloh in cold war era ) .

[stevef]

Yes, it's The Camp. Got it somewhere but can't remember the author's name.

[NutLoose]

Here you go £9.95 delivered

http://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Camp-Gordon-Williams/dp/0956368921/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1346700552&sr=8-1



How's that for service..

One seller wants £110 for it lol

[Buster Hyman]

Has it been made into a movie with Tom Cruise yet?:hmm:

[Q-RTF-X]

Cover is a bit of a let-down though :(

....what I do remember about the paperback version was on the front was a busty young model wearing a pilot's no 1 Jacket, but displaying a very agreeable cleavage.

[stevef]

There was a wooden beer crate on the original cover (as well as the half-dressed fraulein) to make it even more appealing. :)
I think the aircraft were Vampires.

[iRaven]

What? like these ones...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41zJLJhmj9L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

http://img1.fantasticfiction.co.uk/images/n5/n28369.jpg

:ok:

[iRaven]

PS. It was also made into a TV play with Ronnie Corbett and Christopher Timothy (of James Herriot fame) according to IMDB:

"2nd House" Episode dated 20 October 1973 (TV episode 1973) - IMDb (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2006925/)

[Lukeafb1]

Seem to remember that it did the rounds in the 60s and got banned at RAF Watton by the Staish, as 'bad for morale'. Whose morale he didn't specify, but I suspect it was those of us who had our ranks on our shoulders as opposed to on our arms!

Actually quite a good read and (can't remember whether it specified the station in the book), but was supposedly based on Gutersloh.

[A2QFI]

51 copies here Gordon Williams - The Camp - AbeBooks (http://tinyurl.com/bmmd5zu) starting at £5 delivered.

[Rumsfeld]

PPRuners !
You are all fantastic - the book is the "The Camp"by Gordon Williams. Now off to Amazon !!. Many thanks to all your replies.

[threeputt]

According to Threeputt senior ( Air Trafficer at Gutersloh in the mid 50's) the Stn cdr 's character was based on a Gp Capt "Deadly" Dudley Lewis who was as mad as a bag of snakes ..apparantly.

3P:ok:

[blaireau]

IIRC there is a sadistic ATC F/O in the book by the name of "Rice-Pritchley". I was told by a mate (K McR) who had been a young pilot at this camp, that he was, in reality, one "Price-Reece". I'm not sure it was Gutersloh though.

He also remembered well the incident of the 20mm cannon.

[Lukeafb1]

Threeputt,

You're absolutely right about 'Deadly'. I just thought discretion was the better part......etc.

[goudie]

I was serving at RAF Wahn during the period that this book was written. Horror stories filtered through the grapevine about the harsh regime that existed at Gutersloh. Read the book years ago and was glad to have been posted to Wahn which, by comparison, was a fairly relaxed place to be.

[om15]

"The Camp" was being read out in installments over the station radio at Halton when I joined as an apprentice (1968), somebody twigged and it was suddenly banned, we of course aquired copies to read, then wondered what we had let ourselves in for, however times were changing by then and we had it easy, - no webbing for jankers,
om15

[NutLoose]

How did you keep yer stockings up then?

[xenolith]

Would this be the book that had a line of airmen on a fod plod after an aircraft crash and one of them kicked what he thought was a leather football to find it was a flying helmet complete with head?

I remember during the seventies watching a film about a girl called Debbie in a city somewhere in Texas; don't suppose anyone remembers it.

[sled dog]

" Debbie does Dallas" ? :O

[stevef]

http://www.pprune.org/[IMG]http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r291/stevef_2007/TheCampCover_001.jpghttp://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r291/stevef_2007/TheCampCover_001.jpg

Here ya go! Cover scanned from my copy.
Another two books worth a look at re National Service in the RAF are The Glasshouse and Ginger, You're Barmy.

[teeteringhead]

Would this be the book that had a line of airmen on a fod plod after an aircraft crash and one of them kicked what he thought was a leather football to find it was a flying helmet complete with head? ... exactly so xenolith - well nearly so.

IIRC "our hero" on the fod-plod had been instructed NOT to pick up or touch anything but just report it. Chummy sees leather flying helmet, thinks he'll nick it, so picks it up and ....... :eek:

But it was a long time ago I read it - at Guetersloh* strangely enough ....

*[pedant protection measure - I'm not clever enough to do a u-umlaut, so it is conventional to insert an "e" after the umlauted vowel]

[Old-Duffer]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for all your recollections about "The Camp". I have the book somewhere and read it yonks ago, I must now search it out and read it again.

I seem to remember that, during CO's inspection, the staish in the book puts his hand down a loo and ................ well I think that's enough of that; time to search the attic!!

Old Duffer

[Courtney Mil]

pedant protection measure

You need that around here.

I found one you can borrow. ü

[HTB]

CM

Ooo, get you...;)

Mister B

[Courtney Mil]

I found it under the sofa cushion. I never use them so better to pass it on to someone with a need.

[Red Line Entry]

Mister B,

In pronounciation terms, it should be

ü, get you...http://images.ibsrv.net/ibsrv/res/src:www.pprune.org/get/images/smilies/wink2.gif

[HTB]

I know - I was attempting a phonetic simulation for the hard of hearing (in fact it should have been the "you" that was made to sound like ὕ; oh, it does already ...:{)
I promise to give up all forms of irony and litotes in future posts - well, I would say that, wouldn't I:E

Mister B

[Courtney Mil]

...for the hard of thinking, more like it!

[teeteringhead]

Courtney Mil

Danke sehr, gnädiger Herr!


Look! I found out how to do it!!

[Sky Sports]

O.K. here we go, this one's a bit tougher!
I read this book about 28 years ago, as a lad. It is the story of an R.A.F. crewman - iirc, a gunner in a lanc - who is forced to bail over Germany in the later stages of the war, and make his way back to allied lines.
The bits of the story I can still recall are, his parachute drop were he loses his boot(s), walking bootless in the snow, eating turnips from the fields, sleeping in barns and finally making it back to friendlies.
Any ideas as to the title? Over to you.

[ColinB]

My copy has the same cover as that shown by stevef, I wonder if I bought it for the cover?
Although I would readily accept that the characters may be based on Gutersloh, the physical descriptions of locations around the camp and local area were not of Gutersloh. Does anyone know which camp they related to, was that Wahn?

[blaireau]

From dim and distant memory, Fassberg comes to mind.

[goudie]

Can't remember the location descriptions, in the book, but ISTR Fassberg was surrounded by pine forests.
Re Wahn. The village of Wahn was located right outside the Camp gates.
Naturally it had quite a few bars/restaurants with Das Bienenhause dancehall being the most popular venue. Wahn was also home to 83 Group HQ's. and a PDU!
I believe it mentions in the book that the Regiment at Gutersloh had a particularly bad name, with organised chain gangs responsible for gang warfare with the locals and for raping some local girls.
Even at Wahn we Sqdn chaps steered well clear of the Rockapes. Thankfully they were banned from the Malcom Club
Another story I heard re. Gutersloh was that corporals were allocated 200yds of camp roads apiece. If as much as cigarette butt was found in the gutter the responsible corporal was put on a charge! Apocryphal perhaps but it's funny how the memory is stirred into remembering things, long forgotten.

[BSweeper]

My recollection of it - poor Ricky - was that it was Wahn (but could be wrong) and by the way, no, Debbie wasn't in Dallas. She just fancied a trip there - and got some friends to help. Interesting piece of fund raising!

[Riskman]

You might be thinking of Boldness be my Friend by Richard Pape. If not, it's a good read anyway.

Obituary: Richard Pape - People - News - The Independent (http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-richard-pape-1591057.html)

R