Anyone remember the Majunga detachment?
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Anyone remember the Majunga detachment?
I spent 6 months on the beach in a bamboo hut with a straw roof living the life of luxury in the Village Touristique............now that was a detachment!
The dreaded "M" place
You, mon brave,could be opening one of the bigger can of worms seen on this site since............ A bottle of "Trois Chevaux" anyone?
The Ancient Mariner
The Ancient Mariner
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If I remember rightly, I was at Khormaksar at the time, but new a few that got a short detatchment there. Biggest complaint: bacardi and coke was
1s 0d in the day and 1s 6d at night due to coke being imported
1s 0d in the day and 1s 6d at night due to coke being imported
Oh God,
The Majunga '66 brigade finally pulls themselves out of their bathchairs and gets their nurses to write something for them. Takes me back to the days of Lossie '88 and when the 8 Sqn crewroom was full of "Blah blah Majunga, blah blah Sharjah, blah blah Changi". Having just landed from 8 hours up and down the Aberdeen 120 radial looking for trade it was enough to make you puke. We weren't jealous, oh no!
If this thread is to continue I demand to know how Boots H***ken got the nickname. Didn't it occur out there?
Dit On.
The Majunga '66 brigade finally pulls themselves out of their bathchairs and gets their nurses to write something for them. Takes me back to the days of Lossie '88 and when the 8 Sqn crewroom was full of "Blah blah Majunga, blah blah Sharjah, blah blah Changi". Having just landed from 8 hours up and down the Aberdeen 120 radial looking for trade it was enough to make you puke. We weren't jealous, oh no!
If this thread is to continue I demand to know how Boots H***ken got the nickname. Didn't it occur out there?
Dit On.
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Dundiggin,
Yep, ex 37 K'sar. Only did one short trip to Majunga from Aden to assist with an engine change and later two dets from BK. The one from Aden (returning to K'sar by Shackair) resulted in an unplanned stop at Nairobi, Embakasi. There was a Britannia detachment based there at the time who, apparently, were caused great embarrasment by our presence.
We listened to the 1966 World Cup final on the Beeb world service whilst ensconsced tempoarily in the Spread Eagle Hotel.
Cheers,
s37
Yep, ex 37 K'sar. Only did one short trip to Majunga from Aden to assist with an engine change and later two dets from BK. The one from Aden (returning to K'sar by Shackair) resulted in an unplanned stop at Nairobi, Embakasi. There was a Britannia detachment based there at the time who, apparently, were caused great embarrasment by our presence.
We listened to the 1966 World Cup final on the Beeb world service whilst ensconsced tempoarily in the Spread Eagle Hotel.
Cheers,
s37
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Shack37........
Interestingly perhaps, I and another bloke who was a Shack armourer in Majunga, subsequently were flying together on Pumas and went to Rhodesia as part of the Ceasefire Monitoring Force! We decided to keep our Majunga involvement quiet but eventually it was revealed and the Rhodesians were perfectly fine about it as they were getting their oil from SA!
Perhaps the Majunga det was not as effective as we had hoped. Anyway it was bloody good fun. 
Perhaps the Majunga det was not as effective as we had hoped. Anyway it was bloody good fun.
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Dundiggin
No arguments on that observation, fun was certainly had by most. Not always appreciated by some of our white French neighbours when we were briefly billeted in the (I think) Hotel de France in Majunga town. Many a rugby / shack song was interrupted by flowerpots raining down from three stories up.
Our version of the French national anthem didn't get many votes in the airport bar either
On the other hand, fraternisation was encouraged
Still, we were a happy little band
BTW Have had a few trips offshore as a Puma pax, think I prefer something with a galley
s37
No arguments on that observation, fun was certainly had by most. Not always appreciated by some of our white French neighbours when we were briefly billeted in the (I think) Hotel de France in Majunga town. Many a rugby / shack song was interrupted by flowerpots raining down from three stories up.
Our version of the French national anthem didn't get many votes in the airport bar either
On the other hand, fraternisation was encouraged
Still, we were a happy little band
BTW Have had a few trips offshore as a Puma pax, think I prefer something with a galley
s37
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Shack37.........
Aaaaah! L'Hotel de France was also the place to convert water to wine and back again! I was working in the bureau from Sep '66 to Feb '67 which was possibly after your time there. I saw the change from 37 to 38 and then to 42. Should have seen the natives move when the vipers lit up on the Mk III's or was it Mk II's?!!
I was working in the bureau from Sep '66 to Feb '67 which was possibly after your time there. I saw the change from 37 to 38 and then to 42. Should have seen the natives move when the vipers lit up on the Mk III's or was it Mk II's?!!
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I don't think any MkIIs had vipers fitted, just the MkIII, PhIII which needed a boost to get off the ground with the extra bits and pieces fitted. I wonder if the Hotel de France is still going. A wonderful place coming a close third after madames and villlage touristique. We once did a tour of all three in a landrover with 19 souls aboard. Never been so close to my friends before or since.
After that short trip with 37 I went back again twice 68/69 with 204/210 from BK.
After that short trip with 37 I went back again twice 68/69 with 204/210 from BK.
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Re: Majunga
Hi Shack37, This is the butterfly collector (in joke). We meet again.
It was only the MkIII PhIII that had vipers, ended up causeing so much stess on the airframe the MkIIs outlasted them.
I was in Majunga in 69 or 70 (memory a bit hazy) 204 Squadron detachment from Ballykelly. Stayed at Camp Brittanique... and then the Village Tourisique prior to departure. Best detachment ever.... I think
It was only the MkIII PhIII that had vipers, ended up causeing so much stess on the airframe the MkIIs outlasted them.
I was in Majunga in 69 or 70 (memory a bit hazy) 204 Squadron detachment from Ballykelly. Stayed at Camp Brittanique... and then the Village Tourisique prior to departure. Best detachment ever.... I think
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Wings / Dundiggin
If we keep pushing we may get a few more coming out of the woodwork
Come on now, we know you're there, you know you want to...............
Eight posters so far, there were more than that most mornings in Jospin's waiting room
Cheers
s37
If we keep pushing we may get a few more coming out of the woodwork
Come on now, we know you're there, you know you want to...............
Eight posters so far, there were more than that most mornings in Jospin's waiting room
Cheers
s37
Dundiggin'
"Perhaps the Majunga det was not as effective as we had hoped.
Absolutely correct! Your patrolling achieved the big ZERO when it came to effect on Rhodesia's fuel supply.
"Perhaps the Majunga det was not as effective as we had hoped.
Absolutely correct! Your patrolling achieved the big ZERO when it came to effect on Rhodesia's fuel supply.
Jean-Baptiste Jospin
In my role of "little helper" sat in on one or two of his consultations to help with language. Wonderful chap. He was great humanitarian and very understanding of the weaknesses of mankind. I think that stemmed from the fact that as a very junior army doctor he'd been posted to Devil's Island. Many, many years later I met a v. senior medical chap who told me that they were still doing medical/admin discharges as late as the early '90s of chaps who had caught (or thought they'd caught) a nasty anti-social complaint at Mere Chabot's establishment . I think that the problems started after a certain boss decided to put Madame's out of bounds and she was forced to augment her client base with South Korean fishermen. Bloody puritans - the trouble they cause.
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Rossian....
'Mere Chabot'?? Do you mean Madame Chapeau?
Biggest laugh was when 'Madame' appeared in the bureau shouting (in French naturally!) words to the effect that one of her daughters was pregnant and it was one of our detachment wot dun the dirty deed! Olaf Berg (not known for his ability or desire to speak French) wanted interpretation at this very noisy and French interruption to his daily work schedule. Eventually he told her to 'Bugger off' in a broad South African accent! That seemed to solve it!!
Biggest laugh was when 'Madame' appeared in the bureau shouting (in French naturally!) words to the effect that one of her daughters was pregnant and it was one of our detachment wot dun the dirty deed! Olaf Berg (not known for his ability or desire to speak French) wanted interpretation at this very noisy and French interruption to his daily work schedule. Eventually he told her to 'Bugger off' in a broad South African accent! That seemed to solve it!!
Last edited by Dundiggin'; 24th Jul 2007 at 06:01. Reason: nibby spellcheck!
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Rossian
I seem to remember that the period that madame's was "out of bounds" was one of her busiest. It certainly didn't affect the traditional "handover night" when relievers and relieved got together for (de)briefing.
I still have a, slightly fuzzy, mental picture of a visitor arriving one night with some of our aircrew and thoroughly enjoying the wine/trois chevaux. I saw him the following morning, apparently still a little woozy because he'd managed to put his collar on back to front.
Wholeheartedly agree about Dr. J. a great character. I believe the RAF took him to the UK to pass on some of his expertise and managed to lose him for a while in Bahrein.
s37
I seem to remember that the period that madame's was "out of bounds" was one of her busiest. It certainly didn't affect the traditional "handover night" when relievers and relieved got together for (de)briefing.
I still have a, slightly fuzzy, mental picture of a visitor arriving one night with some of our aircrew and thoroughly enjoying the wine/trois chevaux. I saw him the following morning, apparently still a little woozy because he'd managed to put his collar on back to front.
Wholeheartedly agree about Dr. J. a great character. I believe the RAF took him to the UK to pass on some of his expertise and managed to lose him for a while in Bahrein.
s37