On clearing from stations, you were supposed to check and sign your clothing card. Most of us trusted the stores bashers and just signed the things....
But in 1983 I had to clear from Wattisham on posting to Finningley for a METS refresher course. The stores chap discovered that I was deficient one Gnat oxygen mask and one Gnat g-suit. I hadn't even sat in a Gnat since 1975 and the last RAF Gnat had been retired in 1979. Both items were specific to the Gnat - the g-suit hose was on the opposite side to all others and the mask had integrated microphone cables running down the oxygen hose. The storeman wouldn't accept that I must have returned them at Valley 8 years earlier (yes, my fault for being lazy) and wouldn't budge.
Fortunately I'd been volunteered to be Oi/c the gliding club, amongst whose members was a very helpful Flt Sgt who worked in the Supply section. He found the solution - a couple of 'Scrap' labels were produced for the missing items and I dutifully them handed over to the storeman who was then content to clear the card. But what a silly faff!
And no, I don't dress up in a Gnat g-suit behind closed curtains!
Dear old Uncle Joe L'Estrange once told us about the time he'd decided to get rid of some old flying clothing which had been issued years earlier. Furry boots and goggles were handed over, but when Joe produced his ancient Sidcot suit and tossed it onto the counter, the young stores chap jumped back in alarm as though he'd been attacked by a bear. Joe told him that it was indeed a flying suit (he'd probably had it since being an air gunner in 1944) and that it was probably almost twice the lad's age.