I would like to "fill out" the DT obit. a little.
Ted joint up as an MT Technician, I first met him when he was a Jnr Tech at Gütersloh, a "singly" there was always something going on with Ted.
Up he pops in the office, "Sarge, if I'm going off camp at easter do you need a leave pass?" Yes says I. Ok here you go says he and pass my a 295 with no leave address, handing it back, need a leave address Ted, quick scribble and back it comes, "The Eiger Switzerland" as leave address. Went through no problem. Climb it he did over the easter grant.
The Brabant Island expedition was an 18 month trip split into 3 6 month phases, Ted was initially selected for the first phase, as technician for the expeds snowmobiles, he had persuaded our famously hard Warrant Officer to let him go for the 6 months, whilst in the UK on pre exped training the leader asked him to do the second phase as well, cue W/O melt down, PMC played ball and Ted was posted off our strength and we got a replacement.
After the second phase, Ted was returning to UK on Endurance, he mucked in with the crew repairing a lot of their kit, the skipper asked him to stay on board and support the last phase of the exped, so he did 18 months down south.
On arrival back in the uk and returning to Innsworth to sort out his pay and posting he discovered that the Governor of the Falkland Islands had written to the CAS singing his praises, prompted by the skipper of Endurance, so everywhere he went at Innsworth he was greeted with "So you're Atkins" as he was hustle'd through a medical and an extension of service paperwork.
Just a filler of his early years as an airman.
PM