Originally Posted by
tlightb
I remember around 1971 a 115 Sqn Argosy was heading east and night stopping at Akrotiri. The call sign was Mike Alpha Foxtrot Tango Alpha. The crew were in the Off Mess ante room/bar in the evening and Ops received a signal for the crew captain so contacted the OM to get said captain to the phone. The diligent young local receptionist quickly went around the Mess saying " Urgent call for Captain Maffter!" Simple error for the uninitiated, and the message was soon decoded, but the name stuck. At a reunion last year someone said "It's Captain Maffter, haven't seen him for years!" Happy days.
Hi, T. Wasn't there a story that he was issued his actual M**** surname as the callsign but it was decided that could cause misunderstandings and they changed to MAFTA - or is that one of the many apocryphal stories?