Thank you all for your supportive comments. The problem I have already, before I wrote the post, been in touch with the Mess manager and OC GD Flight explaining my position and asking them to get in touch with Stn Cdr/PMC informing them of my predicament and my wife's wishes. Complicated as we do not know names or numbers let alone the date ! I believe this to be the right approach as the Stn Cdr has other priorities at the moment.