DDW - you know as well as I that the rearcrew shortage in RAF SAR was a combination of under-resourcing the OCU by stealing the aircraft for front-line and the SH force flatly refusing to release people from Chinooks who had been ragged with multiple tours in the 'Stan.
Poor management, certainly, by a tranche of senior officers and I am acutely aware of the problems it caused as my Sqn Trg team were repeatedly dragged off their primary role (and leave and courses) to try and fill the gaps.
Don't ignore the fact that the shortages were a long time in the making - you can go back to the initial decision to privatise SAR in, ISTR 2004/5, which started the change in priority for UKSAR - Bristow have managed their own TC shortage in 3 years all by themselves.
You say you never heard £95K - I know I did as did a great many others - we will have to agree to disagree but I even remember Captains talking about what they were going to do with the extra money.
I don't have to care if some of your colleagues are upset, all my criticisms were founded on truth and based on the accounts of very trustworthy people - people didn't listen then because they didn't want to so why should I think anyone will listen now? If the future of UKSAR depends on what I post on pprune then we really are up sh*t creek.
The CG service is populated by top-drawer individuals and has some of the best equipment going - it should be a completely self-sustaining model of success with no doubts cast over the future of the next contract - but we are where we are - I still have the utmost respect for those doing the job, I am far too old for those 2 am callouts in sh*te weather and I am always glad to be tucked up in my bed when I hear the Newquay crew go out on a dark and stormy night.