Quote:
Membership of this forum is intended to be for those of us who at some point in our lives agreed, mostly voluntarily, to risk our lives defence of our country and its allies in an aviation related capacity. We did so in the knowledge that we may called on to be part of a process that killed other human beings, for whom we had no personal animosity or of whom we had no knowledge. All others are guests of the mess and remain welcome if they follow its rules and they treat the members with respect and courtesy.
With respect, with the greatest respect, I believe this to be wrong: there is a cohort on this forum who served the RAF devotedly for an entire career without taking the Queen's shilling, I for one believe that we are "Mess members" rather than guests. My own case is not exceptional: RAF Nicosia late in the EOKA period, ending with the first Greek/ Turk war 1964, RAF Guetersloh when Russia invaded Czecho, Rheindahlen twice, the first time in the depths of the Cold War. Plus RAF Stations Uxbridge, Leeming, Topcliffe, Acklington, Church Fenton, Finningley, Bawtry and Brize.
Beyond that, I totally agree with the contribution.