I have to say that this thread is fascinating. It's adding a personal insight which is lacking from nearly all of the books on the V-force.
Back in 1972, as a fairly novice ATC cadet, I went on annual camp to RAF Wyton, not knowing quite what to expect. Not too far from the H-Block which was our home for the week were several SR2 Victors at dispersal. To say that these massive yet graceful aircraft made an impression on me would be an understatement. In fact I have the Corgi 1/144 scale model of XL161 in front of me as I speak. The big hope for that week was for a flight in a Victor but I had to make do with 30 minutes in a Chipmunk. I also got a severe telling off for looking too closely into the 51 Squadron hangar...
A couple of years later saw annual camp at Marham where there was a mix of K1s & some newly converted K2s, plus I got to look at a Valiant close up (XD818). Again, no flight in a Victor, but I got to spend some time on the flight deck having a guided tour, having expressed an interest in an RAF aircrew career. We also got to see a night scramble when some tankers were sent off to support operations during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
Since then, I've always been a fan of the Handley-Page contingent of the V-force, although the Vulcan and Valiant (much underrated) have their attractions. Never did go for the aircrew career though.