RAFG next stop.
One of the rewards for folk serving as Staff at the College was either a good choice of posting after about three years, or a promotion. The latter was out of the question [not enough miles under the bonnet] but I asked for and got on to the senior roster at Main Met. O. JHQ Rheindahlen in summer 1978. Awaiting a quarter the family was welcomed into Cassels House near the NAAFI, with our shiny silver Vauxhall VX 2300 Estate moored outside the front door. The car park was a few yards away. So also was a car planted by the IRA, said to have contained 500 lbs of explosive. The detonator or timer failed and we continued in blissful ignorance for a day or two. Late one afternoon we were all turned out and sent to Salmond House. In the ensuing confusion my unattended car was side-swiped. Welcome to Rheindahlen.
We were ‘attached RAF’, shouted “Gas Gas Gas!” once a year, sported Sqn Ldr Dormant Commissions, paid appropriate Mess subs and served all British interests in BFG, thus including 1 Br Corps.
In TTW we were supposed to decamp to the caves at Maastricht, but if there was a realistic plan, I knew nothing of it. Rheindahlen would have been a very early target and was totally soft, to the extent that the public [including terrorists] could under some circumstances drive through it.
We were now a family of six and moved into Portadown Way, quite the nicest little Close of about 24 houses with some trees and shrubs in the middle for seasonal frolics: May-Pole, summer BBQs wheeling mighty Webers out, and Father Christmas on a Fire Engine. A brake parachute served as the awning.
The duty forecaster was responsible for producing at HH = Zero the Significant Weather [SigWx] chart every six hours, to cover 24 hours starting at HH + 6.
The area was all UK , all NATO down to N. Italy, and well into the Warsaw Pact. We were totally independent, and now had use of Bracknell numerical predictions of rainfall on a grid of about 100 km** square all over our area and beyond. Rain amounts were as shown as numerals 1 to 9 and heavier rain used A to Z. Heavy rain we called “raining alphabets”. We received polar-orbit satellite cover in real time.
There was also responsibility for hour to hour supervision of the outputs from our people in the Clutch, Gutersloh and AAC Detmold.
There were two different main building passes; RAF blueish, Army reddish. There were two entrances of course, one for each tribe. Like everyone else, one of my assistants hung his ID on the mirror off shift, and on the bench when at work. His wife was employed by the army. One morning at work Colin was due to go walkabout in the building. “Sh1t!”. The Army pass had successfully entered past the RAF police on the door.. He rang his wife, who also said “Sh1t!” as she looked at the blue pass, having successfully …………. There was a hasty meeting and exchange in Leystrasse. Security was not impressive, so to speak.
I was nominated the TACEVAL man: this involved some higher clearances than PV and some indoctrination, although that seemed to overdo my role. The team evaluated anybody except Brits, and my detachments to the team were short-notice, drive yourself in an RAF car [F658?] and find the airfield at the zero dark 30. Dutch, Belgian and German at least.
TACEVAL is worth a chapter on its own.
** not sure ……. Small enough to be useful, too big for showers.