Wildenrath denied.
One major omission on the CV was being a S Met O. Apart from running courses at the college, my managerial experience was limited to running a shift of four people. When the usual three years were ending I applied for the Wildenrath job. Apart from anything else, it was possible to retain the quarter because there would always be officers from Wildenrath posted to JHQ wanting to commute.
My C Met O put a spoke in the wheel by reporting that, whereas I was ‘a very good weather forecaster’ I had shown ‘no inclination to integrate with the customers’ and therefore should stick to forecasting. Thank you boss. So playing cricket for the office, RAF sidesman at church, Rheindahlen 40km Marches and Portadown Way BBQs were inadequate.
Events then took a genuinely startling turn. Out of the blue the promotions board invited LB to a Principal Scientific Officer interview, quite unheard of with only six years’ seniority. Colleagues suggested that I should attend, try not to disgrace myself, and have another go in three more years’ time. With plenty of annual leave allowance some preparation was needed: the Chairman was always the Director General, whose expertises were the mechanisms of thunderstorms and the theory and practice of satellite Met. Two other members were unknowable, plus one Treasury mandarin.
Seen by a fly on the wall, the interview [Inquisition] must have been entertaining. After 30 minutes I developed agonising calf cramp from the tension. The DG noticed and suggested that I walk it off. So I imitated Groucho Marx or John Cleese for a cabaret turn. Recovered, we were deeply into satellites, all was sweetness and light, but the next question prompted an idiotic exchange.
“Sir, I will answer the question, but then I would like to answer the question that I think you meant to ask”. Long silence, then stunned nodding.
That done, it fell to my old mentor, Fred Bushby, to give me an easy ride on thunderstorms, and the inevitable “Any questions” and “No thank you”. There was always another chance in a few years’ time.
Chaos Theory.