Brize, Southern England and BFG.
Be careful what you wish for!
Living in Lincolnshire and stationed at Brize for a couple of years was not ideal but I was granted very good accommodation in the Mess and often worked a four-day week by virtue of taking leave ........... major family holidays were put on hold pro tem, all four offspring had flown the nest.
I was never sure about the job title and I think settled for P Met O Brize Norton. The geographical fact was substantial. I expect I will forget one, but here goes:
St Mawgan, Boscombe Down, Larkhill, Lyneham, Brize Norton, Middle Wallop AAC, Benson, Odiham, Northolt, Manston, JHQ Rheindahlen, and the remaining RAFG plus Detmold AAC. There were a few additional commitments for such as Porton Down and Aldermarston.
I should have asked for a pay rise.
What I did get was a hire car whenever I was visiting anywhere.
There were three very good offices: Lyneham, Middle Wallop and Odiham, led by energetic S Met Os and with big tasks that they enjoyed achieving. Most weeks I managed at least one visit, some weeks two could be squeezed in. The staff reporting structure was such that every S Met O had to be reported on at length, and all of his/her forecasters needed to be interviewed as part of the second tier. To do the folk justice, at least two visits each year had to be arranged. This was over and above a formal inspection day. Satnav had NOT been introduced.
Germany was no problem, with an excellent deputy on site and a few AFCENT/NATO meetings in Berlin and SHAPE to attend it was manageable. Using the car, Asbach and Sekt stocks were kept up.
Just when I thought that I had seen everything, we had a paedophile discovered among us, which caused a lot of grief.
Mess life was comfortable other than the fact that heating was off on the last day of March, and not back on until November ....... if it was serviceable. Most residents bought an electric heater so the net saving was probably minimal.
Hitherto all Met. staff of officer status had been allowed military Mess facilities at advantageous rates. This benefitted the individual and surely also the service in terms of liaison and mutual understanding. However the rules changed at MOD level, attached civilians' Messing became much more costly, and the sums added up to claiming full subsistence for the first time and taking a room in a pub. Everyone was a loser. After a few weeks of this I attempted to resign, having achieved max pension but with a year to serve before being able to take it.
The law of unintended consequences
Last edited by langleybaston; 30th Apr 2024 at 18:17.
Reason: for sh1t read shot