I was the house member at Swinderby when it closed. Not the secondary duty to have as it's your job to dispose of all the mess property. Anything that isn't requested buy other messes goes to a place called Quedgely where it's stored in boxes never to see the light of day again. The place has huge amount of nice stuff, but as it's controlled by Stores Branch (sorry Supply or Logisitcs or whatever the'ye called these days), they store it and you can't get it hung on the wall in your mess without the Monarchs signature - or something.
When Swinderby closed, I was amazed at how much the stuff we had was worth. The most valueable piece was a painting which the valuer told me was an old Dutch master and was worth over six figures, maybe seven! So I removed it from it's place over the toaster in the dining room, where it had collected a certain patina from all the dining in night food fights and locked it in the silver room. Allegedly, it's now hanging in the MOD main building. I wonder if it really is!
Anyway, we all had Eric Day originals commissioned as leaving presents. Chipmunks flying over Lincoln Cathedral. I called his house two years later (in 1995) to comission a painting for a Sqn at Cranwell. The phone was answered by his sister who informed me he had died the week before.
A talented Artist. Rest in peace.