Life on an MBD Dispersal Airfield
I spent two years on Dispersal. Was at Machrihanish for a year, Valley the same and Leuchars as a relief prior to being posted to the best dispersal of all...Goose Bay.
As a Gen Fitt, life was boring but there was a certain excitemnet factor. At Macrihanish we all lived in our own accomodation. Sgt MT Fitter had quarters right behind our ops room,mess, kitchen, comm cen etc. We had everything. I had a bunk in the barrack block nearest our facilities sharing a 20ish room block with an evil smelling innebriate E Fitt (G).
We did little, all had our own offices at the tech site, I was 18 for Gods sake, had an inventory complete with nuclear weapon etc. Education officer for a camp commandant, excellent guy. Golf course off the airfield, 1968 the bestest summer where we were anyway, US Navy so cheap fags, booze and food. An excellent catering officer, we all shared the same food! a bit overbudget which was resolved eventually. Defueled Shackleton allowed us 100LL with a bit of brake fluid to tone it down courtesy of the MT section, they can't be held to account 40 years on!
I had the phone from Waddo Ops through to my room, knew when the Mickey Finn was coming 'cos a nice WRAF in Ops would do a few phone checks just prior to it so when the call came we were ready and accepted our pair of 'Vs', activated the dispersal for the forward party, cooks, comm ops etc prior to the whistling tit bringing the main crew. Great stuff enjoyed it all.
Valley I don't recall any excersise but the SWO did catch my colleagues down the beach with our own custom designed 100 yd telephone extension, me I was bubbling withn the sub-aqua club or blagging a flight in a Gnat, a Hunter or a Whirlwind.
Leuchars, well did a Taceval there and flew back to Waddo on the Argosy only to be stopped by 43 Sqdn (The Fighting Cocks) as we kidnapped their Cock and bodge taped them to The Fighting Cooks!!
Happy days. I expect in the event of the real thing we may have been eliminated and never received the 'Vs' we were supposed as the Ruskies may have known of our exsistence!!
I enjoyed every minute of it, got a COs rec and a fitters course out of it, life is different now.