Yes, merlinxx,
In the sixties, with the introduction of Doppler "navigation", BOAC decided to sack all its specialist navs; to be replaced by bright young third-pilots from Hamble, who would spend much of their time practising astro for their Nav Licences. Maybe Rainboe can confirm? Some excellent redundant BOAC navigators found their way to BUA and Caledonian. BUA (later Caledonian-BUA/BCAL) realised that Doppler is useless over smooth desert or smooth water, so we copilots were full-time P2s.
But no specialist navigator would ever have stooped to working HF, if he could possibly avoid it! 'Drunken Duncan' was, I think, ex-merchant navy? Sadly, I can't confirm his whereabouts...
Niamey never used to be in the forefront of technology, Bora Bora. Promise not to laugh: what is CPDLC?