Oh well, back to St Athan, after an excellent weekend with a visit to to a military show and happy that I have now put my 1971 Beetle and my beach buggy successfully through the M.O.T. Should be able to concentrate now.
Final exams near , we studied hard and played hard,. As well as Saturday nights in Tiger Bay one of our airmen devised a scheme to visit Gloucester for the weekend ,at minimum cost. Gloucester was the home of R.A.F records , ‘manned’ mainly by W.A.A.Fs., and was recommended as an ideal R & R. place. . I can’t remember now exactly how it worked , but involved one airman travelling to Gloucester and purchasing platform tickets. These tickets were normally used by non travelling people to enter the platform to wave goodbye to friends and relatives., and only cost about one penny. We then purchased platform tickets at St Athan and got on the train, An excellent weekend was enjoyed, but I won’t tell you any more, as we don’t know who is reading this.. I must point out again that we were all basically honest people, but at that time it was a case of ‘all’s fair in love and war’.
Final exam time arrived , and I can remember moving from classroom to classroom and completing written tests on all the subjects we had studied. The final test was I think, what we called a V.V., (face to face ?) I answered the questions correctly until it came to the final question. I was asked “what do Amps X volts equal?” My mind became blank, and even though it was ‘page one of the book’ I couldn’t remember the answer, and said so. I was told to go, but as I reached the door, I suddenly remembered the answer, and said Watts. Good man said the officer and off I trotted. After this we received our results, and I found I had passed with 78% marks.
Back to the dreaded Harrogate, more standing in train corridors, sitting on kit bag when there was enough room, and eating our rations (N.A.A.F.I rock buns) on the way. We could only fill our mugs with tea, when the train stopped at a station.
After a short stay at Harrogate, I was posted to Langar, and the following day ‘crewed up’. This consisted of milling around in a large hangar , full of all trades, and talking to all and sundry , with the object of forming a crew of seven. When this was achieved the seven men reported to an officer and their names taken. Some time later we were posted to ‘heavy con’ at Bottesford, for about two months, and which was just across the main Nottingham to Grantham road.
Whilst looking through my notes, I came across the item produced below, which shows, amongst other things oleo leg measurements .pressures, and suggesting the use of a jack.Jacks were not included in our large green tool bag, so I can only conclude this reinforees my previous view that we had to know how to service the aircraft on other airfields, or the far East ?. I have either forgotten or otherwise was never told.
APROPOS NOTHING AT ALL.
