The Glass House
GOOSEQUILL. With regard to your question about oxygen, I started to scan my notes on oxygen and then realised I may have done this before. I then tried to use the search facility in PPRuNE, to find the relevant page but this only brought up all the pages containing the word oxygen.. I then remembered some one on this thread had told us there was an easier way, use Google. I entered ‘oxygen pprune cliffnemo’ and amazingly it said page 32 on this thread. So refer to page 32 and it may answer some of your questions. As I remember it basic it might have been, but it worked well, no different to breathing pure air.. I am not sure , but I think the oxygen flowed all the time it was switched on which would be rather wasteful . It was unlike the modern diving demand valve fitted to compressed air bottles which only deliver air when a diver breaths in. Oxygen itself has no taste or smell and I cannot recall any. I experienced no problems breathing oxygen, no problems in taking a breath, and think the system, for that period comfortable and perfect. The only problem I had as previously mentioned was when my portable bottle failed on my return from the Elsan, and I collapsed at the main spar.
I think at this stage the matter of aircrew punishment and ’The Glass House’ should be brought up. Shortly after arrival at Hemswell we heard that an? a? N.C.O aircrew member had either sworn at, or hit an officer , and had been sent to ‘The Glasshouse‘ for twenty eight days. Evidently this was in the original Sheffield prison, and was mainly, if not solely, for aircrew, and run by the R.A.F (not sure)
On return from Sheffield the N.C.O was questioned by every one about his treatment. He told us that after breakfast every morning he went into the prison yard, given a wheel barrow, brush , shovel, white wash, and brush. First he had to go to the far side of the yard , brush it clean, and whitewash the floor , return to the far side and fill the wheelbarrow with coal, wheel to the other side and tip the coal on the white washed floor, return to the opposite side , brush up, white wash , and repeat the whole procedure all day long. He also told us the food was terrible, and the treatment horrible, no wonder his last remark was ‘never again‘.
Evidently the treatment was much the same for the army offenders. I was telling a friend of mine who had been in the army, ex Dunkirk, and ex D Day, He told me something similar happened to him . He returned to camp drunk and was ridiculed by a superior so he ‘lashed out’ finishing up in the Glasgow army glasshouse for twenty eight days ( Blairllnie prison ?) On arrival he called a sergeant sarge, The sergeant replied I am sergeant, not serge, and that webbing belt is filthy (although it had just been cleaned) told him to ,blanco the belt and polish the brass and return for inspection. On return the sergeant told him to take it off ,and throw it on the ground , then told him to stamp on it. He then told him to pick it up , and as he was picking up the belt kneed him under the chin , knocking him over.
HAPPY DAYS.
P.S Think I am now using Sky broadband, but not sure . One page says "No connection" I Click a few buttons and I am connected. Sky + is brilliant, and phone is working on
Sky, I think.