Have to say that I can see both sides of the story here. For the price, it is a fantastic facility in a lovely part of Town. However, as a serving member, often on ops, getting a room is up there with winning the lottery,
I did post a suggestion on the Club website a couple of years back, suggesting that a proportion of rooms should be set aside for serving members. I had tried to book in on several occasions over the previous couple of years only to be told it was fully booked. When I spoke to the Club, I was advised to book as far in advance as possible. I did point out that in today's expeditionary Air Force it was often difficult to know whethe one would be in the country in a months time let alone 6 months time, and as such, did they think it fair that retired members could effectively fill the Club years in advance?
According to the news letters at the time, they were then taking bookings for 2012 Olympics. So whilst Gp Capt Buffy Henderson-Smythe DFC BBC ITV* and his chums are sorted, where does that leave the operational elements freqiently deployed but paying subs for the retired personnel and their chums to enjoy this marvellous facility?
I'm not saying we should ban retired personnel - that would be a serious blow to Club membership and ethos. But for the Club to remain a viable and relevant institution, there must be more recognition of the demands placed on currently serving members and an acknowledgment that long-range advance booking may not be possible. Failure to do so will only serve to alienate large numbers of members, threatining the viability of the Club long term.
And then we would have to go to the Union Jack Club
