Back in the 'Good Old Days'??????????
Winter 62/3 rings a bell. At R.A.F. And Hedges, the idea was 'let the snow fall and clear it in one go.' Seem to remember it came down on Boxing Day. Naturally by the time everyone got back from grant it had frozen.
Now the problem - the station was closed and of course it was on Bomber Command stand by for equipment support. A Beverly, from just down the road, flew over and dropped a bale of hay, just to rub salt in.
So to the master plan - bring in half a dozen road burners, (the trucks that heat road surfaces prior to re-surfacing), line them up across the runway and proceed to melt the ice. these vehicles to be followed in close formation by all available personnel, i.e. those who had been too slow to disappear at the call, and armed with bass brooms to sweep molten ice back under the burner elements to prevent the runway being burnt/ melted. There is not a big clearance between the burner and the road surface for obvious reasons and many brooms were caught by the burner. So, take burning stick to nearby 3-tonner, exchange for new broom and resume sweeping.
After spell on runway, it was back to the guardroom, where the SWO was in his element doling out the rum ration. Maybe he had to test each batch, that was why he was so happy.
Oh! Happy days. Wot's H & S ???????????????