' just 2 on the frequency he said', the first approaching CLN cruising at 210 and the other, Aeroflot in his VC10ski cleared to 290 just E of the Park. 'What did they ask you on the board?' says the Chief, Alan Fletcher, who was the watch Trg Officer. Chat chat chat,5 mins later,still all quiet - I look back at the radar and Aeroflot was just about to gobble up the slow Cessna (or similar, who I now noticed was doing only 190kts), at the same level. I just got away with it by the skin of my teeth! Boy did I learn a lot from that!
Years later in 94 we were just checking in to a quaint old hotel in Paphos village and the owner on noticing my occupation said 'do you know Mr Murphy?', he rang him up and 10 mins later Spud appeared and we had a beer.
Stewart(?)McIvor was on my watch,or should I say I was on his? He never used to address u/ts directly ie to the mentor 'tell him his board is next week'.After my TMA N board for some reason I started to wear a suit to work (yes really!) and in McIvor's eyes I could do no wrong. It was all over when I grew a beard.Years later when I was at LL I stopped off in Staines after a M duty to do some shopping, and bumped into Stu (long since retired) and he said 'you still need a bloody haircut!'.
My favourite old-timer of all time was the wonderful Norman Whitelock - what a star. We once had a C Watch cricket match between ATCAs and ATCOs at which Norman umpired - everyone had to take a turn at bowling and as I ran up to bowl my second ball all I could see was his shoulders going up and down as he wet himself at my bowling action.
There were some wonderful characters at LATCC in the 70s; Reg Prior, Woo, Dick Yeo, Pat Carroll, Gerry Davies(who was always winding McIvor up), Jock Moffat etc.