In June 1957, victims of Duncan Sandys infamous white paper, we dropped leaflets on to as many 2TAF airfields as we could manage. We stowed them in the Hunters' flaps rather than the airbrakes, which caused some interesting pitch changes when my close formation leader (Bodger Edwards) elected to travel across Ahlhorn very low at about 450 kias and called for 20° flap. Meanwhile our Staish was not amused when he heard of the drops & sent for our boss. The conversation apparently went roughly:-
Staish: "How am I going to explain this, what can I say to the C-in-C, what is he going to say about all this?"
Boss: " I don't know , Sir, but while I was refuelling at Geilenkirchen before doing the drop at 2TAF HQ he telephoned me and asked me to delay by 10 minutes so that he could get outside and watch".
The leaflets carried diagrams of bowler hats, umbrellas & Cerberus, and read:
WE REGRET TO ANNOUNCE THE PASSING
AT ROYAL AIR FORCE, JEVER,OF
No. 98 SQUADRON
LONGEST IN 2nd T.A.F.
BELOVED BY ALL CREDITORS, ANGRY HUSBANDS,
SATISFIED SPINSTERS, BREWERS etc.,
OF REDUNDANCY ....................R.I.P.
(BEST WISHES TO ALL IN THE SAME PREDICAMENT AND THOSE IN BETTER STRAITS)