Inflexible, was I?
Recruited Scientific Civil Service age 18, 3 cracking good A levels Pure Maths, Applied Maths, Physics, 9 good O levels including English [2] and French. No woodwork, RI or underwaterbasketweaving.
Sent to RAF Uxbridge as an Assistant Scientific, then quickly to Stanmore for 3 months Met. observer training, three years later promoted to Assistant Experimental Officer [degree men could jump in at that level] and sent to programme the very early Ferranti Mercury computer at Dunstable, age 23 sent on Initial Forecast Course 3 months very rigorous exam, to Gatwick as rookie forecaster, to RAF Nicosia ditto, to RAF Leeming, to Advanced Forecast Course, promoted Experimental Officer, to RAF Topcliffe, numerous detachments Acklington Leeming Dishforth, Church Fenton ...... to RAF Guetersloh, to RAF Finningley, GIT COurse, combined teaching RAF and forecasting, promotion board after 10 years relevant experience and numerous staishes giving tick in box, now Senior Experimental Officer [about SLdr level] to HQ to be member team nudging Computer producing numerical forecasts, to Met Office College to teach Cambridge and Oxford Firsts, and Doctors, meteorology, to JHQ Rheindahlen as member forecasting team looking after all N Europe including the Eastern parts, also Taceval Met man, also 1 BR Corps on exercises, promoted after very very probing interview to Principal [age 43 at this point] posted RAF Bawtry as 1 Group Principal Met Officer, to Leeds to set up major regional office, to Cardiff to run SW UK Met, to HQ i/c Met services nuclear and chemical inductries and contingencies, to JHQ again as Chief Met Officer BFG, to Brize Norton retaining the Germany resposibility and all Southern UK military. To grass at 60, decent lump sum and 1/2 pay. I was far from unusual, it is what we did, I just did it better than some.
A family move every three years on average, disciplines: forecasting for military aviation, civil aviation, civil public services,computer programming, teaching and management.
Now, where is that broom?
Easily best customers light blue uniforms, thanks chaps and chappesses.