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Old 15th Jul 2012, 20:37
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ex-fast-jets
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
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I'm afraid this is another Dick anecdote - not Bill. I knew Bill, but have no worthwhile anecdotes to offer, other than my recollection that he was a consummate professional aviator.

I floated into Port San Carlos on an LSL from HERMES in '82, as one of two RAF Harrier pilots to set up a rotation for cockpit readiness response to Army requests for Air Support.

The two of us were offloaded onto FEARLESS, then transferred by RM helo to the strip, which the REs were putting down. The RM helo spent all of 15 seconds on the ground getting rid of us, and we were left to sort ourselves out. The REs pointed us towards a house which they knew was occupied by the RAF, and there was Dick with his crew. They were helpful and told us how to find somewhere to sleep - and all was well.

A few days later, I returned to HERMES from the strip. spent a night on board, and then went back to the strip. I negotiated a bottle of Scotch from the Wardroom, which I stuffed behind the ejection seat, and when I got out at Port San Carlos, I proudly carried it into the BN house, expecting a rousing applause. Dick looked over his glasses at me, said "thank you", opened the cupboard next to where he was sitting, and put my bottle inside, next to a wide selection of booze that was already there. I then found out that the off-duty crew had hitched a ride onto CANBERRA to have a shower, and left with an enormous Red Cross Parcel put together by CANBERRA which made my bottle of Scotch look pathetic. But Dick was a gentleman, and accepted my offering with grace - he also did a damn fine job with BN supporting the troops in extremely difficult conditions: a well-deserved DFC.

The Langworthy twins served the RAF and their country exceedingly well; their mother deserved to be proud of them.
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