Chugalug,
Thank you for your approval (in Another Place) of my Non-PC forms of address. (I'm far too old a dog now to learn any New (PC) Tricks).
As you suggest, the previous occupant of my hut might well haved been a Yorkshire lad. As they say,
Yorkshire born, Yorkshire bred.
Strong in th'arm, weak in th'ead !
As may appear later, we changed our minds about air travel from Geneva - and then had it abruptly changed back for us........D.
Geriaviator and Fareastdriver,
I have an interest in the last days of 202 Sqdn, for several of their people turned up at the ATC School at Shawbury around '65. I particularly remember a little old Master Pilot (a Czech, I think), who had managed to keep in flying posts all the time from war end right up to age 50 (he looked about 80+). Can't remember his name: ring any bells ?
He taught me a lesson which every Instructor must learn: never judge a book by its cover ! This chap struck me as an old has-been - we're going to have trouble with him ! I could not have been more wrong. He had a brain like a razor, picked up his new trade in a flash, finishing top of class in the Course exam.
Ah, the old Hillman Minxes ! Rootes sold all their factory rejects to the RAF as entry-level Staff Cars (well, that's what it seemed like). The High Oil Consumption was notorious (in an age when 2000 mi/ Gallon was "good"). I clearly recall driving one from Thornaby down to the south coast; MT section gave me three gallons of oil in tins for top-ups during the journey - and I used the lot !
Nobody bothered about the smoke - they all smoked - until (like one of my old cars) you couldn't see through the rear window. Every garage sold some sort of "house" reclaimed oil at a shilling a quart (that did me for about 50 miles). "Reclaimed" was, of course, old sump oil filtered through a few thicknesses of newspaper and diluted to taste with paraffin.
The story of your father's dream raises hairs on the back of the neck. I thought that that supreme example of "Murphy's Law" had been made impossible decades previously (by having two incompatible sizes of the cable turnbuckles that were the weak point). Not so, it seems ! Rule: Never neglect a hunch - somebody (your Guardian Angel ?) is trying to tell you something........D.
On which thought-provoking note,
Cheerio, Danny.