I seem to remember Batchey Atcherley coming to see us at Horsham St Faith in his Meteor, as he did with all the stations in his Group, and think it was housed at Newton, grass runway and all. Which makes me wonder, in retrospect, whether the undoubted pleasure in being given two redundant bicycles would outweigh the thought of maybe having access to the AOCs' Meatbox when he wasn't using it to relieve the tedium of driving people about in the Station Flight Anson had he not turned down his offer. Full marks, though, for seeing the other alternative through!
Met Mickey Martin when he was SASO in NEAF HQ Episcopi, and I was junior air staff office boy as Command Weapons Officer, he was a lovely fellow. My job seemed mostly to import sand to the Libyan desert for the El Adam bombing and ground attack range! He had left 38 Group when I was there on the Phantom training staff, again as junior office boy. At least I knew what a Phantom looked like having had a ride in one at Conningsby where I was Sqn Ldr car parks and visits, or so it felt like!
While at 38 Group I was summonsed to MOD, was it called that then, for an Air Secretary branch interview on my future prospects with a charming Wing Commander, who told me no more flying posts, more likely more staff or station jobs, maybe making wing commander by retirement age. I asked him what the chances were if I wanted early retirement. Pretty good he said, but I'd leave it for couple of months if I were you. A couple of months later the first of the redundancy schemes was announced! Good chap. Leading on from which when I told Gp Capt Ops 38 Group, who was an entry below me at Cranwell, I was applying he said "good idea, Tim", which nicely summed up my own views by then as well! Though I had enjoyed it.