Danny finds out all about "Hirings".
The obsequies were brief. I handed in my flying overalls, helmet and goggles at the Flights (I seem to have forgotten "Spectacles, Anti-Glare Mk VII", for they are still with me in their blue box - I wonder how that happened ?). It was cease-work on a winter afternoon, I walked into the hangar. The Meteors were being put away for the night, right in front of me was VW290, a Mk.IV, the last entry in my log, the end of my flying career.
It was no sort of "Arab's farewell to his Steed" moment. The Meteor was never one of my favourites. But it had been 14 years almost to a day since a callow youth had walked, hopefully but nervously into a Recruiting Office in Liverpool and signed on the dotted line. It should count for something. Curiously, some weeks later, I found out (by what means I cannot imagine, still less recall), that the RAF had a job lined up for me if I'd made the other choice - a Meteor tug pilot on the AGS at Acklington !)
For the time being, Weston lost interest in me. I had several weeks' leave over Christmas, some at home, but most of it with my fiancée in Marton. In the New Year Of '55 I went back. The Devil, as is well known, finds work for idle hands. At Weston, the W/Cdr(A) filled in for him. Of course, a supernumerary officer is fair game for any job that nobody else wants to do. And in all conscience, I cannot complain at what I drew out of the hat.
Until Google came along, I'd no idea when the idea of the "Hiring" system of civilian MQs was first mooted (it seems that it was up and running in July '49, as there were Parliamentary Questions about it then). But even as late as '55, it was a bit of a mystery to most people, and in any case only the married ones had to think about it.
On posting to an RAF Station (and some are really "out in the sticks"), a married officer/airman's first thought must be: "where are we going to live ?" If it was a well-established place, there would be Married Quarters on the Station (but never enough to go round). Any vacant ones would be allotted to the more fortunate (?) few who qualified under a system of Byzantine complexity. These would occupy a MQ of the size (and pay the rent for) one appropriate to their rank.
Historically, the rest were out in the cold. They had to lease local furnished properties on the open market; in some areas the rents would be very high, beyond the purse of a junior serviceman. But how about an arrangement whereby he might find a suitable place, the RAF would take the tenancy (usually for a minimum of a year) and pay the agreed rent - but then sub-let it to him at just the rent of his quarter ?
Not surprisingly this idea was welcomed all round. The Landlords liked it, they were sure of their tenant, the rent would be paid whether the place was occupied or not, they no longer feared "moonlight flits", the RAF would pay for damages above "fair wear and tear" at the end of the tenancy.
The first serviceman got a place which he had himself chosen, but the cost to him was only that of his MQ rent: this was usually well below the going rate. Everbody was happy, and how they got this past the Treasury, I'll never know. Everybody ? well, not quite.
More about this next time (sorry to bore you, but it's an integral part of the story).
Goodnight, all,
Danny42C
Home, sweet home.