Danny finds a New House and Starts Work
Besides the dancing mice, we were troubled by a plague of beetles in the kitchen. Not cockroaches, I'm glad to say, but ordinary garden beetles ("black clocks" in Yorkshire speech). I disposed of them by the dozen, but they kept coming.
Through Church acquaintances, I learned that a town coal merchant, finding coal-heaving a little too much as the years mounted, intended to sell up and move to Nottingham (I thinK) in another, easier occupation for the last few years before retirement. But with that retirement in mind, he'd built himself a very nice house at the far end (No.133) of Victoria Road, with the intention of coming back there when his working life ended.
It had been completed only a year or two before the 1953 floods submerged it to a depth of about 4 feet, and had only just properly dried out, been redecorated, and newly furnished, when we came on the scene. Mr Dunn had been a pillar of the little (RC) Church about 100 yds round the corner; his house was opposite a fine big pub ("The Eagle"); now he wanted a no-trouble long term tenant.
Curiously, at that time, providing your Station was "below Establishment" in hirings, you could find another suitable one for yourself, even though you were in one already. I pounced on this, and we moved in in November. (144 High St. was taken by a W/Cdr on the Course, he was welcome to it). We now had the best hiring in town and were greatly envied.
Mr Dunn had voluntarily shouldered the task of stoking the church heating boiler on winter Saturday nights and Sunday mornings: I took his place in recognition of our good fortune. Coal and coke continued mysteriously to appear without effort on my part; the boilerman experience would be valuable to me later in our quarter in Germany.
Now you'll think it's time I got back to Strubby. We worked the standard "two-watch" system (an afternoon, a morning and a night - which might be nothing or all night, repeat ad lib). On the morning watch, you came in around 0715, checked state of all your aids, looked up all the new NOTAMs, Danger Areas, Important Visitors etc. and generally noted anything which might interest Bloggs and his (tor)mentors. The Local Controller (F/Sgt) came back from runway inspection with the tatty ATC Landrover and reported state of play on all the holes that Works & Bricks had been digging in the movements surfaces that week.
On most days the wind had chosen your runway direction for you, GCA had moved if required and were Running up the High Tension and Setting Up - leaving you in suspense till the very last moment before you had to Dash for Briefing, before pronouncing themselves Satisfied with the Picture.
0800 saw a mass assembly of throttle-benders in the Briefing Room, CFI, flanked by his three (IIRC: two Meteor and one Canberra) Squadron Commanders would be in pole position on the front row. We had an Overhead Projector; I think Met man was first up to say his piece and answer questions, then I was on my feet to add my two cents' worth, then CFI rounded it off with a few well-chosen veiled threats, and Bloggs quaked in his shoes, and of course: "It will be 0815 and Forty-Five Seconds......NOW". All would twiddle the expensive timepieces provided by the taxpayer (except Met Man and I, who had to buy our own). The game was on.
Back to the Tower for that first Cup of Tea without which no Controller can possibly function, then the welkin began to ring as engines fired-up en masse for the first sortie of the day. You put your headset on and sharpened your Chinagraph ready for action. About 0830 the flight lines would be bare but for a few stragglers. CFI finished his coffee and sallied forth to the Flight Offices: "Is that aircraft serviceable ?"...."Yes, Sir"...."Then why isn't it in the air ?"
What goes up, comes down. And as they'd all gone up together, all the Meteors would, of course....Around 0900 poor Approach Controller had to work like a one-armed paper-hanger till all were safely gathered in. Woe betide you if you couldn't handle at least four Controlled Descents at once ! After that a natural scatter effect spaced out the next wave a bit, and by lunchtime it was a nice smooth flow, and you were watching the clock for the magic 1245 when your relief (should) appear.
Attempts were made to persuade CFIs to "spread the first batch out a bit", but without success; they were in thrall to the "Hours For the Month" Graph on the office wall and therefore deaf to reason.
There's a lot more about the Tower to come ! EDIT: Smudge and Ripline, we'll make it 300 yet !
Goodnight, chaps,
Danny42C
Never mind.
Last edited by Danny42C; 6th Jul 2013 at 02:03.
Reason: Add Text.