Coningsby - Call Out SNAFU
Briefly - in the mid 70s there was an arrangement whereby we could ring home if we needed to, from the squadron, and have the cost charged to our mess bills. For admin reasons the facility was withdrawn. Many of us lived in Woodhall Spa and exercise call out worked on a cascade system with two people telephoned who then passed the word on. One of the two was somewhat aggrieved at the change to our telephone arrangements and, when he was called at stupid o'clock and told there was an exercise, he announced that he was being called on a private telephone which didn't accept Service calls. Unplugged the phone and went back to sleep. Half the aircrew turned up at 0830, as usual, and the telephone arrangements were restored later. Man involved was the well-known *l V*sl**