Originally Posted by
BANANASBANANAS
Worst would be the Officers Mess for us student pilots at Cranwell in 1981-82.
Trenchard Hall Officers' Mess was no better when I went through a few years later. It was run by Living Out Instructors (mainly Stackers) for their own benefit (certainly
not for the benefit of the Living In Students)! It was, by far,
the worst Mess I ever stayed in bar none.
Apparently it is now the Sgts' Mess at Cranwell.
ISTR that the Mess Manager was done for theft - basically pocketing catering funds and buying in food barely fit for human consumption.
I'll never forget a certain Ulsterman, G******y M*****h (who later went Helos) who used to get wound up over the 'Minute Steaks' (which were so bad you could have soled DMS boots with them). He had repeatedly complained about them in the Messing Suggestions Book and was repeatedly assured by the Messing Member that there was 'No Evidence' as to the in-edibility of said steaks.
One evening we came down to Dinner, the choice was Plaice Meuniere or Steak. I had fish, G ordered the steak. When it arrived he bit into it and almost immediately went bright red, with steam seemingly coming from his ears.
"Right!", he announced in his broad Ulster accent. He then stood up and marched out of the Dining Room with his plate.
We later found out he had stapled the offending steak into the Messing Suggestions Book with the immortal words: "Here's your bloody evidence!"
He ended up with a weeks Orderly Officer but it was worth it if only for the comedy value!
Best Mess for me was undoubtedly Lyneham - Thursdays they did Crepe Suzette flambeed at table.