And now we have landed in the Hook of Holland. The RTO sent for me. My posting was originally to RAF Sylt, which would involve going a long way across country and almost up to the Danish border. I was now told that this posting had been cancelled - Sylt was closed for resurfacing (or something like that). Anyway, they didn't want me any more. Go on to RAFG (at JHQ Rheindahlen) for onward instructions. Get on the Military Train over there.
And so I ended up in this giant HQ, where it was clear that nobody was much concerned with me or my fate, and I didn't know a soul. After kicking my heels for a day or two, a voice called "Danny ?": I turned to see a friendly face at last. Keith Marfell, whom I'd welcomed into the Thornaby Mess on his commissioning from Warrant nine years before, and who once came to dinner with us at Mablethorpe five years later, clapped me on the shoulder. Now S/Ldr Marfell in the Secretarial Branch, he knew all the corridors of power in the place. A few well-placed phone calls, and I had my posting - Geilenkirchen (hereinafter "GK").
Hearing my story, and realising what would probably happen, he got on to the Equippers at once to stop my baggage going to Sylt - but it was too late, and it had to be re-routed back from there and turned up a fortnight or so late at GK. No matter.
They gave me an RAF "staff car" (1200 entry-level VW, used for the more menial tasks), with a German civilian driver. It was only a relatively short trip, but enough for me to see the good points of the "peoples" car". A very high top gear enabled it to bumble along the
landstraßen quite leisurely at 80-90 kph without undue noise, and it was quite a popular purchase among our troops, selling at about the same as a Mini, IIRC. I tried my rudimentary German on my driver, but as his English was far superior to my efforts I didn't get very far.
GK seemed a fairly comfortable place. The Mess rooms were in centrally heated "huts", larger and much superior to the Secos. The Mess itself was a roomy single-storey affair, food was good and in the bar I quickly learned to ask for a "point-two" or a "point-five" of DAB (
Dortmunder Aktien Bier) - and never was beer more aptly named - rather than a "half" or a "pint".
ATC was in the middle of a long single-story terrace of offices parallel with, and quite close to the taxi track. A Local control glass-house was mounted on the top. Approach down below just had a CA/DF, IIRC. On the field was a CPN-4, trained on 27 (no subsidiary runways).
In this I expected a nice quiet life, as at Thorney, but had a rude awakening. Instead of tapping into the mains , and feeding it through a rotary converter, power was supplied from a diesel generator. Now a CPN-4 takes a fair amount of power, so it has to be a powerful diesel. And this one was
air-cooled . You can imagine the row: outside the Truck you could hardly hear yourself speak, and it was not much better inside. I think the maker was called something sounding like "bow-sher".
EDIT (at end of Post)
Of course, it was obvious when you think about it. Although the CPN-4s at home were semi-permanent fixtures, there was every possibility that, in the event of hostilities, ours would have to up-stakes and follow the squadrons to whatever new home they pitched up in. By the same token, they would need their own independent power source with them.
The "lodger units" were 11 Sqdn (Javelin), C.O.: W/Cdr Cro(w)shaw (also Chief Gliding Instructor), and 3 Sqdn (Canberra). The Station Commander was G/Capt Peter Le Cheminant, and that's all the names I can remember. My very pleasant SATCO ran a beautiful pale blue 220S Merc., but his name's gone.
AFAIK, we were manned to Master Airfield level - for the opposition weren't going to send you a postcard to let you know they were coming - but those living in MQs could stand-by at home on the understanding that they could be in position in five minutes. Those living out kept a room in the Mess for the purpose. There were frequent "tacevals", "maxivals" and "minivals" to make sure the system worked.
Goodnight once more, chaps,
Danny42C
EDIT: (came to me out of the blue from nowhere ages later). It was BAUCEM, I'm sure, but looking it up the best Wiki can do is BAUCHEM, they're in that business, but now a
Chinese firm. Possible that the German firm was taken over, I suppose....D.
Don't assume - Check !