camlobe, well done! A formidable achievement indeed to have read through the entire thread, for it is now one of the longest on the Military Forum. As MPN11 rightly says, it is a thread for all, young or old, serving or retired, civilian or military, and all ranks included.
So now you're here at last you can post as well as read, for Danny is a font of information and forever raising new topics, from motoring to moving home. Jump in and join the fun.
Danny, we truckies were always pleased to deliver our pax early if possible, but that could raise fresh problems as you describe. Nowadays of course a half hour early would be more than soaked up in the endless walking, queuing for immigration checks, waiting for bags, clearing customs, before emerging into the Arrivals Area, but such pleasures were mere dreams in the 50's with their far lower numbers of flights and passengers.
Talking of the 50's, BBC4 has just rerun the excellent BAOR programme that illustrates the time and place of Danny's tale. It can be seen still on iPlayer here:-
BBC iPlayer - Timeshift: Series 12: The British Army of the Rhine