Gaining an RAF pilots brevet in WW2
Ah, HMC&S
Living in Brussels in the early 60, s I visited the UK on occasion
Arriving at LHR one day I declared a bottle of Grand Marnier. The little man seized it and put it on a table out of my reach.He then announced that as a US citizen living in Belgium I had no duty free allowance.If I had been able to I would have dropped the bottle but I was given an alternative---pay 2/6 and the bottle would be kept in Queens Storage and could be picked up when I left the UK via Dover---and this system did work.
New Years Eve 1961 we ferried over from Ostend to Dover and were met at Customs by a nasty little man with a flat hat--again I declared a bottle of GM and he then insisting on seeing it.I tried in vain to get it by opening the boot/trunk on our Mini.Later finding out that my son had broken off a pencil in the lock.So it was an impasse with him insisting on seeing the bottle and me unable to get it out of the boot. Then somehow he realised we were not , as he thought BAOR ,but US citizens---he waved us through!
My affinity for Grand Marnier for gifts was that at that time I think it was only $3.50 a bottle at duty free stores