Danny Sticks his Neck Out.
As I've already said, I can recall no particular triumphs and disasters - or indeed anything noteworthy - in my time on Approach and in the ACR7 at Linton. Except that there I "dinged" my 403 for the first time.
It was entirely my own fault. A long and boring Night Flying session had ended in the early hours, and I was anxious to get away home to bed. Coming out of the dimly lit truck into total darkness (all airfield lights switched off) with little night vision, I hopped into the car and reversed smartly for a quick getaway across the grass. There was a loud bang. With sinking heart I climbed out.
I had reversing lights, but they were largely decorative, and I didn't look anyway - I knew where the diesel generator was, of course. But a newly delivered 40-gallon drum of derv had been left in an unusual spot, and we had connected. The drum was on its side now, with a big dent in it, but luckily the screw-bung was in tight and there was no leak. But my offside lamp-cum-tank filler flap cluster was Cat 5 and there was a tiny dent in the bumper - but no body damage.
In any of the well-known cars of the day, the next step would be obvious - round the local scrapyards with tool kit, overalls and "Swarfega". But a Peugeot 403 was a rara avis in the UK - when you met another on the road, you flashed lights in pleased recognition. I was forced back on the mercy of Gladstone Garage, York. They got a new cluster sent up from London - machined out of solid gold, by the size of the bill - and I resolved to be more careful in future.
On the Fire Officer front, I was making a name for myself - not always favourable ! The Station Car Club had been allowed the use of an old Laing hut for their club-house and workshop. I did a Fire Inspection and found that the bare boards were soaked in oil and that there were ample "Evidences of Smoking" (as we Firemen say) in spite of the posters on the walls. I condemned it as a Fire Risk and recommended demolition. But W/Cdr (A) was more kindly, and allowed them to continue on a Promise of Good Behavior in Future (and a few more buckets of sand).
My chief concern from the beginning had been the proximity of the Ouse. We looked up flying accidents for the last ten years and plotted them on a three-mile circle centred on the airfield; a large proportion were on the far side of the river. Our nearest bridge was at Aldwark (a mile away - but that was "plated" at 7½ tons. Our L/Rover was all right at 2 tons, but the Salamander weighed in at 13 tons. Hopeless ? - well, perhaps not quite.
Built about 250 years ago, it had been rebuilt in the 19th century (after collision with an iceberg [yes ! - Google] coming down-river). In the first place, bridges were built with an enormous safety margin. And then there was a difference between day-in-day-out loads (say loads of hard-core, fertilizer or pigmeal) pounding the bridge all the time and inflicting "Repetitive Strain Injury", and a rare overload every blue moon.
Could the bridge stand up under 13 tons "one-off" ? We confidentially consulted the bridge engineers. The answer (informally) was, probably, "yes". But of course they admitted this only cagily on a non-attributable basis, and certainly would not put it in writing. So what's a poor Corporal i/c Crash 2 to do ? (it is the Fire Crew's responsibility to plot their route to an incident). If he chances the bridge, and ends up in the river with the Mk.6 sitting on top of a bridge span, who'll carry the can ?
It was way above his pay-scale (or mine). My view was that speed was of the essence; the saving of life must be the paramount consideration. If the Aldwark bridge was the closest route, then take it regardless. Otherwise, IIRC, you'd have to go South almost to York (Clifton bridge), or up to Boroughbridge, to get across. That could be up to 20 miles "dead" running - the fire would have burned-out by then. Of course, York and Boroughbridge (and possibly village "retained" Fire crews) might have got there first - but their foam-making capacity was puny in comparison with our Mk.6 - they were "water engines".
What was needed was an undertaking from the RAF to the Aldwark bridge authority, indemnifying them against bridge damage (or worse, collapse) in the event of our Mk.6 using it in emergency (for of course a trial was out of the question). W/Cdr (A) promised to take it up with Group, where (predictably) it went like a lead balloon. None of the poltroons on the Staff would put his name to such a thing. It was a Matter for Decision by the the Officer or NCO on the Spot, who Can Best Assess the Circumstances (in short, "you're on your own, mate !")
W/Cdr (A) would not allow me to put out a written Order to "Press on regardless" if need arose, but I privily assembled my NCOs and instructed them to that effect (before my Sergeant and other good witnesses), advising them to learn to swim if they could not already do so. The eventuality never arose, whether it has ever done so since ('64) I don't know (but would be interested to know, and if so, what happened).
Goodnight, again, chaps.
Danny42C.
It's the last straw that breaks the camel's back.