Danny, I never flew into or out of Linton as far as I can recall, but had I done so my chances of surviving an accident there would have been greatly improved thanks to you. The best bosses are not those who curry favour from above or popularity from below but those who get the most out of their subordinates and stand by them if things go wrong.
Your special bridge instructions to your firemen illustrate this to perfection. It is no surprise to me that no-one at Group or above would go out on a limb for your corporals or for their potential customers who ended up on the wrong side of the river in extremis. Leadership as a rule stops at the Station gates in the Royal Air Force in my experience. You did what was right, and as an ex-driver airframe I thank you for it.
