Each January CXX used to send 2 aircraft to the USN base in Keflavik with everything required to host a Burns supper for our country cousins. The big supper was always a success. One year Shadwell and his crew were lucky enough to be selected to represent CXX.
After the main cultural event as if we had not had enough of the amber nectar and other alcoholic beverages, we retired to the Brass Nut (a bar fuelled by contributions for the aircrew to "unwind"). At some ungodly hour it was time to leave. So Smithy and Shadwell set off to find their rooms in an adjacent block. As we arrived outside the cold air hitting us must have affected our constitutions and sense of direction as we set off in the wrong direction into the great FA. It was a beautiful calm but very cold evening and ideal for a stroll. Some time later we noticed, but did not react to the headlights approaching from behind.
The 2 shore patrol guys in the car must have thought all their Christmases had come at once with the sight of 2 people in "skirts" walking along the deserted road into the middle of nowhere. As they pulled up alongside us, we turned to face them and I will never forget the look on their faces. As they wound down the window, Smithy with his moustache and pipe smiles, and says "Whatcha cock". They invited us to get into the cage in the back of their car, which we did. There followed a silence as we drove back towards civilisation, broken only by Smithy saying to them "Manchester United". When I asked him the following day why he had said Manchester United, he replied that he could not think of anything to say that they would understand!
We have certainly lost a good un. He was a brilliant guy who was fair with everybody. Anyone who says that JJ was the worst Nimrod pilot he had seen (to be fair that was just after JJ joined his first squadron - he did improve later), cant be all bad.
Rest easy Smiffy