I wonder if any of you flew during the period when Denis Healey was Defence Secretary - I clearly recall an interview much later in his political career when he was asked about the UK's nuclear deterrent and said simply:
"oh that, well we would never have used it of course"
Although that certainly wasn't what he said earlier in his career when he referred to a deterrent as being essential. It did make me wonder if we were bluffing it out for at least 6 years though.
Is it also true that Navs were told the location of their targets in Mother Russia and sworn to take it to the grave with them - I remember that being announced at the end of the original "Fighter Pilot" series, albeit said in reference to Buccaneer Navs (for the guy who made it through the course). I would have thought they handed you one of those red snap cards as you dashed out to the jet - why risk it being compromised in advance ?