I had an interesting meeting at the RIAT Hangar Party a couple of years back, a collegue and I got talking (with much beer
) to the Irish CASA crew ,great bunch of guys but one didn't really mix and sat back.
The crew got up to get some food the quiet one then came over and said to my mate "your RAF(VR)T" "Yes", "You are Air Cadet staff" "Yes" "You're L****" big look of shock!
Conversation followed , the airman was from West Belfast (where he was from I probably knew the family as I was stationed there for ten years) and joined a local Sqn with one of his mates from a school outside the area, loved the experience and on leaving school applied to join the RAF, two problems one "the boys" called round and threatened to shoot him if he continued on with this , two uncle was a senior Provo so security clearance was not going to happen. As a result of this he joined the IAC and he put it all down to the ATC as he said most of his "mates" from West Belfast ended up as joyriders etc. The ATC gave him something to aim for that otherwise he wouldn't have thought about and he recognised my mate straight away as he had been with him on several cadet activities .