MPN11,
Regarding your points 1-2-3, I defer to your more extensive experience in ATC - and perhaps (in respect of Point 1.), advancing age leads one to lower one's sights to a degree ! Nevertheless we
did lose our WRAF at Leeming with quite remarkable speed. As regards minimum educational standards, I must admit that I took those from memory (and that is notoriously fallible). Even when I volunteered in late '40, it was a requirement for potential pilot/nav volunteers to have School Certificate with Credits in Maths and English, and I would have thought that that would have been increased by the '60s.
Now with Point 4, we are in full agreement. You
can teach an old dog new tricks, but not very many, and he is a slow learner. There are always exceptions, but in general the failure rate went up with age. In the case I mentioned, she was so nervous that it was a mystery to me how she got past the Selection Board in the first place. Be that as it may, we got her through the final exams at Shawbury, but I would have been doubtful about her future.
... But the policy then was that all ATC sqn ldrs should have an Area ticket ... regardless of age/ability...
That's my career down the pan for a start, as I'd always regarded Area Radar with horror and revulsion! But as my career had vanished (at the hands of a Medical Board) long before (which was the reason I was in the Branch in the first place), it didn't matter very much. As you say, it is nice for a family man to have a secure income to 50+, and a pension after that. Mine worked out at 42% of my pay (at age 50), and I've been drawing it for 44 years now.
Were we really such hard taskmasters as you recall ? (I remember Flt Lt N.T. well enough, he chased the junior Instructors round, as well). But you must admit that we turned out a good product (in the main).
Danny.