AP, as I said previously, you have the knowledge and experience of the modern Air Force and I don't, so I bow to you in that respect. On the other hand, I have experienced the Air Force that I described earlier. I'm sure that yours, with its specialist and centralised services, be they for compassionate, joint, personnel, etc, purposes, is the more efficient.
My comment would be that morale is less moved by efficiency, real or supposed, than by personal involvement. The efforts made on our behalf by various bosses often scored negative brownie points, if by that term you infer career enhancing reputation with the CoC. One of them took on the NAAFI when his Sqn first line servicing flight night shifts were denied tea and buns from the NAAFI wagon as it was deemed uneconomical providing them. He engaged a local trader (this was at Changi), agreed a menu and prices for bacon butties etc, charges for rent and power (via Stn Svcs Flt I think), so much for the Sqn Fund, and the rest for the trader. Luckily the Stn Cdr supported him to the hilt having been told that it was essential for Operational Efficiency that the refreshments be provided. A very senior man from NAAFI HQ London flew out in vain to close down this challenge to its Sole Trader rights. Long after I left, and after a change of a/c type, the arrangement lasted until the UK Military withdrawal from Singapore. Probably didn't harm the boss's career prospects much, but certainly boosted morale amongst his Ground Engineers.
On the issue of ground engineers, Centralised Servicing replaced Sqn First Line Servicing at Fairford. The old rapport between Air and Ground Crews seemed thus threatened. The two Sqn bosses agreed to adopt one each of the two Eng Wg Sqns, creating the same friendly competition in the Gnd Crews. Naked subversion of someone or other's Grand Projet no doubt, but again morale was maintained. People aren't units of production, they are human beings; irrational, emotional, subject to good and bad days, but if treated right will always respond positively. Given a good boss people got treated right. I must confess that is the one weakness in my cunning plan, and not all bosses were good. I was lucky, but the words babies and bathwater also come to mind.
Anyway, we are fated to disagree I fear. Thank you for your forbearance, AP. And I was certain that you would have never told anyone that which was said to Haraka. All the more reason for condemning the VSO who did, in my view.
Last edited by Chugalug2; 30th Oct 2016 at 21:02.