Pull up a sandbag ~ "I remember when..

[Al R]

.. you used to get 4 travel warrants a year."

Next!

[Gainesy]

MT was blue, with F/11 on the front.:)

[BEagle]

I remember when the RAF had more aircraft than Air Marshals....

....and 'biz-speak' hadn't been invented!

[Gainesy]

Wagon wheels were a decent size

Nah, your head was smaller, is all.:)

[Al R]

Spartan was a rank, not a tank.

And when you could draw £50 out on your 1250 (Lloyds, Abingdon, Summer of '83).

[Gainesy]

See what I mean?

Nope, only what appears to be a First Aid Box.

[ORAC]

The Mess bar was full with people having a couple of pints at lunch time.

Every radar site crewroom was full of pissed off ex-V force and Brittania crew, ashtrays and cigarette smoke - and if you didn't play bridge you got stuck in the ops room.

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

Politicians were admired and trusted............:confused:






OK, perhaps not, it was just a dream.,

[RETDPI]

When Y-fronts lasted for so long it was embarrassing.......

[TEEEJ]

...there was twice as many people in the RAF as there is now!

[BEagle]

There were 4 times as many people in the RAF as there are now.

Dog poo was white and crumbly.

Cross-country mil phonecalls were frequently interrupted by some old battleaxe at 'Central' or 'Rothwell Haig' bellowing "Are you working?" every time you pasued for breath....

[mayorofgander]

eggshells were generally white!!!
you'd see another Albert when taxiing in at Gander and pray Stan-evil were not in town!!!

Later..MOG:cool:

[gareth herts]

You could go and watch jets at Coltishall, Alconbury, Bentwaters, Sculthorpe, Woodbridge, Honington, Wattisham, Brawdy, Chivenor, Wyton................

[Goer Round]

When engine technicians still had pistons as a Q annotation
When there were no such things as Q annotations
When RAF was written R.A.F.
When direction signs to RAF bases (stations) had red white and blue backgrounds
When railway warrants were green
When 1250s were laminated blue cards
When "hairy" No 1s were still issued to Boy Entrants/Apprentices
When the RAF still had Boy Entrants and Apprentices
When Cardington was still the Youth Selection Centre

and.... OK

When the Tornado was first introduced at Honington (and yer couldn't get near it 'cos it was SO secret!)

1963-1993

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

MRCA was the bees knees........ and the EAP was to die for.:8

[cynicalint]

You could go to the pub for a pint or two in uniform and get a blue light taxi home

[mystic_meg]

The disappearence of white dog poo is due to what dogs have in their diets these days.

The white doggy doo is mainly due to water evaporation leaving calcium behind. The inorganic components are left behind due to the organic bits being consumed in various ways.

Today's modern dogs don't eat anywhere near as much bone as they used to, including bone meal. Butchers just don't give them out any more. The BSE crisis was to blame for that. Today's much tighter regulations on dogs doing their business on our pavements means that droppings don't hang around for years in public places like they used to, giving them less opportunity to dry out and turn white

.... and that concludes the Fido memorial lecture for this year from the Turdmeister

[Al R]

Someone (sorry, but I've forgotten who you are and I can't be arsed to go back and check because my puter is running slow at the moment) said;
Wagon wheels were a decent size and you still got free milk at school.


Wagon Wheels? What about Cadbury Creme Eggs?!:sad:

Some of the JPs were still getting free milk when I left as I recall too.

Anyway. I remember when..

You could get a shag simply by being on GDT (sorry chaps, but its true.. we took your women and deep down, thats why you hate us)
You had pay parades and it was still exciting to wonder what you'd get paid.
The highlight of most weeks on ops overseas was getting the weekly BFBS video box.
The Rag and Oil Company still baked compo bread with the day of the week on it.
You could count the amount of times you had seen the wheel reinvented by young officers, on the fingers of one hand.
NMS was still a nasty rumour.
Being caught in the WRAF Block was almost worth it.
NBC smocks had seperate and velcro attachable hoods.
You had to press puttees.
You could hitch hike in uniform.

[Pontius Navigator]

When Y-fronts lasted for so long it was embarrassing.......

They issued underpants

and there were pale blue aircrew ones too, with rubber buttons

[Yellow Sun]

Flying suits were blue and had buttons to close the pockets.

YS

[sarsteph]

They have started issuing underpants again, except they are skintight ones that you're meant to be able to wear for a week under your desert kit - not that I've tried, despite being out on ops just now :).

[Pontius Navigator]

Beags. The disappearence of white dog poo is due to what dogs have in their diets these days.

The white doggy doo is mainly due to water evaporation leaving calcium behind. The inorganic components are left behind due to the organic bits being consumed in various ways.

Today's modern dogs don't eat anywhere near as much bone as they used to, including bone meal. Butchers just don't give them out any more. The BSE crisis was to blame for that. Today's much tighter regulations on dogs doing their business on our pavements means that droppings don't hang around for years in public places like they used to, giving them less opportunity to dry out and turn white.:ok:

More information than we needed thank you.:sad:

[PingDit]

No2's were hairy and you had to blanco your webbing belt.....:{

[airborne_artist]

...puttees were issued, to be worn with with Boots, DMS

[Clockwork Mouse]

Wimmin weren't allowed into the mess anteroom and your man put petrol into your aircraft...

[RODF3]

No2's were hairy

Surely you would need to see the SMO, or get a back, sack and crack:\

[Al R]

Airborne;

[QUOTE
...puttees were issued, to be worn with with Boots, DMS
[/QUOTE]

Remember DMS high leg extensions, to look like NI patrol boots? :O

I remember when;

Leave passes were put firmly at the bottom of the in tray.
Keo was 19 cents a bottle.
'58 pattern webbing was still under trial (I don't actually, but I thought we were overdue some creep).
We still had NAAFI shops.
A budget holder was a tatty red briefcase.
You still had a duty POL storeman sitting miserably in that little hut.
Combat Soldier 95 was still a twinkle in his dad's eye.

[Airborne Aircrew]

Wagon Wheels? What about Cadbury Creme Eggs?!Whatever happened to that little speccy kid that advertised Milky Ways?

Ahhh... Pay parades... I always felt somewhat akin to a beggar... The right hand flatters with the snappy salute while the left edges forward in a surreptitious fashion while whispering " 'ere Guv, can you spare a tanner"

Talking of tanners... Octagonal threepences, big old pennies, ha'pennies, shillings, half crowns, crowns, ten shilling notes.

Finding a ten shilling note - buying three pints, ten No. 6 and a box of matches and still having one and six left over... :D

Hitching in uniform was one of the best though. In uniform I was home from Catterick in less than 5 hours guaranteed, (home was south of Oxford)... Out of uniform it wasn't worth going home for the weekend.

[Al R]

We talked about CC? On BCTS he rasped my name and I marched smartly forward and stamped my foot in.

"Corporal!" I bellowed.

"You f#cking ranker, he rasped.. "What have you done to deserve £88?"

I had had a tax rebate and blew it all in the Boot and Shoe when we were next let out.

Agree 100% about hitching. On the FT, I once got to H in about 8 hours. :D

[PingDit]

RAF issue PT 'shorts' were calf length!

[stevef]

RAF shirts had detachable collars and dhobi-ing was done in the Airmens Block sinks with 3" x 2" x 12" blocks of soap that would defy a woodworker's rasp. Manual bumpers to polish the billet floor. One individual sheet change per week. Yeah - those were the days...

[dkh51250]

Battle of Britain days at Middleton St George with "new" Lightnings displaying above Hunters, Javelins, Varsities, Beverleys and Twin Pins.

[ImageGear]

The mess rose bushes at 1GP were laid out for comfort :eek:
Imagegear

[soprano54]

Spartan was a rank, not a tank.

AI R mate I think you mean Centurion, technically speaking a Spartan is just an APC!:=

[Pontius Navigator]

RAF shirts had detachable collars and dhobi-ing was done in the Airmens Block sinks with 3" x 2" x 12" blocks of soap that would defy a woodworker's rasp. Manual bumpers to polish the billet floor. One individual sheet change per week. Yeah - those were the days...

And NAAFI sold plastic collars that looked like the starched one.

Officers carried swagger sticks.

Officers wore hats in civvie so they could doff them to Mrs Sqn Ldr.

Batmen.

Sports afternoon.

The station commander was the only one with a staff car Standard Saloon.

The senior engineer was the Station Technical Officer, a sqn ldr.

Admin Wg was staffed by aircrew :}

[Toxteth O'Grady]

People used to be nostalgic :ouch:

:cool:

TOG

[Maple 01]

Real controllers did Papa Golf 19/20 Deltas with acetate overlays and chinagraphs from the 30. Delta 310 was active as was the Bentwaters ATA

[Nimman]

FKI's once a year.
Standard Vanguards
Towing aircraft with David Brown tractors
Queen Mary trucks

[Al R]

Soprano gently chastised thus;


Quote:
Spartan was a rank, not a tank.
AI R mate I think you mean Centurion, technically speaking a Spartan is just an APC!:=

Alright, alright.. fair one, no one likes a smartarse. I did think I might get away with that one here. And come on, at least I didn't say, 'I remember when we didn't have ID cards, because we both knew each other.'.

[Maple 01]

'I remember when we didn't have ID cards, because we both knew each other.'.

We'll be going back to that after the next round of cuts......

[Pontius Navigator]

Weekly pay parade.

There were two station bikes. One was for getting around the station.

[Al R]

Good god, SWO's treaders. Going up the hill From Stamford on one, with 4 bags of Morrisons shopping on the handlebars.. single speed. :=

[trap one]

ID cards were blue and laminated and the the photo inside wasn't you.

PS Maple what about the L word Low level 90's that was something of an art for getting 6 runs in. ORAC feel free I know you did it!!

[Two's in]

'Army 2000" was a vision, not a manning target.

[Al R]

.. when TAM was a Tactical Aide Memoire and not something some of us might ever need to deploy with.

[Pontius Navigator]

We had passive defence and an ABCD Officer who looked very smart in blues with Regiment flashes.

[Al R]

Old No 2's worn in a military manner and with the required badges were smart, yes. I agree. Footage of Bofers 40/70 being fired by snappy crews in afb serge is cool.

[splitbrain]

We had bases in Germany and could:
Buy duty-free cars.
Spend 3 years drinking Warsteiner, Lowenbrau and Schnapps until it came out of our ears.
Wash down the above beverages with Friks, Bratties, chips and mayo.
Be woken up at oh-four fcuks-sake to go generate some jets for NATO.
Spend several weeks of the year freezing our gonads off on Sennlager range during Ex hard Frost :\

[sled dog]

Does anyone remember " hangar floors " from the NAAFI van ? Talking of station bikes, from a previous contribution, "Silver" at Binbrook, mid 60`s ?

[RETDPI]

Our starred officers were all ex-WW2 and had "been there"

[Big Tudor]

When gate guard's were armed with nothing more than a pick-axe handle.
When the overseas tour list read like a Kuoni holiday brochure.
When East Germany was white on the maps (apart from the corridors).
When the defence of the realm was in the hands of Shackletons, Lightnings and Phantoms.
Trying to find a town in Britain that didn't have some sort of military presence.

[Al R]

Our starred officers were all ex-WW2 and had "been there"


.. and who had more proper decorations than than they did baubles and MBAs.

[HILF]

When RAF Welford still had an RAF presence (a flight of "dumpies" under the command of a first "tourist" Flt Lt).
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
Unfortunately, I then took over as the first stawberry mivvi OIC and then shut the place! :O:O

HILF

[Pontius Navigator]

When the defence of the realm was in the hands of Shackletons, Lightnings and Phantoms.

Lincolns

Our starred officers were all ex-WW2 and had "been there" and often had bits missing like arms, legs etc

[Al R]

.. when compo still contained a sweets, chocolates, raisons and nuts (scran) pack that lead the world.

[pedroalpha]

.....................When my SAR callsign was - Pedro 45!

[ORAC]

PS Maple what about the L word Low level 90's that was something of an art for getting 6 runs in. ORAC feel free I know you did it!! One thinks one is referring to V3Bs; one could do inside ones; outside ones or mixes with ftr or tgt turning inside or outside.

One of the old WO controllers had actually produced a book, about 12" thick, with acetates of every possible combination of Binbrook sorties in Staxton airspace. Personally, I used to wing it. God, those were the good old days. between us the Binbrook pilots and the Staxton controllers regularly sucked in and spat out F4s, F18s, F15s, F16s, Shars. The atmosphere was that, old kit or not, we could kick anybody's ass......

[ZOFO]

Cpl was a bl:mad:y good (respected) rank, and we were all too busy with SD814 Duties too worry about anything else

[Pontius Navigator]

Shuush check for that Omega:cool:

[ZOFO]

Morse ruled:ok:

[vecvechookattack]

I remember when we just went low flying.... No planning for hours, booking in, fearing that if you stray 50 yards of track you will be in the poo, photocopying the route, filing in the paperwork in triplicate when you land.....Nah, we just went low.

We used to get issued 300 tabs a month as well - if you wanted them or not...

I was issued a pussers razor, shaving foam and 3 pair of underpants... Bizzare

And I also remember joining BRNC at the same time as 50 Iranian Naval Officers.... Wonder what they are doing now

[Airborne Aircrew]

I remember when we just went low flying.... No planning for hours, booking in, fearing that if you stray 50 yards of track you will be in the poo, photocopying the route, filing in the paperwork in triplicate when you land.....Nah, we just went low.

Ahhh... You were SH then...

[Satellite_Driver]

MT came in one colour (black) and had the radio removed - allegedly at extra expense to the MOD.
F1250s were blue.
CCS was GDT...
...and SNCOs attended it in 'Chiefy Combats' (DPM over blue shirt and jumper)!
IOT was 18 weeks...
...but half of every entry got recoursed.
98% of admin was done via the trusty pad of memo forms.
You could ring the exchange at RAF Little Snoring, ask for Fg Off Bloggs / SATCO / Bert in Clothing Stores and the operator knew who you meant and put you through to them!

[Al R]

SD said:

You could ring the exchange at RAF Little Snoring, ask for Fg Off Bloggs / SATCO / Bert in Clothing Stores and the operator knew who you meant and put you through to them!

Yes yes yes!!!:D

Is there anything more annoying, than calling from a civvy line, and they insist on telling you the GPTN. In fact, its almost as annoying as them saying '.. uhhh, where does OC Ops work again?'.

[clicker]

£5 notes were large and white.

[It's Not Working]

Ah yes, Memo Pads, Signal Pads, Typing Pools and no bl00dy computers. On the flip side there was Government Property toilet paper!

[ORAC]

And running everything off on the roneo machine. Taking the ribbon off the typewriter, typing it onto the onion skins, filling in the mistakes with correcting fluid, then peeling off the back and putting it in. Then you had to ink it up and crank the handle. All those hundreds of sheets of slightly smudged text to be stapled together and then distributed. UROs, SRO etc etc.....

So much easier than type it in word, put in an email and click. Ahh! the good old days...... :rolleyes:

[engoal]

The NAAFI wagon.

When 1250s were white the first time round, before they went blue.

A SWO called Bernie who used to ride everywhere on his bike in his No1s.

A SWO called Bernie who, whilst tired and emotional, used to ride into the (locked) main gate heading outbound at midnight+ and demand to be let out.

Convincing the Americans at an airshow in Frankfurt in 1987 that our trusty Victor was Britain's answer to the 'Stealth Bomber'.

[It's Not Working]

And finding those SROs and URO (and everything else that ORAC has printed off on his Roneo machine) hung up on a bulldog clip rather than spending hours hunting for it hidden in the depths of a computer - yep, the good old days :ok:

[Goer Round]

Trudging up to 230 OCU HQ to beg for a go on their photocopier, the only one at Scampton (which used pinkish thermofax paper)
Walking home in the rain in the hairy battledress and looking like a soggy mess of blotting paper when you got home
March in/out inspections when everything had to be gleaming (and the interior of the oven oiled - and God help the next occupant when they fired it up)
Great tins of yellow polish - floors, cleaning
Cups of tea brought in the morning by the batty

[Al R]

Life before death by Powerpoint.
Costas in the PS bar.
Jock's NAAFI wagon at Akrotiri "Hello c#nt!!"
Telling SIB that I liked peas and gravy when asked if I wanted to make a statement and receiving a kicking from a few of them.
BFG numberplates.
Pointless military branding exercises, like making 'stores', 'supply'.
Sweets General Service Issue Hard Boiled Coloured Various Suck or Chew.
Jankers and show parades thrice daily.
DCIs (Get wise to DCIs!).
Blue letters.
Honest assessments (alas).

[vecvechookattack]

Pointless military branding exercises, like making 'stores', 'supply'.


The RN did that and we then changed the branch again to Logistics.... which reminds me...

Went into stores (Supply / Logistics) one day to get a new Navbag only to be told that I couldn't have one because there was only one left and someone may need it !!!!!!!!

[BEagle]

When you could just drive onto a station and park by a building.

When the sqn used to close at 1200, everyone not flying went to the OM bar, then the sqn was re-opened at 1330.

'Crew rounds for a pound' in the scruffs' bar after night flying (5 x pints @ 20p per pint per round).

'Eggy-bakes' in the OM kitchen after the bar closed.

You only saw cabbage-kit on exercises.

'Rat pies' from the NAAFI wagon.

'Aircrew feeders'.

Batties giving you a wake up call and bringing a cuppa.

When 'NATO standard' meant 2 sugars.

'Wobbly' or 'Charlie' hangovers in BFG.

BFG!!

[Maple 01]

MT cars were slime green Vauxhalls

[Al R]

.. when MT cars were gloss blue Minis!

(waits for Austin 7 comparison.. :E)

[Green Flash]

..... 50 baud teleprinters , that I could just about plot from in real time. Except for the bars and pre-bars; I had a sadist for a boss who made us plot the damn things even though we got them on molfax.





(Sigh)

[windriver]

Jock became a member of that terrible football club.
You could order slugs for your airgun from Eagle
Sandy Richardson could walk
My mate pitched up on a parade without a tie.

[effortless]

You could bum a lift home for the weekend without having to a chitty.

You could get air cadets to polish the Lightings at Colt.

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

Navigators were taught to transfer a star shot from a bubble sextant position line "round the corner" on an air plot, whilst transiting at FL 100 over a dismal, dark and very windy UK at nearly 180kts ground speed.

[exMudmover]

RAFG NATO rules allowed anyone - Air Defenders, MudMovers, Recce pilots - to bounce ANY other jet you met in flight and have a good old punch-up without any prior arrangement or briefing.

The Sunday night film show overseas was in the open air with 16mm projectors. (Overseas means a hot climate, not RAFG)

Refusing to fly with a hangover was the action of a deadbeat and a no-hoper.

Write-ups on student pilots were Staff Eyes only, and you wrote the truth.

Pilots joined the Air Force for a Flying Career, not just an interlude before Airline flying.

[Clockwork Mouse]

...you could use your aircraft to get you home on a friday afternoon and return it discreetly on a sunday. Providing it was quite small, of course!

[BEagle]

All RAF pilot trainees were given Basic Flying Training.....


















....on jet-propelled aeroplanes!

[Utrinque Apparatus]

We were lions led by donkeys :E

[AR1]

When you were only issued with one pair of No2 trousers.

Less shirts than there were working days in the week.

Carrying your hold all with RAF in dayglo tape on the bottom guaranteed you a lift virtually anywhere without the fear of being bummed or shot.

A call to 7 SQN meant a flight in a Canberra that afternoon.

The Canberra never getting out of its parking space.

The highly trained, paid and Commisioned crew saying, "well lets pretend we're going somewhere" and making engine noises and jiggling around on the seats for a couple of minutes.

When Tennants cans had girls on them http://www.cannyscot.com/ - collect them all before you die of liver failure. And they were only 30p each.

When Curly Wurlys were so big you could use them as a ladder.

I can confim that the Bone/dogdoo explanation is true. I gave my dog a bone last year and his poo was white. I spent hours looking at it in fascination and getting that warm somewhere else feeling that you get, when listening to an old song for example.

[Ivor Fynn]

Million Lira meal bill - Deci
Enrico's - Deci
BFG
10 DM hangover
Station Bikes
Regiment SWO's
All the Bases I had served at were still open!!!!!!
Macrahanish!
Turnhouse!
Chivenor!
Bruggen!
Laarbruch!
Wildenrath!
Gutersloh!
Americans flying from Goose Bay!

Ivor:E:E:E

[camlobe]

We still had Marine Craft Units.
We still had 'chippies'.
We had Duty Suppliers who actually answered the phone on the second ring at oh-my-god-O'clock.
We still had NCO pilots, even into the late '70's.
We had AOC's parades, complete with station bands.
We had lots of overseas bases.
We had lots of squadrons.
We had lots of aircraft.
We had lots of manpower to get the job done right.
We had lots of spares to get the job done right.
We scrambed for real.
We had no problem getting home and back at weekends because we thumbed it in uniform.
When on trains, we never knew when asked 'you must know my son/uncle/husband, he's in the RAF as well' because the RAF was BIG.
When all our aircraft were British.
When all the equipment on our aircraft was British.
When the Senior and VSO's earned their promotion.
When the VSO's listened and you saw results.
When you got well and truly gassed on GDT.
When each station had a gun club.
When we had FLM's.
When we had WRAF's.
When we got our full entitlement of cold weather kit.
When we were so proud of what we were part of that everyone tried to sign on.
When no-one tried to PVR.
When the rockapes used to brain themselves in the Pen Club fans.
When honkers was a delicacy.
When the RAF woud bend over backwards, officially or otherwise, to help you, one of their own.
When the only time you had to run was to catch the bus to the NAAFI.
When you could bum a lift in Anybody's-Air-Force aircraft.
When low flying was exciting because it was exciting, not because someone might screw you afterwards.
When there was always room on an indulgence flight.

Yes, I remember when...it was when I was young.

camlobe

[Al R]

Camlobe,

Ref the Pen Club, have we met??

I remember nights in the Pen Club (84-88) when;

We used to wheel the jukebox back to the block for the all nighters,

When the fans competitions started to get serious at fan speed 4 (I whimped out then).

When Butts stopped it at 5.

When Butts got back onto solids.

When the APC pengys were given their proper island arrival briefing. :E

When we used to ride our 'peds to the bar.

When officers had their own bar to go to.

When Fingers made the best flip flop sarnie on the island, for a quid.

When Costas used to shout 'Tosstey rrready!' and it sometimes almost was.

When we used to hold our July 5th VC night to annoy Olive Harvest, dressed in inside out NBC suits, tin AK47s and cone hats made out of reed beech mats.

When JJ decided he could jump off the roof and land in the bush outside the Pete's Gopping and very nearly made it.

When we had proper Summer Balls.

When Ratboy finished the US recce capability in the region when he beat up the TR1 pilot.

When it used to open up for us on the QT at 06:30 when we came off ops and we were asleep by 08:00.

When we'd each almost polish off half a demijohn of 6 month old Keo cocktail brandy.

And then take on the world.

When Brian Deeley made 3 of us move out of the block and live in trenches on the sqn for 1 week for getting caught fighting there.

Good nights.

Its 'Charlies' now, or something equally toss isn't it?

[Al R]

When officers contented themselves with saying 'Yes' instead of 'Absolutely'.

When the attendees on a stn execs GDT course would actually believe you when you told them that CS had been banned for H&S reasons and had now been replaced with a locally purchased lemon and jasmine room spray. :ugh:

When secondary duties were exactly that.

When you could sleep off an hangover by inspecting the camnet score.

When sqn cmdrs inspected accomadation and when we had bullnights and when mingers were given a regimental bath.

When the duty officer actually checked the JRM.

When Chris at RAF Benson served me Beef Wellington, my finest ever service meal.

When we had a stn library to go to.

When Sponge put Fullers Earth on the upper blades of my roof mounted room fan, and the stn cmdr decided to check it by switching it on. Standing underneath it.

When the ME had 'no NBC' threat.

[airborne_artist]

When as a tyro RN P we lived in the SeeCo (sp?) Huts, the annexe to the OM at Leeming, and paid lower accom charges, as they were left over from WWII.

[It's Not Working]

Pre-AFIs - where did they go?

[soprano54]

Its 'Charlies' now, or something equally toss isn't it?


It's called 'Tommy Tuckers' I believe, I agree................toss!:yuk:

[mike_alpha_papa]

We had: Bomber, Fighter, Transport, Technical Training, Flying Training, Coastal, Signals & Maintenance Commands. Far East Air Force, Near East Air Force, No 2 Allied Tactical Air Force.

AMWD, MPBW, PSA - when works jobs used to get done promptly by real tradesmen!

NAAFI dances at Spittlegate - WRAF training depot :)
same at Freckleton - nurses training

Doing Fire Bucket with a pick axe handle

No elf 'n safety

MAP

[trap one]

When Lenny Henry was bricking himself about appearing at the Xmas NAAFI Bop at Colt as the previous year the committee's choice didn't meet with the audiences favor and had been bottled!

[PICKS135]

When Air tragic would ask you to pull a brake chute off a Victor as it would'nt release so it could taxi back :eek::eek:

Wrapping a brake chute round the tailplane of a Lightning.

When the current SWO at ISL was an SAC :{:{:{ [Hi Gary]

Marshalling aircraft in a Batman Mask.

When a Danish groundcrew member brought his 10 year old son to Leuchars on the detachment Herk, and no one batted an eyelid.

Ugly Competitions :ok::ok:


God I'm getting old.

[Pontius Navigator]

'Eggy-bakes' in the OM kitchen after the bar closed.
You only saw cabbage-kit on exercises.


Eggy-bakes at the skippers house at o'ch:mad:t hundred with Mrs Skipper staying out of the kitchen.

Eggy-bakes at the Bawtry Cafe, in mess kit, after a dining-in night

No cabbage-kit

The Sunday night film show overseas was in the open air with 16mm projectors. (Overseas means a hot climate, not RAFG)

In cinemascope with and ordinary lens. James Bond 10 feet tall.

[Pontius Navigator]

Mike Alpha Papa, you forgot MEAF

And RAF Eastleigh etc

[camlobe]

AI R

Hello and maybe. Visited a number of times in the 'ole Grey Lady between '84 and '88.

The welcome brief (every time) from the plod i.e. it's not here...
Desert boots (personaly purchased but accepted as official footware)
Waking up in a DEEP storm drain complete with a Charlie hangover.
Brandy Sour's to die for.
Best haircut I've ever had from the guy by the SWO's office.
Button bay booze up's.
Ski Cub booze up's.
F4J-UK's having a bad time trying to get their radar gunsights right.
Bouncing monsoons.
Victors using ALL the runway even with brake chutes.
'Charlie' Chan not quite making it back.
The 'Blue Lagoon' LWB series Land Rover.
Quiet and later, not so quiet nights in Limassol.
Weekends at Aia Nappa (Oh, yes).
Convincing the Army MP that it was quite all right for me to ride a motorbike in the SBA without a helmet as I was an employee of BT.
Tatty Ton dropping the targets with no holes on the runway (re the F4 comment above).
Chit Chats that only complained when you stood on them.
Goats milk.
Cypriot taxi drivers from Hell.
Best steaks I have ever eaten.
Best fish meze's I have ever eaten.
The coke machines that never quite ran out no matter how much you drank.
The 'it's not here' doing circuits and bumps, and its chase vehicle.
The various parties.

And, of course, the quiet nights in the Pen Club.
The guys coming into work the following morning with 'fan rash' on their foreheads.
The one night when a guy from VASS came in with three girls. Thought he was on a winner. Laughed too loud too often, and got too pi$$ed. As the night went on the girls found other company. He was not a happy bunny. Think he had a fight instead.

Yeh, I remember the Pen Club.

camlobe

[Al R]

Cam,

Charlie Chan, the Lightning that crashed, right? I was working out of the Op on the hill behind the village (Bacon Grill Hill :E) and was down in the quarry, when Dave W came over the net telling us that a Lightning with big problems was coming in. We tanked it back out of the quarry as it whistled over. I think the motor had been turned off by that stage. He ejected with a flash and it bounced into a grapevine with a thunderclap and then ammo started cracking off. The ejection rail (I assume) was clattering against the fuselage. Very exciting stuff for a young shaver like me. He was ok I think, a wagon collected him.

The barber was Gary, and he's still there so I hear. The SWO I remember there was WO Sutherland, ex Scots Guards. I imported a XR2 (Rosso Red, alloys and sunroof, ohhh D519 GYK where are you?) and myself and Sensible Burgess took it for a spin down to Buttons. We burned off the SWO and he chased us. We pulled in and quickly removed our earrings. He chewed us a nice sphincter, but when I had my wedding reception down at Buttons (class act me), he was awesome. A top bloke, and just what a SWO should be like. He used to lurk in the bondu behind the garage and catch the APC guys moping over with hands in pocket and no hats on. Napa was awesome. I tell my kids that I went there when there were only 3 bars; VIPs, the Black and White and a.n other, I forget. Sleeping on the beach.. great times.

Is the grey lady, the Shack? I had a jolly on that, we had a peek at the Soviet fleet off Libya. I had come off a bike outside the block and had a broken wrist. The captain asked me if in my honest opinion I could parachute in a drama (chaaa.. :rolleyes:) and I said I could so he said 'hop aboard then'. Jammy Turner was so called because he lost his jolly in a Canberra that develped asymmetrical problems on take off and ended up upside down on North Ridge. He ended up doing a fod plod on the wreckage of the very a/c that he was going to be on. A Wessex crashed off Buttons too, with a medic and nurse on who didn't get off, very sad.

I was invariably on jankers and the preferred punishment was to sweep the main drag between the MGR and the Main Gate.. that must have been 2 miles at least. In summer, wearing ye olde body armour and tin lid. You can't crack me, I'm a rubber duck :ok:. The sqn boss was a guy called DT Bills, who is now bursar of Stamford School for girls I think. During one exchange with him, he was about to pass sentance on me and all of a sudden a local barged in, emptied the bin and walked out again with a cheery 'Hellllo!'. It was surreal. The stn cdr had a small vineyard by his office, and one night, I got in there with a WRAF APC. We idles the night away in various positions, munching grapes, but it was only 18 hours later that I was to find out he had sprayed them with a hideous chemical. My throat swelled up, the swine.

I went there a bright eyed boy and returned a gibbering wreck. Fighting with 2SG was the norm, but on one occasion, they had a guy raped by some Lebonese fishermen in the harbour, so G Coy got themselves a fleet of 4 tonners and one night, trashed every single Lebonese bar they could. Good drills :D. Those boys stuck together. Remember the Argylls killing the RAF SAC by dropping a paving slab on his head at the Pen Club? Bastards. There was also the Ay Nik spy drama, and the subsequent RAFP cock up. I was having a drink in a bar one night in limassol with Stupid Burgess and a middle aged guy with a Middle East complexion and an English public schoolboy accent started chatting with us.. 'So, tell me.. he said 'What are your thoughts on the inflammatory statement by that puppet Thatcher to about the latest attempts by the Soviet President to promote peace in the region?'. Subtle. We smirked and left.

Great great times.. and as for those nurses.. jeez. I had been working on one for months, and one Friday night, after Shaun had finished the Gadaffi Hop, I asked her if she'd like to come back for a coffee, a chat and perhaps to listen to my new Simple Minds album :yuk:. Anyway, she said yes and I almost yelped with excitement. She needed to collect her kitten though, from the WRAF Block and I said 'Of course!!'. Anyway, with the cat duly collected, back we went. Got her back and the cat decided to have the biggest loose sh#t all ever over my bed. I had bollocks like a mountain goat by that stage, and alas, was destined never to achieve the objective.:{

[BEagle]

I was going to take a cheap shot and comment upon how appropriate it was that a Rock Ape should have a 'Simple Minds' album.....

But I won't, becaues your contributions reveal to today's kids how good things once were!

On the mighty Tin Triangle, we often took groundcrew lads with us on the 7th seat, as well as a Crew Chief on the 6th. One day we went to Goose with a happy youngster on the 7th; he was last seen disappearing off with the local det guys who promised to 'look after him'. This involved him being taken to some very dubious Newfie spots....

Some days later, the Boss ('Sweaters', later to Cat 5 himself in a Chipmunk...) and his crew came through on the way back from Offut to Scampton. During the evening in the pub, he asked how things were going.... "Well, fine Boss. Brought one of the groundcrew out on the 7th, he's been having a great time $hagging his way round North West River ever since!"

"Good lad! What's his name?"
"Cpl ******"
"**** - that's the bugger that's going out wiht my daughter. And you've let him screw his way through all those clap-ridden Newfies?"
"Another beer, Boss?"

Also went to Luqa. For youngsters, 'The Gut' had nothing to do with Gutersloh!

Such days!

That's if you've ever heard of Gutersloh, of course.......

[WasNaeMe]

Wegberg :O

[Al R]

Gutersloh?

Mmm. That was the stn I spent least time of all at, in RAFG and spent most time deployed off the unit, than on it. I enjoyed Wildenrath the most. In the 80's there was a documentary on the BBC about Wildenrath's TACEVAL. That would make fascinating watching today, it'd show just how much the role has changed in 25 years.

Ok, I remember Vulcans landing at Catterick.. to be burned. They closed the A1.

[dwhcomputers]

When Cpl MTDs were all over 50 with war medals and pilots wings
Drinking Tiger beer until closing time and then catching a taxi to changi village for a meal and not spending £2 all night
Going on the MT boat trip to Coney Island in the Jahore Straights and chatting up the Scaley Girls
Being called into the Flt Sgts Office the next day and told to stay away from his daughter
Being called into the Flt Sgts Office two weeks later and told I had volunteered to be posted to Kutching (I wonder why)
Catching the last truck back from Kutching Market Place to get back before Curfew
Flying in the whistling wheelbarrow or flying t*t, in Hastings, Twin Pins, Bevs Belverderes etc etc whenever you wanted after working nights on a sleeping shift.
Watching a film from the wrong side
Going on a Beach Trip with 50 others organised by Mabel from the WRVS
Watching Mabel in her Bikini (Bra and Pants) and thinking what a body
Waking up the next day to reality and realising Mabel was nearly 60
Being charged with Whilst on Active service did urin*ate against the Naafi Wall

Watching a Vulcan blow the last 15 feet of the runway down onto the road below whilst doing a roller

[occhips]

I remember the hooter going at 3 in the morning- packing 14 days kit (two pillows) in to a blue holdall and going off to war

[Maple 01]

Why was it always 3 am? Why did we never plan for Ivan to kick off after breakfast?

[Samuel]

Ah...sweet nostalgia.

As a lad of 19 and on my birthday at RAF Eastleigh, being offered a lift at the gate by the CO on his way to Nairobi and him seeking me out the next day to ask if I'd got home OK. Do senior officers like that exist any more? Walking home in the mossie drains at Eastleigh to avoid falling in! Hitch-hiking safely from Nairobi to Kampala and back. Night-flying in a 30 Sqn Beverley to see the flare-path I'd laid from a pilot's point of view. "Brilliant" he said!

As an SAC at Cottesmore, opening Crash Gate One to let in one Johnny Johnson who always stopped for a chat. He reckoned he could be in his office before the snowdrops on the gate gabbed that he was on station. Being introduced to his replacement, one Gp Capt Martin[?] as, "the man who opens the crash gate for you"!

Always beating the aircrew to their Victor on Mickey Finns.[It was a matter of pride fellas!].

Sanding and repainting , at midnight,the Snowdrops shiny landrover which they had put on its side and then begged us for help to fix before morning.

Having transferred to the RNZAF, walking out at Mildenhall to the RNZAF DC6 taking me to NZ and realising the guy who offered to carry my bag was the aircraft captain!

[Saintsman]

Free Kokinelli.

Cisk & Hopleaf.

Leuchars. Leaving Hendersons at ten (closing time) to make last orders in the NAAFI.

The T-bar putting a barrel on to match the one bought by someone posted.

Being woken up at sunrise by the birds under the window, squabbling over the reminents of the previous night's technicolour yawn.

Voluntering to top up the emergency oxygen bottles first thing in the morning so you could sniff it to try and overcome a hangover.

All before I was 18!

[RileyDove]

I remember when a tour to the Falklands was considered crap and everyone would love to go somewhere like the Gulf instead if the possibility existed!

[BANANASBANANAS]

Getting a "Double Magic" from the guys at Butcher Radar for making the intersection turn off at Belize in a VC10 - I got quite a few "Crap" as well.

[om15]

Beagle, you mentioned the Gut, celebrated my 21 st birthday down there, and was inert freight back to Akrotiri in an Argosy the next day, visited there out of interest a few years ago, it's now dentists and estate agents premises, the hop leaf still tastes the same.
The Pen club certainly has a battlefield history, during the complications in 1974 the Rock Apes took over and couldn't be shifted, the rozzers put the dogs in and that didn't work, when they were ejected they were put in the dog pens by the guardroom to sweat it out the next day, several people died through booze one way or another during that period.

Going up to Bellapaye and Kyreniia via Troudos on a motorbike, going on one week benders camping at Polis, seeing flamingos on Ladies Mile, really laid back posting,

Best regards,
om15

[Pontius Navigator]

Your service number was just a number.

Singlies shared cars.

Monthly bar bill limit.

Merrydown Cider.

When Stores had nav bags etc over the counter.

When cold weather flying gloves came as gloves, left and gloves, right. Not as a pair and different colours.

Socks, flying, woollen plain and Socks, flying woollen ribbed, and Vests Raschall knitted (string to you and me)

[Clockwork Mouse]

Your word was your bond.

[mike_alpha_papa]

Hospitals at Halton (Son born there) , Ely, Nocton Hall, Wroughton, Cosford, Wegberg, BMH Singapore (Daughter born there)

12 months "not having" at Gan
Waiting on the jetty on Sat evenings for marine craft to go to Nurses Dance at Hittadu!
Dhoni races
Billet bars at Xmas
Ogling at female staging passengers on the pan and at the transit hotel (Blue Lagoon?)

Drawers, cellular
Stick, button,
Kit, sewing (or was it housewife?)

MQ inventories that listed Serviette Rings & Jelly Moulds, but for WO's only - that really gave you something to aim for!

[Fareastdriver]

When a pompous,self opiniated twit who was my head prefect was doing his national service and had to help strap me in to my ejector seat.

[effortless]

When the MO, Staish and Adj. all had time to see that you got the best deal poss when you had to go.

When the RAF made the effort to re-settle you as well.

[Al R]

River Swale crossings at 0430.
4 minutes for lunch.
Pokey Drill.
Keeping an eye out for the nurses minibus.
Sharing Xmas dinner with uncaring hungry Muslim children.
Army roast spuds basted with marmite. :ok:
Early breakfasts at the 'Wessex Restaurant'.
Leaving march out prep until the day before.
Eurocheques.
Being allowed to use electric floor buffers after 4 weeks of Basic training:ok::ok:.
The sheer pride at wearing my Reggie slides for the first time.
And OGs.
Falling naked into nettles at a leaving do.
Having my fingers mashed in the breach block of an M60 by the Flt 'enforcers' because I f#cked up once too often :E.
Thinking an SAC who was 27 was really old.
The wonderful smell of WRAF Blocks (well, compared to the Rock Block anyway).
Wet sleeping bags.
Lying in a shell scrape or in a bivvy, or in the OHP part of a fighting trench at night, and hearing someone looking for his relief and hoping to god it wasn't me and pretending to be asleep (frequently).
Throwing away the NBC filter packs of the CVR(T) and smuggling back bottles of spirits from RAFG (allegadly).
The face of the junior Royal Marine officer who dropped his 9mm into an African river from the helicopter just after saying the Regt was gash.
Trying edible candles.
Being sick.
Butts successfully shagging a tin of compo sausages with the middle ones removed.
Replacing the middle sausages.
Passing the tin over to the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers at hand over 2 hours later, who never got compo sausages.
(Ordinarily) Compo sausages :ok::ok::ok:.
Hearing the C5s and Blackhawks land at Akr and thinking 'What have the Americans been doing now?'.
African sunrises.
Happy African children.
Rigid raider patrols in the Med at night.
Wessex roping drills :=.
The stripper at Swinderby.
Doing bunny hops around the airfield at Catterick, in my No1s and with my bed pack on the shoulder. :{
Leaving a unit for the very last time.
Attesting in Swansea with my best mate.
Meeting up with my best mate at the Railway Station as we both travelled to Swinderby together from Port Talbot.
Remembering that excitement and nervousness I felt, when I woke up on the morning I left the RAF.
Despite the bullsh#t, wishing I could do it all again.

[TacLan]

Being introduced to the Staish 4 days after arrival, whilst wearing a T-shirt with “You Fat Ba$tard” on the back in 3 inch dayglo letters:}
Getting your telly chipped at CIS Eng so it would work
Night flying meaning that you couldn’t follow Corrie on BFBS.
Augmentation force
Thursday night at the Rugby Club, Nurses from Wegberg, pink polar bears and wobbly
Friday night at the NAAFI Shag and Shuffle, then Roermond, St Georges square, Hermans (the beer boutique) the Blues bar and a Schwoarma
Saturday night Families and Fottie club, then MG “The street” or the Red Hen/Mucky Duck.
Taxi rank outside the NAAFI, full of cream Mercedes
Paying next to nothing for a Car/Stereo/Telly and 3 DM (a pound in old money) for a tin of beans
Sixth sense & the Forces Echo full of adverts for car headlights
BFG tick test, BFG roadworthiness check & fuel coupons.
The “No jerry cans” signs at the ports
BFBS Weather……”levanter cloud at Gibraltar, raining and windy in the Falklands……”
Ration cards for Gin, Tea and Tabs
Families NAAFI, Gifts and Stiffs, JHQ big NAAFI, JHQ BX, NATEX Geilenkirchen, NATEX Bike shop.
Huffy mountain bikes, Webber barbeques
Fear Dry Inn, Deafen Inn, Chicken Inn, Fix it Inn, The Frog and Radiator…the list goes on
Bugger…………it’s all gone:{

[DSAT Man]

Taking ages to make one OHP transparency pre-Powerpoint days.

Seeing some god-awfully-tedious Provost Officer dump about 80 OHP slides on the right hand side of his talking torso and watch him gradually move them over to the left hand side during the 2 hours it took him to lecture us about RAF Security during IOT.

I still have nightmares. We had enjoyed the NAAFI wine tasting night the evening before and people were desperate to throw up or pee but there was no escape!:bored:

[SirToppamHat]

Being asleep during a 24-hour shift under a console in full IPE during Neatishead's Taceval, and being kicked awake by the FA because we were launching more F4s out of Wattisham.
The front door of SHQ being only for use by officers and WOs only.
Not having prices on the evening menu in the mess!
Having a problem with a Married Quarter that was sorted out by going and speaking nicely to a WO and, whilst we're on the subject, workmen who we're employed on the patch, so actually gave (or were allowed to give) a crap about the quality of work they did.
Being able to call someone a puff without it resulting in a sharp intake of breath from all around you.
Watching The Dambusters Film and hearing the Dog's real name (Nigger).
A fighter that couldn't turn and maintain level at FL390, so had to go into Dutch airspace to avoid descending into an Airbus at FL370! Oh, sorry, it's still in service.
Airways having colours!
Sufficient airspace south of Y70 to do 2 lots of PIs in (and enough servicable fighters to manage it!).
Service papers that actually made sense (even if you didn't agree with them)instead of being so full of management bolleaux that the only one who understood it was the author (and there is some doubt about that).
A Service that set standards for itself, based on the actual task required of it, rather than being reliant on external validation by (ex mil!) management consultants, most of whose work is carried out by us, just so we can have IIP/ISO9000 or whatever this month's latest fad is on the bottom of the corporate letter head.
Headed notepaper that didn't need a 'corporate logo', because the RAF Crest said it all.
Not being allowed to use charts as they were too expensive, so having to
rely on hand-drawn copies to keep crews out of active danger areas.
Service chefs (I know there are still a few out there - keep up the good work!).
Annual Leave.

I now need to go and lie down.:*

STH

[Shackman]

MAP - you beat me to it.

Persuading the transport crews to wait at the jetty for the ferry to the Nurses Dance on Hittadu

Chip suppers in the Blue Lagoon after long sorties (and that first beer when the changeover SAR crew arrived).

The all night (and most of the following day) bridge games - where are you George H?

The relief on leaving/the relief on finding Gan.

Mail drops to Diego Garcia (and the first approach ever to its newly built but not finished runway).

Flying Officer crews.

When FEAF was only 17 hours by VC10.

When marriage allowance was abolished and everybody got the new 'military salary' - the day before I got married!

The OMQs for JO's at ISK were the caravans at Findhorn.

'4 for Kirkie (SP?)/Uckers/Bridge etc' - and that would include the boss.

Promotions were based on primary performance not secondary duties.

But we couldn't fly past 55.

[Pontius Navigator]

The stripper at Swinderby.
The Barnsley witch at Finningley. Recpetionist during the week and the main event at Marham at weekends.

[Al R]

That reminds me a little about one weekend in Napa. We were all chilling out on the beach and OC Wraf plonked herself down alongside us, without knowing she was about to disrobe infront of 4 sideways glancing, disgusting, letchorous young SAC gunners. Anyway, she did so and we all gaped at her not unsubstantial assets :D.

'Stupid' Burgess (we had 'Sensible' Burgess too) spoiled it by sniffing 'Err hello ma'am.'. Consequently, she spent 4 hours in hell. Not wanting to be seen off by us, or getting her top on again.. yet knowing every time we saw her on stn and cracked one off, it wasn't always going to be a salute we had in mind.

[PingDit]

...when 236OCU student nav's used to inadvertently drop the Lindholme gear out of the bomb bay for Spanish/French fishermen to flog for 7 grand a time!

hee hee....;)

[Maple 01]

Trying not to wake STH when he slept on FA

Wakening WASP after his mammoth sleepathons on TPO nights (RIP Winston)

Doing a few Deltas and tanker joins for controllers who were too drunk when Tacevaled at 03:00 - (don't panic it was a long time ago)

Fiddling controller stats at the end of the month - uncle Joe are you out there?

[old developer]

The days before parade squares became car parks, when those few that had cars were the most popular people on the unit....
Always being able to find a "fourth for bridge" in any crewroom on any unit...

[Fitter2]

Ah yes, crewroon bridge - last through the door when someone was called out to the line had to take over the vacant hand (however pathetic) after a brief recap of the bidding. And take the blame for going 6 down.

[Melchett01]

Promotions were based on primary performance not secondary duties

My God, when was that?

[Pontius Navigator]

and of course we didn't have sandbags, not even paper ones taped to the glass.

[Guern]

Mmmmm Nurses at Halton I remember them!:)

[buoy15]

Maple 01
Tacevals at "oh 4 fecksake" - a great idea - if you didn't win, you dain't lose the whole day - left time to cut the grass, walk the dog, light the barbie etc.
Unlike at ISK in 79, the siren went off at 1645 on a Friday as the Happy Hour bar was about to open - must be a wind-up? - Nope!, and it lasted all weekend - being on SAR at the time, we were exempt - deep joy!
Didn't last for long though! - during the next 'surprise', it was evaluated that the most rested and constituted crew was the SAR, and they were 1st on the ORBAT
More better, (or so we thought at the time). We were in Gib in 84 with an engine out and they called Taceval at ISK - oh! how we larffed, thinking we would be there for weeks, until the Staish (Silver Fox) authorised a 3 engine ferry transit - must be a wind-up?....Nope!
3hrs 55min day! Bugger! - never really endeared to that man for some reason?
However, in fairness, he did relieve me of the smell of dogsh*t, sewage and exhaust fumes for the rest of that weekend

[trap one]

With coach loads of nurses from Norfolk and Norwich, and WRAF's from Swonton Morley bused in. ;)
Playing WRAF block races as the Plods raided it after the Bop.:ok:

79 Siren going at 2300 at Buchan for station ex, being met at turnstile to be told to go to crew room and not move till called cause I was that pi$$ed, along with most of the rest of the singlies.

[Pontius Navigator]

...when 236OCU student nav's used to inadvertently drop the Lindholme gear out of the bomb bay for Spanish/French fishermen to flog for 7 grand a time!

hee hee....;)

No I didn't. It went PING as I recall:}

[CharlieJuliet]

Being airborne off Cromer with Neatishead and being told to recover to Colt. Subsequently learnt that there had been a fire down the hole. RIP

[PICKS135]

Generation exercise at Leuchars on a Sunday afternoon just as the childrens Xmas party was finishing in the Cpls club :eek:

Detatching to Marham / Sculthorpe and enjoying evenings in the bar whilst waiting for Victors to return from up north.

Going to the Airmens mess on Christmas Day and getting a load of cold cuts from the duty chef,as we were having a party in the WRAF block [male and females invited].

Getting Tea and Sugar rations for the night shift, when we went for duty supper.

Missing the last ever APC to Malta. After getting my nose broken and MO saying I couldnt fly the next day in a Herk :{:{:{:{

Missing an APC to Akrotiri as I had to attend a re-settlement course:{:{:{
[Did me no good whatsoever, due to eyesight not being good enough for Prison Service.]

When playing the bagpipes at supersonic speed in an F4 was looked upon as a world record.

Buffing wooden floors at Swinderby with a metal/wooden buffer and blanket wrapped round it. No hoovering carpets in them days.

Walking across 111 Sqn line and the VAS pan, to get to the Q sheds. With aircraft taxying and no-one saying a thing about the lack of yellow vest.

[NutLoose]

When you could get a real sandbag..... all hessian and nice, none of this cheap imitations you get these days for floods.....

When the only people that went to the Gulf were BP

When the RAF had planes to spare........manpower........a budget.......


And to the above and the buffer saga............ polishing the floors up to a mirror finish at RAF St Athans then accidentaly dropping the buffer and cutting a nice V shaped hole in the lino.......... :ugh:

Getting hold of the said V in the lino and heaving it with all our might and tearing a big section out of the Lino about 10 foot wide, followed by tipping of lockers and beds... :ooh:

Several of us trooping up to the Guardroom, all shy and innocent and relating to the Orderly Corporal that we had just returned to our block and someone has trashed our room.:{

Parade in morning outside block of all rooms, whilst punishment dealt out to all the other rooms, for the wanton destruction, as we all looked on wide eyed and innocent :}

Sorry for that where ever you all are :E

[Al R]

:D

Good, quick thinking.

[bayete]

....the Shed Bus and Essential Bus were nothing to do with Tucano electrics but the last bus into York after Happy Hour and the first bus back to Linton the next morning.
.... having to use position of the sun and the *York/Lincoln/Salisbury Cathedral spire to work out where the house that you had woken up in was.
* Delete as applicable.
....The old Battying lady at Boscombe Down who used to find you to bring you your morning coffee, like the butler in Tomb Raider, where ever you had fallen that night...cupboard, corridoor, curled around the toilet bowl.
34 days to go.

[dwhcomputers]

Taking nearly 30 hours to get to Singapore on a British Eagle Britannia but at least being able to have a beer and a smoke
http://www.britisheagle.co.uk/gancfhot.htm

[cornish-stormrider]

I'm a smally ****** so please excuse me but......

Even I remember overseas dets that were not to the sandpits. And blacksheep at a princely 50p a pint.

And I never got to Flag!!!!

A Joe Swo who was an absolute gent to us when we did swo's marines and an utter b4stard if you crossed him.

A two week xmas/new year in the Q shed (I Volunteered) and then a whole month on detachment to my house in return........

Billy Fish and his tales of derring doo out in the far east.

Gobbing off to an ex-flem corporal and living to tell the tale (Just). He said a few words to me while holding me off the ground by one hand and threatening to kill me. He later made me very sick with the aforementioned Blacksheep

[philrigger]

;)
We had: Bomber, Fighter, Transport, Technical Training, Flying Training, Coastal, Signals & Maintenance Commands. Far East Air Force, Near East Air Force, No 2 Allied Tactical Air Force.

.... And Air Force Middle East.






'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'

[cliver029]

Talking of WVRS ladies, was it Gan or Masirah where some very bored people trained a monkey to Mxxxxxbate to order by giving it sugar lumps every time the WVRS lady came round.

And it was Masirah in the late 60's that the WVRS projector was used to show blue movies and a silver collection was made and donated to said grateful lady.

[Akrotiri bad boy]

..... it was easy to blag lifts. A ride down the low level network to Turnhouse in the AOC's Devon, or a lift on the "paper plane" (a Herald I think) to Blackpool for the weekend.

[Al R]

When your Flt Sgt could walk up behind you while in civvies, put a dog lead clip into your earring and say 'You want to look like a dog, I'll treat you like a dog' before tugging you out of the shop and kicking your arse down the street. He'd probably get into trouble now for doing that. :rolleyes:

[4mastacker]

Twice-daily working parades and weekly station parades on the red-gravel hockey pitch at Stafford.

Circuits and bumps at 5 (opening time) on the Commie's door in Leuchars village.

A stacker WO without an LS&GCM - something to do with the Commie, an RAFP sgt, the main gate at Leuchars and the DRI. :ok:

Leuchar's Cpl's Club p***-up for 892 NAS's final embarkation and the Tayside police's identity parade outside at 4.00am, looking for the "gentleman" who had had his evil way with a "young lady" for providing the taxi ride back to Dundee. (He'd taken her as far as Tentsmuir Forest and then told her to walk the rest of the way).

Charlie Brinkley's ferry at Bawdsey and them f:mad:g swans that lived on the sports field.

Thunderflashes under the door of trap one in the Ferry Boat Inn.

[Shackman]

......and when OX 38 and OM 15 were put in different shaped tins (and still trying to put the wrong one in on a dark and stormy night in the middle of Germany).

(to paraphrase another thread)

* * Pertama * *

[ARINC]

I could do everything required on a Turn round to a Minor Star with a torch and a screw driver.

Being told a SOXMIS was in the area...

Miss wayward body

Actually cutting a wall that said cut here for TTW. (Until we learnt it was an exercise :ugh:)

[Prangster]

Distinctly recall Flight Magazine referencing MRCA as either 'Must Refurbish Canberras Again' (re the cancellation of first the TSR2 then the F111) or alternatively 'Mother Rileys Cardboard Aeroplane' and now look it. Long in tooth and claw, and likely not with us much more.

[1.3VStall]

Oh,

How did I miss this thread for so long?

Looking out of the office window and seeing lines of jets on the pan (before it became the ramp), rather than them being buried in HASs.

Comms Flights moving RAF people around the UK by air.

All sorts of aircraft lobbing into RAF stations just before Christmas to drop off airmen on leave (I remember a Shack Mk2 disgorging a load of scousers at Woodvale in the early 70s).

A myriad of now-closed RAF stations - Acklington, Brawdy, Chivenor..... don't start me!

Airships who hadn't invented the phrase "I can't be seen to be taking a position on this".

Commanders rather than budget holders

Leaders rather than managers

Commands rather than Agencies

Enough, nostalgia is not what it used to be!

[Al R]

I remember when..

.. an engineering officer proudly showed me his new Outlook e-mail, and telling me that it would 'free him' from his desk and that anytime I wanted a demo about it, he had just done the course and would gladly spend an hour or so showing our section its features and benefits.In fact, the only e-mail I think I ever sent was when the padre logged on using my computer to read his e-mails, but left it logged on as he hurried over to the Chamber of Anguish and Despair. I took the opportunity to use his account to tell the station that 'I' was selling my wordly possessions at knock down prices and the proceeds would be going to children in Kosovo. Interested parties should contact me after work (do people still use memo pads, or are hard copies no longer sent in internal mail?).

When no matter how many times you watched it, the Silly Long Rifle weapon safety film always ended the same way.. with that wretched lad bleating ".. but Corp.. Corp, I thought you said 'Ready', not 'Steady' ".
When a JNCO would HAVE to finish a run infront of his section or be in the sh#t.
When Steady Eddie parked his black Cavalier saloon in the CO's spot just to see what would happen (nothing).
When our very tired Section Commander spent ages struggling with a suspect's name only to be told by me that 'alias' needn't be pronounced 'Al-ias' and wasn't in fact, an Arab name. I still have the signal as a souvenir of that momentous day, the day that I realised that Regt JNCO's weren't in fact, gods.
When I was asked in all seriousness, if I had ironed my laces before coming on parade.
When I was doubled off to the Guardroom for smirking on parade.
When LACs had to stand up and offer their seats in the canteen to SACs.
When, at a handover, an unsmiling Families Officer used an SLR bore brush and flannelette to check a door keyhole for cleanliness..
When the best part of SROs was at the back, seeing who had been done and for what.
When 8 man rooms would be partitioned with MFO boxes and be an absolutely fantastic room to live in.
When a chap had two pairs of Ron Hill Union Jack shorts; Best and Casual.
When you worried about Health & Safety afterwards.
When CAS didn't sound like a Harry Enfield character.
When I first saw a civvie on stn, actually spending 5 minutes arranging her pot plants.
When things got silly in the Pen Club by throwing knives into the overhead fans.
When, if travelling in uniform, the train conductor would tell you to get into First Class with a friendly pat on the back and a cheery wink (ok, that never happened to me but you get the idea).
When every Monday morning would be a proper COs parade.
When every Friday afternoon would finish with a sqn run.
When people didn't say 'Ok, sounds good. Can you quickly jot that down in an e-mail and send it to me?'. Ok, thats civvy street, but I bet it happens in uniform too.
When hearing the thud of a heavy NATOCARS envelope dropping through the letterbox was the best sound in the world.
When you got posted overseas, not deployed.
When 20 year SACs were the backbone of the RAF, not automatically promoted 5 year Cpls.
When you were allowed to all chip in and buy a block washing machine without being accused of 'stealing water'.
When WRAFs were non combatants.
When being given an hour off at lunch to get fed and do admin, only to be told that SHQ was closed for lunch and personal admin.
When we didn't need bloody Mission Statements, Investment in People and the rest of it because we weren't managed by idiots who needed the guidance. I accept that there is possibly more than a hint of rose tinted spectacles about this one.

[Saintsman]

Guard duty with nothing. Then a pick axe handle, an SLR (with no magazine), an SLR with a magazine (but no bullets).

Greatcoats

No2 uniforms made out of an old No1.

AOC's parades

[Gainesy]

The weekly(?) Devon with the new crypto codes.
The Friday JP from Strawbs doing a round robin with an ancient Master Pilot and loads of Tupperware boxes containing his wife's pre-ordered home-made pates.

Master Aircrew.

Aircrew with a Pathfinder badge.

Listening to the yarns of said blokes.

Now here's one you won't believe: AT picking you up from your station for a det.

The Herc OCU from Thorney Island coming out to do night circuits at Akrotiri, three or four in the circuit all bloody night, leading to the Local Controller's response to about the 50th call of "Blah, finals, three greens, to roll" with "Yeah, whatever".

Cypriot neighbour calling across, "Hey, look, a U-2".:hmm:

Thinking the milk and bread tasted "funny" when tourex and back in UK.

Some pratts out rabbiting with a 12-bore in an open top MG at Wittering and blowing a big hole in the car's front nearside wing.

The dragster "De Judge" built by the ASF lads at Witt. More Harrier/Hunter bits than anything.

[Wader2]

The kipper run to Machrihanish.

Station Flights.

Station Barbers.

Shoes without toe caps.

Shirts that didn't button below the waist, you had to pull them over your head.

Toilets for thin people :} - the brick built ones outside the hangars.

Doors without keys in the accommodation.

[snapper41]

When Ops, Eng and Admin were adequate descriptions of the wing roles, rather than 'Depth' and 'Base Support' :ugh::yuk:

[The Adjutant]

Being at Patrington when we won the Ingpen Trophy.
Lofty Wetheral when he was a FS
Paddy Gaw when he was a Sgt.
Mullards!! (You have to be GD(FC) for that one!)
Being the last CC (Before this new FA stuff) at Buchan down the old bunker before closing it down and handing over to the "new" BIF upstairs. I unscrewed the old ROTA plan site nameplate off the wall, and still have it in my loft.
Sitting beside Bob Livingstone in Cabin 3 at Patrington when the Lightning chasing the Shac intruder went into the sea in a storm off Staxton Wold (Not all memories are happy). When they recovered it the cockpit hood was raised, and the pilot had unstrapped and got out, but wasn't ever found. How spooky was that!!
Remembering ORAC when he was a Plt Off and I was a Flt Lt even then!!(God I'm old)
Throwing in a "quick 90" on the recovery to Point Alpha with a 15 mile split for 5 Sqn Ltg's

[The Adjutant]

Oh yes; and the day the Binbrook Lightning caught fire just after takeoff and the pilot ejected as it passed over Patrington, landing inside the Tech Site.
The day the Cyprus Coup kicked off
4 gallons of petrol and change out of a quid in Limmasol
kebab and drunk as a skunk for a quid in Limmasol
Nurses at Halton (Mrs Adjutant was one)
The 11 Group standby ADOC still using the same plot rods on the GSM as were used by the WAAFs in 1940. (We gave them to the RAF Museum)

[tarbaby]

Gee, I nearly had forgotten that.

[Wader2]

Gee, I nearly had forgotten that.

All bombers used to have Gee :)

[Goer Round]

Standing guard at Khormaksar when a shooting match was going on and the issued 5 x .303 rounds could be taken out of the brass cartridge 'cos they'd been passed around that often (and no, there wasn't any propellent in them!)

Being forcibly told to "**** off, you've done enough" after 36 hours straight administering the families/stranded tourists as they arrived back at Brize after the Cyprus invasion.

Bumming a lift for a 'look see' at Marham in Finningley's station Anson (and marvelling at the Beagle that replaced it)

[mstjbrown]

Philrigger

The MEAF comment made me wonder who else recalls the Mukeiras airstrip which we used during the Radfan campaign. At times it was immensely busy with a variety of AAC and RAF short haul a/c such as Twin Pins , Beverleys and Beavers.

I thumbed a lift in a Beverley back to Khormaksar after a few days with 45 Commando. He was taxying down the strip as I arrived and a quick jerk of the thumb caused an immediate halt and an opened door. They were good lads on 84 Sqn. Are things still as casual - and as effective ?

[camlobe]

Red Cans.
John the Fish.
Squadron Detachments when the WHOLE squadron deployed.
Senior Officers who backed you up and took the flak, and never gave you a hard time about it afterwards (Mike Dug**d I still owe you a crate of beer, Mike Frankl**d I still owe you one as well, Dave Henk*n I owe you a bottle of good Scotch).
SWO's who tore a new hole in your posterior, and then spent the next half an hour making you feel that you wern't a complete waste of space after all.
Watching the hangar clear in double quick time when the rockape WO and the SWO had the biggest, loudest slanging match in the history of the western hemisphere.
When the plods actually used to go into the NAAFI to clear out the rocks.
When the Orderly Officer went in with the plods.
Singlies Christmas Dinner served by the Staish and all below him.
Food fighting with the Staish and all below him.
When Boatwright was an RAF trade.
When there was more aircraft on an RAF station than cars.
When you got posted to a new unit...and nobody there knew anything about it.
When 'Yes' men were the exception, not the rule.
When Married Quarters were worth having.
When Pontious was a pilot.

camlobe

[1859sqn]

Working in Load Control at Benson in '69 and discovering the joys of collar-attached shirts. Dodging the SWO, Jack Holt, then getting posted to Odiham in '71 after a year at Muharraq only to bump into the b***er again!

[Airborne Aircrew]

Singlies Christmas Dinner served by the Staish and all below him.
Food fighting with the Staish and all below him.Have they stopped this wonderful tradition? :sad:

I was going to mention it but thought that they couldn't possibly have got rid of it...

[philrigger]

;)
mstjbrown

...... I thumbed a lift in a Beverley back to Khormaksar ......


Back in '67 when I was at Khormaksar 5 of us young lads went to Addis Ababa for 2 weeks leave. Coming back we were stranded across the water at Djibouti with no money left when a 84 Sqn Bev came in to collect the mail. A quick word with the 'Q' and we were sitting up in the boom on our way back. No paperwork and no fuss. Thanks again 84.
'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'

[TMJ]

Have they stopped this wonderful tradition? :sad:

I was going to mention it but thought that they couldn't possibly have got rid of it...

While I sonon't know that every single station keeps it up, it certainly happened up here in the frozen north last year...

[teeteringhead]

the SWO, Jack Holt ..aah Jack Holt - what a SWO!

When JH was SWO at Odiham, young Fg Off Teeters found himself hanging around the Staish's outer office for some reason. Staish was the namesake and the "lesser" son of a very well-known WWII Air Marshal and post-war CAS and MRAF.

Said Staish had very receding hair, but made up for it by growing it very long (well over the collar) at the back.

JH marches in, stick under arm, slashed peak etc, delivers scary salute and:

JH: Sir, I have checked your diary with the PA; it is free at 1530 today, so I have arranged for the Station Barber to come to your office. Thank you Sir!

Another scary salute, about turn and march out.

Ohmigod I thinks, I've just seen the SWO tell the Staish to get his :mad: hair cut!

[RFCC]

I remember when...
You kept your old serge hairy working blue trousers long after they should have been consigned to the dustbin, as new ones would take the skin off your legs! :eek:
... bright blue new working blue blouses matched with old slate grey trousers.
V-force duty suppers - throw a steak or two onto the hotplate
.. we had a V-force
The skys of East Anglia were chocka with mil jets
Crew-neck wooly-pullies with tie-strings at the neck; trogg boots with white sea-boot socks - lineys for the use of.
No guards on the main gate and a myriad of entrances and exits

[philrigger]

;)
Things of days long gone; PORs, FFIs, Pot Belly Stoves, PBX, .303s, Transit Camps, Early calls from the Guardroom runner (Towel on the end of the bed)

Overseaes postings; Singapore, Borneo, Malaya, Hong Kong, Gan, East Africa, Persian Gulf (Still), Cyprus (Only just still), Aden, Libya, Malta, Deep Sea Boxes

Chasing rabbits at night while strapped on the front wing of a David Brown tractor racing over the airfield at Lyneham with a pick axe handle in hand.

All bedding stores were run by a Cpl GD 'Paddy the Blanket'. Who walked around the bedding store with bumber pads under his shoes to protect the highly polished lino.

Getting 3 days jankers for being late at a previous (7 days) jankers parade.





'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'

[Al R]

Teeteringhead,

Brilliant, where have all the good SWOs gone? I remember a SWO turning up one day with a black eye.. he'd been fighting! :D

We've been talking about Mike Jackson recently, and I was reminded of a similar incident with him. I was doing TACP in N Bosnia a while back, and he visited the troops. Although a Battlegroup asset, we had a remit to wander as tasked and were always trying to clock up more miles than the Bootie TACP. Anyway, one day, we bowled up in the clank and debussed, being in real (and I mean REAL) rag order. He wanders over, takes one look at me and says 'Aha, someone in theatre with longer hair than me!!'. The RSM's eyes bulged and he hissed 'Wait here you f#cking Crab' as he followed in the man's wake. Like hell. I refuelled, turned around and got the clank out of there as quickly as possible.

Incidentally, having had cause one day to discharge my main armament and personal wpns (IW and SLP), I was asked by the QM of the same unit to write a statement about it as I was in the process of getting replen'd. Biting my lip, I did so (I have the photocopy still, it was done on the back of a Bluey). Then, he asked me where the empty cases were. 'In a f#cking minefield near Sanski Most, you want them you go and get them' I suggested none too subtly. He got his own back. When later asking for sh#thouse paper for the back of the wagon, he smiled and asked me 'How many men do you have? I need to work out how many sheets I can spare you.'.

Go Army. :ok:

[JamesA]

My first 1250 was cardboard, in an open ended acetate packet. All details handwritten, with space for three promotions as and when they occurred.

For SWO stories. I was in charge of a barrack block floor. At the end of one Station Master's inspection a Warrant Officer comes to me and asks when the block had last been decorated. I said I had no idea, but supposed it was in the normal 'Wonders and Blunders' programme. He replied 'I wouldn't keep horses in this place. How can I discipline airmen when they aren't smart and tidy if they have to live in these conditions.' with that he bade me a good day and taking his stick from behind his back and hurried after the rest of the party. We thought it was an OK place, not the Ritz.

As for all the other reminiscences, I can recall a lot of them but, some are too recent for me to know let alone remember. Must be getting old.

[Wessex Boy]

Buying the Stewards a drink every night in Brampton's Sgts Mess got your bed made and room cleaned every morning

'Falling over in the drying room' when not meeting Flt Enforcers standards during AAITC

Making sure your flights were scheduled for the mornings on Fridays so you could miss the traffic

Your instructors being more hung over than you the day after a cold-weather barrel

Trying to pee quietly out of the first floor window of the WRAF block whilst snowdrops patrolled outside

[MarkD]

Quote:
Singlies Christmas Dinner served by the Staish and all below him.
Food fighting with the Staish and all below him.
Have they stopped this wonderful tradition?
Christmas dinner for Canadian Forces at an FOB in Kandahar was served by the Chief of Defence Staff (http://www.rickmercer.com/blog/index.cfm/2007/1/3/Christmas-in-Flak-Jackets) last year.

[philrigger]

;)
NAAFI Leave Centres in Mombassa.

The NAAFI club in Chippenham.

The Chevrons Club just off Baker Street in London.

The Britannia Club in Singapore.

KD with buckles at both sides of the shorts and the rubber buttons.

Woolen KD socks.

All Bomber Command personnel had to have up-to-date Smallox, Yellow Fever and Cholera certificates.

Jnr Techs, Cpl Techs and Chf Techs in the General Office and Accounts - and in the Cookhouse and in Stores.

Cookhouse, Accounts, General Office.

When we had Clks Personnel, Accounts, Postal, Organisation and Administrative Assistant.

TAGs that worked in the Tin Room - What a job !








'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'

[FCWhippingBoy]

Singlies Christmas Dinner served by the Staish and all below him.
Food fighting with the Staish and all below him.
A certain base with 9 red aircraft still has this tradition, well the first part anyway :}

[Krystal n chips]

Whe your clearance chit included the Bike store

When I was making a nice addition to my wages buying King Edwards in the PX at Bruggen.....and selling them to the Canberra crews at Gut...who ordered in advance,,,,,,thanks guys :ok:

A visit to Roermond was essential....to buy ex Dutch AF blue in lieu of the hairy we were still issued with !

A very old Flt Lt Devon pilot arriving at Valley one day....spoke with a broad Yorkshire accent on arrival.....and Home Counties English on departure the next day.

Eating fish n chips ( and guarding ... in theory ) under the wing of the first F-111 ro divert into Valley...the mag in the SLR was empty...the full mag was sealed in about 5 sheets of polythene wrapping....watching the Yank engineer who came to fix it sign another guys name in the log with the explanation "the :mad:has done it to me".

Watching the expression on a two pip grunts face on Ex Snow Queen at the bottom of a hill....he had alleged that the RAF contingent had learnt nothing on the course....almost true....we learnt about every watering hole in the local town....and challenged me ( selected at random it seems ) to prove otherwise.....he was wearing down hill ski's....I had cross-country ski's...he went round the outcrop.....I went over it....arrived at the bottom and said "Beat you, you bastard !".....I was then reminded of my lowly airman status in life.

Happy days !

[mstjbrown]

JamesA

And the lad on the line at Honington who had a picture of a gorilla in place of his mugshot on his security tag - one of the leather ones which were hooked to the breast pocket button. It lasted for a few months before anyone spotted the difference.

[Airborne Aircrew]

When Harry the B@stard was the pilot and Juan A Phuc was his crewman...

When Harry the B@stard was thrown out of Leeming(?) OM bar after being invited to remove his HtB name badge and replace it with his real one. He did, but his real name, (of Polish descent), looked sufficiently suss that the Wg. Cdr.(?) threw him out for p1ss-taking...

When carrying a broom or a clipboard was a guaranteed days skate.

When "Big Boots", (OC II), led the friday after lunch run round the peri-track at Catterick - When you finish the run you were finished work for the week.

[trap one]

You could travel from London to Norwich (81) and see at least 10 different types of RAF A/C in the sky.

[Al R]

Can't remember if I mentioned it AA, Gp Capt (retired) Billy 'Big Boots' Bremner died last year of cancer.

[jimgriff]

I remember when air cadets were routinely flown in any and all operational RAF aircraft.
Whilst on annual camps from the early 70's to mid 80's I have flown in:
F4 Phantom
Chippy
Canberra
Lancaster (BBMF)
Herc
VC10
Puma
Chin
Chinnook
Sea King
Wessex
Gazelle
Whirlwind
Bulldog
Dominee (sp?)
to name a few....

[Airborne Aircrew]

Can't remember if I mentioned it AA, Gp Capt (retired) Billy 'Big Boots' Bremner died last year of cancer.

You didn't... Shame... Of the three OC's I worked for on II he was arguably the best. Funny, all three had surnames beginning with "B" and, again arguably, they got better the taller they were... ;)

[buoy15]

Swapping a threepenny stamp for a cigarette at the shop on E Camp St Athan
How to beat the bobbies in NI when picking up a penny when driving absolutely pissed (always pick up the middle one)
Being pissed on by fruit bats outside the Camp Stack in Gan
Gan Staish on a bike with his flag on the handlebars
Curried shark caught that day in the Lagoon
Knowing all the duty free beer times for Malysia and Singapore
Dead rats thrown into the fans in the Malcolm Club at Tengah
Rock Apes using heads trying to stop fans at full speed
Minesweeping 37 portions of peanut sauce outside JC's in Tengah village
Circumnavigating the Tengah Bar without touching ground whilst ripping out all the wall lights
Surving a nights sleep in a monsoon drain between the Tengah Bar and base
Biting into a marmalade orange fresh from the tree outside the Sgt's Mess at Akrotiri
Never being threatened to apologise because of sincerity, loyalty and honesty

Wearing your uniform in public with pride

[El_Presidente]

I'm just a wee snip of a lad compared to some, but...

I remember when you'd finish work at mid day in Akrotiri, hit Arabs at 1pm, back to the Mess for a sharpener at 5, before heading into Limi; not to be seen again until appearing at the front gate a 5am looking for a lift from the coppers back to the Mess, ready to start work at 7am...

And repeat once more...

:E


These days it seems all they do is 'hit Arabs...'

:8

[Airborne Aircrew]

Being pissed on by fruit bats outside the Camp Stack in Gan<LOL>

Being pooped and peed on by Spider Monkeys close to Caracol Ruins in Belize a year or two after they were found... It took a while to work out what was going on since they were so far above us in the canopy.

A four ship slipping up the Belize river to attack APC just after dawn and racking up a total of twenty plus provable, (blood patches), birdstrikes... One ship had 9, mine had 5... Small birds, fortunately.

Walking into a souvenir shop in Limmasol just after lunch and leaving it 3 hours later, utterly legless on free Cockinelli (sp)... with a plaster of paris statuette of Athena... :D

[chiglet]

Joining on New Years Day 1963 at Swinderby, then being put on three days jankers......Two days later :{ for "Unpressed No1, Unpressed Great Coat and Dirty Buttons [on both said items]"
I had had them 2 hours......:hmm:
Hitch hiking in uniform. Once, an arctic stopped before the thumb went up [I was crossing a road] and he bought me lunch at the Transport Caff :ok:
Doing the Lyke Wake Walk, 'cos the Journos at the Hull Daily Mail challenged us. Wng Cdr "Tiger" Woods accepted......and we won :ok:
Being paid by a Flt Lt Lacey :)
Watching the FCTU beat up Patrington domestic site...flying below roof top height...and these were "chalet" type buildings :D
Setting a "World Record" for playing Dominoes non-stop for 48 hours, then being disqualifie for playing Yorkshire rules, not London ones :mad: Enlivend my an "Invigilating" WRAF Pilot Officer in civvies...wearin a Mini skirt and [just] tights underneath, and liked crossing and uncrossing her [long] legs :ok::D
Then many years later, unashamedly crying, as I videoed my son passing out at RAF Hereford to the RAF March.
watp,iktch

[Samuel]

This is the most "laffalot" thread there is:D

Oh sweet nostalgia. We really did have a lot of humour:ok: Keep it up!

[Airborne Aircrew]

Oh sweet nostalgia. We really did have a lot of humour

And the funny part is that you can't make up most of this sh1t...:D

[Samuel]

Chuff charts at Eastleigh when the standard overseas posting was two and a half years, with no phone calls or e-mail.

30 Sqn Beverley doing a ten-wheel drift in the mud at Eastleigh, then claiming he was 'testing the surface'.

The numerous guys trying to convince the powers that be that they should be discharged because they were too eccentric to be 'in'.

Rocks from Khormaksar trying to make out with the WVS ladies who ran that leave camp at Mombasa. They were never that good looking fellas.

Inventory checks by junior officers who hadn't a clue what it was you showed them.

A kit inspection at Cottesmore when said officer inspected some items at least three times, having been passed along behind his back.

The Irishman who fell out of the upper floor barrack block window at Cottesmore, having opened it to take a leak. Fortunately too pi**ed to remember, and too relaxed to be injured.

"Fat Jack" , the Maori guy from 14 Sqn RNZAF who removed the juke box from the McGregor Club.

The cacophony made by chinese cymbalist who bounced off a funeral truck outside the gate at Tengah, and the Rocks who helped him to his feet!

The entertainment provided by the Rocks whenever they went into the Tengah Bar, which was often!

[dkh51250]

Trying to collect a full set of the girls on Tennants cans. Building walls out of the empty cans. Destroying the beer can walls of the oppositon.

[Al R]

Burning junglies on the Sarawak border before leaving the jungle. ("Ohhh, don't worry, its just a precaution, nothing to fret about. Possible lurgies you understand").
Eating rat stew caught by a smiling local tribesman (the tattoo rings around his neck indicated how many British squaddies he had once killed).
Doing a combat swimming test in the South China Sea.
Then being told by the MO that under no circumstances should we so much as dip our toes.. in the South China Sea.
Being bumped up to First Class on the outgoing 747 while my boss was having a slash. I sent him back a small bottle of champagne with a remark about lonely it felt, what with all the albow and legroom.
At Larkhill, and realising that the rat#rsed army WO2 talking to me was the man who had once locked me up, and who was now trying to remember the name of the rockape he had once locked up.
Weekend block parties.
Assuring a magnificently breasted WRAF that 'No, of course I'd rather watch you make us both home made Baileys Ice Cream than go out with the lads again. They can be a bit rowdy.. and, well.. I guess I've changed over the years thats all. You won't think any less of me will you?' and getting away with it by later achieving the objective. :E
Track bashing CVR(T).
Punishment runs around the parade square carrying 2 full water jerrycans.
Having Cantonese Reindeer in Hell.
Expecting Mick to chuckle when I told him that the mind damaging bleeping sound that he had been ranting about for 6 weeks and which we all claimed not to be able to hear was an almost dead fire alarm I secreted into the air con duct in his room.
Wondering why Mick couldn't see the funny side if it. :confused:
Hearing the crash alarm at Witt, looking out of the window near the threshold and remarking 'Don't be daft, how can it possibly be a Hurricane?'.
Really, really wanting to jack it in on Basics.
Realising that my mates did too.
Helping each other through it, but not realising it at the time.
Just being so proud when I collected my No1 with my mudguards and just smiled like a lunatic when I put them on in the tailor's shop there.
When leaving the RAF, some dweeb in SHQ not even looking up and saying 'We've got a load of Jubilee medals in the safe left, do you still want one?'
Brian Deeley (rest in peace, bless him) chewing me a new arsehole at Akrotiri, hitting the desk with his 36" ruler and it fragmenting. One of the pieces hitting him on the nose and the other landing on his beret. Him smirking and telling me to get out while the going was good.
The 12SU Walkabout.
On the FT, using my car as a locker to store 12 pressed shirts, 6 pairs of pressed OGs and 2 pairs of highly polished boots.
Losing the key an hour before inspection.
Cpl's Clubs
The duty MT drivers picking you up because you'd pissed your taxi fare up against the wall.
Service calls. :E
Being told that excessive exposure to CS gas could cause short term memory loss but being relieved when assured by an MO that there was no evidence to support such a claim.
Service calls. :E
Good looking girls on GDT.
A H&S twonk asking me if 7.62mm ammunition presented a hazard to the end user.
At Hullavington, extending from 6 to 9 years and not finding an officer in SHQ to countersign it. Bumping into the AOC and stammering my predicament. Him signing it.
Lying about your assessments to your mates.
Your mates lying to you about theirs too.
Stun dressing up a a padre and getting an invite to the Officers Mess at Hohne.
Dave and I hosting a indoor air rifle range at a Bruggen Oktoberfest in the Officers Mess, getting more drunk than the punters, setting up an assault course and teaching close quarter battle.
Denying all knowledge of the damage the next day and blaming it all on immature junior pilots who really should have known better.

[Gainesy]

First aid lecture, cue Dick the Doc:"What do you do if you see someone having an Epileptic fit?"

"Lob him in a bath with your laundry?"

Ted Vaughn at Wittering having shinned up a drainpipe on the WRAF block and edged along to his love's window, he taps on it, she opens it, and knocks him off the window ledge. Lovely cast on his arm.

The stink in the back of the Hercs and Argosies doing Casevac in Black September. (Can't actually remember who they were evacuating, the aircraft had Red Crosses applied over the fuselage roundels).

Phospheresence on the water in midnight swims from Ladies Mile.

Using vodka to light the barbie at same.

[Wader2]

Phospheresence on the water in midnight swims from Ladies Mile.

Would that have been a full moon by chance?:}

[teeteringhead]

Using vodka to light the barbie at same. .. or filling the windscreen washers of the TeetersMobile at a secret helicopter base near Bielefeld with NAAFI vodka - 'cos at 5DM/litre (with an FFR of 5.5=£1 :{) it was cheaper and better than the Halfords stuff that NAAFI stocked (but strangely didn't sell much of.....)

[Airborne Aircrew]

1. Being late out of breakfast at Shawbury and missing the transport to the Sqn so the four of us walked. Alarmingly the runway light was red, (highly unusual at that time in the morning). Looking up the glideslope I see a landing light about a mile out and immediately think "Mossie... Naaahhh, there's none of them flying".

At 3/4 of a mile I say "That's a Mossie". Everyone says "Naaahhh, there's none of them flying".

At 1/2 and 1/4 of a mile I'm still saying "That's a Mossie" even though I am convinced none are airworthy. Then I hear it and I am even more convinced it's a Mossie. Finally, the twin Merlins touch down immediately in front of us not 20 yards away... Beautiful...
2. Then, on another occasion, there's all of us reading the Sun, (ok, looking at page 3), and drinking coffee in the mess waiting for the transport to go to the Sqn when the whole mess begins to shake, (pictures on the walls, light fittings, tea shaking etc.). But there's no sound of a large jet and Shawbury probably couldn't handle a jet the size needed to create that amount of shaking... It stops and we go to the Sqn a little puzzled but thinking about the days flying. On the radio at the Sqn is the news... There was an earthquake.. :eek:

3. Flying my first mountain trip out of Shawbury with a certain Crewman Instructor with a patch over his eye. Somewhere deep in north Wales just short of Snowdonia the young pilot asks for his lumpy box. Crewman Instructor replies that he'll get it. A minute later, when I'm intently trying to navigate and not get lost, I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn to find myself looking down the barrel of a 1" signals pistol with "Take me to Cuba" written on the top of the lumpy box in chinagraph. I nearly fell out of the kite laughing... I did get lost!!! :sad:

4. Waking up in my house in Ash Vale and opening the curtains to find that all the little trees planted along the road are all damaged and debris is all over the street. "F$king Vandals" methinks. Go to bathroom and open curtains to find a 100' tall tree in my yard that wasn't there the night before, (horizontal). Wife asks "didn't you hear the wind last night?" Nope. Try to get to Odiham. Can't, trees down everywhere. Go home and call the Sqn only to be told I must get to work ASAP because they need crews. I finally get there after cross country motorcycle riding to find I am the first crewman in and the wind I slept through the night before was a Hurricane!!!

5. A week after said hurricane Michael Fish, (BBC weatherman), while trying to defend the BBC Weather Service after dropping the ball on predicting a hurricane, proudly announces that they get it right 48% of the time... :rolleyes:

6. Mid November Monday morning. The Monday Met brief is done by the Met Man at Odiham who has to drive all the way around the peri track. We're all sat there and he is giving the brief about 10k vis, 1/8 cloud at 3500', zero precip etc. etc. etc. while we are all looking out of the windows watching the dense snow. Sqn Cdr clears his throat loudly a couple of times and, when he has Met Man's attention, flicks a look towards the windows. Met Man pick up all his nice slides, throws them over his shoulder and, as he departs, says "Of course, you could just look out of the window... Classic!!! :D

[Tim Mills]

Talking of Tennents beer cans with pinups on, Akrotiri in the hayday of the mighty Canberra, dining in night, late in the evening Station Commander, an Air Commodore in those days, idley appraising said beer cans left around, young Cornish Flying Officer Navigator from 32 Squadron, known to all and sundry as Oggy, takes one to Stn Cdr, shakes it, hands it to him saying 'Here you are, sir, there's a bit left in this one'.

[Al R]

I remember the night of the storm well AA. We were back in the UK and my section was tasked with establishing a covert OP on the edge of a taxiway dispersal area at Lyneham. This we did, beautifully, and avoiding the ever so cunningly deployed trips :rolleyes:. Established comms, got comfy, time to stag on. Then it got windy and we lost the antenna. Then the next one. Then the trailing wire. And it got cold too. Oh, and wet. Extracted 2 days later extremely character built and reported that it had been a waste of time as there had been no flying. 'Ohhh', came the reply.. ' so thats where you've been, did no one tell you to get out of there as flying was cancelled?'.

:ok: If it ain't raining, it ain't training.. :}

[Once A Brat]

BigBlueCar wrote:

"...we used to go from Belize to Florida once a month, to top up the stn LOX supply"

Ahh, the Homestead LOX run!!! Fond memories of having to go along for the ride just in case the loadie needed help to push the bulk LOX pot out the back in a hurry. :) as if!

Also,

- Belize, in general.
- Watching Lightnings go vertical from the runway at night.
- Ligntning Lineys with singed berets.
- Getting 7 days Jankers for 'consumption of alcohol' in a barrack block.
- Making sure that I didn't get caught again.
- Being served beer on VC10s.
- Blue 1250s.
- Blue overalls.
- Spares on the shelf.
- Enough blokes on shift to fit said spares.
- Lean being something that you did on a wall.
- Meeting the EngO, now as a fellow Flt Lt, who once wrote 'Cpl Brat has reached his career ceiling plus one' in an ACR (only discovered once F6000 were unlocked from PMAs vaults).:}
- Job satisfaction.

[Gainesy]

Would that have been a full moon by chance?:ok:
It'd be a Blue Moon before I can spoll that word for shinystuff in the oggin again. Or are Blue Moons at Gander?

[Pontius Navigator]

:ok:
It'd be a Blue Moon before I can spoll that word for shinystuff in the oggin again. Or are Blue Moons at Gander?

Blue Lagoon at Keflavik with a full moon on a starry night with snow all around.:}

Then when we used to have about 8 weeks leave including grants and travelling time but we didn't have enough money to go anywhere.

All the fabulous things we could have bought in Singapore but . . .

The chaffing dishes in Tehran.

The money changer in the market in Nairobi.

The crowd in the Long Bar of the New Stanley in Nairobi

Eyeballing an RAFP SIB - he knew I knew who he was and he flashed a NO with his eyes.

Same bar, same time, ex-9 sqn copilot present now flying for East African.

Then there were the RAF SNCOs based at Eastleigh, on the town in No 5s. Nothing to do with two above of course :)

[buoy15]

The "Coon Saloon" in Keflavik where 5 bucks bought you 20 drinks
The "Brass Nut" at Kef when it was so cold there was a curfew and you were ordered to go on the piss in pairs for safety?
Wearing a kilt whilst on airshows in the States - especially Cleveland, Ohio
Getting laid for having a British accent in a southern Redneck bar
5 hour golf rounds stuck behind 6 ball nobbers giving high 5's after every shot
The suspicion when you said NO to 3 fried eggs and a pound of grits with your breakfast
The deathly silence in McDonalds when you said "No Mayo" with your order
The reaction at the checkout when she say's "Have a nice day" - and I reply "Yes I'm going to, I'm playing golf in 20 minutes, then I'm going water skiing and then off to a barbie. Later I'm going to a few bars and a night club in South Beach and then back for some sleep as I will later be flying for 6 hours near the Bahamas and then back here tommorrow to see you at the same time - Gee I'm missing you already"
Gas barbies, mountain bikes, chain saws, Toys'R'Us when dollars were pounds

[Pontius Navigator]

The "Brass Nut" at Kef when it was so cold there was a curfew

So C***** M*****s having had his foot bound up in the Med Centre calls for a taxi back to the block.

Taxi arrives and C**** hobbles 10 yards or so along snow/ice/water path on crutches. Gets in taxi. Gives address.

Taxi does U-turn, stops, says $4. C**** gets out hobbles 10 yards or so along snow/ice/water path on crutches to block.

Total distance 25 yards, taxi 5 yards, cost $4.

Only in Kef!

[Al R]

The smell of Jizz Trees in the bondu just before sunrise. The smell of damp dust and stinking sweat stained lightweights from the day before as the sun warmed things up by 0630.
Chummers on a pre promotion course navigation night exercise, flagging a Cyp down and scrounging the section a lift hidden in the speedboat being towed. We debussed a k short, and got our heads down for the night instead of tabbing 20 miles.
Top of the Pops pirate cassette tapes.
Those awesome No6 KD dresses which unbuttoned down the front..
Asking someone on Delta Force why on earth he was filing down 9mm rounds.
Not getting caught pinching the Wraf Block sign.
Getting caught putting the Wraf Block sign by the Dog Section.
Being charged for sunbathing
Watching the Northern Lights whilst out night skiing. Gaping.
'Where the f#ck is Decimomannu?' T Shirts.
Buying yourself out.
Laminating an A3 piece of paper having written 'Gay soldier on board, honk for a bonk!' and placing on the back of the convoy commander's Land Rover (with a revolving pink light on the roof) on the way to the docks.
Putting a few frozen fish from the ferry galley in his wagon heater box when he got shirty about it. He soon got the hang of things.
Chicken in Cyprus, that smelt and tasted of fish at Akr.
WRAFS in Cyprus, tha..
BFBS (Jon Scragg, Tommy Vance etc).
The bogs at Soltau ranges (any tankies remember them?)
Polish Tank Transporter Coprs drivers, the last retired off in 1985 (ditto). I salute them all. :D
OC C Flt getting lost and leading a Flt attack in the armour.. across the main fairway at Bruggen golf club.
Tacevals, thanking god that we were about to be nuked because soon it'd all be over.
When dug in, putting your hand over your mouth and pretending you were in full IPE (when talking on the net).
My last range shoot with the SLR. Then cleaning it better than ever before.
When, in OPs, using the swiftsacope sniper sight to see what freq the locals were flying their remote control aircraft on (they used a blackboard). Then.. passing the info to the guys in the clank who would then transmit at 50 watts.. :E
Getting back to the clank to discover that Lou and Mich (tailor and upholsterer in civvy street) had decorated it in crushed crimson velour and made us all 3 piece suits out of sandbags for the summer ball.
Prior to a summer stalk in Cyprus, scheduled to last 48 hours, covertly pouring warm orange juice mixed with honey over an army lad's sniper 'ghillie' suit.
Doing an anti aircraft shoot and being told not to shoot at the very expensive drones. Yeah, right.. :ok:
Expeds.
OHPs
TV rooms.
Snooker rooms.
Beautifully worn in and comfortable windproof smocks.
Rads, not cGy.
"It is my duty to inform you that it is an offence to remove from this or any oher...!!"
"If however, on returning to..."
Block barbies.
NAAFI ashtrays.
Helpful, well trained NAAFI staff who saw themselves as being there to help you.
Reference my last, cancel.. out.

[Maple 01]

Wanting to kill Baz Riley for being more of a nob than Steve Wright on the radio

[Airborne Aircrew]

A|R:

You'd better get all these down before Alzheimer's kicks in... :p

But you did dig up a few more for me...

Smells:-
The smell, (and oppressive heat/humidity), when they opened the door of the VC-10 in Belize.
The smell of my freshly washed and dried, (in Belize), clothes when I opened my holdall in the UK.
The smell of my arm past he elbow after mistaking a dead sheep for a rock while white water canoing on the Spey and trying to use it as a brake... :(
The smell of a certain WRAC attached to 8 Signals in Catterick that was so "fishy" I quit...
The smell of a block at Xmas in NI after a day and night's toga party that ended with a puking competition.
The smell of acrid sweat on troops that have been in the jungle two days or more
The smell of "clean" after having had the acrid sweat smell after 4 days in the jungleSilly Buggers:-
Jamaica: Russian trade delegation staying in the same hotel. Many a happy few minutes as they waited for transport spent trying to confuse and confound their political "handlers", (babysitters), by getting close to them and trying to start conversations with the members of the delegation from multiple directions at the same time...:D
Nearly convincing the hooker in Raul's that the $5 watch on my wrist was really a $100 watch and getting laid and change... Failed... So I paid... :}
Being drunk on a sunday and doing parachute drills from the third floor of the temporary block we were assigned at Catterick Garrison prior to the move to Hullavington. Bruising my heel doing it and still suffering from it today.
Answering the Int. Cell phone at Aldergrove "Duuuhhh.... Intelligence..." when my OC called me one day.
Being called to his office and being "straightened out".
Being called to my OC's office 2 days later for the same offense!!! :}
Being told _not_ to aim at the sheep on the hills behind the butts only to watch a sheep "fall when hit" by someone down the line of shooters.
Hearing that all those sheep that fell over suddenly when we flew over that ridge near Faslane at extremely low level were, in fact, dead... (Wimps... :O )Miscellaneous:
The T-shirt after the FI stating "That's what happens when you pull the Lion's tail"
Visiting Special Branch at Aldergrove just before Xmas and being taken to a huge room with kitchen-type cabinets all round the wall with red crosses on them. When they were opened they were all full of optics with all manner of booze.
Being forced to drink some Potchine (sp) made by a talented gent in Magherafelt(sp) that the SB allowed to keep making it as long as they got "theirs", (because it was unique tasting and not that raw sh1t most of it was), before I was allowed any booze from the "kitchen cabinets".
Being sh1t scared carrying a pint of it back to the mainland... but making it... :E
Seeing the _really_ small pile of ashes that remain when a SWB Landrover has "spontaneously combusted".
Watching a sheep come out from under the hulk of an old tank that is used on the 84mm "Charlie G" range when a live round is fired at it.

[Airborne Aircrew]

I guess 2 sqn wasn't on the main side when you went through.Nope... It was on the far side of the airfield. IIRC I only walked it twice... That was definitely the better of the two crossings.

You're young then.... :E

[the_flying_cop]

when i visited all FOUR sqadrons of tonkas at Laarbruch.

when i did a 30 hour flying scholarship for the total cost of £13.54

taking over the (name escapes me) dogfighting simulator at coninsgby for the day - the one which had the 2 inflatable domes complete with airlocks.
eating my first twinky (american confec.) at the USAF bowling alley at Brawdy

Being interviewed by some Wing Co. re careers advice at age 14 years. "When i said relax i didnt mean slouch boy!"

I remember when eating a Wham Bar would blow your taste buds and your ears simultaneously - and all for only 10p.


TFC

[dkh51250]

Buying tins of lighter fluid so that you could perform the ceremony of "burning the bedsprings" to get rid of the bedbugs in Masirah. Cadging empty tin cans from the mess, that could be filled with paraffin, one for each bed leg to stand in, to stop the ants climbing the legs. Tying chit chats to bed legs to keep the insect population down.

[Samuel]

More smells...
The smell of Africa very early in the morning on the airfield at Eastleigh and seeing some of the most spectacular sunrises ever [Eastleigh being at 5000'or so]
The smell of Africa in the markets of Nairobi.
Saying to your 'girl-friend', "smile so I can see you"
Getting three people into the boot of a Wolseley 6/80 at Eastleigh to avoid paying at the Drive-in movie.
Being surprised at how cold Africa can be at night [altitude again].
Being asked by Ops to 'remove that gazelle' from the runway'.
The 'clear the runway' signal from Air Traffic, put into effect by said air trafficer yelling "Bang the gong" to an ancient African sitting by a CO2 cylinder suspended on a frame. It worked much better than the high -tech alarm bell they replaced him with!
The Hastings which bounced so high on landing it came down on the grass and continued across the bundu!
The speed with which the crew of a 58 Sqn Canberra vacated through the canopy after going cross-country at Eastleigh. The same by a Javelin crew at Tengah after departing the runway via that mossie ditch.
The speed at which the lineys departed an engine start fire on said Javelins after first trying to put it out with a beret.
Collecting a Javelin pilot walking along the road in Jurong after ejecting from his Javelin, and feeling sorry I couldn't meet his request for a smoke because I didn't.[It was his third ejection!].
Watching the air-flow over a Javelin wing on take-off, indicated by the moisture in the air.
The smell at Gong Kedah after torrential rain had just flattened our tent.
Watching "What's New Pussycat?" in reverse at Gong Kedah because we'd all seen it a few times..
Throwing empty Tiger cans at the vehicles which occasionally passed between the projector and the screen...

[dkh51250]

The Sally Army canteen at Waddo

The YMCA canteen at Catterick

The Mally at Gutersloh

Sandes Home at Catterick

Anybody notice a theme here?

[Al R]

dkh,

Thats a seperate thread in its own right!! :ok:

But here we go.

The Twig at Catterick,
The bowl at Greenham,
Lady L's at Akr, The Pickled Onion club, our bar.. the Soldier Blue (christ, there must have been dozens of bars thgere).
The Mally at Witt, Rugby club there on Thursday night too.
The Scorpion in Catterick.
Tea and toast in the cafe on Sunday morning in Catterick village.

Smells then. Cheers AA.. you might just be right. I'm leaving a link to this thread for my kids in my will.

The smell of hot empty ammunition cases and wpns oil.
Opening the back of a CVR(T) after being battoned down for a bit in summer with half a dozen troops, all of whom have been living on compo for x days.
The inside of an NBC suit worn for a few days.
Fresh sandbags.. Luvverly. :ok:
The worse job and smell in the world. Unravelling wet cam nets.
Mossie repellant.
Fullers Earth.
Butts and Abe's beer belch competitions in the back of the tank.
Bac deo in Cyprus. Sweat smelt better than that Himmleresque concoction.
The jungle after the rain.
The quality of the light and air at Kinloss.

[cornish-stormrider]

Phoning the SAR flt at Lossie for a surf report after they landed.

The SAR flt at Lossie pulling some doofus out of the Moray Firth who got caught in the rip at East and ended up clinging to a lobester pot about 1/2 a mile out. It made a great show from the Hopeman?? IIRC,

Getting attacked by Seals at Lossie who were surfing at the same time.

[snapper41]

Sek Kong:

Shaffi's curry house - try one on a Friday after the food's been 'marinating' for a week:\

The Duck Farm

The Dog Section

Games nights in the Mess at HMS Tamar with the Aussies

Ned Kelly's

Taking an unofficial visit aboard the QE2:E

Chinese New Year

Waving any scrap of paper you happened to have (bus ticket etc) at the Gurkha on the gate when you forgot your 1250 - and he'd let you in

Finding that, no matter how trashed your room had got the night before, it was always immaculate in the morning, with your clothes laundered and put away...God bless the armah!

Being able to live like a king on fg off wages

Happy daze!!

[NutLoose]

Barrack blocks at RAF odiham where in heavy rain the light shades would fill up with water (On the Ground Floor)

Rooms were about 20 people partitioned into 2 bedspaces with wardrobes in the centre to form a corridor.........

Someone writing to Farmers weekly saying " I have a room XYZ in size, heated and well lit, how many pigs would you recommend keeping in the said room........

Answer published in Farmers Weekly was about 1/2 the number of number of troops installed in said room........

Copied and posted about the station, removed even quicker by SWO..

First experiance of Odiham straight from training, knocking on the hatch and been met by a really nice old gent who letting me in making me a nice cup of tea and enquired if I knew anything about Growing Tomato's ( SWO)

[Sempre 206]

As an apprentice at Locking in 1966, when the dentist was an Air Cdre..

[FL575]

…when, in the early Seventies as the duty pilot at RAF Wyton, I watched as the first 8 aircraft to get airborne that morning were different types (not marks!) 6 of them were stationed there. In Squadron order:

Canberra (39 Sqn)
Varsity (51 Sqn)
Comet (51 Sqn)
Devon (207 Sqn)
Basset (207 Sqn)
Victor (543 Sqn)
JP (visitor)
Helicopter (fuel uplift)

[Airborne Aircrew]

9th November 1980:

Unusually, II Squadron had been moved in convoy to Germany for the annual NATO exercise rather than being dropped into Sennelager TA for the period. So that we kept our record of always jumping a drop was scheduled for this day at 1500hrs on West Wretham DZ in Yorkshire.

To a man the squadron all had the same idea and kit was forced into every crevice of the road party vehicles and our parachute containers were filled with booze and fags... :D

Beautiful jump... Bit of a rocky DZ but no injuries...90+ Rocks with sh1t eating grins are packing chutes and thinking how clever they are when the whisper comes down the DZ:-

"Customs!!!" :uhoh:

The gutsy amongst us wrapped the contraband in their chute and started to tab off the DZ. Others built cairns or buried the offending items. Vast quantities of petrol were expended returning to the DZ that night for people to try to find a bottle of Brandy or two they left out there. To this day I'm sure there is plenty of unclaimed contraband out there.

[denachtenmai]

FL575
51 Squadron-- Varsity--70's I don't think so, never had them, 151 had a couple at Watton I believe,(precursor to 51) but that was late 50's early 60's.
Regards Den.

[Airborne Aircrew]

AA,do you mean Norfolk?

Ok, now I'm a tad confused. My log book says Yorkshire. We were told it was West Wretham. There is no doubt that the countryside was Yorkshire, (rough, rocky with lichens, hilly etc.), and bore no resemblance to the Thetford area, (STANTA). It wasn't too far from Catterick either... Maybe 45 minutes to an hour.

Hmmm... Most likely we were told the wrong name for the DZ... Now I wonder what it was...

[Wholigan]

.... dinghy drill consisted of throwing an inflated single seat liferaft into the sea at Tobruk Beach Club, filling it with beer, red wine and coke and towing it out to the wooden raft for a raft party. Occasionally shouting orders back to the beach bar such as "Hey - Luigi - 3 more buckets of ravioli please!"

[Airborne Aircrew]

Dennis, the II Sqn Parachute Jump Instructor, (PJI), in the late 70's/early 80's.
On my first ever balloon jump in front of II Sqn we reached 800' in the balloon over RAF Catterick, he leaned over the "door" to check the flags, called "Green", unlatched and stowed the "door" and said "Goodbye" as he jumped leaving me with my chin on the floor in front of three hairy arsed old hands. I was number one and had to self dispatch with them all watching... :uhoh:
A few weeks later he rode a bike out of the balloon, held it all the way to about 20' before dropping it and landing.
About a year later on the way up in a balloon car asking me if I wanted to "somersault". He then unhooked my static line from the anchor above us, pulled it all out of the pack, passed it over my shoulder, between my legs and back up to the anchor point. Quite the way to begin a descent... :DSomeone, (A|R?), mentioned runs with a Jerry can. A mutual "friend" of his and mine was know as Human Hater when he was my Flt Sgt on II Sqn.

He would send us round Hullavington's Peri-track, (1 1/2 miles), with two jerry cans of water. He could sit in his office and watch us almost all the way around. The "almost" was the key word. We discovered that if we sprinted out of the hangar we could empty the cans and appear in the expected place in about the right time and then at the end of the run we would disappear behind a hangar with a tap. Another sprint and some fast filling and you could appear to have not stopped... He never did work that one out!!! :D:D:D
When several troops were on his wrong side he would send us to MT for a 1/2 ton trailer. Upon our return he would send us to stores with the trailer for, (I think it was half a dozen - it totally filled the trailer), 12 x 12's with poles. He would then send us running around the peri-track with it... Very hard work...:{Smells revisited:-
Cheese Possessed :ok:
The smell in the Schnellie after two weeks in the field.
Using CS gas as a decongestant when you have a cold.
That 1/2 second of panic between the realization that you just smelled the CS gas through your S10 and actually feeling the effect... :{
Wet cam nets seconded!!!!
Issue Mossie repellant seconded too..

[FL575]

Den,

A long time ago I know, but was not Varsity WJ911 used on 51 Sqn to train rear cabin crew?

I just seem to remember it somehow, but I might be wrong.

Somebody out there WILL know, I am sure

[stickus_maximus]

"Beware Of Overstretch" posters were plastered everywhere

[Airborne Aircrew]

Heh... My brother lives in Wan Chai now...

[sled dog]

Does anyone remember The Speakeasy in Kowloon ?
Used to be run by a Brian Nolan from Liverpool.
Red Lips bar, Bedside Bar, White Hart pub ? :cool:
Bum boat back from HK island to Kowloon after Star Ferry had gone to bed ? :eek:
Detachments are not what they used to be.......

[Nimman]

Rickshaw races from the Brit Club to Bugis St

The toilets in the centre of Bugis

Keema roti at the Tengah village macan stalls after a night in the General/Tengah bars

The shift of 8 bods on the early part of a night out paying to watch a 'dirty film' in downtown HongKong and ending up on the 6th floor of a block of flats watching a cine 8 movie in the bedroom with the chinamans family of ten sitting in the room next door

Downtown in HongKong after a mess dining in night still in mess dress and 5 of us getting back to mess just in time for saturday lunch drinks next day

Watching a Wessex trying to take off at Sharjah after we had just loaded the cabin with crates of beer and stim for the guys up country, blades fully coned up no lift, AQM throw off crates until the kite manages to lift off

Cant remember the number of times that we sang 'Leaving on a jet plane' at gozhome doos at the Sharjah YMCA, rugby, football, Kunja clubs

The open air cinema at Sharjah, must have seen a film every 2 nights during the tour there

Handed an SLR and 2 loaded mags for a weekend trip to Firq/Saiq, first time used no instruction

Back seat ride in a Jag t/bird along the East German border, amazed at the number of rocket sites along the way, and finding out that I would need a bit of practice to be a pilot

Deci rounabout parties and Sqn handover nights/fights in the Nuraghe Club

Punch up between an OC 'Crusader Sqn' Jags and a taking over OC NAS Harriers in the Deci O's block over the burning of said OC NAS hat and the use of the block piano. A good night had by all, plenty of Oxygen used prior to next days sorties.

When being on Nimrods meant eastabouts, westabouts, Mardets, dets to Lajes, Ascension, FIs, Capetown, all over US, Puerto Rico, Curacao, Greenwood, Summerside, Comox, Toronto, Gander, Kef, Bodo, Andoya, Nimes, Valkenberg, Nordhorn, Gib, Malta, Cyprus, Sardinia, Sigonella, Bahrein, Doha, Seeb, Diego Garcia, India, Columbo, Gan, Tengah, Butterworth, NZ and Australia to name a few + add in different air shows.

[Al R]

There being no escape from the heat or cold.
Me and MicK sleeping out at -29 to trial new sleeping bags for (as was) SCRDE.
The smell of gently heating spilt Keo.
Limassol wine festivals.. all you can drink for £2.
The awful cloying smell of Kokkers the next morning.
Forgetting all of that 10 hours later.
Wittering village when it had a petrol station!! Grr.
Sneaking something into the pile of papers in Central Registry when SROs used to be stapled by hand, asking for volunteers to apply for duties as a houseboy in the COs house. Male only applicants were asked to have ".. a cheeky smile, a nice bott and be willing to stay for sleepovers in the event of late entertaining". The **** really hit the roof over that one. Doing the same asking for volunteers to trial out sharing spare rooms in MQs when the blocks were full and explaining to Scalies that rooms would be requisitioned and recompense at the MoD war scaling contingency scale of £1.50 (or something) would be granted. Yes, Mr RAFP.. it was me. :E
Over the course of an 8 day OP, carving a spendid hunting scene (with horses and hounds) into the (spare) wooden stock of my SLR and telling the army that we were positively encouraged to personalise our kit.
being aghast when said squaddie told me the next month at the same handover that he had handed his papers in to rebadge.
Yamma Clark falling asleep and us clipping a swastika into the crown of his head. Him not realising until (WO) Brian Deeley saw it. He was made to wear a tin helmet everywhere until it grew back (he wasn't allowed to shave his head because of the sun).
Brian Deeley telling is he was going to run for Mayor of Chipnam and ban the RAF Regiment from town. He died a couple of years after leaving.
Brian Deeley banning me from EVERY single trading establishment whether it be a pub or shop on the island of Cyprus, with the exception of Tip Top toyshop in town. I liked him.
C Flt sitting on the fuselage of a Lightning and being told off.
Covertly mounting an OP once and every night, at 2330, being treated to a bird stripping off with curtains wide open.
A WRAF interpreter TELLING me that she didn't join up 'for this kind of ****' when being told (in N Bosnia) to get a grip and clean her rifle.
Her limp wristed gimp of a boss having a go at me for telling her to get a grip and telling me that she was a 'really good girl' who's job was to interprete, and not play 'silly military buggers'.
The battle group commander sacking both of them :E.
Working with the Cav.. always a pleasure. :D
Calling a Cav Cpl of the Horse 'bud'.
Military field cooking, unsurpassed anywhere. I don't know why a few of them don't get together and start a good old fashioned nosh house selling quality beer and show food. Theme it, buy a load of 12x12s and make it an experience.
A Guards officer having a go at the Regt in Brunei, and promptly ND'ing a life round into his foot.
STICKY CHOCY PUDDING AT CATTERICK. (swoon)
When the first WRAF was posted into Catterick.
Running the Recce Section and Budgie and mounting an Action Man on the front of one of the stripped down Landies. Budgie named him Recon Ron. The lads found a Barbie doll for the other wagon and she was named Recce Beckie. If you look closely, in the sqn fot, you can see Ron and Beckie getting down to it in a most imaginative position.
All in Stew. :D
The STINK from the BVs in the back of the armour. That boiled water could ever smell so bad is still beyond my comprehension.

[Gainesy]

Limassol wine festivals

How on earth had I forgotten that?:confused::uhoh:

[clicker]

Gainsey, that proves you must have had a good time!

[woodring]

2/6 pence was the entrance fee last time time I went.
That price included a small glass and an empty small bottle.
The drill was to go to one of the stands pour a taster into your glass and when you find one you like , hand over your bottle to be filled with your
choice.Then a stroll round the park with a kebab until you needed a refill.
Always keep your last bottle for the taxi ride home.

[mystic_meg]

Compo sausages.... lovely!

[MReyn24050]

Compo sausages.... lovely! Followed by Cheese possessed! However I really remember buying hamburgers in the Bamboo Bay Restaurant in Regents Street West Belize City and feeding them to the catfish in the river under the verranda.

[Airborne Aircrew]

You know... I can't believe we have come this far into the thread and, having had the recurring theme of smells, not have had anyone mention some of the more "succulent" things about the Belize City Market.

Ahhh... The Belize City Market... It was something of a right of passage for each new chap. Here follows a few "snapshots"...
Flt Lt Jamie D***** walking towards the market meets a local gent coming the other way. Now, Jamie is a... errr... portly chap and the local is skinny, probably high on ganja and has the biggest boom box ever on his shoulder blasting reggae. Jamie, being the cool dude he is, flips a peace sign at the local and says "heeeey maaan...". The local stops, looks Jamie up and down and says "Heeey, it's the mighty whitey"... and walks on... :D
The navigator who lasted only about a minute in the market before saying "fcuk this", putting one hand over his mouth and running for the door.
Watching a lady order something and seeing the stall owner lift the "tablecloth", pull out a live turtle, cutting off a fin, wrapping it in yesterday's paper and putting the turtle back under the table... :yuk:
The fishmongers were by the river and would throw the fish guts etc. into it. The water would boil with the catfish but it was so black and dirty that you could never see them.
Looking at the meat market for the first time and wondering why the meat looked so dark until I realized that all you needed to do was to wave your hand over the meat and the flies would leave... :ok:
There was the time when there was the drunk in the meat market unconscious on the floor in a huge puddle of his own puke... and everyone just stepping over him.Belize City had it's "fun times" too:-
The river was so dirty standing orders had you go directly to sick bay if you fell in. Andy "Pigpen" P**** fell in once I think and was four days in sick bay. But at the swing bridge on Saturdays the kids stand on the parapet of the bridge asking for quarters... It's customary to throw them in the river. The river that is so dirty you can't see the catfish feeding on the surface. The kid always comes up with the quarter.
Sqn Ldr B******'s wife is in Belize for a visit and we are all walking through the City to the Chateau Caribbean. A bum starts bothering us. Usually I wasn't particularly polite to them which was effective at getting rid of them but with the boss's missus there that was a bit of an issue. After 300 yards of his woffling on about how poor he was I said "You know, you're a fcuking annoying little cnut. Why don't you fcuk off?" in a voice I thought was sufficiently quiet that she wouldn't hear. The boss, who was right next to her says "Nice Ginge..." with sufficient sarcasm to let me know he wasn't pleased when Mrs. Boss pipes up "I don't know, I was wondering why he was being so bloody restrained"... Cracked me up... and the bum left :D
Sitting on the last bus home at the swing bridge waiting for it to leave and seeing a mate I went down with earlier in the day get on the bus as white as a sheet... He'd just been mugged at gunpoint...
Always wearing a long sleeved shirt when you go to town at night. Not because SSO's said you should for mossie protection but because you hide the majority of your cash in the rolled up sleeve and have only $5US in your pocket.
Having the local come alongside while you're wandering around asking if you want to buy some Black Coral jewellery which is rare and therefore illegal. They proceed to show you some beautiful, highly polished dolphins, angelfish, ships etc. in black coral. You feign interest in a particular piece and barter for a better price. When the price is fixed you pull out your lighter and ask if you can test it while looking in his eyes. See, they spend a lot of time and effort making these "Black Coral" artifacts out of the old black plastic steering wheels... If it doesn't melt it's the very valuable Black Coral. If it does... :=
Walking through the city alongside a concrete open sewer. The homes beside it hung over above the sewer and, though I hadn't noticed it at the time each house had a nice round hole over the sewer. Suddenly, right next to me was a big splash like a large fish jumping. I look up to see that largest female nether regions through the hole doing things I had never witnessed from that angle before nor wish to again... :eek:PS: For the Puma crews partaking in this... Does anyone know where Flt Sgt Dick B*****, who was the crewman trainer in the mid to late 80's on 33 Sqn is/what happened to him...

[charliegolf]

Dick had a brainectomy at Cranwell. Took 20 mins- not much to remove.:ok:

CG

[Airborne Aircrew]

Oh Noooo.... So you are saying that the phrase:-

Dick B***** before he dicks you

has real meaning... :E

[Wiretensioner]

he now likes to be called Dickie. Knew him when he was just Bucko when we were both on the OCU in the early eighties. Fine chap:cool:

[PlasticCabDriver]

And still on 33 Sqn!

[trap one]

I remember in the Cinema At Airport Camp in Belize watching the uncut version of Dogs of War. When the Merc Climbs in and swims to the swing bridge to open it, the corus of groans and moans was deafing.:yuk:

Or rushing back from work to get out of camp as being out on the streets during "curfew" was "strickly forbidden". The army weren't allowed out of camp, the RAF spent the hours of the "curfew" locked in Raul's or one of the other dens of pleasure.:E

[Airborne Aircrew]

And still on 33 Sqn!Noo... He left and came back, right??? Talk about getting in a rut.

I remember an ongoing argument with him over the effectiveness of a door mounted GPMG. The first time we fired on it was on a sea range so apart from the high number of splashes it really isn't all that impressive. He said that the door mount was a toy and I argued it's effectiveness from an ex-rock's experience and the fact you have the benefit of shooting down on your enemy. The second time we fired it was a sea range too... He still claimed it was a toy and I still tried to tell him that he wasn't seeing it's true power.

The last time we fired it was over land with fig. 11 and 12 targets. I'll never forget his face the first time we brought fire to bear over land. The rounds kicked up all manner of dirt, rocks and ripped the undergrowth to pieces. After a nice 20-30 round burst you could see the world of sh1t you had just brought down accurately on a small area around a target. But I remember most what he said, (simply because getting Dick to back down was almost as hard as getting me to... :O ). "You were right Ginge... that's quite impressive"...

Then there was the time he came bowling in the 33 crew room and says to the Sqn Ldr he's about to go flying with "Sir, is there something you know that I don't" only to be greeted with the reply "Dick, there's an awful lot I know that you don't"... :D

But the best one ever was in the Sgt's Mess at some "do". All the crewmen are stood in a circle with the customary beer. Some have their wives and Dick is there having just returned from 2 months in Belize. Niel E****'s wife Sue was pregnant when he left and had had the baby while he was in Belize. She's stood there in her best party frock across the circle from Dick who pipes up "So, Sue, when are you due?". That was a silence you could have cut with a knife. Everyone cringed and looked to see what her reaction would be. She started to scowl and looked at Neil and we all waited, ready to dive for cover. She promptly burst out laughing to the relief of all... Dick was always the luckiest... :)

He also did one of the greatest services to flying the Puma helicopter, he was the one who got a certain crewman that I had been through Biggin Hill, AAITC, Finningley, Shawbury and 240 OCU with thrown off Puma's. I remember thinking at Biggin Hill that if the Air Force is looking for him they won't want me... He was a continual screw-up but somehow he always managed to scrape through on second and third chances. Finally he got to Belize and Dick sat LHS on his check ride BGS. IIRC, just after taking off from Rideau to drive back to APC, (90 miles/45 mins), Dick and the Captain noted and dealt with a HYD1 warning, (the light remained on). When the a/c was but a few minutes from APC the crewman pipes up in his inimitable glasgow accent, (I wasn't there but I can still hear it), "Sir, we have a HYD1 caption". Dick had him on the next VC-10 home and I gather that once he got back to 230 Sqn he was shipped straight off to the C-130 OCU at Lyneham - never to be heard from or seen again.

Dick, I salute you... :D :D :D :D :D

[Al R]

I have some footage of (I have hours of footage, come to think of it) the 33 det in NE Turkey near the Kurdish border. Mick and I fired the GPMG in the door when they were evaluating a bag to collect ejected cases and links. MALM Saxby was the loadie and (I think) Stubbsy was flying. If anyone from 33 is here, who was there, that was the det when the storm hit the flying site and decimated it, and everyone came down with the ****s. Not so much the RAF Odiham det, more the RAF Imodium det.

Talking of which.. and a neat segue to boot;

I remember when we went through a phase of unstitching Stubbsy's flying clothing in Norway and restitching it a mm or so tighter at a time. I can't remember how long the diet lasted.

[dwhcomputers]

Sitting on the balcony at Changi Hospital after lights out listening to England win the World Cup on the BBC World Service and Matron not being amused when we all cheered at the end.
Playing Volleyball on the Court between the Officers and Sgts Mess at 2am Christmas morning at Kutching drinking Tiger
The Orderly Officer switching the floodlights out just after 2 am saying go to bed some of us want to sleep.
The deep Australian voice of W/C Blue Atherton the CO telling the O.O. to switch the F**King lights back on.

[PlasticCabDriver]

Airborne Aircrew,

DB still posts on here from time to time...

[ExRAFRadar]

Class thread

Remember when Sky Shadow was 'secret' and bloody GR1 used to stooge up and down LFA13 being tracked by Bomb Scoring Kit.

I used to grab a copy of Air Clues and sit in bog while some poor SAC and Cpl used to lift the pen on the bomb plot table to the cry of "Signal on" (or something like it)

Used to go on for what felt like hours :)

[philrigger]

;)
.............the Cinema At Airport Camp in Belize watching the uncut version of Dogs of War.
I remember the Dogs of War being filmed in downtown Belize about 1979/80.








'We knew how to whinge but we kept it in the NAAFI bar.'

[ORAC]

Airport Camp - scene of one of my greatest failures. :(

1979ish, the mess caught fire. Remembering the stories of the mess in Cyprus I immediately volunteered to save the bar books ( :E ). I bravely attempted to break into the bar without care to the risk to my own life. But they put out the fire before I managed to gain entry. :{

[Wiretensioner]

Dogs of War was also filmed on the civvy side of the airport. We tried to get the national flag of the fictitous nation of the top of the tower but to no avail. However the camera crew gave us some smaller flags for the SH det tables in the Sgt's Mess which upset the Army. Oh Happy Days:cool:

[A2QFI]

I was there is 1961(ish) when the Mess burned to the ground, except for a the porcelain bits of the gents urinals and special loo that had been built for HM. It was around the 5th of the month and mess bills were still lurking in our letter racks. Those of us off duty rallied round to save the silver, the carpets and the mail from the mail boxes - the mess bills were sorted out and thrown back into the fire. However, the mess was large enough that we had a full time Mess Secretary and he managed to save his books and ledgers - b*gger! We did have a sale of a lot of scorched tinnies of beer for a few weeks afterwards so it was not all bad news!

[trap one]

The "marking of the VC10 trooper or Herc flts with a "MAGIC" or "CRAP" board. Then getting a bollocking for giving HRH Prince Michael of Kent, who was out as Her Maj's representative for the Independance celabrations. As we gave him a flashing "CRAP by royal appointment" He had made the worse bounce on landing for quite a while, and he never flashed the lights when he came back after turning around and back tracking.

[ORAC]

I did the marking of the VC-10s when I was in Belize, but I can also remember doing it with lunch boxes in Luqa back on APC with the Lightnings in 76. A Shak made a horrendous landing resulting in a series of bounces resulting in a frantic waving of CRAP boxes (sic). Shortly thereafter the plods came along and confiscated them all. :(

The competition by the pilots was to see who could draw a recognisable penis with a contrail over the island when on recovery. :E

It was also where I passed my driving test. 100 yards up the road, U-turn, 100 yards down. Into the compound with all the straw bales and do the reversing/parking lining up the bits of coloured tape on the dash & steering wheel. Then off down town to get my international driving licence - which I drove on in Cyprus for the next 2 years.

Which leads to my driving test in Cyprus with the army 2 years later. When I asked the NCO examiner what happened if I failed, he looked at me in bemusement and said, "I'm sorry Sir, I don't understand the question". :ok:

[MReyn24050]

Back in 1972 I went to the cinema downtown in Belize City to see the film "The Godfather"
When Don Zaluchi spoke the following lines there was almost a riot in the cinema:-
Don Zaluchi: "I, too, don't believe in drugs. For years I paid my people extra to stay away from that sort of stuff, but someone comes along saying, I've got powders where if you put up a three to four thousand dollar investment, you can make fifty thousand distributing, then there is no way to resist it. I want to keep it respectable".
[shouts form the cast]
Don Zaluchi: "I don't want it near schools. I don't want it sold to children! In my city, we'd keep the traffic in the Dark People, the Coloureds - they're animals anyway, so let them lose their souls".
At this point the shouts came from the audience followed by a hail of coke bottles etc thrown at the screen.

[wub]

Chivenor:
Phoning the tower from the wireless bay to get a green light to run across the runway, between Hunter four-ships, to get to work at the GCA site.
Stopping in the ejector seat bay to get a whiff of oxygen before running across the runway.
Nicking coal from behind the Airmens' Mess kitchen to keep our pot-bellied stoves going in E-Lines.
The cheap drinks in the bar of the combined mess when the station closed, the first time.
Troodos:
Going to work at Olympus on the back of a three-tonner on the first day of the year of KD dress, whilst wearing a parka and shorts.
Going on a night-ex with the Troodos MRT and ending up getting slaughtered in Sam's bar in Platres, before spending the night sleeping on the ground round the back.
Watching the Gen Office corporal spinning slowly across the MT yard on his back, after slipping on sheet ice.
Watching a fresh-faced Flying Officer's SD cap disappearing towards Morphou Bay just as he had finished telling me to put my beret on when I emerged from the back of a three-tonner, into the teeth of a gale, at Olympus.
The SWO at Akrotiri (Jack Mu**ay) roaring at our clerk, "Compliments Corporal" when he had failed to salute his Adj one December day and receiving the reply, "Why thank you sir, and a Merry Christmas to you too."
Putting on folk concerts at the Sub-Aqua Club at Akrotiri as a fresh-faced youth and 25 years later standing at the same spot as a slightly care-worn Flt Lt RAFVR(T) during annual Cyprus camp.
Whilst undergoing free-fall parachute training at Kingsfield, being told to go on a three-mile run, about two minutes after consuming a Ginsters pasty and a bottle of Seven Up from the Naafi wagon (that was messy :yuk:)
Egg banjos from Dhekelia in 90 degree heat whilst gliding at Kingsfield.
'Kidnapping' Hillary someone from BFBS for charity when she visited Troodos, phoning BFBS and demanding a ransom to be told "Keep her".

[ORAC]

Whilst undergoing free-fall parachute training at Kingsfield

I remember doing that - still got my certificate 30 years later for my 10 jumps - though I never jumped again. Do you remember the old Rumanian(?) pilot who flew the aircraft for it?

Claimed to have flown for the Luftwaffe against the Russians and "bailed" out without a parachute over the Ukraniane by rolling off the back of the wing into a cornfield...

[Wader2]

Scalies that rooms would be requisitioned and recompense at the MoD war scaling contingency scale of £1.50 (or something) would be granted.


Or the prat of an OC Admin at Akrotiri who decided that all the distant living out officers could bunk up with the living in officers on an exercise.

The bondu was littered with camp beds, blankets, pillows and all the doors locked.:) We told him that hey could bunk up in the geust rooms in the on base MQs.

Didn't happen!