Summer Ball

[Hairbus]

To all the lads and lassies at that secret airbase in Wiltshire, many thanks for a fantastic evening on the 3rd. Food, wine and entertainment first class, not to mention the flypast. Must have taken a lot of organising. Once again many thanks:D

[Big Sy]

Which was the best summer ball you ever attended, mine was the last ever one at N Luffenham. Simply brilliant !!

[PPRuNe Pop]

Something else we missed out on, Whol. Never mind, the one in the next county is outstanding. No flypast though!! But couldn't we arrange one with the local model flying club. ;)

[sitigeltfel]

I have fond memories of the "Back to Blighty" final ball at Bruggen a few years back. Tumbled into bed around 8am IIRC. :ok:

[ktk]

Biggin Hill mid 70s not sure exact year. Swimming pool?

[MrBernoulli]

Best OM Summer Ball I attended was in the late 90's at RAFC Cranwell. The 4 officers' messes (College Hall, York House, Trenchard and Daedalus) combined funds and had a massive great party in and around Daedalus Mess itself. It worked well having such a pot of money to spend - what a hoot!

Pretty much a whole fairground was available for entertainment on top of the usual eating and drinking outlets. There were also many 'wandering' entertainers (magicians etc) and all this was topped off with a lengthy performance by Bjorn Again Björn Again.com - The ABBA show (http://www.bjornagain.com/)

Say what you like about ABBA music - everybody remembers the tunes, and it is good party music. We had an absolute ball! :ok: Thank goodness I only had to crawl back across the grass field to the OMQs nearby!!!!!!!

[Union Jack]

Tumbled into bed around 8am IIRC.

Perhaps you should have used a better after shave .....:E

Jack

[sitigeltfel]

Perhaps you should have used a better after shave .....:E

With my lovely wife in attendance, it would have been wasted :p

[Lightning Mate]

Lossiemouth 1983.

The lobster and oysters were still going at midnight. The big fry-up at 0700 was fantastic. It never failed to amaze me just how accomplished some RAF chefs were.

Happy days.

[SaddamsLoveChild]

RAF Chefs always turn out the best BAll food....ooh did I say Ball Food.....sorry but you know what I mean and I worry that CRL will lower the standard, anyone any experience of it?

[DummyRun]

Hairbus,

It was a pleasure to do the fly-past, hope the slow pass looked ok, I thought it would be more appropriate as a farewell.

Let's hope we can do it again next year!

Cheers,

DR.

[DummyRun]

P.S.

If anyone who was at said Ball last week has a red, yellow and blue cummerbund I could borrow for tomorrow night's Ball I would be very grateful.

I'll be in helping with the move tomorrow but if you don't see me or are not sure who to give it to just leave it in the Main Sqn pilots office with a post-it on it with the letters 'mike oscar oscar sierra echo' on it and i'm sure it will get to me!!

Cheers!

[Waddo Plumber]

Waddington OM 1974-1977 and Middle Wallop OM Millenium Ball 2000. RAF Rheindahlen OM early 80's pretty fair too!

[tarbaby]

Muharraq? early 70s. Argosy landed at bottom of Green Mountain 2 days later, captain still in Mess Dress. Rest of crew were not in very much better shape.

Upavon in mid seventies wasn't too bad either.

[DummyRun]

I'm led to believe that max numbers at the Summer Ball at a secret airbase in Oxon are 650 and rarely sold out. Secret airbase in Wilts sold out at 1200 this yr, normal yr 900 ish.

Thoughts, ideas, suggestions.......

Shiney fleet in the Mess, dirty smelly truckies in base hangar maybe?

I'm quite confident that Proj O Superbase is all over it though.............. :ugh:

D R.

[1.3VStall]

Lindholme in 1970 (there were two Officers' Messes there in those days) and Gutersloh in 1973 and 1974. Memorable!

[Exascot]

Which was the best summer ball you ever attended

Never remembered one :hmm:

[BEagle]

Once upon a time, wasn't one required to write a formal letter to the PMC to be let off attending the Summer Ball?

[sharpend]

My dad told me that between the wars (1st & 2nd World Wars, not the 2 Gulf wars :) ) he had to 'dine in' 7 days a week in mess kit and if he wanted to dine out he had to write to the PMC.

My best Ball was Colt in the early 80s. Lived in an OMQ next to the Mess. Went home about 5 am. Got up at 10 am and went back. Party still going strong. Whatever happened to Colt :{

My best 'happy hour' was at Chivenor. Fell off my bike on the way home. Fell into the bushes on the disused railway track; on top of the Stn Cdr.

Same Stn Cdr ordered me out of my OMQ at 4am after happy hour to continue drinking at OC OPs place.

I note he will be at the Hunter Reunion at Kemble this Sunday :D

[BEagle]

Blunty, old chum, surely Chivenor didn't have an 'Ops' Wing? I recall we had an OC Flying Wing ('Wally' Wilman) and a 'dogfood' (D OC FW) - but Wally stoutly refused to have anything to do with any 'Ops Wing' at Chiv? Sound fellow!

A few blue notes on Sunday, methinks?

(Are you sure your Dad wasn't referring to the 1st and 2nd Boer wars.....:p)

[sharpend]

Yup, you are quite correct. OC Flying Wg. Sadly Wally passed away not long :{ago.

[BEagle]

Very sorry to hear he'd popped his clogs, Blunty.

Wally was certainly an individual! One of the last of the 'desert boots' Gulf Hunter mates with a healthy distrust of the contemporary RAF, his log book was full of sand, target photos and probably the odd dead scorpion or two.

RIP.

[jindabyne]

One of the last of the 'desert boots' Gulf Hunter mates with a healthy distrust of the contemporary RAF, his log book was full of sand, target photos and probably the odd dead scorpion or two.

Oi! There's more than a few of us left on the perch BEags - you'll be havin' Wholi chasing after you --- ;)

sharpers - any idea what Wally got up to in his latter years?

[philrigger]

A few of us ground folks around too.

1417 (FR) Flight Khormaksar.