When I handed in my kit . . .

[Pontius Navigator]

Following on from "In my last 12 months I will" Teamchief said
On a different note, when handing my kit in the young stores person asked.......what are these Chief? My issue Puttees and balaclava I replied. It then hit home that it was time to go!


In my case a lot of stuff was written off except one thing. A rare piece of nav kit which for some reason was not C Class - A Rude Star Identifier. Issued in 1961 and essential piece of kit when standing in the astrodome of a Lancaster or Varsity and never used since.

Had great trouble convincing the storeman that it was obsolete. No idea where mine went. I see you can buy them on eBay for £100!

[99 Change Hands]

Stores wanted all my rulers, protractors etc which were issued at Finningley and Cottesmore, they had gone into some communal box on a squadron years ago but the corporal would not budge. I went back to the planning flight that was part of my 'empire,' gathered a set from the box there and handed those in, stores very happy. "What are you going to do with them?" I asked, "probably give them to one of the squadrons" was the reply, "I have a planning flight in my section" I said, "you can take them if you want," so I did.

[chevvron]

In the cadets, we once tried to hand returned clothing and unused round neck wooly pullys back to clothing store. They didn't want to know and asked if we had a nearby car boot sale.

[BEagle]

On clearing from stations, you were supposed to check and sign your clothing card. Most of us trusted the stores bashers and just signed the things....

But in 1983 I had to clear from Wattisham on posting to Finningley for a METS refresher course. The stores chap discovered that I was deficient one Gnat oxygen mask and one Gnat g-suit. I hadn't even sat in a Gnat since 1975 and the last RAF Gnat had been retired in 1979. Both items were specific to the Gnat - the g-suit hose was on the opposite side to all others and the mask had integrated microphone cables running down the oxygen hose. The storeman wouldn't accept that I must have returned them at Valley 8 years earlier (yes, my fault for being lazy) and wouldn't budge.

Fortunately I'd been volunteered to be Oi/c the gliding club, amongst whose members was a very helpful Flt Sgt who worked in the Supply section. He found the solution - a couple of 'Scrap' labels were produced for the missing items and I dutifully them handed over to the storeman who was then content to clear the card. But what a silly faff!

And no, I don't dress up in a Gnat g-suit behind closed curtains!

Dear old Uncle Joe L'Estrange once told us about the time he'd decided to get rid of some old flying clothing which had been issued years earlier. Furry boots and goggles were handed over, but when Joe produced his ancient Sidcot suit and tossed it onto the counter, the young stores chap jumped back in alarm as though he'd been attacked by a bear. Joe told him that it was indeed a flying suit (he'd probably had it since being an air gunner in 1944) and that it was probably almost twice the lad's age.

[nipva]

One advantage of having made a Martin-Baker assisted fast exit was that all kit worn during one's escape was written off. As a result I still have my aircrew watch (Seiko chronometer type), a useful pair of gardening boots and gloves as well as a CWW jacket. and much more.

[MPN11]

I had a pair of aircrew sunglasses from my brief time in the RN. When they finally broke, I tried to exchange them at Supply Sqn. No chance, as they weren't of course on my RAF clothing card. So I got an aircrew mate to do the exchange for me ... no problem. He was then given the old pair in case he even needed to do another exchange!

[ShyTorque]

My aircrew watch was one of the old cheap, wind up type, issued at Linton on Ouse. Many years later I was "volunteered" to take part in a week long NBC trial in Germany, whilst deployed in the field (horrible memories of the AR5). We were required to carry out a suit change in a field of long grass just as a "Crash Out" call was made and in the scramble to fly out my old watch went missing. Stores refused to write it off and I was made to pay for a new one. Even worse, the type I had was obsolete and I was billed for the new Quartz type (probably ten times the cost of the original) without ever actually getting one. I told OIC stores to keep his damned watches and bought a cheap and cheerful "civvie" one.

[obnoxio f*ckwit]

Stores wanted all my rulers, protractors etc which were issued at Finningley and Cottesmore, .

Exactly the same, plus we were starting on the "3 blue long sleeved shirts, 3 pairs number 2 trousers, one pair DMS shoes" palaver. Fortunately this was all from the stores Sgt who had come out to "help", he was soon distracted by the offer of a bacon roll from one of the civvy ladies who worked there and the Cpl took over. As he watched the door close behind the Sgt, "sorry about that, Sir, he doesn't know how this works, anything you want to keep?" as he signed the whole lot off in one go (except the watch :mad:)..

[NutLoose]

I did a maxi mash at Wegbeg where they did a full exercise with us all roped in as wounded to be casevaced into the hospital by Chinook etc, as the wounds etc were to look realistic and clothing would be damaged we were shown into tents full of clothing stores returns to dress up in, some of it was brand new and we were like kids in a sweetie shop, my kitbag was full when I left along with the spare one I got out of the tents.

Returning my kit at Brize was interesting, having humped it all down there, I had to keep it all for the reserves, the guy with me turned up still in uniform and they wanted it back off him, as he had no civi's with him, they took his beret and belt off him which I thought was rather pathetic.

[Fareastdriver]

We had a Whirlwind 10 on 110 Sqn. that started off life as a Whirlwind 4 until it was re-engined with a Gnome. It was our oldest and I had a project to fly it back to the UK when it's decades of Far East Air Force time was up. The final, major exercise in 1970 was Basatu Padu which was a reinforcement exercise from the UK. Whilst en-route to that XD183 had a too often engine rundown and John, being a QHI, successfully landed it in a coconut plantation with minor damage.

I was the inventory holder for the squadron's aircraft so when the aircraft disappeared off to the MU at Seletar I was expecting it back. Weeks passed, months passed and no communication. I investigated and found that the airframe had been passed on as a ground instructional airframe to the Singapore Air Force and it was still on my chit.

Round I went to Stores with the inventory and told them the story and to sort it out.

A couple of days later I was called and asked to go there and sign off the aircraft. At this time they were posting people in for short tours owing to the deadline for Changi's closure and in the office was a stores Warrant Officer and a WRAF Plt. Off. on a short tour. There then followed half an hour of signing conversion chits where large quantities of aircraft components both in numbers and weight from various squadrons were brought on to 183's inventory. The final items were all my flying clothing.

It followed that as the aircraft had been Struck off Charge then all these items were written off.

[Pontius Navigator]

One advantage of having made a Martin-Baker assisted fast exit was that all kit worn during one's escape was written off. As a result I still have my aircrew watch (Seiko chronometer type), a useful pair of gardening boots and gloves as well as a CWW jacket. and much more.
Though there was the case of a baby pilot whose aircraft was a smoking hole in the ground. OC Admin, spying the column of smoke guessed the cause and thought to see if our hero was OK. There in some corner of a farmer's field was our hero burying his aircrew watch.

[BEagle]

Fareastdriver wrote: There then followed half an hour of signing conversion chits where large quantities of aircraft components both in numbers and weight from various squadrons were brought on to 183's inventory. The final items were all my flying clothing.

It followed that as the aircraft had been Struck off Charge then all these items were written off.

No doubt it was your normal practice to fly in full tropical mess kit :E ??

[Haraka]

It's amazing how much kit went down on the Atlantic Conveyor.............

[esscee]

Regarding the Atlantic Conveyor, I think it was calculated that the total added up to more than 5 ships worth of equipment. I remember some years after the event there was still some memos being sent out to ensure that the very long list could be finalized and signed off.

[Rigga]

I went to hand my kit in at Laarbruch as it was in the throes of closure in 1999.
When I said I didnt have any Reserve Service (No, I have no idea why I had no reserve service period), they didn’t want any of my kit at all!
After some discussion with the friendly stacker about the Station closing and the amount of clothing being dumped that Stores would have to get rid of, I just abandoned some useless kit such as my S10 and helmet on the counter, and walked out.
I still have a roller cabinet tool kit and several grease guns to which I applied the same logic.

[rolling20]

One Beagle will no doubt remember, I did possess for a number of years a nice cardboard cut out of the old Bulldog cockpit. Not sure where that ended up. I still have in my possession an x CFS chums MK14a, which I was hoping to 'slim' into, it hasn't happened yet!

[MPN11]

FED ... were you involded in Ex SQUARE HOLE, the work-up for BP? I was SATCO Gemas Strip!

[Brian 48nav]

Pontious

While searching just now for my Green Line book ( see 'How Heathrow used to look' in Nostalgia thread ) I came across my unused Rude Star Identifier and my trusty nav' computer and slide! What stories the latter could tell of my 6 years route-bashing in the Herc'!

[dragartist]

Just before I handed my kit in at Brize back in 1996 I swapped my almost new gloves with a mate in expectation of handing back a grubby pair with short stubby fingers. My originals fitted well. The only thing they took from me was my cold weather jacket.
when I returned in 99 I found my growbag had shrank in the wash. I was able to exchange it for one that fitted. The store man wondered if I had been Action Man’s stunt double back in 86 when my first one was issued.

[5aday]

As a S.N.C.O. I had a card to collect various departments signatures
so I passed it around during morning coffee break. It was all signed up by
11:00 and I was civilian by lunchtime. Clothing? Mostly in the bin
behind the mess. I left six weeks early and joined the ACP course at
Oxford ATS on the following Monday.

[Pontius Navigator]

5aday, one of our copilots was posted with immediate effect (nothing bad - I think a CFS slot came up) and he was off. There was no question of clearing. Much fuss and bluster from the jobs lots.

We attached a photo to his clearly card "If you don't recognise this man, sign the card,". Job done .

[airpolice]

When it came my turn to be promoted to civilian, the final step in the process was to attend at Gen Office with the dance card all filled in, and sign the OSA and then go. I had been on the strength of four different stations in the last six months, so I was confident that nobody knew where I was, never mind what kit I had.

So I turn up with my partly falsified blue card full of signatures, some of my kit dispersed among the troops, some at home, and some in the car outside.

The young Cpl in charge, picks up two copies of the OSA declaration form. He hands one to me, and said, "sign here please" as he signed, and stamped as witnessed, the other one.

I signed one and gave it to him and he hands me the other saying, "sign that one now" as someone else spoke to him, so he turned away. I put the unsigned one in my folder with the rest of the stuff I had collected and walked out the door, a free man.

I still have that form which I have not signed, but it is countersigned and stamped to say that I have.

[aussieizborn]

Most companies give you a watch for long service. When I left after over 30 years service, I was charged for my pilots watch, which was over 20 years old. Unfortunately I could not find it to hand in and to this day I still can’t.

[NutLoose]

I have always wondered about this. How much is truth and how much is exaggeration over the years. I guess we will never know for sure.


Lots, the Squadron inventory holders were told to list what was lost and a lot of stuff lost beforehand and afterwards was added, it was such a rush job no one knew exactly what was on board, Odious was a hectic place, Chinooks were being modded, Puma was going, so company producing bags for them employed, then that cancelled and Wessex going as commonality with RN, then cancelled, helicopters swopping over to cover the NI detachments and then being cancelled, and then when the Conveyor went new Chinooks were having to be robbed to generate spares as a lot were now at the bottom of the Atlantic, even a Harrier turfing up to trial and see if a Chinook could be used as a glorified APU. They even lost ( as it was a civi ship ) all the cheques the guys had spent in the bar.

[airpolice]

Would you please explain what your point is?


None of it matters. The system is too big to find out if all the stuff has been returned and forms filled in correctly.

[NutLoose]

I hope you don’t mind Nutloose, but I am seeking a more reliable source for information.



I do not particularly care what you think SD, but I was there at Odiham on Chinooks mate, having come off Wessex and Puma, a lot of my mates, work colleagues and close friends were on the Conveyor...... But Hey Ho believe me of not.



..

[Old-Duffer]

A friend records in his autobiography, that I helped him resolve some deficiencies in his kit after an aircraft incident in some distant and inaccessible part of the Commonwealth.

As I was the supply officer at his unit, his claim that I helped him is a foul slur on my good name and reputation. I'm sure my exact words were: "Get your ass back up the jungle and don't darken my door again until you've found it all".

(I do have a professional modus to protect)!!!!!

Old Duffer

[Pontius Navigator]

I was told, OK hearsay, that the Vulcan that crashed in Anglesey had a two-door cabinet with a load of docs on board. That was 20 years prior.

I think other aircraft that crashed also had all their kit, like engine blanks and wheel spats on on-board, so Atlantic Conveyor was not the exception.
​​​​

[Tengah Type]

I was on Ascension a couple of days after the Atlantic Conveyer was sunk. I was talking to the Fg Off Supplier when we were joined by CAS. There was a continuous train of RN Helicopters loading and unloading the ships. The CAS asked the Supplier if there were any problems ,to be told that the Supplier was worried about accounting for the kit arriving and departing as there was no way of recording what went where. The CAS replied " Do not worry. We will work out what left UK, what gets back and everything else was on the Atlantic Conveyer."

I first heard of this practice in the early 60s when an RN helicopter Planeguard had to ditch from the hover after an engine failure. After all the lost tools, mess kits etc had been added it was found to be a couple of tons above MTOW!!

And then of course there was the "unfortunate" fire at the Army depot at Kineton, which cleared a lot of accounting problems!! https://www.pprune.org/images/infopop/icons/icon7.gif

[Old-Duffer]

Well possibly the two fires at Donington supply depot, the supply squadron at Lossiemouth, an RMAF Caribou in the Sabah rain forest and, I expect, many more!

O-D

[PTR 175]

All went well on my departure from Wittering everything signed and accounted for including my PE kit. I must have been the only person who ever returned a a complete set. That was until I attempted to handed back the 1 (F) squadron transit spares inventory of which I was the holder. I was short of 11 wing tanks ! To this day i cannot fathom why it was an odd number or that stores even believed I had them stashed away somewhere for sale at a later date.

[Pontius Navigator]

On missing stores, I recall signing the arming log, 2986 or something close, pocketing a load arming pins, and returning with empty bomb racks. As far as I know we never reconciled what was loaded with where it ended up. Certainly if someone pitched up with the bomb serial number and a bill for a new greenhouse it could be checked back.

And the pins? Great for all the strong split rings.
,

[Krystal n chips]

Being in Germany when my PVR date came through, nothing simple like clearing from Bruggen ( and the RAF ) was allowed thus my one, and only, visit to Innsworth was duly decreed.

The stores bit was "interesting " in that it became evident from the immaculately attired career jobsworth she disapproved of my decision to leave and thus was determined to extract money from me. The first problem was a greatcoat, or rather the absence of one. I explained it had long been disposed of at Valley, true, but sadly failed to add the disposal was via Bangor Uni when such items were "must have " fashion accessories for any self respecting student. We moved on to the legendary "deep sea box" made of wood many will recall. Again, I was ahead of my time with re cycling because the gliding club had been the beneficiary of this item ( the second tour version was cardboard and fitted nicely into a skip )

Undeterred, she asked for the towels.....success ! the first "kerching ! " on the bill....likewise with the PT kit, long since used for rags, and not having the allocated number of shirts...as " we don't want you masquerading as a serviceman when you leave ! "....immortal words really as I pointed out I had been doing so for a number of years anyway, and having wasted 18months of my life waiting to leave ( this was late 70's early 80's ) strangely I was in no great rush to impersonate anybody in uniform. The total was about £ 7 or £8 quid.

Then came the paperwork.....and proof of life after death. Enter a room with one poor SAC clerk, I did feel sorry for the guy, seriously, surrounded by about 6 or 7 W.O..s ( see life after death because they must have been resurrected every morning ) one of whom made the enticing offer to stay in.....alas, my response was not quite to his satisfaction and I was reminded of my status ...until I pointed out the SAC had my 1250 and had signed for it thus one was now a Mr.

My major interest was scanning the chinagraph scrawls on a board giving dates for those I had just left as these only appeared a matter of weeks before you departed....apparently there were some very confused and upset admin people at Bruggen when my mates broke the news to them "somewhat prematurely ".

[MPN11]

On my return from RAF Stanley in 1983, I proceeded to return to Supply Sqn at RAF Uxbridge all my issued Warry/Chilly/Tropical kit I had been issued at RAF Innsworth (following a long drive there to get it all in the first place). The latter items were apparently demed essential for the 2 days at ASI whilst waiting for SS Uganda to set sail. Anyway, I digress ...

Various heavy/expensive/bulky items are duly passed over the counter. There is, however, a DEFICIENCY!! Mugs, Plastic, Olive-Green, Brews for the use of, qty 1 (one). Somone had nicked mine in the Tower at Stanley, despite the 2.5 rings of white tape around it. At this point, MoD/Supply policies are inflexible ... it was issued by Innsworth, and Uxbridge doesn’t have the authority to write it off!! “That will be £1.87, Sir”.

On the plus side, I had managed to scrounge a couple of pairs of Trousers, Lightweight, OG from the Army down there, who clearly had a more flexible approach. I requested one pair for me and one smaller pair for the OH ;)

[Fareastdriver]

FED ... were you involded in Ex SQUARE HOLE, the work-up for BP? I was SATCO Gemas Strip!

No. I had been frogmarched up to Kai Tak for a detachment with 28 Sqn.. :{:{:ok::ok::ok:

[PTR 175]

MPN11

I have one mug spare, no i did not nick yours. I was clearing out my attic last night in preparation for our last ever house move and i found my old one. I have no idea why i keep such Cra9

[MPN11]

...
I have one mug spare, no i did not nick yours. I was clearing out my attic last night in preparation for our last ever house move and i found my old one. I have no idea why i keep such Cra9
Some items have a magnetic attraction to their owner, or at least he/she who was originally issued with the item!

I keep telling myself to have a major purge, but what can one do with Greatcoats, No1 and No5 ... of both genders, as she has a magnetic field of her own!!

[Ogre]

I did four months in the sandy wastes of Als garage, and before going out there I was issued with the required kit which included a full set of goretex, a rather comfortable sleeping back and liner and a Bergen to carry it all in. When I got back I I was told it was a pretty good chance I would be going back again so I was to keep the uniform kit, but they wanted the Bergen and sleeping bag back pronto. Somehow they forgot the goretex, but about three months later I got called into stores to be issued with something that was a replacement for something else. As everyone on site was getting rekitted they took the old one back at the counter, signed off your blue book as having returned it, handed you your blue book and told you to go through the door to the other room and pick up the new stuff which would be added to the blue book there.

I am not suggesting that between being handed my blue book and handing it back again there was a point where the signatures for a couple of choice items in the "returned" were filled in with a meaningless squiggle, but when it came to hand back all my kit when I left there was no request for the goretex to be returned.....

Handing back the kit consisted of rocking up at stores with several black bags of mostly blue uniform, and a "well I'm going into the reserves" excuse. I'm still wearing a set of high leg boots for gardening, and there are a few items in cupboards, but at least I keep dry when I walk the dog in the rain

[NutLoose]

I was a great believer in the magic of multi coloured pens, I at several stations looked at my clearance chits and thought, never been there.... signed... no point clearing there.... signed.. never was queried, same with clearing accomodation etc, having stood on my mattress when moving out I was horrified at the dirty great footprint on it, promptly circled and signed... not a problem, the sword isn't mightier than the pen. Bruggen had the best system, it went round the internal mail.

[ian16th]

MPN11

I have one mug spare, no i did not nick yours. I was clearing out my attic last night in preparation for our last ever house move and i found my old one. I have no idea why i keep such Cra9I have one of the 'orrible plastic ones that were issued with KD in 1962.

Seeing as got an accompanied passage and lived out all of my tour, it only ever saw service as a shaving mug.

A task that it fulfils to this day.

[ricardian]

I arrived at 38 Group Support Unit, RAF Tangmere in 1968 and after a couple of months I was sent on a 2 year detachment to 24 (Air Portable) Brigade. At the end of the 2 years I discovered that 38 Group SU had moved to RAF Benson (or was it Odiham?). Have you ever tried clearing from a station on which you had never arrived? The MO was quite upset to discover that I had been admitted to HMS Drake (RN Hospital, Plymouth) for 6 weeks after which I was downgraded to RN medical category P7 (unfit for sea-going duty) and neither the Army or the RN had told the RAF (presumably each thought that the other had done so).
I realised the mentality of some blanket-stackers when my friend at Mountbatten had a "Tool kit, Telegraph Fitter, for the use of" (it was a long time ago). He was deficient of a pair of "shears, watchmakers" and stores had nil stocks of that item so they sent him what they considered to be a suitable alternative - a hefty pair of 3 foot long bolt croppers...

[BEagle]

The clearance card was something of a farce when it involved clearing from sections you'd never visited during your tour. One such was the 'Station Bicycle Store'. If someone asked you where the heck it was, the advice was to ring and check as the opening hours were quite restricted and you couldn't get cleared out of hours....

"What's the number?" - "It's extension nnn"
Ring...ring...ring - "Hello?" (some female voice)
"Is that the Station Bike Store?"
"NO IT IS NOT!! I am Flt Lt (W) nnnnn, OC WRAFs - and I'm getting fed up with these silly prank calls!"
:E

[MPN11]

I had a Station Bicycle at Waddington. As a vehicle regularly used on the airfield, I applied a yellow tape stripe along tha cross-bar, embellished with a roundel and ‘Royal Air Force’ thanks to Letraset and old plastic kit transfers. I never got round to the flashing amber beacon, to my shame! I wasn’t charged for the subsequent re-spray, so it may still exist, :)

[Tengah Type]

At RAF Marham in the 60s we were wearing the old heavyweight blue flying suits (Yes I know they are coveralls!). My crew was selected to be the Squadron Static Display crew for Open Days and RCDS etc. As we had to look smart we were given a second suit to wear on public occasions ( we had to buy our own badges of course). Then we changed to the lightweight blue suit. Same thing happened. Shortly thereafter we changed to the heavyweight green suit, and inevitable "parade" version. Finally we got the lightweight green suit and yet another smart one.

OC Supply was very upset and we had to return the second one of each. Which we duely did, only for the Stacker to write them off and hand them back to us. OC Supply was happy!!

Some time later my leather soled Flying Boots needed re-soleing, so I took them to Flying Clothing for repair and went on two weeks leave. On return I went to collect them to be told they would not be ready for a couple of months!! I requested another pair to fly in, but was told that I already had a pair, and could not have a second pair as I was not entitled. There were also none to be had on loan. OC Supply was adamant that I could not have a second pair, and that having sent them for repair by the RAF it was my problem. I reported to the Boss that I could not fly as I could not comply with GASOs, which required Flying Boots. It escalated to Wing Commander level before the Station Commander had to order the issue of a second pair ( which I had to return when my original boots eventually returned). The new ones were then written off and given to me.

When I retired from Regular Service, at RAF High Wycombe the stores had no facilities to take any kit, so I was asked by the stacker to please take it away and do what I want with it. He then cleared my Record Book.

[NutLoose]

Ahh your boots issues reminds me, I was to do a parade and they deemed my no1 trousers to be a different colour, which considering they had hung with the jacket for years was impossible, off to clothing stores, measured for a new uniform and told by the civi tailor I was a funny shape so they would need to get a uniform made for me...

Missed the parade.... Shame, six months goes by and clothing stores announces new uniform in for fitting before going off to be finished, try's it on, lovely but points out to the tailor they have managed to cut a v in the front panel, meaning it would need to be redone... WO comes out to see this misshapen airman, aghast that I appear normal he pulls a uniform off the peg, fits like a glove.

new handmade uniform into clothing stores bin, didn't even give me the trousers :(

[NutLoose]

My pet hate was berets, get one nicked and it used to cost about £8 to get another, asked the stacker how much does it cost to process the billing for it and answered about £12 :ugh:

[ExAscoteer]

Ah, clearing the Stn Bicycle store. I had to do that after graduating from BFTS at Cranditz, despite the fact that BFTS studes weren't allowed a Stn bike.

Bloody stackers.

[MPN11]

I have always liked Navigators since a mate engineered a pair of those lovely soft suede lined ones. Served me handsomely for many years on Bisley Ranges, instead of those clod-hopping Combat Boots. They are still in good fettle, 2-3 decades along the line. Thanks, Pete!

[MPN11]

NutLoose ... imagine being picked for Guard Commander at AOCs, and having to BUY, with MONEY, a new Officers No. 1 Home Dress. Damn, the original was only about 10 years old, and hardly worn. I can not remember the cost, but in the early 70s it would have been knocking on for £500 I guess. Mercifully, I never had to buy another for the next 20 years.

[ShyTorque]

After a couple of previous tours on SH I was a newly arrived QFI (fixed wing) on the station and I was unexpectedly summoned to the Station Commander's office for a "welcome" interview.

I grabbed my "working" SD hat and got myself over there in double time. On entering his office, I stood smartly to attention and saluted.

He took one look at my SD hat and told me to come back and see him again when I'd got myself a new one.

To be fair, it was a bit tatty - SD hats suffered a hard life on SH because they spent a lot of time living in field conditions. The rest of my SH flying kit was all condemned by the "Squippers", too.

[charliegolf]

After a couple of previous tours on SH I was a newly arrived QFI (fixed wing) on the station and I was unexpectedly summoned to the Station Commander's office for a "welcome" interview.

I grabbed my "working" SD hat and got myself over there in double time. On entering his office, I stood smartly to attention and saluted.

He took one look at my SD hat and told me to come back and see him again when I'd got myself a new one.

To be fair, it was a bit tatty - SD hats suffered a hard life on SH because they spent a lot of time living in field conditions. The rest of my SH flying kit was all condemned by the "Squippers", too.

In SH context Shy, you were the smartest officer I remember on 230! The rest...:=

CG

[ShyTorque]

In SH context Shy, you were the smartest officer I remember on 230! The rest...:=

CG

I'd obviously let myself go a bit since then....

:(

[Pontius Navigator]

I had a Station Bicycle at Waddington. As a vehicle regularly used on the airfield, I applied a yellow tape stripe along tha cross-bar, embellished with a roundel and ‘Royal Air Force’
Our Co at Cottesmore acquired little putt putt, 125cc or similar, painted it RAF blue, added roundels and possibly B/1.

OC Eng came across this bike from MT and played hell that one of his vehicles was being concealed in the OM. When he found out it was a private vehicle he was incandescent. A posting to CFS and a successful career in civil aviation followed.

[cafesolo]

Shy Torque.
I could never understand young officers deploying to the field with SD caps.You could not even wear it from the crew-room to your aircraft.
There was a wide choice:primarily the beret: easily rolled & stuffed in a pocket. Then that horror,the side cap,always badly worn & with a
badge that did not distinguish an officer from a warrant officer. And when camouflage two-piece flying overalls arrived,a camouflage
baseball cap,also easily stowed.
My SD cap was new in 1968 and lasted until I retired in 1979; it never once went on a field deployment.
Cafesolo
Join Date 2018
Age 84
Location:
Urcal,Almeria.

[Slow Biker]

Caf, surely you would be pleased to be mistaken for a Warrant Officer.

[NutLoose]

[QUOTE]camouflage
baseball cap,also easily stowed.[QUOTE]

we got banned from wearing them after one of the guys did not salute an officer on some station we were visiting, pulled up he quoted some rule about cap badges or similar and that you didn't have to, so back to berets it was.

[Pontius Navigator]

Cafesolo your dates give the clue.

The EOD School was a stickler for wearing headgear when defusing. In 1982 a picture appeared of an RAF Officer, resplendent in new SD Hat defusing a bomb in the Falklands. There were questions and it was only after that that berets came back in for officers.

In the V-Force before that it was normal for crews to wear SD Hard even when on a scramble. We even flew with a large folding suit carrier in which all our uniforms were carefully folded.

PS

My issue beret lasted 48 years, I managed with 2-3 SD Hats and for sheer practicality several C-Caps, one an RNZAF one stolen by a USAF Officer, and the last made by Mr Stitch at Coningsby.

[Fareastdriver]

SD hats suffered a hard life on SH because they spent a lot of time living in field conditions.

So did my Mess Dress. I took a Puma up to Catterick to do a week's lugging guns around for IIRC 15th Field Regiment RA. Chatting to them on the blower the previous week they mentioned that they 'Dined on Tuesdays'.

On the Tuesday I, and Paddy Walsh were in Mess Kit, as were all their officers.

[Pontius]

I was cheesed off when they wanted my pencil box back and wouldn't just sign it off. I really didn't care about the rest of the stuff as I seem to have gained extra flying suits, boots and gloves as time went by. Most of that kit is still in the loft and I'll fit back into it.....one day :-)

Compare and contrast that with the Yanks. When I said goodbye to them (following an exchange) they asked me what stuff I wanted to keep and were not in the least bit interested in what I did or did not have. I was literally offered the harness/life jacket affair that we used to wear and the oxygen mask etc but I decided the days of those sorts of parties were probably long gone. I kept all the flying suits, flying jackets etc and still have the helmet. As well as fitting into the flying suits, one day, I think I'll get the helmet modified with a microphone.

All this will look great at the flying club, especially when I climb into a Cessna 172 :-)

[Fareastdriver]

In Borneo in 1966 we were lumbered with the Aertex tropical flying suits. They would really make life miserable when you were shuttling around the jungle clearings.

The alternative was the Australian Flying suit made out of lightweight breathable Nomex that the Royal Air Force refused to stock.

The Army did so a signalled request for one to Brunei and two days later out it came on a chute from a Beverley.

Everything that went out of a Beverley was Class C stores so I didn't even have to sign for it.

It lasted until I was tourex in Singapore five years later.

[ShyTorque]

Shy Torque.
I could never understand young officers deploying to the field with SD caps.You could not even wear it from the crew-room to your aircraft.
There was a wide choice:primarily the beret: easily rolled & stuffed in a pocket. Then that horror,the side cap,always badly worn & with a
badge that did not distinguish an officer from a warrant officer. And when camouflage two-piece flying overalls arrived,a camouflage
baseball cap,also easily stowed.
My SD cap was new in 1968 and lasted until I retired in 1979; it never once went on a field deployment.
Cafesolo
Join Date 2018
Age 84
Location:
Urcal,Almeria.

Primarily the beret? Good grief, man - were you selling onions?

;)

I did say my "working" SD hat. I kept my best one for best.

[Pontius Navigator]

FED, in '64 we could only borrow the RAAF Flying Suit and there were not enough to go around. Can't recall if they came from RAAF Suppliers or a batch loaned to an RAF Storeman. Same with jungle boots; ours were new but we had to hand them back.

On a ground tour at Wittering a VERY keen supplier recalled all ground tour aircrew kit. I cut my badges off and took the stuff back. P'd off storeman as it was now scrapped and of course I got a new issue the following year.

[Haraka]

Having two S.D. hats was quite useful at times.

"No , he just must be somewhere else in the building, his hat's on its peg."

[Slow Biker]

PN. Re the Falklands bomb, if it was the incident in the makeshift medical facility, the officer concerned, OC No 1 EOD, was awarded the QGM for his action.

[Pontius Navigator]

SB, no idea, I do know he was a flt lt and the fuss was not that he was wearing an SD Hat but that the RAF Officers did not have a field service cap. We only got cabbage kit in 81 or 82 in UK.

[NutLoose]

Got mine in 76 when I arrived at Odius, it was redesigned post Falklands to have a quilted separate liner and was thinner jacket wise, this was because the older lined jacket they found once it got wet it took forever to dry, something they found impossible in the Falklands, so the thinner unlined jacket was introduced that could dry easier, but I held onto my lined jacket as it was warmer.

[Wander00]

There was B Squadron IOT flt cdr in the earlyish 80s who always wore an SD cap rather than the beret the rest of us all wore

[BEagle]

Wander00 wrote: There was B Squadron IOT flt cdr in the earlyish 80s who always wore an SD cap rather than the beret the rest of us all wore.

Sounds like a fine chap! Berets might be OK for onion-sellers, but they are distinctly un-officer like! I threw mine away after OT and never wore one again for the next 30 years. Same went for that flashers' mac thing which someone stole one lunchtime in College Hall...

I understand the need for SH aircrew to wear berets so as not to be easily spotted by the opposition's players, but for the rest of us - dear me no!

(No. I'm not really being serious. But I do hate berets!)

[Trumpet_trousers]

I hear that Beagle and/or PN had to hand their puttees back so that Trenchard could get his initial kitting.... :}

[BEagle]

Actually, TT, it was the spurs!

Hope all's well with you?

[ShyTorque]

I understand the need for SH aircrew to wear berets so as not to be easily spotted by the opposition's players, but for the rest of us - dear me no!

The clue as to our whereabouts was that we were sitting at the front of a socking great helicopter. Even wearing green and brown cam cream on our faces (don't ask) didn't hide that fact.

[NutLoose]

And swagger stick.

[L1011effoh]

One of the few benefits of doing the CSRO course at Mountbatten was the 'deficiency chit' issued on completion of the E&E phase - although we were cautioned not to all 'lose' our watches as that would be seen as 'taking the p***'. I can't remember having to use it as there weren't any problems clearing at Brize. Having just done a house clearance of my parents' house, I found lots of my stuff including KD, DPM, S6 respirator . . . and I kept my Pencil Box! If I'd known how useful a Douglas Protractor was for sailing chart work, I would have kept that as well.

[Pontius Navigator]

I hear that Beagle and/or PN had to hand their puttees back so that Trenchard could get his initial kitting.... :}
My first issue of cabbage kit did indeed include puttees but I never unravelled them as we didn't have either the boots or lessons in wearing them. I was also issued a bag in which to carry my kit. A clear polythene bag that proudly carried during exercises. Rather than wear the tatty Mark 1 NBC suit I bought my own tuxedo version (Mark 3) in a shiney smooth material from Exchange and Mart.

[NutLoose]

My first issue of cabbage kit did indeed include puttees but I never unravelled them as we didn't have either the boots or lessons in wearing them. I was also issued a bag in which to carry my kit. A clear polythene bag that proudly carried during exercises. Rather than wear the tatty Mark 1 NBC suit I bought my own tuxedo version (Mark 3) in a shiney smooth material from Exchange and Mart.

We had them too, but not up to ones knees.

[Bill Macgillivray]

Still got my large aircrew hold-all (and padlock!) - it's a bit big for week-ends! Also still have the "trunk, metal, officers" but that now serves as a herb garden for she WMBO. Only things required at Brawdy on leaving were watch, leg-restraints and g-trousers.

Bill

[Compass Call]

Beagle
So you think that the airmen who serviced your aircraft are 'onion sellers', do you??

[NutLoose]

What do you expect from a bus driver :)

[Melchett01]

What happens if you don’t actually have a clothing book? Mine was last seen in Army HQ Stores during my time at JHC. It’s been AWOL for at least 4 tours since then and nobody seems to have batted an eyelid on clearing.

[langleybaston]

Very interesting thread for a civvy MetPerson, thanks to all.

A brief encounter with 1BR Corps stores when I went to be kitted as a forecaster for their deployment exercises [we wore name badges and shoulder slip-ons "Met plus cockerel thing"]. Almost everything fitted, but I am a shortarse and there were no trousers to be worn with any semblance of dignity.
"Don't you have anyone vertically challenged in the army?"
"Yessir, he was in for trousers only this morning!"
Fortunately Mrs LB is handy with scissors and thread, but the dropped crutch was beyond remedy.

And an anecdote of the converse of not handing in items. Pre- WWII the QM of a RA Mountain Battery in India, foreseeing the out break of war, managed over a period of time to indent for every component, hide, and ultimately assemble a complete extra mountain howitzer. This gleaned for "Tales of the Mountain Gunners", a fine military read.

[Onceapilot]

What happens if you don’t actually have a clothing book? Mine was last seen in Army HQ Stores during my time at JHC. It’s been AWOL for at least 4 tours since then and nobody seems to have batted an eyelid on clearing.

It might be worth going into print on this Melchy. Your book proves that you have returned items and, it could be messy if your book returns to haunt you without intermediate returns signed off ! :uhoh:
I would suggest going into print with a letter to someone senior in your stores chain, asking for resolution of your situation with a missing book, one which you are not allowed to hold so, it is their problem, right up to the point that it is slipped back into your slot in stores! :\

OAP

[Pontius Navigator]

Still got my large aircrew hold-all (and padlock!) - it's a bit big for week-ends!
That was the one with internal straps and leather handles? Sadly mice got at mine an nibbled a hole in it. Got a new standard one from Stores in mufti style, ie bog standard RAF design in dark brown. Just like a pusser's suitcase, you could identify a sailor or airman a mile off. I got to keep mine too.

I now have a proper civilian one in discrete white with pale blue edging and Ventura writ large. It is same size but has wheels and retractable handle.

[Wensleydale]

Ah - the joys of the clothing book. I was posted from Lossiemouth to Waddington, but unfortunately Lossiemouth was subjected to a part two Taceval on the week before my posting and the Squadron flatly refused to grant me any leave before hand (full Station leave ban in force). Not only that, I could not hand in any of my aircraft specific kit because I would need it. The result was that I was chasing around Station with a clearance chit on the Friday (with everyone on it taking the day off because of the Taceval) in order to start my course at Waddington early Monday morning. The Squadron flying clothing section was very helpful..."Just leave all your kit in the holdall, sir, and we will deal with categorising and will then take it stores for you". I didn't think any more about it until posting from Waddington a couple of years later. Given my book to check - there in black and white was not my flying kit signed off, but a full duplicate set entered there-in. (Two immersion suits; two headsets; two parachute harnesses etc). Fortunately, the storeman at Waddington just got a biro and scrubbed them through!! Otherwise it could have proved expensive.

[dragartist]

I wonder how much of this kit we have hanging around in cupboards, lofts or garages has been useful to us or just kept for sentimental reasons. I have made good use of long johns, roll necks and black NI gloves. The rest is just a waste. I reckon we could probably fill a Herc or C17 between us.
I had a bit of a clear out a few months back. Daughter said to Mum “Is Dad going to die or something, because he is clearing his garage out?”
I hope I go on for a good few years yet but wonder what the kids will make of all the odd bits of sentimental “junk” I have in drawers and cubby holes when that time does come.
sorry to be morbid on a sunny Sunday.

[ShyTorque]

It's been quite some time since I gave back all my service kit. My wife is probably more worried about the various four and two wheeled vehicles and parts thereof I've collected since, if I pop my clogs first....

Having said that, I did somehow end up with a brand new canvas nav bag, wooden pencil case and a few other bits and bobs they didn't want back. The Puma helicopter "Decometer" that sits on my bedside shelf I bought off eBay!

[Pontius Navigator]

Drag, I had a metal RNZAF nav brevet that I had from 45 years ago. As you say, kicking around in a drawer. I put it on eBay and it went to Australia. Turns out it was 1944 vintage
My aunt had brought my uncles 1940s slouch hat back from Oz. No one in the family wanted it. It was bought in UK and also went back home.

[downsizer]

What happens if you don’t actually have a clothing book? Mine was last seen in Army HQ Stores during my time at JHC. It’s been AWOL for at least 4 tours since then and nobody seems to have batted an eyelid on clearing.

The same for me. I've stopped caring or worrying about it.

[5aday]

It''s certainly been quite funny though.
5aday

[Davef68]

Wander00 wrote:

Sounds like a fine chap! Berets might be OK for onion-sellers, but they are distinctly un-officer like! I threw mine away after OT and never wore one again for the next 30 years. Same went for that flashers' mac thing which someone stole one lunchtime in College Hall...

I understand the need for SH aircrew to wear berets so as not to be easily spotted by the opposition's players, but for the rest of us - dear me no!

(No. I'm not really being serious. But I do hate berets!)

Bring back the Field Service Cap!

[NutLoose]

Did it ever go away? these chaps still sell them

https://www.ecsnaith.com/headwear/side-caps.html

https://www.cadetdirect.com/raf-officer-side-cap

[Davef68]

I meant as an alternative to the beret, as issued, rather than as a permissbale purchase.

[Q-SKI]

After 30 years service they took the watch BACK!����������

[Dougie M]

On my departure from the" reglars " before joining the Auggies I was questioned about whereabouts of the 7 x tri wall boxes and 2 x wooden crates on my clothing card for which I had blithely signed as owning each year. "Dunno" I responded. "O.K." said the stores bod. "If you tell me where the R.A.F. Stations of Khormaksar and Muharraq are we might lose the boxes somewhere. Swing that lantern.

[enginesuck]

I worked on a couple of different a/c types in the noughties which were very very busy deployments wise. Consequently I deployed twice a year for about eight years in a row. I forget how many times I had to go to clothing stores to pick up the latest and greatest version of Desert clothing / MTP old / MTP new. A headtorch here a gerber there, thermals, bergens, camelbacks, cold weather clothing etc etc my garage became a very well stocked army surplus store most of which was never used or indeed taken on deployment. Add to this a time at sea on a harrier sqn with a separate kitting for naval stuff and some time on firefighting duties and foot and mouth and you will understand the enormity of my kit issue over the years...

On my last deployment we went into operational kitting and follwed the storeman around with a huge bin on wheels where he deposited items various. We then signed for the kit in our blue book and proceeded to take the bin on wheels out to our cars and home to the ever growing kit mountain

when i got to the car i looked down and there amongst the kit was my blue book - the same book that i had signed at Halton all those years ago but never had in my possession. The suppliers had obviously mistakenly dropped it into my wheeely bin. I wish i could say i was an honest airman but unfortunately i drove off with the blue book home. A year later I left the service, had a rather straight forward clearing process and handed in a few bit of useless worn kit amd that was it. I waited a couple of years before the ebay sale....

[Whenurhappy]

When I returned from Afghanistan, I had to return my weapons to UXBRIDGE. I dutifully handed over an L85 A2 ('SA-80') and a L9 Al ('Browning'), along with assorted cleaning kits, spare mags etc. The Armourer then asked me for my bayonet. My heart sank. I had clearly signed for one but never saw it in my time when I had my rifle out on ops. He then said 'I'll have to charge you for it' and my heart sank even further. £13.00, apparently although the charge never seemed to surface; I wish I had known because I would have definitely kept one for that price!

[NutLoose]

I could imagine it now, the order goes out.... "It's down to this chaps, fix bayonets..... as Whenurhappy is seen departing towards the nearest clothing store, monies in hand"

:E

[stevef]

I was taken to task for not being in uniform by the sour-faced custodian of some obscure section or other when I was collecting clearance signatures. He looked even more miserable when I gleefully told him that I was within hours of being Mister stevef as opposed to SAC stevef.
Just as well that my subsequent Reserve Service wasn't required as my father threw all my kit out when I was dossing around the Continent.

[Pontius Navigator]

Just as well that my subsequent Reserve Service wasn't required as my father threw all my kit out when I was dossing around the Continent.
Once you leave the climate controlled environment of a main base all your kit soon shrinks.

[NutLoose]

I remember the being picked up on first day of work one, when asked how long you been out? to the look of astonishment... followed by the, It's the shoes"

[WIDN62]

I was rather fond of my Aircrew Watch. Just before I retired, I asked at Stores at a soon to close transport station how much they would charge me if I had "lost" my watch. Next morning I swapped a slab of beer for the required signature.

[Whenurhappy]

I could imagine it now, the order goes out.... "It's down to this chaps, fix bayonets..... as Whenurhappy is seen departing towards the nearest clothing store, monies in hand"

:EI was visiting a FOB when we came under fire (FOB Robinson). I was advised just to keep my head down and not to do any of this fighting stuff and just wait for the local farmers to return to their fields. And no, I don't recall having my bayonet then but was carrying 6 loaded rifle mags, pistol plus two mags, body armour, helmet and respirator and lots of bottles of water in the convenient pockets of the assault vest. A bayonet might have broken the camel's back!

[Krystal n chips]

I remember the being picked up on first day of work one, when asked how long you been out? to the look of astonishment... followed by the, It's the shoes"

Ah yes, the shoes. Always a give away with newly arrived F/O's, or at least those that pitched up with a shiny new nav bag rather than a somewhat battered issue version.

Mind you, two memorable new arrivals had also handed in their brains at the same time as their kit.....one proposed to the Capt he would go and supervise the engineers doing a wheel change on a T/R and another asked why a Capt addressed " them " them being his chosen term for engineers, by their first names !

Both were duly "educated " by the respective Capt's involved.

[Pontius Navigator]

WUH, as Miss PN2 said of at Kandahar, if I have to use my rifle something has gone seriously wrong.

[ShyTorque]

I was rather fond of my Aircrew Watch. Just before I retired, I asked at Stores at a soon to close transport station how much they would charge me if I had "lost" my watch. Next morning I swapped a slab of beer for the required signature.

Unfortunately for me, our OC Supply wasn't open to such corruption - in 1990 I was charged just under £100 for a replacement for my genuinely lost on excercise Noddy wind-up aircrew watch that probably cost about £15 in Argos.

[Pontius Navigator]

I got charged for an R88 Camera watch. It fell out of my pocket when the zip broke. Next few weeks I looked for someone wearing one on a chain. At least insure paid out.

[Whenurhappy]

WUH, as Miss PN2 said of at Kandahar, if I have to use my rifle something has gone seriously wrong.

That was the message made clear to us by the CSM at FOB Robinson. "Just keep out of the way, could you, Sir?" It was rhetorical, of course.

[ricardian]

38 Group, RAF Tangmere in 1967. The balloon was about to go up on some remote island (Anguilla?) so we were all issued with war-like equipment including a tin helmet (don't know the official terminology). When it came to my turn the storeman said, without a sign of a smirk, "We don't have one in your size so here's a deficiency chit". Fortunately I never got sent anywhere and handed back all the war-like equipment a few weeks later.

[Pontius Navigator]

If all the kit returned, how many got issued second hand kit such as flying sure etc? More a stores exercise to ensure you didn't collect too many spares. After departure you were unlikely to be able to draw more, so why return it?

Mind you, I got to keep all my flying kit less headset.

[Fortissimo]

On the early RAF Stanley dets, tin hats were issue in theatre to avoid burning fuel carrying them to and fro. Good thinking from the loggies (can't believe I actually wrote that!). Gozome time, pitch up at stores to hand in tin hat and other bits of locally issued kit. Trouble was, we only had one tin hat between the two of us, my nav having carefully lost his. Solution: I handed my kit in first, starting with the tin hat, and while the SAC storeman was putting the rest of the stuff away, trusty nav removes my tin hat from the shelf and hands it straight back to him. One hat, two signatures, good to go.

They got their own back on me many years later when I was de-kitting at Northolt. About 5 seconds after I had handed Storeman 1 my aircrew watch as one of the last actions, Storeman 2 arrives from the office area an announced they had lost my clothing card! :ugh: Storeman 1 sighs, and points out that I could have kept the watch as the rest of the kit would all be scrapped, but now they would have to record it. (Smiling) "Sorry, sir, nothing we can do about it now." "Really?" "No." He wasn't quite so amused when I insisted on having a receipt for it, nor when Storeman 2 pointed out that he would now have to get his own watch... :=

[Blacksheep]

...one proposed to the Capt he would go and supervise the engineers doing a wheel change on a T/R and another asked why a Capt addressed " them " them being his chosen term for engineers, by their first names !When serving at BZN I encountered a 10 Squadron Captain who wouldn't speak to ground crew directly, but tried to conduct business through the Flight Engineer. In my case unsuccessfully - I just walked away from his aircraft and asked our LSS Flight Commander to speak to him.

[NutLoose]

I remember the XYZ(£&$ of an OC Ops? who walking into the debrief room on LSS and asking do you not all stand up when a senior office enters a room, everyone from the F/Sgt down looks at each other in total disbelief and stands up.. next debrief Staish walks in we all stand up to attention and remain at it... he looks puzzled and asks why, we relate what happened.. he mutters did he, ignore that, you guys have enough to do without this sort of thing and I will have words... next time OC Ops? comes in rather sheepishly and sits down.

I must admit 10 Sqn had more than its fair share of dicks, on exercise we had a Flight Eng who after a CPX sortie...I.e he sat out on the pan in the cockpit for several hours pretending to be flying then came in and snagged the instruments not more than 1 foot in front of his face for having dust on some of the dials...

sorry thread drift.

[Pontius Navigator]

When serving at BZN I encountered a 10 Squadron Captain who wouldn't speak to ground crew directly, but tried to conduct business through the Flight Engineer. In my case unsuccessfully - I just walked away from his aircraft and asked our LSS Flight Commander to speak to him.
We had a sqn cdr on a lower numbered sqn than 10 who insisted we called out ground crew by rank:

Ch Tech turn the aircraft around, cpl empty the toilet etc

"Ben, would you rather we called you Chief Tech or Ben?". Ben, Sir, that way I know you know me rather than just recognition the badge.

[Wensleydale]

"We don't have one in your size so here's a deficiency chit".

I was told of the occasion when the drinking water container in the ejection seat survival bag of an operational bomber type was changed to "gulp size" sachets. Having thrown away the old drinking containers, a signal arrived stating that the sachets were not to be used because of some bursting under low pressure conditions. The solution at one station was for the safety equipment section to put a deficiency chit into the survival pack instead of water. This went on for a few months until someone discovered the discrepancy and apparently, heads rolled. Milo enterprises anyone?

[NutLoose]

I was told of the occasion when the drinking water container in the ejection seat survival bag of an operational bomber type was changed to "gulp size" sachets. Having thrown away the old drinking containers, a signal arrived stating that the sachets were not to be used because of some bursting under low pressure conditions. The solution at one station was for the safety equipment section to put a deficiency chit into the survival pack instead of water. This went on for a few months until someone discovered the discrepancy and apparently, heads rolled. Milo enterprises anyone?

Did a check on a Learjet and was stunned to find the smoke goggles that had come from the US with it when it was new had all the little vent holes around the sides to stop them steaming up. :ugh:

[Davita]

When serving at BZN I encountered a 10 Squadron Captain who wouldn't speak to ground crew directly, but tried to conduct business through the Flight Engineer. In my case unsuccessfully - I just walked away from his aircraft and asked our LSS Flight Commander to speak to him.

As the first commissioned Flight Engineer on 10 Sqn I can say I never encountered any Captain who was not a gentleman. Most had been Captains in Transport Command or Bomber Command and were well versed in leadership and how to converse with other ranks. When a Flight Engineer was a member of crew, since I was on Hastings and onwards, Captains hardly conversed technically with any ground servicing except thru' his Flight Engineer who understood better the nuances of technical information. I often had to unscramble technical detail to simple language to inform my Captains. The Captain never attended the Tech Services office to check the F700 or any other technical information...this was the F/E's task as the pilots did their flight briefing at Ops.
IMO....Centralized Servicing removed a lot of the personal contact between aircrew and groundcrew.

Also, the Captains walk-around inspection was a tradition rather than a requirement as the F/E would do a much more detailed inspection, often having to scramble to finish before the passengers came and block his access to the steps to return to the Flight Deck..

Later, when the Ministry announced that all VC10 Captains would be instant Sqn. Ldr. rank, I did encounter some who could have done with leadership training.....but I left soon after that.

[3wheels]

New guy arrives at the Company and introduces himself to the Chief Engineer
"Hello I'm **** Bloggs. I guess you are SENGO?"
"NO., I'M NOT.., I'm Wilf".

[Slow Biker]

Since we are way off thread...............
Running a FJ line hut in RAFG and co-ordinating F700s for a four ship, in walks very junior pilot early for the slot, "Come on chief, sign your life away". He got 'the look', " no sir, it would be your life". It went all quiet.

[NutLoose]

Chief i knew at Brize signed all military documents Rastus, he had a separate real signature for everything else life wise, his logic was if he was ever asked if that was his signature he could honestly say no.

[Ogre]

Two pieces of kit I was issued but never asked to return were a) a felt tipped pen and b) a packet of polos. We were issued with them during an exercise at a kipper fleet retirement home in the North of Scotland some time in the early 90's, with the instruction that we were to use them to simulate a Combopen and a set of NAPS tablets. The intended solution was that every eight hours there would be a tannoy telling us to take our NAPS, to which we were then to consume a polo. I assume that anyone coming under a chemical attack and feeling the effects of a nerve agent would then have the opportunity to pretend to stab themselves in the leg with a coloured pen....

[Pontius Navigator]

Chief i knew at Brize signed all military documents Rastus, he had a separate real signature for everything else life wise, his logic was if he was ever asked if that was his signature he could honestly say no.
No he would either be lying or guilty of forgery.
Not sure what a scribble against the bike store would count as; always used a selection of different pens though.

[pr00ne]

You were supposed to hand your kit in?

[Davita]

Chief i knew at Brize signed all military documents Rastus, he had a separate real signature for everything else life wise, his logic was if he was ever asked if that was his signature he could honestly say no.

As the VC10 Flight Engineer Leader it's lucky I didn't check the F700 and find this kind of nonsense. I would have personally charged any person indulging in this stupid subterfuge and hope it would lead to their court-martial.

[NutLoose]

He was nothing to do with the Ten fleet, indeed nothing to do with anything flying either.

[wokkamate]

Does anyone know if we still have such a thing as a clothing book anymore? I have no idea where mine might be having moved around 4 times in joint and other service HQ posts, some with civvy storekeepers. Last time I took 4 bin bags of kit back to Odiham it all got dumped in big bins as rubbish or for Air Cadets, so I’m not sure what checks and balances are in place for kit returns anymore. I still have my Seiko aircrew watch but I’m not convinced there’s even a record of that anymore! Or is there some kind of Tri-service online record system now maybe?

[Davita]

These ‘stories’ did the rounds at every squadron/station - you’d have to be daft to have ever believed them though.
Thanks...that's probably why I never encountered such stupidity....;)

[GLIDER 90]

When I left the RAF I handed my kit in and got my chit signed, had a farewell party and that was it.

[tucumseh]

I must say this thread is entertaining. But clearly none of it applies to civilians. I still have my Mk4A, issued in about 1997. Nothing gash about it. The first with mod 060 embodied and seldom used after witch doctors withdrew clearance to fly due to ticker problems. One day someone will ask for it back.

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc291/exploringtheblue/helmet%20060_zps6djhl2ec.jpg (http://s214.photobucket.com/user/exploringtheblue/media/helmet%20060_zps6djhl2ec.jpg.html)

[ORAC]

Always used to put a squiggle in for the sections I had never used, such as bicycle store, when clearing.

Only thing I really made money out of was when I went to Belize in around 1979 for 10 weeks (my replacement cancelled and I reluctantly stayed for an extra few weeks.). Only did about 2 day’s work during the detachment as they never had 2 Harriers serviceable in the same day.

The army issued me a pay book to get advances on my salary for spending money and I used it liberally during the detachment for trips to the keys, down town etc. All in all I think I took out about £200 - an awful lot for a Fg Off at the time - but a one off trip of a life time, so what the hell. Got home and waited in trepidation for the inevitable bill to arrive - which it never did.

Thank you army........

[ian16th]

Does anyone know if we still have such a thing as a clothing book anymore?

Wot's a clothing book?

[NutLoose]

These ‘stories’ did the rounds at every squadron/station - you’d have to be daft to have ever believed them though.



That's the second time you have accused me of being a liar, what is your problem?

https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/notice-regarding-post-responsibility-anonymity-252.html


.

[zetec2]

Well how strange that the business about odd names "maybe" being used to sign for things and others, 673's, 700's, 252's etc etc (think those numbers are correct, somebody am sure will correct me) now no names, no pack drill as usual but it did happen at BZN during the early 70's in the Brit Base era, one quite well known individual always used to sign everything: Aloyicious J Wickemruffle. so out there in the pre digital age must be reams of paperwork (job sheets plus etc) with that name on them, there will be some of you out there who remember ?.

[Pontius Navigator]

Does anyone know if we still have such a thing as a clothing book anymore?
The clothing book I remember had a cash value. It wasn't 668(?) but one an airmen could use to get new kit at no cost - shoes, shreddies, uniform etc. It there was a credit balance after a period, 6 months I think, he could cash in and get a not inconsiderable cash rebate, I vaguely remember 6/8 or so. As I was earning 13/4 per day . . .

[Krystal n chips]

Thanks...that's probably why I never encountered such stupidity....;)

It's possibly a good job, sorry about the thread drift here, that you didn't encounter a certain USAF Tech Sgt at Valley one Saturday morning then.
Late Friday and a newly arrived in the UK F1-11 lobs in tech...ostensibly .....cue how to waste a night being "volunteered " along with several others from Eng Wing ( naturally ) to guard the beast. Next day, said American arrives to rectify the "defect "....we watched, with interest, as he filled out the paperwork before signing it with a different name to the one on his uniform.....looking at a sea of bemused faces, he thoughtfully explained that " the asshole had done it to him so he was returning the favour".....or words to that effect .

Although on the subject of signing for kit, I knew a certain J/T on the M.U who, went dispatched to Brawdy, took great delight in signing everybody's bedding out in his own name. This had the desired effect of confusing the aptly named Cpl Mutton in the guardroom who, bless him, could never be accused of having an excess of cognitive development. At one point said J/T had no less than 20 different sets signed out albeit others may possibly have signed on his behalf .....so you would have thought the penny may have dropped by now........alas. .

[NutLoose]

And of course lots of stuff got "exchanged" at Odiham without the owners knowledge, which promptly turned up on the Storemans market stall... All down to the muppets putting the hasp and clasp on the internal clothing store door incorrectly allowing the staff to open it with a screwdriver and serve themselves on the weekend.

[langleybaston]

That's the second time you have accused me of being a liar, what is your problem?

https://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/notice-regarding-post-responsibility-anonymity-252.html


.

Its not HIS problem I fear.
He is one of OUR problems.

[X1FTS]

I was a great believer in the magic of multi coloured pens, I at several stations looked at my clearance chits and thought, never been there.... signed... no point clearing there.... signed.. never was queried, same with clearing accomodation etc, having stood on my mattress when moving out I was horrified at the dirty great footprint on it, promptly circled and signed... not a problem, the sword isn't mightier than the pen. Bruggen had the best system, it went round the internal mail.
Ah! The wisdom of experience. As a conscientious young officer many years ago I was posted to Brize Norton. Arriving late on Sunday night, spent ages carrying all my gear from car up to top floor of mess. Next morning set out with arrival card. By lunchtime after much walking and having eventually found the bike store, returned to SHQ, only to be grabbed by OC PSF, who told me I'd been posted and should go and clear. In retrospect, I should have just turned the card over and signed it all off, but being young and callow ... more walking. (Should have picked up a bike on first circuit.)

[Pontius Navigator]

from car up to top floor of mess.)
Deviation. In the V-Force there was a thing called the Early Bird. I have no idea if this was unique to Bomber Command but it was an early morning supply run around the bases. You entrusted your trunk to the system and next day there it was.

Anyway, newly arrived at Coningsby I was button hold by OC Supply for getting his airmen to carry my trunk to my room. ,,,'twas not me but the canny Batman who pulled a fast one :)

[ian16th]

Posted to RAF Upavon for permanent detachment to RAF Liaison Party Istres.

Arrived & Cleared Upavon on one circuit!

[ShyTorque]

I was posted from Shawbury to Odiham at very short notice "at the exigencies of the service". I was supposed to be there for two more years and possibly for five. Shawbury MQs were so bad we'd decided to buy our own house and had just signed the contract. We were gutted (and skint!). OC GD Flt Shawbury (a newly posted in Flt Lt) told me I was therefore awarded a weeks worth of Orderly Officer duties for my last week because I was escaping early and wouldn't get my year's worth in before I left!

We had words...

[Melchett01]

I was posted from Shawbury to Odiham at very short notice "at the exigencies of the service". I was supposed to be there for two more years and possibly for five. Shawbury MQs were so bad we'd decided to buy our own house and had just signed the contract. We were gutted (and skint!). OC GD Flt Shawbury (a newly posted in Flt Lt) told me I was therefore awarded a weeks worth of Orderly Officer duties for my last week because I was escaping early and wouldn't get my year's worth in before I left!

We had words...



Ah yes, the time honoured traditions of both Handbrake House and Manning - we’re not happy til you’re not happy!

[NutLoose]

Same happened to a JT I worked with at Brize, he enquired as to any chance of being posted away prior to purchasing a house in Carterton, he was assured by PMC that he would not be, so went ahead with the purchase, weeks later he was posted to St Athans..

[Danny42C]

Was nearing end of tour (ATC) in RAF(G); nice letter from Manning: any preference for a Command or location on return to UK ?

After ensuring it was not a hoax, said: "Don't mind, any Command anywhere - but please not a pilot AFS again (being prematurely aged by an earlier tour at Strubby).

Not hard to guess what I got, is it ? Linton-o-O (then training pilots for the True Blue).

Don't say these people haven't got a sense of humour !

[Danny42C]

PN (#142),
Originally Posted by X1FTS View Post
from car up to top floor of mess.)
Re: top floor at Shawbury: 1955, as ATC stude, gallopped up to top, no trouble, breathing normally.

Back 1964, did same again - got to top, thought I was dead !

Comes to us all ..........

[WilliumMate]

Different service, same crock.

Two of us drafted to Collingwood for six months of courses. Unwilling to live in we arranged to move into a flat in Gosport on the Saturday and joined on the Monday. Completed joining routine on the Monday afternoon. Tuesday morning saw me starting the leaving routine having been given a pier head jump to report to Brize Norton on the Friday and depart for Australia on the Saturday. Two days to get there, nine months to get back (steerage class).

Hey-ho. Life in a blue suit.

[NutLoose]

Return UK to Brize from RAFG with all bags, kit etc required to live and work until boxes arrive in UK from Germany.. Bruggen, we have arranged your flight from........ Hannover, here is your flight and train ticket...... but that is like 320 kilometers in the wrong direction, Christ, it's half the distance to Brize, and I have like two suitcases, holdall and..........

In the end luckily I got delayed by a day and went from Wildenrath as there was a flight the next day and Bruggen runs a bus service direct to the terminal.

[Wander00]

1966, short toured from Canberra Long Strike Course to 360 (RN/RAF) Sqn at Watton - be there by yesterday. Packed just about everything into trunk, which I am assure will be there "tomorrow". A week later trunk still not arrived when I get phone call from mate who has seen my box sitting unloved on Ely station.

Three years later and I am clearing from Watton where, amongst other things, I held the inventory for the airmen's transit block. Clearlythe SWO had not been keeping too close an eye on things, and whereas I was "up" on lots of nif naf and trivia, I was clearly deficient of a few beds and mattresses, whereupon the suppliers introduced me to a magic piece of paper called a conversion voucher. I guess one of those could have turned water into wine.....certainly solved my shortage of beds and mattresses.

[The Oberon]

1966, short toured from Canberra Long Strike Course to 360 (RN/RAF) Sqn at Watton - be there by yesterday. Packed just about everything into trunk, which I am assure will be there "tomorrow". A week later trunk still not arrived when I get phone call from mate who has seen my box sitting unloved on Ely station.

Three years later and I am clearing from Watton where, amongst other things, I held the inventory for the airmen's transit block. Clearlythe SWO had not been keeping too close an eye on things, and whereas I was "up" on lots of nif naf and trivia, I was clearly deficient of a few beds and mattresses, whereupon the suppliers introduced me to a magic piece of paper called a conversion voucher. I guess one of those could have turned water into wine.....certainly solved my shortage of beds and mattresses.

Ahh, the old story of converting a missing hangars aircraft into a hangers coat!

[dragartist]

Fits with Wanders missing trunk and PN mentioning the Early Bird round robin transport system. One of my jobs in 80s was looking after all the special jigs and fixtures at EWAU. These were generally made in the tool room at Woolwich (very skilled folks) we would check them out and issue to other units embodying SRIMS. Most were for Nimrod and remained at Wyton. Each came in a solidly made wooden box.
Every so often I would dispose of the redundant ones attempting to return the multitude of drill slip bushes and standard parts to Woolwich or local re-use as spares. I would amend the record cards accordingly. Record keeping was excellent. A floor drilling jig had been dispatched to Kinloss but was lost in transit. I had all the early bird chits to say it had been collected but never made it. After a all points north east south and west square search. I had another made at great expense. The task was completed and the jig returned to Wyton.
Several years later Woodford was closed. You guessed the jig was found, all labelled up in big letters. It had been dropped off at Woodford. I guess the box resembled a wooden pallet. Whatever had been on the pallet had never been moved in 10 years.

[Pontius Navigator]

Danny, - as an ex-Vulcan Nav Rad I said "anything but Vulcans" so I was sent to Shack AEW. Hated that and would have gone to the Falklands had I gone back to Vs. I the event I had some first class trips and several tours on different stations living I my own home for 25 years.

Such are life's curves.

[NutLoose]

RE stuff going adrift, I remember the Puma gearbox cracking and awaiting one on the OCU, we waited months, one came in eventually and promptly departed again out the other end of the hangar as the Sqns had priority.
Eventually the RAF had enough and someone was despatched to France to look into it, the story doing the rounds at the time was It turned out the French stores person was an anti Anglophile and the stores was full of undelivered RAF parts where as the French side was empty. Shortly afterwards tons of spares arrived.

[Krystal n chips]

Ah yes, the time honoured traditions of both Handbrake House and Manning - we’re not happy til you’re not happy!


Which worked to perfection on my first tour at Bruggen.

Arrived at Bruggen with about 10 other happy souls at about 17.00 on ?.......Friday afternoon prior to the August grant ....greeted by one very unhappy admin Cpl complaining bitterly as to the fact he was the only one left working....awww, when everybody else had, strangely, disappeared for the holiday. Maintaining the highest traditions of being helpful and assisting new arrivals, we were given vague directions to various Messes and the infamous transit block.....on foot......with everybody carting their wordly belongings ......rank was not an obstacle to our hero in this respect, he truly believed in equality here.

[MPN11]

Not exactly on topic, but I had a different posting issue. Moaning down the pub one evening to SATCO, said i wanted a posting anywhere outside FTC [as was]. "Anywhere you like, anything down to a week's notice as I'm a singly." Two weeks later I had a posting notice to go from Strubby to Tengah. :)

[BEagle]

After I finished my Hawk refresher course at Valley in 1980, I was looking forward to going back down to Pembrokeshire to do the TWU course again at Brawdy.

The Sqn Boss then told me that it had been decided that it was better for someone else ('Porky', as it happened) to take my Brawdy slot...and I would go up to Lossiemouth to do a Hunter TWU.

The idea of driving all that way with all my worldly belongings squeezed into my VW Scirocco didn't really appeal - and Her Loveliness lived in Oxfordshire. Much as I would have dearly loved to have flown the Hunter again, I asked whether it might be possible to delay my TWU and let me have some leave.

A bit of harrumphing then followed - but a day or so later the Boss came in to tell me that I would be on the first of the new TWU courses at Chivenor. I could have kissed him (well, maybe not quite that..). "Thank you sir - so very much - and I'll do the very best at Chiv just to say thanks!"

So I did - and won the Viking trophy for the best live weapons results of the course!

[ShyTorque]

I was sent on a routine two month detachment from Gutersloh to Belize. I was due in Belize in the first week of January. I was told to expect go via the usual method, which was a civvy trooper flight in early Jan to UK then by rail to Brize to get on the usual VC10 flight via Dulles. No problem, as fairly recent newlyweds we settled down to a nice German Christmas.

I received a short notice message to report to Gutersloh to embark on an evening flight on an RAF C130 to Lyneham then to get myself to Brize. Annoyingly, this was on the 27th Dec, which was our wedding anniversary. Wife far from impressed. I arrived at Gutersloh to check in only to discover I was not on the pax manifest for the C130 and because they had freight as well as pax they were full. I told the movement staff to sort it out. I was told I would have to fly by other means. As I was about to leave for home, someone ran after me to tell me the captain had agreed to take me as supernumerary crew if I was happy to fly on the jumpseat. I reluctantly said yes (despite the protestations of my now even more unhappy wife) and off we went. Via Aldergrove into a 65 kts headwind! I got to Aldergrove, was made to disembark with all my kit, clear security which was far from straightforward because I wasn't on the pax manifest(!) sit in the departure hangar for hours while the aircraft was reloaded then reclear security with all my kit. I landed at Lyneham well after midnight, found there was no transport to Brize and no accommodation....I slept on my baggage until the following morning until I could get the SDO to authorise a car to Brize. I arrived at Brize to find the Officers' Mess closed so I was put in transit accommodation (Gateway House?) ..... Where I remained trapped for three friggin' days until the VC10 to Belize departed. All main meals were reheated Christmas lunches, arrived in foil trays and hardly fit for consumption and the rooms were like they were from the set of "Prisoner Cell Block H" (thankfully without the occupants from that TV programme).

i think that was also the time the oncoming VC10 crew for the Dulles - Belize flight change over arrived very late then screwed up the departure, resulting in an aborted takeoff and another very long wait. One of the few times I was actually glad to get to Belize!

[NutLoose]

There is only one person next to you that I have seen to be so reluctant to fly in one of her Majesties finest, and that was the Dutchess of Windsor, everytime we prepped a Ten for her, she got better. ;)

[charliegolf]

I was sent on a routine two month detachment from Gutersloh to Belize. I was due in Belize in the first week of January. I was told to expect go via the usual method, which was a civvy trooper flight in early Jan to UK then by rail to Brize to get on the usual VC10 flight via Dulles. No problem, as fairly recent newlyweds we settled down to a nice German Christmas.

I received a short notice message to report to Gutersloh to embark on an evening flight on an RAF C130 to Lyneham then to get myself to Brize. Annoyingly, this was on the 27th Dec, which was our wedding anniversary. Wife far from impressed. I arrived at Gutersloh to check in only to discover I was not on the pax manifest for the C130 and because they had freight as well as pax they were full. I told the movement staff to sort it out. I was told I would have to fly by other means. As I was about to leave for home, someone ran after me to tell me the captain had agreed to take me as supernumerary crew if I was happy to fly on the jumpseat. I reluctantly said yes (despite the protestations of my now even more unhappy wife) and off we went. Via Aldergrove into a 65 kts headwind! I got to Aldergrove, was made to disembark with all my kit, clear security which was far from straightforward because I wasn't on the pax manifest(!) sit in the departure hangar for hours while the aircraft was reloaded then reclear security with all my kit. I landed at Lyneham well after midnight, found there was no transport to Brize and no accommodation....I slept on my baggage until the following morning until I could get the SDO to authorise a car to Brize. I arrived at Brize to find the Officers' Mess closed so I was put in transit accommodation (Gateway House?) ..... Where I remained trapped for three friggin' days until the VC10 to Belize departed. All main meals were reheated Christmas lunches, arrived in foil trays and hardly fit for consumption and the rooms were like they were from the set of "Prisoner Cell Block H" (thankfully without the occupants from that TV programme).

i think that was also the time the oncoming VC10 crew for the Dulles - Belize flight change over arrived very late then screwed up the departure, resulting in an aborted takeoff and another very long wait. One of the few times I was actually glad to get to Belize!

What's yer point?:E

CG

[NutLoose]

Cruel........ so cruel :E