Its Happy Hour Again!!

[814man]

Sat out in the garden on a glorious Friday afternoon sipping a cold beer (when I should in fact be cutting the grass), my mind turns to great Friday happy hours I’ve known.
In no particular order then here are 3 of my favourites.

Belize mid 80s. A few Rum & Cokes in the mess then the bus down to BC. Start at the civilised bars around the Chateau Caribbean and the Fort George then on to the Upstairs Café, the Pub and many others that I’ve simply forgotten. Taxi back with the optional stop at Rauls Rose Garden….but lets not go there.

Gatow late 80s. SU bar, NAAFI, bus to city centre, Irish Bar, Klo’s, Stuckgarter Platz (Starlight anyone?) then back to the block to find cellar bar still in full swing – awesome.

MPA 95, 97, 99, 00, 02, OK I’ll stop now. Nowhere better for Friday evening beer calls. Movers Bar and SMC were always good starting points followed by Queen Vic and so on. Waiting for a lift across the airfield could be a bit chilly in the winter though.

Nostalga – its not what it used to be.

I’ll get me coat.

[BEagle]

A cuple of years ago we had a long running thread on this site called something like "Who's in the Pub?". Amongst the contributors who always came up with ribald banter was 'The Mistress'.

For those who don't know, 'The Mistress' died suddenly last year, leaving her other half 'Nil nos Tremafacit' desolated.

So whilst we have a few metaphorical ales in the virtual happy hour, let's recall the amusement which TM gave to this site - and send our consolations to Paul.

[fobotcso]

Amen to BEagle's post. TM sadly missed.

That was a quality thread.

Trouble is, 814man, that it is hard to be nostalgic when you can't remember! :\

Best happy hours I can remember were those on stretched 24/7 Units (72 in Aldergrove springs to mind and others in foreign parts) where the chances to let hair down were rare and brief and therefore the occasions more precious. I've rarely ridden a bogle more pissed.

[Dan Winterland]

Happy hours at MPA only seemed good because any reason to forget you were in that s:mad: thole was wonderful.

[BEagle]

Happy hours at Base Aerea Gringo were quite good, as Dan says. Until, that is, some tw@t decided to allow the few accompanied officers' wives and kids to attend some happy hours. That didn't half pi$$ off all those stuck in that dump without their own husbands, wives, girlfriends, boyfriends or offspring........

'Twenty five to three' hads some childish ritual involving a carpet upon which they and their hangers-on would stand; however, the wokka mates and girls went one better by inflating a MS26 inside the bar - and then inviting all their mates on board! This left the pointy-heads a bit bewildered as no-one was bothered about their stupid bit of rug!

[Captain Gadget]

Happy hours at Valley were always pretty good (one needed to anaesthetise the brain, after all, if stuck on Ynys Mon for the weekend!). I particularly remember the then Staish (ex Lightnings) calling happy hour to order and then drawing attention to a carpet sample that he had brought with him. He then invited the assembled company to do their worst to it...

As you can imagine, several pints of beer and stubbings-out of fag ends later, this small piece of carpet was in a fairly sorry state. However, the Staish wasn't done yet - he demanded a crow scarer (of a QFI who shall remain nameless, and who had a reputation for having such things about him at the most unusual moments). A few seconds, a particularly loud detonation and numerous sets of sore eardrums later, the poor carpet sample had been reduced to a shredded, ash-stained, beer-soaked, smouldering shadow of its former self - at which point he Staish announced that there was no way that this grade of carpet was ever going to do for his bar and told the Mess committee to go and find something more capable of withstanding the rigours of Mess life!

They did.

Gadget :ok:

[smartman]

Valley was hard to beat - 'specially with the Gnat v Hunter banter, the firelighter fluid antics, numerous piano funerals by the lake, and listening to Langroids tales of yesteryear. Was it always sunny on those Friday nights? And why was my Honda50 so prone to falling on its side on the treck back to MQs?

Chivenor in the mid 60's also good. Dampened only very briefly by the shock of the breathalyser - seem to recall the effects of the Staish's pre-emptive bollocking wearing off about a week later. What was the name of the old retainer/barman - Mr????

Honington late 70's brings back visions of egg fights, Honda racing in the corridors, and OC 12's Mini parked in mess reception - minus its rotor arm.

And then wives started working, people bought houses, and wars began ------------------------

[Chris Kebab]

Anyone recall the "winching out of the Lake" Happy Hour at Valley. Sadly time and other factors have diminished the finer detail.

And anyone ever catch the Laarbruch - Wildenrath train on a Friday? I was really travel sick!

[fobotcso]

Some other place...

Wife of OC Eng delighted to receive two dozen new-laid eggs on Friday evening from a name she knew and trusted.

Shortly after also delighted to receive two loaves of fresh bread from a name she knew and trusted.

Later horrified to receive a bunch of drunk aircrew demanding to be served "egg in the hole". They took over the kitchen and did the "biz" and cleaned up. They didn't want to spoil a great joke.

Good sport she! :ok:

Same place, different time...

Great aircrew party in OCFW's MQ broke up as dusk settled. But lights in kitchen, sitting room etc didn't work. Departing aircrew explained that they had created a special "bulb" garden in honour of the occasion. Sense of humour failure, sadly. :sad:

[EESDL]

Sorry to hear about TM.

On the patio outside Aldergrove OM, Puma does the OM arrival/departure to much banter.
FOLA place glasses on the table and go and do it properly in Walter.

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Shawbury in the early 90s was always a good happy hour - loads of air traffickers to bait and pilots from so many different helo Sqns there was always harsh banter to be had. One particular night the window was very busy - it started with an Act Plt Off and saw every rank through to and including Air Cdre.
Champagne breakfasts at CFSH always had to finish up in happy hour - although it took the normal happy hourers a little while to catch up!