16/17 January 1991-What were you doing?
Relaxing in the bowling alley at Lyneham having spent the day in Ops preparing for what we knew was going to be soon.
The cheer that went up when someone announced that it had started had to be heard to be believed.
Doc C
The cheer that went up when someone announced that it had started had to be heard to be believed.
Doc C
Join Date: Dec 1997
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In the UAS bar at Finningley, having completed night SCT, wishing that the RAF hadn't told me I was 'essential personnel' in the training biz, and couldn't go back to Albert. Later, after several beers, trying to defend myself having told the new wife that I was going to try and get that decision reversed!
I managed to get back to Albert, but not until the November, long after the war was over.
I managed to get back to Albert, but not until the November, long after the war was over.
Join Date: Jan 2003
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All From The Same Unit
MaroonMan4,
I was sharing your piece of desert in RHQ colocated with 659. The whole advance by 1(UK) Div called fwd 24hours 'cos the leading troops - spams and 7 Bde - were doing so well. The weather was on the rotten side of poor with high winds low cloud and rain. Sharing the Ops panzer with me that night were 2 other watchkeepers when in walked an attached Flt Lt from the FAC trg place who was there to train us on a new FAC computer, Psion IIRC. Anyway he produced a half bottle of Scotland's finest which for interests sake fits into an army orange beaker. The four of us drained the beaker and we didn't feel a thing the amber nectar must have been neutralised by adrenaline. Next into the panzer was the Ops Officer who was teetotal. He sniffed the air and said he could swear he could smell whisky and if he didn't know better (ie there was no booze) he would assume normal night stags rules applied. The four of us replied as one 'Silly Boy'
Happy days - we didnt loose anyone.
LB
I was sharing your piece of desert in RHQ colocated with 659. The whole advance by 1(UK) Div called fwd 24hours 'cos the leading troops - spams and 7 Bde - were doing so well. The weather was on the rotten side of poor with high winds low cloud and rain. Sharing the Ops panzer with me that night were 2 other watchkeepers when in walked an attached Flt Lt from the FAC trg place who was there to train us on a new FAC computer, Psion IIRC. Anyway he produced a half bottle of Scotland's finest which for interests sake fits into an army orange beaker. The four of us drained the beaker and we didn't feel a thing the amber nectar must have been neutralised by adrenaline. Next into the panzer was the Ops Officer who was teetotal. He sniffed the air and said he could swear he could smell whisky and if he didn't know better (ie there was no booze) he would assume normal night stags rules applied. The four of us replied as one 'Silly Boy'
Happy days - we didnt loose anyone.
LB
With 661 Squadron Group, parked up in the Forward Assembly Area about to go over the berm. Dressed in IPE (less masks) eating chocolate hob nobs in the nearest trench with some Armoured Engineers that were the first Brits through the the berm. Watching B 52 contrails (thinking of Fairford/Home) and the noise of the Daisy Cutter.
Join Date: Oct 2004
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Sat in a compound in Riyad (having been given the nod things could get busy soon) absolutly hammered, with one of the best poker hands I've ever had, rials and empty bottles littering the floor and some pongo bursts in, in full IPE and weapon shouting for us to get our weapons and get outside 'coz the war had started.........he didn't take too kindly to our polite suggestion he go f*** himself. The rest of that night is a blur but I am sure it involved more bottles and I had more rials than I could spend by morning.
Join Date: Oct 2000
Location: Retired to Bisley from the small African nation
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Sat in the pitch black back of an extremely crowded LWB Landrover in the middle of lots of sand giving a lesson to the most attentive audience I have ever had - I had just admitted to being an NBC instructor and surprise surprise EVERYBODY wanted a refresher course.
Sven
Sven
Join Date: Sep 2000
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Sitting on the second floor of the hole at High Wycombe waiting for the MISREPs/BDA for the targets we'd selected/been given, watching CNN and praying quietly for safe returns.
Join Date: Nov 2001
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Lying on my bed at Chivenor, I remember listening to the first reports of action coming over the radio waves and thinking "I could have landed Orderly Officer on a better night"
A really irritating PPRuNer
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Just popping my head back up above the parapet
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I went to meet up with Thud and Blunder.
Didn't do much apart from admire the true professionalism of everyone else.
Didn't do much apart from admire the true professionalism of everyone else.
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Ditto, seem to recall that after we had been watching it for 20 mins or so Dick Johns who was duty grown up that night tannoyed that he could confirm hostilities had commenced against Iraqui forces.
Join Date: Oct 2006
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Sitting at home after a long shift in the night-club I worked in at the time, watching the sound-and-light show over Baghdad on BBC. Was sweating buckets for my dad who was deployed with the TA to Riyadh. Heard about all the Scud coming down near where he was working.
Co-incedentally I deployed with the RAF into SE Iraq exactly 15 years to the day after my dad went to Riyadh. History repeating itself...
Co-incedentally I deployed with the RAF into SE Iraq exactly 15 years to the day after my dad went to Riyadh. History repeating itself...
Pilot Officer PPRuNe
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I was flying off the coast of Kuwait in the Mighty Hunter....
Even ended up with my pic in the book Thunder and Lightning when they followed our crew for a sortie... fame at last
Unbelievable we are still out there
Tonks
Even ended up with my pic in the book Thunder and Lightning when they followed our crew for a sortie... fame at last
Unbelievable we are still out there
Tonks
Last edited by Tonkenna; 19th Jan 2007 at 21:29.
Remember it like yesterday.... Downtown Khobar, was ironing a shirt listening to CNN (about 01:00 if'n I remember correctly), when the heavens were rent asunder by the sound of freedom.... F15's, A4's & the best her Maj could muster....departing Dhahran for point's NW.... (Must have heard Beags too come to think of it).
Spent the next god know's how long hoping the NBC gear I'd practised with for the last 17 years would work.....
Thanks very much B' Liair.....
Spent the next god know's how long hoping the NBC gear I'd practised with for the last 17 years would work.....
Thanks very much B' Liair.....
Sitting in a board meeting trying to save our business, When we heard the news, we thought that would finish us. And it did, on the day the ground war ended.
Strangely, I was just about to announce some redundancies on September 11, 2001 when someone came in and said that two airliners had crashed into the WTC.
Perhaps someone should employ me to hide bad news under more momentous events. My timing is impeccable.
Strangely, I was just about to announce some redundancies on September 11, 2001 when someone came in and said that two airliners had crashed into the WTC.
Perhaps someone should employ me to hide bad news under more momentous events. My timing is impeccable.