RAF Stations (past and Present) - Biggest, Best and Bonnieist??
Read all posts and amazed!
Out of 220 posts no one has mentioned the best ,BALLYKELLY!!!
Possibly because it belonged to another air force in another era!!Mind you I came straight from training at St Athan so anything had to be better.There were six of us who arrived in December and all under 18 years old so a Cpl Doyle was put in charge of our barrack room!Needless to say we soon had a tour of the village drinking holes and then on to Limavady, Guinness at a shilling a bottle!!Yes Coastal command was another air force ,alas all gone!
Worst,Khormaksar long hours (8 sqdn) and only booze to keep you entertained.Look at www.radfan hunters .com for some nostalgia!!
Possibly because it belonged to another air force in another era!!Mind you I came straight from training at St Athan so anything had to be better.There were six of us who arrived in December and all under 18 years old so a Cpl Doyle was put in charge of our barrack room!Needless to say we soon had a tour of the village drinking holes and then on to Limavady, Guinness at a shilling a bottle!!Yes Coastal command was another air force ,alas all gone!
Worst,Khormaksar long hours (8 sqdn) and only booze to keep you entertained.Look at www.radfan hunters .com for some nostalgia!!
RAF Wattishall, late 60s - early 70s
Lossie 80-83 - except for limited shagging....
Coltishall 71-73 - lots of it...
Bonniest - Coltishall - lots of it....
biggest - Lossie 80-83 - busy mix of types
best - Coltishall 74 -77 last of the lightnings first of (sqn) jags
bonniest - Coltishall whenever!
best - Coltishall 74 -77 last of the lightnings first of (sqn) jags
bonniest - Coltishall whenever!
Coltishall 71-73 - lots of it...
Bonniest - Coltishall - lots of it....
I'm really in thrall reading this thread. I was never in the R.A.F. My Pa was. It would be interesting to see a child of the R.A.F.'s version of this. I was too young to remember much of Usworth and Ouston, Acklington was a bit hazy.
Leuchars was great, all those Hunters and Javelins. Then it was Malta. Back to to North Weald (no-one's mentioned North Weald) in 1962 just in time for the coldest winter in living memory, brrrrrr! Then it was Gaydon. I liked Gaydon 'cos I liked Victors - pity they got swapped for those other V-planes Varsities and Valettas. Off we went again to Sopley - married quarters in Bransgore, very pretty. Then off to Gibraltar, that was nice until the border was closed then it got a bit claustrophobic. Then I went off on my separate way leaving le famille to (eventually) return to live in Uxbridge (Pa was at West Drayton), then they went to Waddington, then Lyneham then finally Sutton Bridge (Pa was at and retired from Holbeach).
For me, Malta was definately tops, Leuchars was great because of the different types af aircraft that would appear.
Leuchars was great, all those Hunters and Javelins. Then it was Malta. Back to to North Weald (no-one's mentioned North Weald) in 1962 just in time for the coldest winter in living memory, brrrrrr! Then it was Gaydon. I liked Gaydon 'cos I liked Victors - pity they got swapped for those other V-planes Varsities and Valettas. Off we went again to Sopley - married quarters in Bransgore, very pretty. Then off to Gibraltar, that was nice until the border was closed then it got a bit claustrophobic. Then I went off on my separate way leaving le famille to (eventually) return to live in Uxbridge (Pa was at West Drayton), then they went to Waddington, then Lyneham then finally Sutton Bridge (Pa was at and retired from Holbeach).
For me, Malta was definately tops, Leuchars was great because of the different types af aircraft that would appear.
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Biggest: Nellis AFB - over 10,000 people on base if you include civilians
Best: RAF Wildenrath in the late 70s, early 80s; height of the Cold War, fight hard but play hard.
Bonniest: Now I'm struggling but Wattisham was always a homely place. If detachments count, Dal Molin was in amongst the nicer ones.
Bleakest: Stanley just after the war without a doubt; even with the Coastels in place.
Best: RAF Wildenrath in the late 70s, early 80s; height of the Cold War, fight hard but play hard.
Bonniest: Now I'm struggling but Wattisham was always a homely place. If detachments count, Dal Molin was in amongst the nicer ones.
Bleakest: Stanley just after the war without a doubt; even with the Coastels in place.
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thornhill rhodesia, 1950 to 1954.
can any of you gentlemen help me at all, im looking for pictures etc of the above raf station as my dad will be 80 next month, and im doing a memory book for him, he was stationed there in 1950, with my mum and my brother was born there, i have tried everywhere poss to get info, but i keep hitting a dead end, any ideas chaps, i would be most grateful,
penny59
penny59
Penny - there's some info, and a few photos - not many - of the place just post the RRAF taking over in 1955 here.
There are quite a few photos at a website run by a chap called Tony Hawes who was at Thornhill from 1951-63 - see here
There are quite few photos which aren't of Thornhill, but you'll find a few, including an aerial view or two. (I have a suspicion that this chap might be the ppruner 'warmtoast', who's put some photos of Thornhill up before).
There are some photos in a Flight article about the 1953 centenary event, which are on pdfs here and here (the fatal mid-air being dealt with in a very brief, matter-of-fact line on the first page).
You might (I can't recall) find some info and photos in Beryl Salt's Pride of Eagles book.
You'll also find some info here and http://rhodesiaandtheraf.********.com might help - you'll need to replace the asterisks by taking the words 'blog' and 'spot', and putting them together to form a single word and cutting and pasting into your address bar for that one though, as the word formed by this amalgamation gets filtered by Pprune.
There are quite a few photos at a website run by a chap called Tony Hawes who was at Thornhill from 1951-63 - see here
There are quite few photos which aren't of Thornhill, but you'll find a few, including an aerial view or two. (I have a suspicion that this chap might be the ppruner 'warmtoast', who's put some photos of Thornhill up before).
There are some photos in a Flight article about the 1953 centenary event, which are on pdfs here and here (the fatal mid-air being dealt with in a very brief, matter-of-fact line on the first page).
You might (I can't recall) find some info and photos in Beryl Salt's Pride of Eagles book.
You'll also find some info here and http://rhodesiaandtheraf.********.com might help - you'll need to replace the asterisks by taking the words 'blog' and 'spot', and putting them together to form a single word and cutting and pasting into your address bar for that one though, as the word formed by this amalgamation gets filtered by Pprune.
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biggest best and bonniest.a personal view by a really old codger
Swanton Morley,my first posting as Direct Entry Air Crew to join an Air Sig course. So So, in 1949 but I was young and unmarried then, however there was always Hairy Mary down in Dereham.
Said bye bye to RAF, day prior to passing out parade.never wanted to be a Sig any way.
On returning to the fold in1957 posted to Melksham,Yuk.
Next Posting Valley,married now with one son. Great hiring own tennis court,240 acres of rough shooting,landing stage and boat at the bottom of field. Best so far.Life was easy
Best.
Next posting Akrotiri. Lived out in Limassol. This was 1959
and Cyprus was not yet a tourist destination.Great restaurants and great sight seeing.Loved it.Further Son born on base.One of the best
Back broken in 6 places and returned to UK,posted to Watton.Tech Wing HQ. A good posting,excellent Officers, and staff.
Posted to St Athan as Instructor. Worst without any doubt,
Became paralised due to spinal injuries and transferred to RAF Hospital Wroughton. On and off for many months until discharge. Very kind staff at all levels despite being unable to operate and fix problems. As an hospital. Very good
Said bye bye to RAF, day prior to passing out parade.never wanted to be a Sig any way.
On returning to the fold in1957 posted to Melksham,Yuk.
Next Posting Valley,married now with one son. Great hiring own tennis court,240 acres of rough shooting,landing stage and boat at the bottom of field. Best so far.Life was easy
Best.
Next posting Akrotiri. Lived out in Limassol. This was 1959
and Cyprus was not yet a tourist destination.Great restaurants and great sight seeing.Loved it.Further Son born on base.One of the best
Back broken in 6 places and returned to UK,posted to Watton.Tech Wing HQ. A good posting,excellent Officers, and staff.
Posted to St Athan as Instructor. Worst without any doubt,
Became paralised due to spinal injuries and transferred to RAF Hospital Wroughton. On and off for many months until discharge. Very kind staff at all levels despite being unable to operate and fix problems. As an hospital. Very good
Last edited by William.Fde Riecroft; 21st Jan 2011 at 03:06. Reason: Spelling
Ok Folks,
-4 me, South Cerney springs to mind, my first taste of the RAF, it had a lovely Officers Mess Building too.
- Leeming. Nice part of the UK, bloodly hard work completing the wings course on the JP, but certainly well worth it. I was once instructed to extend downwind as a Vulcan was on finals & ended up half way to Brum!, don't tell.
- Oakington - A lovely station & also in another lovely area, right next door to Girton Ladies College. My QFI had a Lotus Cortina, super car. Great pity to see most of the airfield is dug up & I think going into the real estate business.
- Sharjah - First operational posting, sand in almost everything, but super atmosphere.
- Thorney Island - A bugger to get in & out of if you lived off camp & it was rush hour on the A27.
- Northolt- Rather compressed & the end of the runway approached rather quickly when landing the 125 in the wet, no reverse for us.
Overall, I am so very sorry to see so many old RAF stations & airfields being closed down, I woder where we will be in ten years or so.
-4 me, South Cerney springs to mind, my first taste of the RAF, it had a lovely Officers Mess Building too.
- Leeming. Nice part of the UK, bloodly hard work completing the wings course on the JP, but certainly well worth it. I was once instructed to extend downwind as a Vulcan was on finals & ended up half way to Brum!, don't tell.
- Oakington - A lovely station & also in another lovely area, right next door to Girton Ladies College. My QFI had a Lotus Cortina, super car. Great pity to see most of the airfield is dug up & I think going into the real estate business.
- Sharjah - First operational posting, sand in almost everything, but super atmosphere.
- Thorney Island - A bugger to get in & out of if you lived off camp & it was rush hour on the A27.
- Northolt- Rather compressed & the end of the runway approached rather quickly when landing the 125 in the wet, no reverse for us.
Overall, I am so very sorry to see so many old RAF stations & airfields being closed down, I woder where we will be in ten years or so.
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For me, with two three year tours there, best simply has to be Akrotiri. I was mostly living down in Limassol, great food and drinking, nice place to live and great places up in the mountains to visit. I did an unaccompanied tour at Masirah and have to say that apart from the troublesome aspects of being unaccompanied, I greatly enjoyed my tour there, the esprit de corps was tremendous and the time simply flew by. Best in UK for sheer ambience was Chivenor, worst; Cosford as a Boy Entrant
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1st
RAF Bruggen............... minus the damn exercises per week, lovely camp and lovely local women, topped off with lovely alcohol and a lovely Ratty outside the gate.
2nd
Raf Brize Norton..... bar the accomodation (Then and knowing the RAF probably still now) one of the best, but lacking in the above, great shifts and place to work, with cracking workmates ( LSS) bet that section hasn't been mentioned much.
3rd
RAF Odiham
Again really pits accomodation, Farmers Weekly recommended less pigs accomodated in the dimensions of the billet blocks than there were airman living in it....... we know, someone wrote in asking how many pigs could be kept in a well lit, heated room, xyz in area and it was published!!!
Basingstoke...... a place that would make one want to commit suicide...
Area nice and work great, but no women, except 2 married WRAFS ( when I was there), and the W~king makes you blind poster on the ceiling in the Dental section where they put you under....... Bet that has gone!!
Worst
RAF Halton...... nuff said..... on Par with Colditz, except Colditz you had a chance of escaping...
RAF Bruggen............... minus the damn exercises per week, lovely camp and lovely local women, topped off with lovely alcohol and a lovely Ratty outside the gate.
2nd
Raf Brize Norton..... bar the accomodation (Then and knowing the RAF probably still now) one of the best, but lacking in the above, great shifts and place to work, with cracking workmates ( LSS) bet that section hasn't been mentioned much.
3rd
RAF Odiham
Again really pits accomodation, Farmers Weekly recommended less pigs accomodated in the dimensions of the billet blocks than there were airman living in it....... we know, someone wrote in asking how many pigs could be kept in a well lit, heated room, xyz in area and it was published!!!
Basingstoke...... a place that would make one want to commit suicide...
Area nice and work great, but no women, except 2 married WRAFS ( when I was there), and the W~king makes you blind poster on the ceiling in the Dental section where they put you under....... Bet that has gone!!
Worst
RAF Halton...... nuff said..... on Par with Colditz, except Colditz you had a chance of escaping...
Labuan F-86s
Probably not the correct thread but:
Can anyone tell about Labuan Malaysia- I saw a photo of F-86s in Labuan and can find no record of RAF F-86s based there. Canadair built I believe.
Probably an interesting history of that base both WW2 and after.
I can only assume it was a good base to work at.
Can anyone tell about Labuan Malaysia- I saw a photo of F-86s in Labuan and can find no record of RAF F-86s based there. Canadair built I believe.
Probably an interesting history of that base both WW2 and after.
I can only assume it was a good base to work at.
Last edited by albatross; 21st Jan 2011 at 12:09. Reason: Content
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New catagory: Hardest to find entrance of. And the winner is ..................Wattisham. Could be seen for miles, but the the h*ll is the bl**dy main gate!
Most fun: Stanley before the "Normalisation" and Buchan with the Newton Farm Lodge OM. Wow, the parties in the blocks hm hm!
Or the smallest and liveliest, Ajax Bar (FI) . Smokers' Rock on the way up to the radar from the refigeration plant anyone? Bar made from copper coffin linings. "Is This the Face of Concern?"
Or even Cara Cara Radar where they auctioned off the sheets slept in by the CSE girls for RAFA?
Ah that reminds me of the collection for the RNLI before the porn show in the cinema of MS Keran on the way to the FI.
Happy Days sigh
Ascot
Most fun: Stanley before the "Normalisation" and Buchan with the Newton Farm Lodge OM. Wow, the parties in the blocks hm hm!
Or the smallest and liveliest, Ajax Bar (FI) . Smokers' Rock on the way up to the radar from the refigeration plant anyone? Bar made from copper coffin linings. "Is This the Face of Concern?"
Or even Cara Cara Radar where they auctioned off the sheets slept in by the CSE girls for RAFA?
Ah that reminds me of the collection for the RNLI before the porn show in the cinema of MS Keran on the way to the FI.
Happy Days sigh
Ascot
dy Digby on a dark, cold & stormy night!