RAF Stations (past and Present) - Biggest, Best and Bonnieist??
Possibly the msot quirkiest 'station' was RAF 'the White Ox', a pub in Penrith, Cumberland - home of the regional relations officer or some such. The MOD leased the building and then sublet the ground floor as a working pub.
Happiest: St Mawgan
Best: Chivenor (before it was closed the first time)
Most Depressing: Henlow
Most unhappy: Henlow
Least satisfying: Henlow
Most Fun: 280 SU Troodos mid 1970s
Hardest Work: Locking
Biggest and most soulless: Lyneham
Nicest atmosphere: Hullavington
Best detachment: Machrihanish
Worst detachment: Valley
Best overseas: Akrotiri
2nd best overseas: Gutersloh
Best detachment overseas: Nordhorn
Best short visit: Mountbatten
Worst short visit: Brize Norton
Best: Chivenor (before it was closed the first time)
Most Depressing: Henlow
Most unhappy: Henlow
Least satisfying: Henlow
Most Fun: 280 SU Troodos mid 1970s
Hardest Work: Locking
Biggest and most soulless: Lyneham
Nicest atmosphere: Hullavington
Best detachment: Machrihanish
Worst detachment: Valley
Best overseas: Akrotiri
2nd best overseas: Gutersloh
Best detachment overseas: Nordhorn
Best short visit: Mountbatten
Worst short visit: Brize Norton
Last edited by wub; 9th Apr 2008 at 15:54.
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Most fond/blurred memories: RAF Sydenham, mad Adj and big Alex serving jellybabies into the wee hours...
Most tri-Service fun: RAF Colerne
Most sneaky beaky and UFO ridden: RAF Rudloe Manor
Most Soul destroying (work) & best social (well it was about 5 yrs ago!): RAF Wyton/Brampton/Henlow
Most tri-Service fun: RAF Colerne
Most sneaky beaky and UFO ridden: RAF Rudloe Manor
Most Soul destroying (work) & best social (well it was about 5 yrs ago!): RAF Wyton/Brampton/Henlow
Fat Albert
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Best detachment: Machrihanish
Worst detachment: Valley
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Not surprised on the votes for Akrotiri...stopped over dozens of times and it always seemed to be run on a part time basis, purely for the benefit of its inhabitants. Great for the "locals", not so much for the "customers".
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Combined services at Old Sarum, a great load of blokes but someone kept waking us up with "Would you like to fly in my beatutiful balloon" every bloody morning. Salisbury wasn't a great night out though.
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THE best ever
Got posted to RAF Upavon from Shawbury in 1970. First thoughts having just completed AATC training with top marks were not good to be posted to a grass strip with no aircraft! My totally absorbing job in ASC ops was the best ever made even more bearable by the fact Command HQ was staffed by lots of secretary/typist/etc.400 WAAF and only 200 blokes! Cried when posted out
GGR
GGR
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C130 Techie
I suspect you were a frequent visitor to the "Parahandy" Bar who consoled the fisher wifeys on a Thursday night when all the husbands had just gone to sea for the weekend and was merely looking for accommodation for the night and to get your end away - yeh right
I suspect you were a frequent visitor to the "Parahandy" Bar who consoled the fisher wifeys on a Thursday night when all the husbands had just gone to sea for the weekend and was merely looking for accommodation for the night and to get your end away - yeh right
Fat Albert
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C130 Techie
I suspect you were a frequent visitor to the "Parahandy" Bar who consoled the fisher wifeys on a Thursday night when all the husbands had just gone to sea for the weekend and was merely looking for accommodation for the night and to get your end away - yeh right
I suspect you were a frequent visitor to the "Parahandy" Bar who consoled the fisher wifeys on a Thursday night when all the husbands had just gone to sea for the weekend and was merely looking for accommodation for the night and to get your end away - yeh right
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aw ditor
Cracker aw ditor, cracker; joke of the week. ..... but wasted - unless they know what Nordhorn did. 
http://www.geocities.com/cornfield12000/Nordhorn.html
I missed' Nordhorn a lot!
..... but wasted - unless they know what Nordhorn did. http://www.geocities.com/cornfield12000/Nordhorn.html
You chaps need to be very careful. If too many people identify a current RAF station as "the best" the fun detectors will come along and ensure it suffers the same fate as Thorney Island, Chiv, Little Riss, Colt and all the other stations that were in nice places.
Best = St Mawgan. From a grubby factory in the north, suddenly I'm paid twice the money to live by the seaside in holiday season - kiss my face.
Biggest: probably the same place but maybe St Athan. Geometry not my strong point.
Bonniest: Sad I know, but Wittering was nice, at least the building's all appeared to be built in the same era - most other stations looked like a Buccaneers cockpit!
Worst: St Athan by a huge margin. I've never been more miserable in my life.
Biggest: probably the same place but maybe St Athan. Geometry not my strong point.
Bonniest: Sad I know, but Wittering was nice, at least the building's all appeared to be built in the same era - most other stations looked like a Buccaneers cockpit!
Worst: St Athan by a huge margin. I've never been more miserable in my life.
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Best And Worst
Surprised no mention of Wattisham. Super place - lovely countryside, good pubs, excellent flying and not too far from the Smoke. Took a bit of a downturn in the mid to late 80s on both a squadron and station level as a result of 'regime change' but still a great place. Worst by far has to be Valley. I'm sure that somewhere on Angelsey there were friendly, pleasant people who didn't loathe the English (but just lurve their taxes) on sight - pity I never got to meet any of them
Last edited by Ali Qadoo; 11th Apr 2008 at 14:15. Reason: Dates
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Best, and friendliest - has to be Colt. Fantastic 2 tours in the Tower and on 54. Summers were great, sit on the beach at Sea Palling all day and head into Norwich for beers in the evening, or any of the great local pubs. Pity it's now an intern camp for illegal immigrants, or summink?
Busiest - Gutersloh in the late 80's. Ironically a bit quiet these days as I understand. Loved Harrier deployments to ex-Nazi death camps in the middle of nowhere! Well not quite loved them ;-) Obviously the busy bit didn;t apply to 18 even though they'd display the entire inventory on the ramp, but couldn't get 'em in the air!
Worst - Honnington. Full of nobby, macho, not been anywhere, thick as pig-sh1t rock apes. Was pleased to depart the place. Oh yeah, and those big fin things were incapable of anything.
Busiest - Gutersloh in the late 80's. Ironically a bit quiet these days as I understand. Loved Harrier deployments to ex-Nazi death camps in the middle of nowhere! Well not quite loved them ;-) Obviously the busy bit didn;t apply to 18 even though they'd display the entire inventory on the ramp, but couldn't get 'em in the air!
Worst - Honnington. Full of nobby, macho, not been anywhere, thick as pig-sh1t rock apes. Was pleased to depart the place. Oh yeah, and those big fin things were incapable of anything.