RAF Stations (past and Present) - Biggest, Best and Bonnieist??
Ali, yes, I agree about Wattisham! A lovely part of the world indeed!
I don't know why so many people seem to hate Valley though - I had a great time as a student.
Talking of nice places, I was driving back from Dover on Wednesday when I saw a sign for West Malling. Garden of England on a sunny day - it must have been a marvellous place to which to have been posted.
I don't know why so many people seem to hate Valley though - I had a great time as a student.
Talking of nice places, I was driving back from Dover on Wednesday when I saw a sign for West Malling. Garden of England on a sunny day - it must have been a marvellous place to which to have been posted.
Last edited by BEagle; 5th Nov 2013 at 18:37.
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: East Devon
Posts: 10
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The best Westonzoyland in the late 50's
The worst Coningsby when it was the BCHU for Canberras
The biggest Akrotiri there with Bomber Wing in the early 70's
The happy place was the jewel in the Arabian Sea Masirah.
The worst Coningsby when it was the BCHU for Canberras
The biggest Akrotiri there with Bomber Wing in the early 70's
The happy place was the jewel in the Arabian Sea Masirah.
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: in the forest
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hymie65
Don't know Honnington, but do know HQ Rockery is at Honington. Perhaps that's where you were, but it must have been long before current ops as I can assure you that they are not as you describe and they do go anywhere. Perhaps you missed some of the threads on here about their recent losses and bravery!
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.
I often went to Weston Zoyland in the 1950s as a lad. My only real memory of the RAF there was the impressive pile of aluminium painted aircraft wreckage in the station scrap compound!
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: In a hole with an owl
Posts: 111
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
West Malling
Did a gliding course there in summer 1974 as a CCF cadet - loved every minute. It was pretty run-down even then but absolutely steeped in history - must've been a lovely posting when it was an active station. Sadly, it's now an enormous housing estate - a fate that seems to await a large number of disused airfields if the socialist occupying power get their way.
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Midlandshire
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Best: Fondest memories of Turnhouse/Pitreavie Castle. Before the airport was completed.
Worst: High Wycombe. 2 years of purgatory in the old bunker.
Bonniest: Benbecula (in the summer).
Worst Short Stay: Marham, how depressing.
Best Short Stay: Goose Bay. Everyone seemed genuinely welcoming, high summer, BBQ's & Cold Beers every evening. Was the bar called "The Dog" ?
Worst: High Wycombe. 2 years of purgatory in the old bunker.
Bonniest: Benbecula (in the summer).
Worst Short Stay: Marham, how depressing.
Best Short Stay: Goose Bay. Everyone seemed genuinely welcoming, high summer, BBQ's & Cold Beers every evening. Was the bar called "The Dog" ?
Join Date: Jul 1998
Location: Cornwall
Posts: 86
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Anybody mention Oakington and Thorney Island? Great jobs both, lovely stations and nice people to work with, fondest memories. Most depressing MQ's - Marham; my ex-inlaws lived at 5 Chalkpit Close, name says it all.
Best for job, location (apart from the horizontal fog) and one's fellow workers has to be Brawdy in the late 70's.
Biggest - Akrotiri in the early 70s. Great mix of units - pity about all the visitors!
Bonniest - how about Kemble? Pretty little laid-back station in lovely area but Coltishall comes a close second.
Worst - and by miles, has to be miserable Coningsby in the early 80s headed by that execrable unit 228 OCU which, fortunately for all those that passed through it, took on a new life when it moved to Leuchars.
As a follow on to the above perhaps we could also name the best and worst units!?
Biggest - Akrotiri in the early 70s. Great mix of units - pity about all the visitors!
Bonniest - how about Kemble? Pretty little laid-back station in lovely area but Coltishall comes a close second.
Worst - and by miles, has to be miserable Coningsby in the early 80s headed by that execrable unit 228 OCU which, fortunately for all those that passed through it, took on a new life when it moved to Leuchars.
As a follow on to the above perhaps we could also name the best and worst units!?
Worst - and by miles, has to be miserable Coningsby in the early 80s headed by that execrable unit 228 OCU.
The only place where I ever encountered total contempt, bordering on hatred, towards students.
Fortunately I was chopped and went to the delights of 230 OCU at Scampton, then 3 happy years on the Tin Triangle.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Staffordshire
Age: 71
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RAF Stations List
Impressive effort but a couple of corrections. IIRC Hittadu (or however it was spelt) was the comms base for RAF Gan. Everyone but the communicators lived on Gan itself. Wattisham and Dishforth are AAC airfields - they are not RAF airfields also used by the AAC. Wattisham does have an RAF SAR Flt but Dishforth has only one unit on it - 9 Regt AAC.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Staffordshire
Age: 71
Posts: 9
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
RAF Cosford Hospital
RAF Hospital Cosford closed in Dec 1977. I had to send a working party from RAF Stafford to help dismantle it. Although it was in wooden huts, my understanding from the time was that it was closing due to the 1975 Redundancy having reduced the potential patient numbers. By 1977 it was mostly used as a maternity hospital for Wolverhampton, with the NHS paying for the privilege. The current Officers' Mess is built on the site - in a design similar in shape if not materials to the 1940 hospital.
When the Engineering and Radio training moved from Halton and Locking in the 1990s most of the wooden huts were demolished to make room for the new buildings. The only ones remaining now are the old Sisters' Mess with 4 accommodation huts on the Officers' Mess site, the old church and ancillary buildings over by the fence line and an MT garage opposite the gym.
When the Engineering and Radio training moved from Halton and Locking in the 1990s most of the wooden huts were demolished to make room for the new buildings. The only ones remaining now are the old Sisters' Mess with 4 accommodation huts on the Officers' Mess site, the old church and ancillary buildings over by the fence line and an MT garage opposite the gym.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: The 'Dunawee' Home for the Elderly.
Posts: 25
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Originally Posted by Scribbly520
Wattisham and Dishforth are AAC airfields
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Midlandshire
Posts: 37
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Impressive effort but a couple of corrections. IIRC Hittadu (or however it was spelt) was the comms base for RAF Gan.
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Cyprus
Age: 58
Posts: 1
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Biggest - Has to be Akt, a rather large 18 square miles and beautifully hot today (28C).
Worst - Marham - local area great if you want to buy any six fingered gloves, but that's about it. 10 miles to the nearest road with lines!
Best - Wildenrath - mid eighties. Local peacey folks marching around the village demanding the RAF leave....move forward 6-7 years and same people marching demanding the camp stay open to keep the lcal economy going!
Worst - Marham - local area great if you want to buy any six fingered gloves, but that's about it. 10 miles to the nearest road with lines!
Best - Wildenrath - mid eighties. Local peacey folks marching around the village demanding the RAF leave....move forward 6-7 years and same people marching demanding the camp stay open to keep the lcal economy going!
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: Middle England
Posts: 30
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Hittadu - The Nurses Home
Hittadu, wasn't that were the Nurses home was?
Oh, the ledgendary dances they used to hold there on a Saturday night.
IIRC the RAF launch used to leave from the jetty on Gan at around 18.30...
Oh, the ledgendary dances they used to hold there on a Saturday night.
IIRC the RAF launch used to leave from the jetty on Gan at around 18.30...