Gaining An R.A.F Pilots Brevet In WW II
considerate not to include then and now comparison pictures?
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The author recounts crossing the Atlantic after ab initio in Canada. the ship the Aquitania ..' in a fearful storm rolling from beam to beam
. . . how does she stay in one piece with all that human cargo aboard? How come you're crossing the Atlantic at all?'
'Twenty-two years of age, committed to the elements like a cork or a bean or a fleck of spume. All those ancestors working for hundreds of years to send life down to you and it gets treated like its worth a penny a mile. The food they feed you is not even fit for rendering down, the soap they wash you with (I'll never forget its name) burns the skin off your hands. Every boy with his little bag of 'comforts' packed by women volunteers (working shoulder to shoulder to a background of martial music) from fourth-grade articles supplied at profit by patriotic manufacturers operating to specially reduced standards for the duration of the war. How much of that stuff you simply have to throw away.'
Needless to say a brilliant book . .. with much adulation throughout for his mighty Sunderland.
(personally and incidentally the apprentice experience of helping to convert a former RNZAF Sunderland for service with Ansett Flying Boat Services for the Lord Howe Island run as VH-BRF in 1964 supplied fond lasting impressions of the characters for whom those boats were in their blood. )
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The author recounts crossing the Atlantic after ab initio in Canada. the ship the Aquitania ..' in a fearful storm rolling from beam to beam
. . . how does she stay in one piece with all that human cargo aboard? How come you're crossing the Atlantic at all?'
'Twenty-two years of age, committed to the elements like a cork or a bean or a fleck of spume. All those ancestors working for hundreds of years to send life down to you and it gets treated like its worth a penny a mile. The food they feed you is not even fit for rendering down, the soap they wash you with (I'll never forget its name) burns the skin off your hands. Every boy with his little bag of 'comforts' packed by women volunteers (working shoulder to shoulder to a background of martial music) from fourth-grade articles supplied at profit by patriotic manufacturers operating to specially reduced standards for the duration of the war. How much of that stuff you simply have to throw away.'
Needless to say a brilliant book . .. with much adulation throughout for his mighty Sunderland.
(personally and incidentally the apprentice experience of helping to convert a former RNZAF Sunderland for service with Ansett Flying Boat Services for the Lord Howe Island run as VH-BRF in 1964 supplied fond lasting impressions of the characters for whom those boats were in their blood. )
Last edited by Fantome; 23rd Mar 2016 at 10:41.
OLD RED DAMASK
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Danny, re your lines of the poem you thought by Kipling.
The original has no quote of " And come and marry me, Mary Jane."
It comes from Soldier, Soldier.
"The dead, they will not rise,
So you'd better dry your eyes,
And come and marry me, Mary Jane !"
(Kipling ??)
So you'd better dry your eyes,
And come and marry me, Mary Jane !"
(Kipling ??)
It comes from Soldier, Soldier.
SOLDIER, soldier come from the wars,
“Why don’t you march with my true love?”
“We’re fresh from off the ship an’ ’e’s, maybe, give the slip,
“An’ you’d best go look for a new love.”
New love! True love!
Best go look for a new love,
The dead they cannot rise, an’ you’d better dry your eyes,
An’ you’d best go look for a new love.
“Why don’t you march with my true love?”
“We’re fresh from off the ship an’ ’e’s, maybe, give the slip,
“An’ you’d best go look for a new love.”
New love! True love!
Best go look for a new love,
The dead they cannot rise, an’ you’d better dry your eyes,
An’ you’d best go look for a new love.
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lasernigel,
In this, our old crewroom in cyberspace, we are all Sirs ! You are as much a "Sir" as the next man.
I was a Sgt, my Dad was a regular RQMS, his Dad was a regular Sgt (both in the King's [Liverpool] Regiment). Probably his Dad, too.
Danny.
.
In this, our old crewroom in cyberspace, we are all Sirs ! You are as much a "Sir" as the next man.
I was a Sgt, my Dad was a regular RQMS, his Dad was a regular Sgt (both in the King's [Liverpool] Regiment). Probably his Dad, too.
Danny.
.
Once worked in an RFDS hangar at Jandakot (W.A.) . .. there was Jock there too . .. ex RAF fitter . .. and corp . . .. whenever Jock called you sir he'd add . . . . THAT IS WITH A 'C'. ..
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I'm sure it's been mentioned on here before, but...
The gnarled old instructor, when introducing himself to the new intake of officer-cadets:
"I will address you as 'Sir' and you will address me as 'Sir'.
The difference is that, when you call me 'Sir', YOU will mean it!"
The gnarled old instructor, when introducing himself to the new intake of officer-cadets:
"I will address you as 'Sir' and you will address me as 'Sir'.
The difference is that, when you call me 'Sir', YOU will mean it!"
Fantome
re my 1958 photos in #8362 above:
Well not really - a bit of thread drift but 18-months ago I was invited by the Shangri-La Hotel Group to visit their Villingili Resort and Spa at Villingili in the Maldives across the Addu Atoll lagoon from Gan to give a series of talks about my experiences at RAF Gan as it was being built in 1958.
A freebie visit to the Maldives after 56-years was not to be sneezed at, so in 2014 I duly went back to the Maldives and Gan together with my daughter and her husband to give my fully-illustrated PPT presentation. Audiences were history buffs (mainly wealthy Chinese), locals who worked at the resort and pupils from the local island school.
Anyway some photos taken during my visit. I'll be doing a fully illustrated piece here on pprune - new thread - shortly.
Arrival at Gan from Male
Being greeted by Shangri-La's PR lady who'd flown in from Dubai
Paradise?
Gan is across the Atoll in the middle and right
Sussing out Villingili
Visiting Mount Villingili with my son-in-law and daughter
I'm no golfer, but had to try the Villingili Golf Course
Especially for Fantome - I'm on the right!
Farewell drinks with the Resort's Manager
Regards
WT
re my 1958 photos in #8362 above:
considerate not to include then and now comparison pictures?
A freebie visit to the Maldives after 56-years was not to be sneezed at, so in 2014 I duly went back to the Maldives and Gan together with my daughter and her husband to give my fully-illustrated PPT presentation. Audiences were history buffs (mainly wealthy Chinese), locals who worked at the resort and pupils from the local island school.
Anyway some photos taken during my visit. I'll be doing a fully illustrated piece here on pprune - new thread - shortly.
Arrival at Gan from Male
Being greeted by Shangri-La's PR lady who'd flown in from Dubai
Paradise?
Gan is across the Atoll in the middle and right
Sussing out Villingili
Visiting Mount Villingili with my son-in-law and daughter
I'm no golfer, but had to try the Villingili Golf Course
Especially for Fantome - I'm on the right!
Farewell drinks with the Resort's Manager
Regards
WT
Warmtoast,
brilliant. I bet your desk officer never dreamed of this when he sent you there. Oh the Laws of Unintended Consequences !
brilliant. I bet your desk officer never dreamed of this when he sent you there. Oh the Laws of Unintended Consequences !
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Warmtoast (your #8370),
What wonderful pictures - and what a wonderful trip ! Pity I couldn't have conned the Municipality of Cannanore (or Southern Army Command) into offering me a similar lecture tour (expenses paid, of course) twenty years ago ! (too late now !)
The Indian Government has now tardily exploited the tourist potential of the Laccadive Islands (about 150 miles west of us at 11°N), it seems (Wiki). Should do equally well (Wiki says the Maldives are in the 'Laccadive Sea'). And easier to get at with a short flight fom Bangalore, whereas the Maldives at 4°N are 450 miles further South.
When I was in Cannanore, we never had a look at the Laccadives. There was precious little to see, no airfield, and a pointless 300 mile trip over open water with a s/e aircraft was a risk a long way too far !
We'll hold you to that !
Danny.
PS: Is that an ATR 72 ?
What wonderful pictures - and what a wonderful trip ! Pity I couldn't have conned the Municipality of Cannanore (or Southern Army Command) into offering me a similar lecture tour (expenses paid, of course) twenty years ago ! (too late now !)
The Indian Government has now tardily exploited the tourist potential of the Laccadive Islands (about 150 miles west of us at 11°N), it seems (Wiki). Should do equally well (Wiki says the Maldives are in the 'Laccadive Sea'). And easier to get at with a short flight fom Bangalore, whereas the Maldives at 4°N are 450 miles further South.
When I was in Cannanore, we never had a look at the Laccadives. There was precious little to see, no airfield, and a pointless 300 mile trip over open water with a s/e aircraft was a risk a long way too far !
...Anyway some photos taken during my visit. I'll be doing a fully illustrated piece here on PPRuNe - new thread - shortly...
Danny.
PS: Is that an ATR 72 ?
Hi Danny
Not an ATR, (we see plenty of those in Ireland - Aer Lingus Regional aka Stobart Air use them), but I think we are looking at a Bombardier Dash 8 previously known as a D H C - 8
Ian BB
Not an ATR, (we see plenty of those in Ireland - Aer Lingus Regional aka Stobart Air use them), but I think we are looking at a Bombardier Dash 8 previously known as a D H C - 8
Ian BB
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arghhh ... flying Stobart in Economy in July ... I'm dreading it!!
Only 1h30m, though, so I guess I'll survive.
Only 1h30m, though, so I guess I'll survive.
I boarded the ATR back to SNN just after Stobart took over - as I came up the back steps I saw the new decal stuck on the Aer Lingus paint scheme - I said "Good Evening" to the female CC member - "What's all this about"? "Jaysus" says she, "You just wait - they'll have us driving the, (Irish expletive deleted pre watershed) trucks next"!
Ian BB
Ian BB
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THE BEST LAID PLANS etc.
I am reminded of a flight way back in 1988. My crew and I were positioning on an Aer Fungus Shorts 360 from Dublin to Shannon. Later we met up with the crew in the bar, three ladies, who told us that the following week their PR department had arranged a big function for the press and television to witness the first flight operated by an all female crew. However on this day the scheduled captain had reported "sick" so the standby captain, Ms X, took over. It cost them a round of drinks for us not to spill the beans !
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Danny, re your 8361. I think also that plenty of activity with the work we did also produced plenty of perspiration that acted to ward off sunburn. I'm remindedtoo the old cry by the seasoned vets to the rookie arrivals, "Get yer knees brown!"
In Changi Village in the 60s and 70s when you started to bargain for some item the first thing the local trader would do was look at your knees.
If there were no hairs on them it meant that you had been recently wearing long trousers so you must be a new, and therefore, inexperienced arrival.
Hairs on your knee indicated that you had been wearing shorts for some time so was likely to know the correct price to pay.
If there were no hairs on them it meant that you had been recently wearing long trousers so you must be a new, and therefore, inexperienced arrival.
Hairs on your knee indicated that you had been wearing shorts for some time so was likely to know the correct price to pay.
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Danny, 8341 again. The "thing" sitting in a crate on the right is a cookhouse item. Exactly what, I don't know - possibly a boiler or similar. The beer was very welcome. Quality not as good as we would like, but beer is beer and it was very light on quantity. Come leave time with a day or two in Alex or Cairo, we guzzled Tiger beer, marvellous for constipation!!
Those young lads standing around were all good workers. Don't be deceived by their temporary motionless attitudes. The petrol and oil barrels filled with sand served to anchor the Mess and cookhouse marquees. We had constant sand storms with very high winds, as I've mentioned earlier. All tented shelters needed heavy anchors.
I don't remember complaining about my khaki gear. I do recall a funny incident when we were in Sicily after its capture in July/August 1943. There was an Italian owner in the vineyard where we were billeted, always offering help. I handed him a pair of Khaki shorts and told him to ask his wife to take in the waist to 32 (inches). He came back next morning holding the shorts, saying loudly "trente-due, trente-due" and indicating that his wife pointed out she couldn't reduce them to 32 centimetres! Incidentally, I still possess a once-smart khaki desert jacket with a distinctive Desert appearance.
Those young lads standing around were all good workers. Don't be deceived by their temporary motionless attitudes. The petrol and oil barrels filled with sand served to anchor the Mess and cookhouse marquees. We had constant sand storms with very high winds, as I've mentioned earlier. All tented shelters needed heavy anchors.
I don't remember complaining about my khaki gear. I do recall a funny incident when we were in Sicily after its capture in July/August 1943. There was an Italian owner in the vineyard where we were billeted, always offering help. I handed him a pair of Khaki shorts and told him to ask his wife to take in the waist to 32 (inches). He came back next morning holding the shorts, saying loudly "trente-due, trente-due" and indicating that his wife pointed out she couldn't reduce them to 32 centimetres! Incidentally, I still possess a once-smart khaki desert jacket with a distinctive Desert appearance.
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What the Best Dressed Man used to wear.
Walter,
Of course ! How do you secure a tent in sand ? - silly me ! I'll take your word for it (many wouldn't) that the "studies in still life" were just itching to haul a guy rope, "lift that bar" or "tote that bale", as might be required of them.
Whatever else a M.O. had to contend with in India, constipation was not one of them ! (Curry can cover a multitude of culinary sins). It would have been nice to have had some beer (whatever the result), but it was not to be (in wartime, that is). Why hadn't canned beer been invented ?
Them were the days !
Same as our "Bush Jacket", I would suppose. Right at the end of my time out there, our khaki was supplemented by the issue of dark green "Jungle" Drill and cellular cloth. Known as "Bottle Green Battledress" (or "Battle Green Bottledress"), it was popular, but I didn't buy any, as I was fully kitted up with Indian khaki drill, and that lasts forever, no matter what the dhobi-wallah does to it.
Danny.
Of course ! How do you secure a tent in sand ? - silly me ! I'll take your word for it (many wouldn't) that the "studies in still life" were just itching to haul a guy rope, "lift that bar" or "tote that bale", as might be required of them.
Whatever else a M.O. had to contend with in India, constipation was not one of them ! (Curry can cover a multitude of culinary sins). It would have been nice to have had some beer (whatever the result), but it was not to be (in wartime, that is). Why hadn't canned beer been invented ?
...to take in the waist to 32 (inches)...
...I still possess a once-smart khaki desert jacket with a distinctive Desert appearance...
Danny.