Burning Piano's
The story of the burning of Coltishall's last one is a classic, especially the shouting match between an Air Commodore and a Group Captain outside the entrance which preceded the event. (Wife of a workmate worked in the mess and saw the whole thing).
Cunning Artificer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The spiritual home of DeHavilland
Age: 76
Posts: 3,127
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I was captain of The Bodgers, CAN T and was walking up the stairs on my way to the regular Wednesday league as the piano was launched from the top. I only just made it to the first floor landing as the blazing piano passed.
The replacement piano was encased in a cage with two armholes for the player's access, which stopped it being launched down the stairs, but failed to stop it disappearing in smoke when the NAAFI closed down in '71.
The replacement piano was encased in a cage with two armholes for the player's access, which stopped it being launched down the stairs, but failed to stop it disappearing in smoke when the NAAFI closed down in '71.
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: East Sussex
Age: 86
Posts: 276
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The Coltishall piano burning occured during the dining in night for a very senior NATO visit - lots of starred ociffers. Station master (who shall remain nameless) had organised two very old pianos to be burned in the almost empty car park to amuse the assembled very senior officers. It was supposed to be a tradition from WW1 that pianos were burned when a sqn disbanded. ( I think a Coningsby sqn was disbanding).
Said pianos were set on fire when Staish said to a JP"is that yours which has failed its MOT and is awaiting the knackers". YES. So Staish and many senior NATO officers get on board and aimed between the two pianos. Didn't make it and got stuck. Station fire section called but all domestic fire incidents also go to local fire brigade. Call intercepted by local press. Next day in Daily Mail or Sun or something was story of hooligan officers. Staish then asked to explain action of his officers by AOC. Then all went quiet!
Said pianos were set on fire when Staish said to a JP"is that yours which has failed its MOT and is awaiting the knackers". YES. So Staish and many senior NATO officers get on board and aimed between the two pianos. Didn't make it and got stuck. Station fire section called but all domestic fire incidents also go to local fire brigade. Call intercepted by local press. Next day in Daily Mail or Sun or something was story of hooligan officers. Staish then asked to explain action of his officers by AOC. Then all went quiet!
Different piano burning, that would be the bumper car one I first heard of in the very early 1990's in various forms, glad to hear a more detailed version (Told the bones of it ten years ago by a Sqn Ldr who was saw the event while a junior FC at Tidytoilet, who also told me how a German phantom wing at the time did in piano’s at mess functions……
with axes!!!!
with axes!!!!
Join Date: Aug 2000
Location: UK
Posts: 1,777
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
At Scampton in the late 70s, a weekend Families Day was organised with a large number of visiting aircrew to stay (static and flying display crews). It was anticipated that happy hour would be a wiz-bang event, with lots of free barrels and a threat to the mess piano. The guys went down to Lincoln and bought an old piano from the auction rooms for a tenner and shipped it back to the carpenter’s shop. For a few slabs, they did a top rate job of French polishing the wreck. (Looked magnificent). The mess upright was locked in the silver room (it was regularly tuned by a blind piano tuner and was in amazing nick).
As the night progressed, the fast jet mates decided to teach the bomber boys how it was done back home and duly heaved and pushed this beautiful (refurbished) wreck out to the front of the mess. It was well alight by the time the word got to the PMC, who had a major sense of humour failure. It took several Sqn bosses to prevent him taking a fire axe to the perpetrators. He did not regain his sense of humour when told where his beloved real upright was.
The fire section took great delight in putting out fire, in the process blowing the debris far and wide (ever seen the cast iron frame airborne?). One of the FJ mates jumped on the fire wagon and turned the branch on all and sundry standing in front of the mass (inc the Staish, who was laughing like a drain at the time).
It was an incredibly successful weekend and we looked after the visitors right royal.
As the night progressed, the fast jet mates decided to teach the bomber boys how it was done back home and duly heaved and pushed this beautiful (refurbished) wreck out to the front of the mess. It was well alight by the time the word got to the PMC, who had a major sense of humour failure. It took several Sqn bosses to prevent him taking a fire axe to the perpetrators. He did not regain his sense of humour when told where his beloved real upright was.
The fire section took great delight in putting out fire, in the process blowing the debris far and wide (ever seen the cast iron frame airborne?). One of the FJ mates jumped on the fire wagon and turned the branch on all and sundry standing in front of the mass (inc the Staish, who was laughing like a drain at the time).
It was an incredibly successful weekend and we looked after the visitors right royal.
FJJP - I think I remember that event!
The piano burning was announced by 'Mongo' (Joe B***s of 35 Sqn) advising over the mess Tannoy "If anyone has got a car parked in front of the mess, you'd better move it NOW before it gets burned!"
Various pianos were lined up in front of the mess. A few BINA ERS ripped up and inserted, followed by the 'Night' end of a timex Day/Night distress flare got the buggers going quite merrily.....
Some tw@t decided to drive his Morris 1100 through a piano pyre. But he'd left the window open, so was treated to the 'Day' end - amazing how thick orange smoke can be when confined within an 1100. And the effects of said smoke on the interior are somewhat permanent!
Then Captain Flack and his gang turned up and drenched everything - including Wing Commanders various and the Station Commander who thought it was tremendous fun. Some poor Blunty who wasn't there but had left his mess window open was somewhat mystified when he came back on Sunday night to find his bed rather damp!
We then repaired to the bar. After a couple of beers I realised that it wasn't very warm, I was bloody soaked and starting to shiver, so decided to bugger off home to the house 4 of us shared in Scothern before hypothermia became critical. We simply didn't know about drinking and driving limits in those days.
Best news was that the Sqn CSRO decided that we'd all earned a BTR tick for Combat Survival for use of the D/N flare, practical firelighting and hypothermia awareness!
This was ex-RAFG F4 Wing Weapons Officer Mongo Joe's attempt to recreate a NATO beercall as best he could on a nuclear bomber station 'somewhere in Lincolnshire'. And a damned fine effort too!
Any ex-Scampton Officers' Mess folk on here? Question of the Day - why were the main bar doors surmounted by a small plaque enscribed 'Wright Memorial Doors'?
Simpler, happier times.........
The piano burning was announced by 'Mongo' (Joe B***s of 35 Sqn) advising over the mess Tannoy "If anyone has got a car parked in front of the mess, you'd better move it NOW before it gets burned!"
Various pianos were lined up in front of the mess. A few BINA ERS ripped up and inserted, followed by the 'Night' end of a timex Day/Night distress flare got the buggers going quite merrily.....
Some tw@t decided to drive his Morris 1100 through a piano pyre. But he'd left the window open, so was treated to the 'Day' end - amazing how thick orange smoke can be when confined within an 1100. And the effects of said smoke on the interior are somewhat permanent!
Then Captain Flack and his gang turned up and drenched everything - including Wing Commanders various and the Station Commander who thought it was tremendous fun. Some poor Blunty who wasn't there but had left his mess window open was somewhat mystified when he came back on Sunday night to find his bed rather damp!
We then repaired to the bar. After a couple of beers I realised that it wasn't very warm, I was bloody soaked and starting to shiver, so decided to bugger off home to the house 4 of us shared in Scothern before hypothermia became critical. We simply didn't know about drinking and driving limits in those days.
Best news was that the Sqn CSRO decided that we'd all earned a BTR tick for Combat Survival for use of the D/N flare, practical firelighting and hypothermia awareness!
This was ex-RAFG F4 Wing Weapons Officer Mongo Joe's attempt to recreate a NATO beercall as best he could on a nuclear bomber station 'somewhere in Lincolnshire'. And a damned fine effort too!
Any ex-Scampton Officers' Mess folk on here? Question of the Day - why were the main bar doors surmounted by a small plaque enscribed 'Wright Memorial Doors'?
Simpler, happier times.........
Last edited by BEagle; 21st Dec 2008 at 17:56.
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Dre's mum's house
Posts: 1,432
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
The simple fact of the matter was that England lost nearly a generation of men to World War I,
Jingoistic buffoon.
Your miserable arses were saved by others.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: UK
Posts: 1,515
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Flt Lt Mac
you might be a little surprised to find yourself castigated so vigerously by the jock brigade for what was presumably nothing more than a complacent oversight in an otherwise excellent post.
Don't be too outraged (or surprised). When it comes to the "I'm a well-balanced victim, with a chip on both shoulders", them north of Hadrian's Barrier know no equal.
Top thread by the way
you might be a little surprised to find yourself castigated so vigerously by the jock brigade for what was presumably nothing more than a complacent oversight in an otherwise excellent post.
Don't be too outraged (or surprised). When it comes to the "I'm a well-balanced victim, with a chip on both shoulders", them north of Hadrian's Barrier know no equal.
Top thread by the way
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: UK
Posts: 33
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Jumping the embers!
I have great memories of a NATO exchange at a Dutch AFB at Volkel in th '80's.
The leafy squadron had duly loaded the red piano on to the Herc, rolled it down for the welcome evening and set fire to it . But as the Dutch are so in love with cycling , they had a bike shed near to hand. As the embers began to fade , two JP's decided it would be a good idea to "borrow" two bikes, and have a ramp erected so they could jump over the flames .
Great fun, the the engine Chief ( DS for those who remember him) decided to boost the flames with a bucket of Avpin !!!!!!!! Don't know who it scared most, the jumping jocks, or the engine chief , as the flames chased back up the stream of Avpin.
The leafy squadron had duly loaded the red piano on to the Herc, rolled it down for the welcome evening and set fire to it . But as the Dutch are so in love with cycling , they had a bike shed near to hand. As the embers began to fade , two JP's decided it would be a good idea to "borrow" two bikes, and have a ramp erected so they could jump over the flames .
Great fun, the the engine Chief ( DS for those who remember him) decided to boost the flames with a bucket of Avpin !!!!!!!! Don't know who it scared most, the jumping jocks, or the engine chief , as the flames chased back up the stream of Avpin.
