Another Lyneham - Brize rumour?
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I have heard a rumour that as a contingency plan ahead of the main move, responsible singlies were moved into sub-standard MQ's but the Station Fire Officer put his foot down as they would have to be re-categorised as single accomodation and would therefore need a fire escape.
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Yep. Lived in a quarter in Devon Road (i think it was?) for a while in the early 80's whilst waiting for "proper" singly accomodation...
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Why do 'they' never learn. We had the same debacle in the late 70s at Cottesmore when the barrack blocks were all converted to single man rooms and then everyone had to 'double up' with bunk beds because they didn't build more blocks!! Or Honington in the early 80s when we accomodated singlies 27 miles away at Watton and then made them wait for hours for transport after night shift to take them home (as allowanaces would not pay home to duty). Or Brampton / Wyton with no accomodation for ORs at Wyton. At least personnel appear to be located close (ish) by rather than over an hour's drive away.
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I find this debacle beyond belief! Simple calculations would have surely proven the point or not as the case might be.
Had I been directing the project in any of my civvy jobs and made a similar hash I would have been chopped. Perhaps time that individuals had responsibility for P&L as they would do in the commercial world - soon focuses the mind.
Had I been directing the project in any of my civvy jobs and made a similar hash I would have been chopped. Perhaps time that individuals had responsibility for P&L as they would do in the commercial world - soon focuses the mind.
Just to add to the stories of airmen and airwomen being billeted in spare married quarters, this was also very much the case at R.A.F. Boulmer in the late '70s and 1980 and like the more recent stories go, they were not permitted to cater for themselves, they weren't trusted to live according to a balanced healthy diet, so it was a fair old trot for them all the way to the JR's Mess and back for the lot of 'em. Mind you I'm not entirely sure if it was the same for the WRAFs?
FB
FB
For Critter Sized
Judging by the way budgets etc seem to be nanaged by HMG etc these days, simple adding anf subtraction appears to be way beyond their capability, doesn't it?
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Originally Posted by Brit Bus Driver
Oh how the wheel turns full circle. This was happening at Brize (though I think they were excess MQs rather than sub-standard ones) in the early 90s (complete with cooker removal) and still happens at Wycombe as far as I'm aware.
Singly officers were moved into surplus MQ's .... and are still there, the situation not being improved by Innsworth shutting shop and trotting up the A40.
New blocks for Officer and Sgts, Rehash of the same old Sh
for the O/R's, Though they do get 2 rooms now.
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A similar thing happened at RMB (still RAF to us locals) Chivenor when the entire accomodation of a newly opened Travelodge in Barnstaple was taken over to accomodate Royal Marines personnel that couldn't be housed at Chiv.
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Whereas back in the 80's when my father was first posted to Chiv, was housed in a local B&B (Rose's in Braunton) because the MQ was not available for march in on posting date & no SLA available... Not 10ish miles away on the other side of town....
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No room at the Inn
Just had an email back to say that the forcast is no accomodation available until mid to late 2012! For goodness sake! How many are living in hotels already!
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Worst accommodation
My worst accommodation was many moons ago (78 or 79)whilst on a 2 week detachment at Leuchars from Brawdy, I was accommodated in a disused railway carriage on the grass about 20 yards from the airmens transit block, no heating, no water and no electricty.
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Thanks all for your answers. vernon99, there may be a case of Misfeasance if the brass have given incorrect advice or information to HMG. The way public services are being placed under the microscope I would not be surprised if there were a couple twitchy butts especially as this is in the back yard of a PM that keeps being sucked towards the phone hacking controversy.
For my part, being out of he military now, I still have not got my head around how a risk management assessment on the entire transport fleet being at a single rwy base when we have operations relying on continual supply saying it was acceptable. I guess therefore I should not be surprised by what I have read here.
As for the brass, well they should not be surprised when more decisions are taken by civil servants and less left to the military command.
I hope for all your sakes someone gets a grip and fast but I somehow doubt it
For my part, being out of he military now, I still have not got my head around how a risk management assessment on the entire transport fleet being at a single rwy base when we have operations relying on continual supply saying it was acceptable. I guess therefore I should not be surprised by what I have read here.
As for the brass, well they should not be surprised when more decisions are taken by civil servants and less left to the military command.
I hope for all your sakes someone gets a grip and fast but I somehow doubt it
Pan back to 1970. Britannia move from Lyneham to Brize. They dangled a carrot - if you are prepared to move early you can choose your own OMQ. Found one with a nice garden and volunteered to move before the end of the school term. Sorry, they said, we are using a points system and we will allocate your OMQ. Bugger off I said and bought my first house in Shipton under Wychwood for £5950!
Best thing I ever did.
Best thing I ever did.
Yup, did exactly the same. Posted to Church Fenton in 1971. No OMQ's. Bought a detached house for £4100. Sold it for £11000. Never looked back. Sadly not possible for young officers today.
Posted to Brize 1986. Loads of substandard OMQs. Car parking in a field when down route. No field there now.
Posted to Brize 1986. Loads of substandard OMQs. Car parking in a field when down route. No field there now.
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Car parking in a field when down route.
'Sorry boss got stuck in the open in an air raid and took to the nearest shelter' 
Great place to go during station exercises 'Sorry boss got stuck in the open in an air raid and took to the nearest shelter'
There's a nice 3 Storey Officer's Mess for sale at Little Rissington