Drinking Culture in the RAF Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Somewhere around 70-71 a decree came out that any officer who lost his/her licence as a result of a drink driving conviction would also lose their commission as well. I don't think anyone really believed it until an Air Commodore medic or dentist (can't remember which) was chucked out after a breathalyser conviction.
He did the honourable thing and resigned his commission so as not to bring the RAF in to disrepute. As I said, honourable.
Since then drink-drive offences continued and as someone said, only in the last 15-20 years has public opinion swung firmly behind the law and against offenders.
OAP:-
I think that the Service needed the booze, or more precisely its Units and Squadrons did. A TGIF booze up in the Squadron before the week-end bonded it together. Ditto the crew "after lander", or any other such informal celebration of the "ties that bind".
Of course the growing trend of car ownership versus that of bicycles or the use of public transport has increasingly made that custom unacceptable, together with the trend of Service life being just a job, or did I get that bit wrong?
Do we need the booze or, is it a "culture" thing?
Of course the growing trend of car ownership versus that of bicycles or the use of public transport has increasingly made that custom unacceptable, together with the trend of Service life being just a job, or did I get that bit wrong?
Four pages in and no-one seems to have mentioned the drinking culture at MPA. It may have changed now, but in the early nineties I don't think there was a single section, flight or squadron which didn't have its own watering facilities. There were also (unofficial) bars in various parts of the domestic accommodation where one could get a drink if you didn't fancy getting mugged in the 38 Facility corridors on the way to the mess.
I joined as an Appo and even in the monastic life that was forced on us by the powers-that-be there were ways and means of testing the local brews. My first posting after training was Stafford and in all my time in the service, I have never encountered a station where alcohol seemed to dominate all the activities. Anyone who was posted to 16MU will understand why.
I joined as an Appo and even in the monastic life that was forced on us by the powers-that-be there were ways and means of testing the local brews. My first posting after training was Stafford and in all my time in the service, I have never encountered a station where alcohol seemed to dominate all the activities. Anyone who was posted to 16MU will understand why.
Last edited by 4mastacker; 1st Jul 2013 at 15:36.
4Mast,
I was waiting for the MPA tales too...
Probably a bit too 'recent' to divulge all, but I do recall a massively shabby day post epic happy hour when the DetCo kicked me out of my scratcher at 0730 to complaints of 'it's a Saturday' and 'we're not on the flypro...' only to be told that both Sea Queens were u/s and the F3s wanted to go flying so we had to stand to as SAR cover. A very, very painful day sobering up on 78 Sqn.....
I've not been 'South' since 2000, but I understand many of the bars have been shut and those that remain have been sanitised. A shame, but perhaps indicative of the times we live in. That said, I happened to stop over at a top secret Oxon RW base a few weeks ago and was met by a 'proper' Sqn lunch in full swing - always helps when you've got nothing to fly the next day!!
I was waiting for the MPA tales too...
Probably a bit too 'recent' to divulge all, but I do recall a massively shabby day post epic happy hour when the DetCo kicked me out of my scratcher at 0730 to complaints of 'it's a Saturday' and 'we're not on the flypro...' only to be told that both Sea Queens were u/s and the F3s wanted to go flying so we had to stand to as SAR cover. A very, very painful day sobering up on 78 Sqn.....
I've not been 'South' since 2000, but I understand many of the bars have been shut and those that remain have been sanitised. A shame, but perhaps indicative of the times we live in. That said, I happened to stop over at a top secret Oxon RW base a few weeks ago and was met by a 'proper' Sqn lunch in full swing - always helps when you've got nothing to fly the next day!!
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I joined early '70s and was of the opinion that the RAF ran on alcohol; which incidentally suited me to a tee as I used to enjoy a pint or six. There were incidents involving a/c then that I still don't think it would be right to divulge even after 40 years.
The forces are only reflecting what has happened in civvy street. Lincoln where I've lived for the last 21 years had a thriving pub community; now pubs are closing left right and centre; my own local has just been pullled down to make way for a block of flats. People sit at home and booze these days which I find a little odd, I always looked upon drinking as a social exercise.
Edit: I did MPA over the Xmas/New Year 94/95 and even as a confirmed drinker I was surprised at the drinking to get ratfaced culture rather than let's have a drink to be sociable and if we happen to get oiled then so be it. Drinking just to get drunk isn't what I drink for.
The forces are only reflecting what has happened in civvy street. Lincoln where I've lived for the last 21 years had a thriving pub community; now pubs are closing left right and centre; my own local has just been pullled down to make way for a block of flats. People sit at home and booze these days which I find a little odd, I always looked upon drinking as a social exercise.
Edit: I did MPA over the Xmas/New Year 94/95 and even as a confirmed drinker I was surprised at the drinking to get ratfaced culture rather than let's have a drink to be sociable and if we happen to get oiled then so be it. Drinking just to get drunk isn't what I drink for.
Last edited by thing; 1st Jul 2013 at 16:48.
Not service personnel drinking, but at MPA as the contractors were finishing the build they kept the workforce going 7 days a week except for one weekend a month when they got a day off, just to control drinking - they ran out of beer at one stage, so had the sight of two workers watching TV and drinking Liebfraumilch from the bottle, and eventually gently sliding from the chair to the floor, then to sleep it off
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Lincoln, a nightclub, a bit more expensive to get in but free bar and buffet 
Squadron on detachment from Bruggen, peeps split up and wander in pairs. At the bar notice they have bottles of Beck, deflated to be told only pump beers and spirits on free bar, so order a pint of Bacardi and Coke 
Normal at Bruggens naff 1, but not Lincoln apparently, look around the nightclub to see the rest of the Squadron also on pints on Spirits. They certainly never made any money that night.
Squadron on detachment from Bruggen, peeps split up and wander in pairs. At the bar notice they have bottles of Beck, deflated to be told only pump beers and spirits on free bar, so order a pint of Bacardi and Coke Normal at Bruggens naff 1, but not Lincoln apparently, look around the nightclub to see the rest of the Squadron also on pints on Spirits. They certainly never made any money that night.
Years ago, consumption was partly limited by finance. Most service personel have had little limitation in that way for thirty-plus years. Seemed to me that the hardest drinking was coupled with the greatest stress/risk. Latterly, the clubbing type of culture has introduced a new dimension that I cannot keep up with!
At least a, pint-in-one or on-yer-ed, was something that I enjoyed from the first till the last. Better than the sausage in a cold plate of beans
.
OAP
At least a, pint-in-one or on-yer-ed, was something that I enjoyed from the first till the last. Better than the sausage in a cold plate of beans
. OAP
Akrotiri Christmas Bars
As a new arrival at Akrotiri in December 1968 I was somewhat taken aback when, after being invited to the section Christmas do on the night I arrived (with the complication that it was at Berengaria and I had no idea where that was so the prospect of possibly having to find my way back to the camp put a little bit of a dampener on the evening), I was informed that the section bar was located in my barrack block so it might be a bit noisy over Christmas! On investigation in the daylight of my second day at Akrotiri I found one of the rooms in the block had been transformed into a perfectly formed drinking establishment, permanent bar and all.
It appeared that for the period from Christmas Eve until early January, sections could have a bar in their blocks and a Station competition was judged by the Station Commander and his minions to decide whose was the best and a prize awarded each year. I gather that as the Boss had a drink in each bar and Akrotiri had a lot of sections the final judging was normally carried out by O.C. OPS as the Boss was by that time not really capable.
The bars were open 24 hours a day for the whole period and as can be imagined some serious drinking took place over that period.
The only downside in the whole thing was that as we were the M.U. we were excluded from the competition as we were judged to have professional assistance as we had the chippies as part of the M.U. Just try doing that these days!
It appeared that for the period from Christmas Eve until early January, sections could have a bar in their blocks and a Station competition was judged by the Station Commander and his minions to decide whose was the best and a prize awarded each year. I gather that as the Boss had a drink in each bar and Akrotiri had a lot of sections the final judging was normally carried out by O.C. OPS as the Boss was by that time not really capable.
The bars were open 24 hours a day for the whole period and as can be imagined some serious drinking took place over that period.
The only downside in the whole thing was that as we were the M.U. we were excluded from the competition as we were judged to have professional assistance as we had the chippies as part of the M.U. Just try doing that these days!
OAP: " Latterly, the clubbing type of culture has introduced a new dimension that I cannot keep up with!"
I agree with a lot that has been observed here of the developments over the past 40 years - community changes against drink driving, members living out, unfortunately dead messes (which was going to be a consequence from the other points), and even dining-ins almost becoming extinct. Maybe a lot of us saw the best years!!
From what I hear these days, the kids flying the 4.5 jets are really on the ball, and do not drink during the week. They save it for Thursday night (if no fly on Fri) and blitz out then in the Mess, the only night it is busy. It is now almost a binge drinking culture. We did it to a lesser extent each night, now it's a big blow-out at the end of the week.
That is my perspective from Oz - the land now of dead messes.
I agree with a lot that has been observed here of the developments over the past 40 years - community changes against drink driving, members living out, unfortunately dead messes (which was going to be a consequence from the other points), and even dining-ins almost becoming extinct. Maybe a lot of us saw the best years!!
From what I hear these days, the kids flying the 4.5 jets are really on the ball, and do not drink during the week. They save it for Thursday night (if no fly on Fri) and blitz out then in the Mess, the only night it is busy. It is now almost a binge drinking culture. We did it to a lesser extent each night, now it's a big blow-out at the end of the week.
That is my perspective from Oz - the land now of dead messes.
Well, its not just the military which HAD a drink culture, (and I remember getting airborne in a Canberra when some muppet called a TACEVAL very late one Friday evening, the whole squadron having been in the bar since about 5pm, amazingly we all got back without breaking anything !) Moving into civil aviation I was introduced to the after landing "chocktail; turn off the runway, the purser would appear with 'Brown milks' or champers !
Just can't imagine that happening now !!
Just can't imagine that happening now !!
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Gopher1 - those Akrotiri Christmas bars were quite special. Don't know about the Station Commander judging them though. I was there 1965-67 and never saw the diminuitive Air Commodore North-Lewis although I do recall seeing his photograph on the "know your enemy" display in SHQ.
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Just after the Battle of Britain film came out, we (the Sqn that is) were talking to a Very Senior Officer who had fought in the battle, a really splendid gentleman who fully deserved his exalted rank.
The film laid great stress on how tired the crews were and we asked him if this was so. "Absolutely" was the reply but not for the reasons given in the film. Basically, they started the day before dawn and were there till dusk, they may have been scrambled or not. However, if you flew, there was a good chance someone may not come back. So, as soon as they were stood down they went to the pub/mess and got hammered with a very late bedtime, in his words:-
"If we hadn't done that, we probably couldn't have done the same again the next day"
Booze does have it's uses.
The film laid great stress on how tired the crews were and we asked him if this was so. "Absolutely" was the reply but not for the reasons given in the film. Basically, they started the day before dawn and were there till dusk, they may have been scrambled or not. However, if you flew, there was a good chance someone may not come back. So, as soon as they were stood down they went to the pub/mess and got hammered with a very late bedtime, in his words:-
"If we hadn't done that, we probably couldn't have done the same again the next day"
Booze does have it's uses.
The Metmen in uniform as Mobile Met Unit at Stanley et al had a PORT drinking culture from all accounts.
The shift pattern was 24 hours on, 24 hours off; sometimes 24 hours on 12 hours off.
Even so, a great deal of Port went down the hatch. Fines were levied in Port, sometimes a case at a time. My good friends George P and Pete T [sadly both now deceased] and Dave T used to regale me with tales of pleasant excess.
At JHQ if the Metmen didn't necessarily fancy Mess happy hour we used the Belgy Bar or the Dutchy ............. the beers were piddling little glasses so we started the evening c. 1630 with nine glasses between three, and then had a relay system. The evening usually broke up when one of us went to the bar for the next lot, forgot what he was supposed to do, and wobbled off home on the bike for a "dinner is in the dog" welcome.
The shift pattern was 24 hours on, 24 hours off; sometimes 24 hours on 12 hours off.
Even so, a great deal of Port went down the hatch. Fines were levied in Port, sometimes a case at a time. My good friends George P and Pete T [sadly both now deceased] and Dave T used to regale me with tales of pleasant excess.
At JHQ if the Metmen didn't necessarily fancy Mess happy hour we used the Belgy Bar or the Dutchy ............. the beers were piddling little glasses so we started the evening c. 1630 with nine glasses between three, and then had a relay system. The evening usually broke up when one of us went to the bar for the next lot, forgot what he was supposed to do, and wobbled off home on the bike for a "dinner is in the dog" welcome.
wobbled off home on the bike for a "dinner is in the dog" welcome
Astonishing what great hostesses (and actresses) service wives are - wouldn't ever have liked to be in the host's shoes after we left
Or even (much) worse, announced (around midnight) "Everyone back to my quarter for eggy bacs!"
"Ahhh - cheers Bill, see you tomorrow!" his guests bravely commented, before legging it PDQ!
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The Metmen in uniform as Mobile Met Unit at Stanley et al had a PORT
drinking culture from all accounts.
drinking culture from all accounts.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
A multi-crew invites a convivial beer and a 5-man crew invites 5 beers. Just hoped no one started a second round.
With the switch to 2-man flight crews the rounds are shorter and you may not want to keep drinking 1 on 1 (people might talk) or with mixed crew (people might talk).
cuefaye: BBad ---- Recall your supposed altercation with David, the Base CO at Amberley, when introducing your wife at a DI Night 
cuefaye, go easy, wasn't a wife, c1976, before the married era - just some SYT.
But slightly off topic as that was at the beginning of the night! He didn't like being introduced as "David", told me at 'coffee' the next work day it should be "Air Cdre"!! Oh, really....
BB
cuefaye, go easy, wasn't a wife, c1976, before the married era - just some SYT.
But slightly off topic as that was at the beginning of the night! He didn't like being introduced as "David", told me at 'coffee' the next work day it should be "Air Cdre"!! Oh, really....
BB