RAF Marham posting
No input must mean something! 
Not military myself, but I have been to take part in the March 30-130 event there held in March each year. A wet and windy and desolate place indeed, and miles from anywhere, if you can even find it, so both you and your wife would need a car each to get anywhere like Cambridge, King's Lynn, Wisbech, Peterborough, Norwich, etc. Not too far from Cranwell. Lovely countryside for the kids, and good seaside on the north Norfolk coast.
The RAF lads looked like they enjoyed the fast cars event (mostly Mitsubishi Evos, Subaru Imprezas, Nissan Skyline GTRs etc.) and some got taken out for a blast. The tea and hamburgers were pretty desperate, I remember.
Me?
I managed to come 12th or 13th in the acceleration from 30 mph to 130 mph, and reached about 180 mph before having to stomp hard on the brakes at the end of the runway. My speedo was showing 200 mph, but they put a V-box on your dashboard to get a more accurate satellite reading which comes up on the TV displays. A hare came lolloping across the runway and I assumed it would keep going so I didn't brake, but it stopped in the middle and turned to stare at me. Only just missed it by the skin of my teeth and was very lucky not to have crashed and rolled, as some have. (Pheasants etc.)
Well, you did ask!
Not military myself, but I have been to take part in the March 30-130 event there held in March each year. A wet and windy and desolate place indeed, and miles from anywhere, if you can even find it, so both you and your wife would need a car each to get anywhere like Cambridge, King's Lynn, Wisbech, Peterborough, Norwich, etc. Not too far from Cranwell. Lovely countryside for the kids, and good seaside on the north Norfolk coast.
The RAF lads looked like they enjoyed the fast cars event (mostly Mitsubishi Evos, Subaru Imprezas, Nissan Skyline GTRs etc.) and some got taken out for a blast. The tea and hamburgers were pretty desperate, I remember.
Me?
I managed to come 12th or 13th in the acceleration from 30 mph to 130 mph, and reached about 180 mph before having to stomp hard on the brakes at the end of the runway. My speedo was showing 200 mph, but they put a V-box on your dashboard to get a more accurate satellite reading which comes up on the TV displays. A hare came lolloping across the runway and I assumed it would keep going so I didn't brake, but it stopped in the middle and turned to stare at me. Only just missed it by the skin of my teeth and was very lucky not to have crashed and rolled, as some have. (Pheasants etc.) Well, you did ask!
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
HG, in days of yore, known as El Adem with grass. For those that don't know, an airfield in the Libyan desert 16 miles south of Tobruk.
Qtrs adequate.
Internet to qtr, diabolical.
Remote.
We found the primary school appalling, very poor teachers and experience.
Rainbow nursery next door was very good though.
Internet to qtr, diabolical.
Remote.
We found the primary school appalling, very poor teachers and experience.
Rainbow nursery next door was very good though.
Pontius Navigator wrote:
Perhaps, but since those days they've invented the motor car. Marham really isn't in the 'middle of nowhere' any more - and it's one of the less than a handful of fast jet bases left in England nowadays...
...in days of yore, known as El Adem with grass.
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I had a brief posting to Marham in '92, from LBH, in January, then back to HQ 2ATAF in April (how's that for personnel managmenmt). My OMQ was at West Raynham as the MQs on base were fully occupied (most of us were allocated wg cdr or above quarters in Atcherley Square, sqn ldr quarters in other select parts of the patch for the less senior JOs - the NCO/airman quarters were dire, needing much modernising).
The first couple of weeks I had no idea how I got to work, there was persistent heavy fog, so the road journey was a virtually blind adventure - don't know why we bothered as just about every day was black flag until midday (sometimes the whole day and night).
The base itself was the usual V-force sprawl with a couple of HAS sites (still occupied), so II(AC) was assigned a hangar/apron set up aka 'the waterfornt'. It is a typical near-coast flatlands place, although slightly elevated above the surrounding swamp (what passes for a major hill in Norfolk); plenty of wind and rain, except when there was fog and mist.
The locals speak with a strange accent and some dialect and seem to be related to just about everyone else (definition of a virgin in Norfollk: girl who can run faster than her father and brothers). 'Duelling banjos' springs to mind...
Otherwise, you can fall back on the old V-force description (from the civilised bases to the west of Marham): "El Adem with grass".
This will be of little use to you, as there may have been major improvements since I was there
Regards
Mister B
The first couple of weeks I had no idea how I got to work, there was persistent heavy fog, so the road journey was a virtually blind adventure - don't know why we bothered as just about every day was black flag until midday (sometimes the whole day and night).
The base itself was the usual V-force sprawl with a couple of HAS sites (still occupied), so II(AC) was assigned a hangar/apron set up aka 'the waterfornt'. It is a typical near-coast flatlands place, although slightly elevated above the surrounding swamp (what passes for a major hill in Norfolk); plenty of wind and rain, except when there was fog and mist.
The locals speak with a strange accent and some dialect and seem to be related to just about everyone else (definition of a virgin in Norfollk: girl who can run faster than her father and brothers). 'Duelling banjos' springs to mind...
Otherwise, you can fall back on the old V-force description (from the civilised bases to the west of Marham): "El Adem with grass".
This will be of little use to you, as there may have been major improvements since I was there
Regards
Mister B
Very quiet at the moment, getting noisier in a few years.
Seriously though, when I left 2 yrs ago...
Facilities sparse but were getting better. Gym was poor, messes pretty standard. You need a car (isolated). The preschool on the patch was excellent (Rainbow). Nearest big supermarket (Waitrose) or Kings Lynn. KL is the nearest town, ok for shops, eating out but avoid on Friday and Saturday nights.
Norwich is about an hour away, Peterborough about the same, I always preferred Norwich.
Best bit- having the North Norfolk coast on your doorstep, some great country pubs and a more sedate pace of life (outside the wire).
Lots of complaints from the young ones about being isolated, to which my reply was "You should have been to Binbrook"
Seriously though, when I left 2 yrs ago...
Facilities sparse but were getting better. Gym was poor, messes pretty standard. You need a car (isolated). The preschool on the patch was excellent (Rainbow). Nearest big supermarket (Waitrose) or Kings Lynn. KL is the nearest town, ok for shops, eating out but avoid on Friday and Saturday nights.
Norwich is about an hour away, Peterborough about the same, I always preferred Norwich.
Best bit- having the North Norfolk coast on your doorstep, some great country pubs and a more sedate pace of life (outside the wire).
Lots of complaints from the young ones about being isolated, to which my reply was "You should have been to Binbrook"
Concur with Pontifex. I also had a very happy 6 years at Marham in the 70s. I was married with a pre-school sprog as well. We never lived on base, but spent 3 years in Swaffham and the other 3 in Kings Lynn. 15-20 minute commute from Swaffham, a bit longer from Lynn. I understand both towns have gone downhill since I was there, but that would apply to virtually all towns in Britain. As Beagle points out the oft quoted El Adem with grass description probably had some relevance when hardly any airmen had cars but with your own transport Marham's no worse than dozens of other RAF stations (oh sorry, we dont have dozens any more 
)
I've lived in Cornwall for 37 years but still get homesick for Norfolk when I hear that lovely accent (HTB's strange accent). Beagle's joke about 12 fingers was quite funny - at least it was the first 37 times I heard it
)I've lived in Cornwall for 37 years but still get homesick for Norfolk when I hear that lovely accent (HTB's strange accent). Beagle's joke about 12 fingers was quite funny - at least it was the first 37 times I heard it
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The closest pub has been closed down and demolished!
But the beer was terrible.
Stewart & Patterson's
But the beer was terrible.
Stewart & Patterson's
Last edited by ian16th; 29th Oct 2014 at 10:44. Reason: Spelling
After the RAF, I had a sales patch covering Norfolk and Suffolk. They are almost without exception completely delightful counties...
..the exception is RAF Marham. I was there for 4 months in the Service
I recommend blackmailing your posting officer.
..the exception is RAF Marham. I was there for 4 months in the Service
I recommend blackmailing your posting officer.
I was there for 12 months. One day I got a call asking if I fancied an exchange to Coltishall. I had packed my stuff before the chap on the other end of the phone had hung up.
Best bit- having the North Norfolk coast on your doorstep, some great country pubs and a more sedate pace of life (outside the wire).
Ys
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Downham Market
My son and daughter-in-law's neighbour is aircrew there. They live in Downham Market which is very pleasant with good facilities but bit of a drive.
I held at Marham as a fg off. Having lived in some of the UK's biggest cities, even I was surprised to see a chainsaw appear during a fight in one of the bars in KL.
TV reception depended on the weather - if it was good, you could get BBC1. If it was windy you could forget getting Ch4. If it rained , well it was fine if you liked BBC2. I got quite good at crosswords.
TV reception depended on the weather - if it was good, you could get BBC1. If it was windy you could forget getting Ch4. If it rained , well it was fine if you liked BBC2. I got quite good at crosswords.
Downham Market - a "bit" of a drive being the operative word. Less than 10 miles on fairly empty roads. Downham also has the advantage of being on the direct King's Lynn - Cambridge - London rail route, as well as local bus services.
ian - that's like saying the oldest man in the village has died - there must be a pub which is the closest now!
I wonder why Pontifex and I had such a good time whereas lots of others had the opposite. Could it be that it all went downhill after the tankers left and the Tornadoes arrived?
ian - that's like saying the oldest man in the village has died - there must be a pub which is the closest now!
I wonder why Pontifex and I had such a good time whereas lots of others had the opposite. Could it be that it all went downhill after the tankers left and the Tornadoes arrived?
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
TTN, of course it's what you make of it. That station stuck in the middle of the Hatfield marshes had a great social life not withstanding Donny just down the road.