Back in the day....
Gentleman Aviator
I thought I remembered from my early service (started in '68!!) that WRAF had to leave on marriage at one time, but better informed posters seem to disagree.
On reflection, perhaps the ones I remember were PMs, maybe the rules were different and PMs had to leave on marriage, but WRAF didn't??
On reflection, perhaps the ones I remember were PMs, maybe the rules were different and PMs had to leave on marriage, but WRAF didn't??
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A new flt lt took her J/T boyfriend to the Summer Ball. The biggest objections were from the staff having to serve a JNCO.
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In RAF Germany in the 50’s, all WRAFs had to be in their barrack block by midnight, as did airmen, under 21. My WRAF girlfriend and I were late one night...12.30am. I got a bollocking from plod, at the guardroom, she was put on a charge by the duty WRAF Cpl. and given 7 days jankers!
It was not only the married/attached couples who were affected by the rules.
In Tengah in the 60's one of the Sqn Flt Lt Navs married a civilian girl, and held the reception in the Officers Mess. The whole aircrew contingent were invited, and attended in uniform. That is apart from the two NCO navigators who were given special permission to attend in civilian clothes! However it was normal for several Junior Officers to attend the Sgts Mess Happy Hour on Friday nights in uniform!
At Marham in the late 60's the Plt Off Copilot on my crew had his Father and Mother living on camp at the same time. As the father was a Master Pilot they were not able to go to each others Messes, and the Copilot was not supposed to visit his parents in their MQ.
On a slightly different tack, one of the Nav students at Hullavington was entertaining a Cpl WRAF PTI in his room at night. When she went down the corridor to the toilet, she met the Queen Bee coming out of a male officer's bedroom. Nothing was said!
In Tengah in the 60's one of the Sqn Flt Lt Navs married a civilian girl, and held the reception in the Officers Mess. The whole aircrew contingent were invited, and attended in uniform. That is apart from the two NCO navigators who were given special permission to attend in civilian clothes! However it was normal for several Junior Officers to attend the Sgts Mess Happy Hour on Friday nights in uniform!
At Marham in the late 60's the Plt Off Copilot on my crew had his Father and Mother living on camp at the same time. As the father was a Master Pilot they were not able to go to each others Messes, and the Copilot was not supposed to visit his parents in their MQ.
On a slightly different tack, one of the Nav students at Hullavington was entertaining a Cpl WRAF PTI in his room at night. When she went down the corridor to the toilet, she met the Queen Bee coming out of a male officer's bedroom. Nothing was said!
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Oh the wonders of pagination.
At Waddo, 1967, Queen Bee wore metaphorical black boots. Older than the other girls and below average height, I think she was ex-police from South Africa or some such. She would vet every new arrival in Mess.
I remember a stinking hot summer at Waddo around '91. The Stn Cdr issued an order permitting WRAF to dispense with tights. Obviously word got out and Queen Bee at High Wycombe rescinded the permission and the Staish acquiesced.
At Waddo, 1967, Queen Bee wore metaphorical black boots. Older than the other girls and below average height, I think she was ex-police from South Africa or some such. She would vet every new arrival in Mess.
I remember a stinking hot summer at Waddo around '91. The Stn Cdr issued an order permitting WRAF to dispense with tights. Obviously word got out and Queen Bee at High Wycombe rescinded the permission and the Staish acquiesced.
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At Leeming in 1972, one of our ATC WRAF Officers planned to marry a QFI. He was posted to Valley: there was no suitable post for her there (if there had been, she could have moved there and remained in service with him).
There was not, she resigned her Commission and married him.
There was not, she resigned her Commission and married him.
In the mid '60s....
.....my fiancee was an air trafficker and had just finished the radar controllers course.
I was posted to Ballykelly and as BKY were short of a radar controller the SATCO was keen for her to come and stay in the service with me. However the Queen Bee at Pitreavie said that couldn't happen because there were no flush toilets in the tower and she couldn't countenance "her gels" using chemical toilets. There was a lot of agry bargy which ended up with SATCO saying that it was all my fault!! So Mrs Rossian to be said stuff it and resigned rather like the lady in Danny's post above.
QB couldn't get her head round the fact my intended was already using an elsan in the mobile PAR convoy which changed with the runway. Tacked at the end of the convoy was a bomb trolley with a thunderbox built by workshops out of Mk1c sonobuoy boxes labelled "Have Loo Will Travel!"
From where we are now it's difficult to remember how antiquated things could be socially at that time. Wg Off. Thomas belonged in the era before WW1
The Ancient Mariner
I was posted to Ballykelly and as BKY were short of a radar controller the SATCO was keen for her to come and stay in the service with me. However the Queen Bee at Pitreavie said that couldn't happen because there were no flush toilets in the tower and she couldn't countenance "her gels" using chemical toilets. There was a lot of agry bargy which ended up with SATCO saying that it was all my fault!! So Mrs Rossian to be said stuff it and resigned rather like the lady in Danny's post above.
QB couldn't get her head round the fact my intended was already using an elsan in the mobile PAR convoy which changed with the runway. Tacked at the end of the convoy was a bomb trolley with a thunderbox built by workshops out of Mk1c sonobuoy boxes labelled "Have Loo Will Travel!"
From where we are now it's difficult to remember how antiquated things could be socially at that time. Wg Off. Thomas belonged in the era before WW1
The Ancient Mariner
I may have posted this before but...
The Chief WRAF at Abingdon in the early sixties was Sqn Officer Bobbie Stannard.
She was OC Personnel Services Flight or something similar.
Station Routine Orders (SRO’s) once published Order No 1 which was about a forthcoming parade and it said, on whatever date,
‘Wg Cdr D H M Chandler OC No47 Sqn will mount the Squadron Stannard ‘ on whenever.
(It was a typo... allegedly)
The Chief WRAF at Abingdon in the early sixties was Sqn Officer Bobbie Stannard.
She was OC Personnel Services Flight or something similar.
Station Routine Orders (SRO’s) once published Order No 1 which was about a forthcoming parade and it said, on whatever date,
‘Wg Cdr D H M Chandler OC No47 Sqn will mount the Squadron Stannard ‘ on whenever.
(It was a typo... allegedly)
A timely moment for Beagle to arrive and harumph at "standards slipping. Tights! Quite unacceptable" Then post that photo of Flying Officer Harvey (hopefully)
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At a secret fully hardened air defence base in Lincolnshire the Stn Cdr decreed that everyone sleep in the hards. It was quite delightful with perfumed frillies floating around the WOC dormitories.
When QB at Wycombe heard she put a stop to it and insisted her girls had separate dormitory so the WW2 Decontam was given a cheap make over whilst the sweaty jocks got the comfy billets.
When QB at Wycombe heard she put a stop to it and insisted her girls had separate dormitory so the WW2 Decontam was given a cheap make over whilst the sweaty jocks got the comfy billets.
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the Stn Cdr decreed that everyone sleep in the hards.
Same at Leeming. 57 blokes sleeping in the WOC dorm, enter 3 WRAF Frillies to be faced with a 3 tier bunk. A small debate ensued between the 3 Frillies culminating in the loser declaring that "I've never been on top before".
Cue 57 blokes howling with laughter.
Same at Leeming. 57 blokes sleeping in the WOC dorm, enter 3 WRAF Frillies to be faced with a 3 tier bunk. A small debate ensued between the 3 Frillies culminating in the loser declaring that "I've never been on top before".
Cue 57 blokes howling with laughter.
Another one I've remembered. I was best man to a Fg Off ATCO at RAF Waddington, sometime in the early 1970s. He married a WRAF Plt Off ATCO who later became an ATC Supervisor at Brize Norton.
The Chief WRAF at Abingdon in the early sixties was Sqn Officer Bobbie Stannard.
As I recall she died a few years later while still in the service.
A young sqn ldr who had been in my wing at Wyton early 90s got posted to Binnsworth, and was tasked with attending all the employment tribunals where former WRAFs claimed unfair dismissal on marriage or pregnancy. Pretty depressing job turning up knowing you were going to lose every time, only variation was by how much
...... employment tribunals where former WRAFs claimed unfair dismissal on marriage .......
(e.g. because they felt that insufficient consideration was given to their requests for a posting nearer to their husbands etc)
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Tuesday 12 October 1993
A FORMER RAF servicewoman was yesterday awarded £33,000 by an industrial tribunal - the highest compensation payment made to a victim of sexual discrimination.
Deborah Miller, 28, from Nafferton, Humberside, was asked to leave her job as an aerospace systems operator within two days of disclosing her pregnancy to her commanding officer at RAF Buchan, Aberdeenshire, in March 1987. At the time, the armed forces had a policy of discharging women when they became pregnant.
Mrs Miller is one of 5,500 pregnant women dismissed from the services between August 1978 and August 1990 who are now eligible for compensation payments from the Ministry of Defence.
A FORMER RAF servicewoman was yesterday awarded £33,000 by an industrial tribunal - the highest compensation payment made to a victim of sexual discrimination.
Deborah Miller, 28, from Nafferton, Humberside, was asked to leave her job as an aerospace systems operator within two days of disclosing her pregnancy to her commanding officer at RAF Buchan, Aberdeenshire, in March 1987. At the time, the armed forces had a policy of discharging women when they became pregnant.
Mrs Miller is one of 5,500 pregnant women dismissed from the services between August 1978 and August 1990 who are now eligible for compensation payments from the Ministry of Defence.
Avoid imitations
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I hope they did a better job on ladies plumbing than Nocton Hall did on my sinusses... Two black eyes, excruciating pain, months off flying and the final result - a medical downgrade.
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You got the knitting needle version then Shy?