When I handed in my kit . . .
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
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When I handed in my kit . . .
Following on from "In my last 12 months I will" Teamchief said
In my case a lot of stuff was written off except one thing. A rare piece of nav kit which for some reason was not C Class - A Rude Star Identifier. Issued in 1961 and essential piece of kit when standing in the astrodome of a Lancaster or Varsity and never used since.
Had great trouble convincing the storeman that it was obsolete. No idea where mine went. I see you can buy them on eBay for £100!
On a different note, when handing my kit in the young stores person asked.......what are these Chief? My issue Puttees and balaclava I replied. It then hit home that it was time to go!
Had great trouble convincing the storeman that it was obsolete. No idea where mine went. I see you can buy them on eBay for £100!
Stores wanted all my rulers, protractors etc which were issued at Finningley and Cottesmore, they had gone into some communal box on a squadron years ago but the corporal would not budge. I went back to the planning flight that was part of my 'empire,' gathered a set from the box there and handed those in, stores very happy. "What are you going to do with them?" I asked, "probably give them to one of the squadrons" was the reply, "I have a planning flight in my section" I said, "you can take them if you want," so I did.
In the cadets, we once tried to hand returned clothing and unused round neck wooly pullys back to clothing store. They didn't want to know and asked if we had a nearby car boot sale.
On clearing from stations, you were supposed to check and sign your clothing card. Most of us trusted the stores bashers and just signed the things....
But in 1983 I had to clear from Wattisham on posting to Finningley for a METS refresher course. The stores chap discovered that I was deficient one Gnat oxygen mask and one Gnat g-suit. I hadn't even sat in a Gnat since 1975 and the last RAF Gnat had been retired in 1979. Both items were specific to the Gnat - the g-suit hose was on the opposite side to all others and the mask had integrated microphone cables running down the oxygen hose. The storeman wouldn't accept that I must have returned them at Valley 8 years earlier (yes, my fault for being lazy) and wouldn't budge.
Fortunately I'd been volunteered to be Oi/c the gliding club, amongst whose members was a very helpful Flt Sgt who worked in the Supply section. He found the solution - a couple of 'Scrap' labels were produced for the missing items and I dutifully them handed over to the storeman who was then content to clear the card. But what a silly faff!
And no, I don't dress up in a Gnat g-suit behind closed curtains!
Dear old Uncle Joe L'Estrange once told us about the time he'd decided to get rid of some old flying clothing which had been issued years earlier. Furry boots and goggles were handed over, but when Joe produced his ancient Sidcot suit and tossed it onto the counter, the young stores chap jumped back in alarm as though he'd been attacked by a bear. Joe told him that it was indeed a flying suit (he'd probably had it since being an air gunner in 1944) and that it was probably almost twice the lad's age.
But in 1983 I had to clear from Wattisham on posting to Finningley for a METS refresher course. The stores chap discovered that I was deficient one Gnat oxygen mask and one Gnat g-suit. I hadn't even sat in a Gnat since 1975 and the last RAF Gnat had been retired in 1979. Both items were specific to the Gnat - the g-suit hose was on the opposite side to all others and the mask had integrated microphone cables running down the oxygen hose. The storeman wouldn't accept that I must have returned them at Valley 8 years earlier (yes, my fault for being lazy) and wouldn't budge.
Fortunately I'd been volunteered to be Oi/c the gliding club, amongst whose members was a very helpful Flt Sgt who worked in the Supply section. He found the solution - a couple of 'Scrap' labels were produced for the missing items and I dutifully them handed over to the storeman who was then content to clear the card. But what a silly faff!
And no, I don't dress up in a Gnat g-suit behind closed curtains!
Dear old Uncle Joe L'Estrange once told us about the time he'd decided to get rid of some old flying clothing which had been issued years earlier. Furry boots and goggles were handed over, but when Joe produced his ancient Sidcot suit and tossed it onto the counter, the young stores chap jumped back in alarm as though he'd been attacked by a bear. Joe told him that it was indeed a flying suit (he'd probably had it since being an air gunner in 1944) and that it was probably almost twice the lad's age.
One advantage of having made a Martin-Baker assisted fast exit was that all kit worn during one's escape was written off. As a result I still have my aircrew watch (Seiko chronometer type), a useful pair of gardening boots and gloves as well as a CWW jacket. and much more.
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I had a pair of aircrew sunglasses from my brief time in the RN. When they finally broke, I tried to exchange them at Supply Sqn. No chance, as they weren't of course on my RAF clothing card. So I got an aircrew mate to do the exchange for me ... no problem. He was then given the old pair in case he even needed to do another exchange!
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My aircrew watch was one of the old cheap, wind up type, issued at Linton on Ouse. Many years later I was "volunteered" to take part in a week long NBC trial in Germany, whilst deployed in the field (horrible memories of the AR5). We were required to carry out a suit change in a field of long grass just as a "Crash Out" call was made and in the scramble to fly out my old watch went missing. Stores refused to write it off and I was made to pay for a new one. Even worse, the type I had was obsolete and I was billed for the new Quartz type (probably ten times the cost of the original) without ever actually getting one. I told OIC stores to keep his damned watches and bought a cheap and cheerful "civvie" one.
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I did a maxi mash at Wegbeg where they did a full exercise with us all roped in as wounded to be casevaced into the hospital by Chinook etc, as the wounds etc were to look realistic and clothing would be damaged we were shown into tents full of clothing stores returns to dress up in, some of it was brand new and we were like kids in a sweetie shop, my kitbag was full when I left along with the spare one I got out of the tents.
Returning my kit at Brize was interesting, having humped it all down there, I had to keep it all for the reserves, the guy with me turned up still in uniform and they wanted it back off him, as he had no civi's with him, they took his beret and belt off him which I thought was rather pathetic.
Returning my kit at Brize was interesting, having humped it all down there, I had to keep it all for the reserves, the guy with me turned up still in uniform and they wanted it back off him, as he had no civi's with him, they took his beret and belt off him which I thought was rather pathetic.
Last edited by NutLoose; 29th Jul 2018 at 14:06.
We had a Whirlwind 10 on 110 Sqn. that started off life as a Whirlwind 4 until it was re-engined with a Gnome. It was our oldest and I had a project to fly it back to the UK when it's decades of Far East Air Force time was up. The final, major exercise in 1970 was Basatu Padu which was a reinforcement exercise from the UK. Whilst en-route to that XD183 had a too often engine rundown and John, being a QHI, successfully landed it in a coconut plantation with minor damage.
I was the inventory holder for the squadron's aircraft so when the aircraft disappeared off to the MU at Seletar I was expecting it back. Weeks passed, months passed and no communication. I investigated and found that the airframe had been passed on as a ground instructional airframe to the Singapore Air Force and it was still on my chit.
Round I went to Stores with the inventory and told them the story and to sort it out.
A couple of days later I was called and asked to go there and sign off the aircraft. At this time they were posting people in for short tours owing to the deadline for Changi's closure and in the office was a stores Warrant Officer and a WRAF Plt. Off. on a short tour. There then followed half an hour of signing conversion chits where large quantities of aircraft components both in numbers and weight from various squadrons were brought on to 183's inventory. The final items were all my flying clothing.
It followed that as the aircraft had been Struck off Charge then all these items were written off.
I was the inventory holder for the squadron's aircraft so when the aircraft disappeared off to the MU at Seletar I was expecting it back. Weeks passed, months passed and no communication. I investigated and found that the airframe had been passed on as a ground instructional airframe to the Singapore Air Force and it was still on my chit.
Round I went to Stores with the inventory and told them the story and to sort it out.
A couple of days later I was called and asked to go there and sign off the aircraft. At this time they were posting people in for short tours owing to the deadline for Changi's closure and in the office was a stores Warrant Officer and a WRAF Plt. Off. on a short tour. There then followed half an hour of signing conversion chits where large quantities of aircraft components both in numbers and weight from various squadrons were brought on to 183's inventory. The final items were all my flying clothing.
It followed that as the aircraft had been Struck off Charge then all these items were written off.
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Thread Starter
One advantage of having made a Martin-Baker assisted fast exit was that all kit worn during one's escape was written off. As a result I still have my aircrew watch (Seiko chronometer type), a useful pair of gardening boots and gloves as well as a CWW jacket. and much more.
Fareastdriver wrote:
No doubt it was your normal practice to fly in full tropical mess kit 
??
There then followed half an hour of signing conversion chits where large quantities of aircraft components both in numbers and weight from various squadrons were brought on to 183's inventory. The final items were all my flying clothing.
It followed that as the aircraft had been Struck off Charge then all these items were written off.
It followed that as the aircraft had been Struck off Charge then all these items were written off.
??
Regarding the Atlantic Conveyor, I think it was calculated that the total added up to more than 5 ships worth of equipment. I remember some years after the event there was still some memos being sent out to ensure that the very long list could be finalized and signed off.
I went to hand my kit in at Laarbruch as it was in the throes of closure in 1999.
When I said I didnt have any Reserve Service (No, I have no idea why I had no reserve service period), they didn’t want any of my kit at all!
After some discussion with the friendly stacker about the Station closing and the amount of clothing being dumped that Stores would have to get rid of, I just abandoned some useless kit such as my S10 and helmet on the counter, and walked out.
I still have a roller cabinet tool kit and several grease guns to which I applied the same logic.
When I said I didnt have any Reserve Service (No, I have no idea why I had no reserve service period), they didn’t want any of my kit at all!
After some discussion with the friendly stacker about the Station closing and the amount of clothing being dumped that Stores would have to get rid of, I just abandoned some useless kit such as my S10 and helmet on the counter, and walked out.
I still have a roller cabinet tool kit and several grease guns to which I applied the same logic.
One Beagle will no doubt remember, I did possess for a number of years a nice cardboard cut out of the old Bulldog cockpit. Not sure where that ended up. I still have in my possession an x CFS chums MK14a, which I was hoping to 'slim' into, it hasn't happened yet!
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FED ... were you involded in Ex SQUARE HOLE, the work-up for BP? I was SATCO Gemas Strip!
Pontious
While searching just now for my Green Line book ( see 'How Heathrow used to look' in Nostalgia thread ) I came across my unused Rude Star Identifier and my trusty nav' computer and slide! What stories the latter could tell of my 6 years route-bashing in the Herc'!
While searching just now for my Green Line book ( see 'How Heathrow used to look' in Nostalgia thread ) I came across my unused Rude Star Identifier and my trusty nav' computer and slide! What stories the latter could tell of my 6 years route-bashing in the Herc'!
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Just before I handed my kit in at Brize back in 1996 I swapped my almost new gloves with a mate in expectation of handing back a grubby pair with short stubby fingers. My originals fitted well. The only thing they took from me was my cold weather jacket.
when I returned in 99 I found my growbag had shrank in the wash. I was able to exchange it for one that fitted. The store man wondered if I had been Action Man’s stunt double back in 86 when my first one was issued.
when I returned in 99 I found my growbag had shrank in the wash. I was able to exchange it for one that fitted. The store man wondered if I had been Action Man’s stunt double back in 86 when my first one was issued.
As a S.N.C.O. I had a card to collect various departments signatures
so I passed it around during morning coffee break. It was all signed up by
11:00 and I was civilian by lunchtime. Clothing? Mostly in the bin
behind the mess. I left six weeks early and joined the ACP course at
Oxford ATS on the following Monday.
so I passed it around during morning coffee break. It was all signed up by
11:00 and I was civilian by lunchtime. Clothing? Mostly in the bin
behind the mess. I left six weeks early and joined the ACP course at
Oxford ATS on the following Monday.