Aircrew Feeders
Another vote for Chiv. Best steak and eggs ever! Ark Royal gets a thumbs up too. Feeder on board was well worth getting changed into flying ovies after a wardroom sesh to enjoy a late night/early morning curry!😁
"Mildly" Eccentric Stardriver
Given the conditions, the Airmen's Mess at Khormaksar did very well for a late-night fry-up when on Night I/S duties. Probably one of the few places on base awake at that time of night.
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I recall the RAF Shawbury feeder quite well. The thought of the lunchtime pie and chips….. 
Lofty Marshall, Ray Lawrence, Tommy Taylor and the rest of the old school instructors are a few faces I can easily see in my mind’s eye from my time as a fresh out of the box student in the late 1970s.
Lofty Marshall, Ray Lawrence, Tommy Taylor and the rest of the old school instructors are a few faces I can easily see in my mind’s eye from my time as a fresh out of the box student in the late 1970s.
Gums - a bit before your time, we did an official visit to Korat and were entertained to lunch in the, then, open sided dining area. The meal was served on a series of 'platters', on one of which was a selection of pale round objects in , what turned out to be, a truly eye-wateringly hot sauce. I asked the chap next to me what the dish was. "Cobra !, caught outside the Mess this morning!" This was said with the usual Thai charming smile, so I know not whether it was so, or not. Texture like chicken but taste undiscernible through the haze of pain induced by the 'sauce' ! 
Waddington 1970s definitely. Cath and her team. Early morning breakfasts, delay meals, “ quick, get a meal before they hear that we’re scrubbed” and a bit of light sexual harassment of the young co-pilots thrown in!
Finningley 1990s close second.
Finningley 1990s close second.
Last edited by Timelord; 30th Sep 2021 at 11:26.
Actually one probably not mentioned was the feeder at RAF Rufforth, near York, called 'Marco's'. |In the 70s Rufforth was a relief landing ground for RAF Church Fenton and the feeder was run just for RNEFTS by a chap called Marco. Brilliant.
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The worst one I went in was the short lived one at Odiham, opposite the Met office. I went there on a Shawbury land away in 1984 or 85 and thought how seedy it looked. I sprinkled vinegar on my chips and then thought how how strange they tasted. After I’d eaten them I looked at the vinegar bottle and saw that it was absolutely jam packed with vinegar flies! 
Disgraceful.
Disgraceful.
To keep Gums on-side............
Chretin's - a Mexican outlet just outside MCAS Yuma in Arizona......
Not on-base admittedly, but it fed aircrew - lots of them - so it was an "Aircrew Feeder" in the literal sense. The food was superb.
Especially the Nachos, served elegantly on plates of 12 rather than in a smothered pile, which created an inter-squadron rivalry for which squadron could eat the most.
Made lots of money for Seńor Chretin.
Chretin's - a Mexican outlet just outside MCAS Yuma in Arizona......
Not on-base admittedly, but it fed aircrew - lots of them - so it was an "Aircrew Feeder" in the literal sense. The food was superb.
Especially the Nachos, served elegantly on plates of 12 rather than in a smothered pile, which created an inter-squadron rivalry for which squadron could eat the most.
Made lots of money for Seńor Chretin.
I recall the RAF Shawbury feeder quite well. The thought of the lunchtime pie and chips…..
Lofty Marshall, Ray Lawrence, Tommy Taylor and the rest of the old school instructors are a few faces I can easily see in my mind’s eye from my time as a fresh out of the box student in the late 1970s.
Lofty Marshall, Ray Lawrence, Tommy Taylor and the rest of the old school instructors are a few faces I can easily see in my mind’s eye from my time as a fresh out of the box student in the late 1970s.
CG
Salute!
O.K., didn't know the ROE for on the base greasy spoons,.....
Best place I was at on and off for over 20 years was the club at Korat. It was open 24/7 due to the units there flying everything from AWACS misisons in the C-121, the Thud Weasels in middle of night covering Buffs, feeding the Sandy SAR folks before they cocked their planes for potential rescue missions, then daily schedule for North Vietnam and South Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos, then the ECM B-66 folks, then ....
The name was not an attempt to be cute. It was short for Korat Air Base Officers Open Mess.... The upper floor was used for large social events, otherwise stayed empty...
We buried Roscoe at the right side of the entrance. I left in 1975, along with all armed planes in Thailand - 15 Dec 1975
Gums recalls...
O.K., didn't know the ROE for on the base greasy spoons,.....
Best place I was at on and off for over 20 years was the club at Korat. It was open 24/7 due to the units there flying everything from AWACS misisons in the C-121, the Thud Weasels in middle of night covering Buffs, feeding the Sandy SAR folks before they cocked their planes for potential rescue missions, then daily schedule for North Vietnam and South Vietnam and Cambodia and Laos, then the ECM B-66 folks, then ....
The name was not an attempt to be cute. It was short for Korat Air Base Officers Open Mess.... The upper floor was used for large social events, otherwise stayed empty...
We buried Roscoe at the right side of the entrance. I left in 1975, along with all armed planes in Thailand - 15 Dec 1975
Gums recalls...
Roscoe | 34th Tactical Fighter Squadron - Thud Era (34tfsthuds.us)
Alchad
Salute!
ahhh, Roscoe, the nemesis of the Thai kitchen folks at the Club. He had visiting and sniffing priveleges that the Thais did not like, but they knew he was "blessed " and also our good luck charm at the mass briefings. He only showed up at Ft Apache for the mass gaggle type briefings, After a few years of not bombing up north, the 1972 Spring Invasion resulted in two new wings deployed to Korat amd Tahkli ( A-7D's and 'vaarks) , but no big strike packages until the 12 days of Christmas blitz, and Roscoe made every briefing - that dog knew!. I had not flown there in the very early years ( 1965-68), and was in-country outta Bien Hoa ( terrible food and downtown was mostly off-limits).
What made the Club so good was it was open 24/7 due to the various misisons and aircraft we had - F-4, A-7, RC-121 Disco, F-105G Weasels, KC-130 for Special Ops support, AC-130 Spectres, you name it.
Maybe Cornish had the oppo to visit the K-Bar eaterie which was halfway bwtween Camp Friendship and the main base. It was a basic SEA place with a hundred combos of sauces and meats, even beef! And food was a bit above average, but not nearly up to Veena's standards.
At the very end in 1975, the club closed and we had a choice of the USO or an all-rank dining hall serving grunt chow... GASP! Shortly after the King asked us to leave his country, Roscoe's mission was finished and he was found just outside the Club one morning. And we flew out all the planes in Decmeber. Sadly, Roscoe missed the mass briefings for both the 34th TFS and the 3rd TFS deployment, where we would launch out 24 jets in each gaggle. No combat, so no Roscoe.
Gums recalls....
ahhh, Roscoe, the nemesis of the Thai kitchen folks at the Club. He had visiting and sniffing priveleges that the Thais did not like, but they knew he was "blessed " and also our good luck charm at the mass briefings. He only showed up at Ft Apache for the mass gaggle type briefings, After a few years of not bombing up north, the 1972 Spring Invasion resulted in two new wings deployed to Korat amd Tahkli ( A-7D's and 'vaarks) , but no big strike packages until the 12 days of Christmas blitz, and Roscoe made every briefing - that dog knew!. I had not flown there in the very early years ( 1965-68), and was in-country outta Bien Hoa ( terrible food and downtown was mostly off-limits).
What made the Club so good was it was open 24/7 due to the various misisons and aircraft we had - F-4, A-7, RC-121 Disco, F-105G Weasels, KC-130 for Special Ops support, AC-130 Spectres, you name it.
Maybe Cornish had the oppo to visit the K-Bar eaterie which was halfway bwtween Camp Friendship and the main base. It was a basic SEA place with a hundred combos of sauces and meats, even beef! And food was a bit above average, but not nearly up to Veena's standards.
At the very end in 1975, the club closed and we had a choice of the USO or an all-rank dining hall serving grunt chow... GASP! Shortly after the King asked us to leave his country, Roscoe's mission was finished and he was found just outside the Club one morning. And we flew out all the planes in Decmeber. Sadly, Roscoe missed the mass briefings for both the 34th TFS and the 3rd TFS deployment, where we would launch out 24 jets in each gaggle. No combat, so no Roscoe.
Gums recalls....
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The Greasy Spoon at Middle Wallop?
You must be having a laugh.
The only benefit to dining there was in wearing your flying gear as a visit to the officers or sgts mess took time - which we instructors rarely had.
You must be having a laugh.
The only benefit to dining there was in wearing your flying gear as a visit to the officers or sgts mess took time - which we instructors rarely had.
I have a couple of memories of the 'eating command' eateries. First was after diverting from Binbrookone misty night with several other Lightnings and, as always, going straight to the aircrew feeder and being asked by the waitress who was the captain to sign for the meal. After some confusion when we said we were al captains, which she didn't like, one of us agreed to sign as captain. The second was after tanking to Luqa .a getting to the eater we asked for the same steak meal as our tanker crew was having - only to be told that we were not entitled and could only have egg and bacon!! I also recall diverting to Waddo with 3 Lightnigs to be met by 3 crew transports and causing confusion by all getting into the first one!.
Any TISWAS Crewroom (TSW) in NI after a long shift day or night. There is something about a Bacon Sandwich fried up by the lads whilst you flop in the armchairs to watch yet another snippet of a film before you launch for another stint. I don't think I ever saw a film start to finish but did eat a lot of bacon!!!!!
Funniest thing I ever saw in a Feeder?
Shawbury.
Spag Bol.
Great eye contact with serving staff and a loud "thank-you".
It was like the tablecloth trick...........gone wrong.
Firmly pull plate away from top shelf, plate withdrawn, spag bol hovers intact for 0.3 secs, then.........
EVERYWHERE!
Down front of glass onto floor, down back of servery into the custard, you name it, it went there!
lsh
Shawbury.
Spag Bol.
Great eye contact with serving staff and a loud "thank-you".
It was like the tablecloth trick...........gone wrong.
Firmly pull plate away from top shelf, plate withdrawn, spag bol hovers intact for 0.3 secs, then.........
EVERYWHERE!
Down front of glass onto floor, down back of servery into the custard, you name it, it went there!
lsh
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lsh,
How did that happen? Did someone hold onto one end of the spaghetti?
Tomato custard - lovely!
How did that happen? Did someone hold onto one end of the spaghetti?
Tomato custard - lovely!