RFC Officers mess
 

The 'original' RFC Officers Mess at Farnborough, latterly known as No 1 RAF Officers Mess which closed in 1998, has now been demolished and is rapidly being replaced by a hotel complex.

Did they ever find the brass Hunter that went missing from the front of the Mess after it closed?

Sitting out on the lawn wtching the Air Show with a beer or two.
Oh well, such were the days of RAE......:{ :{ :sad:

Not entirely certain of the exact history and will gladly be corrected but the first RFC Mess I think was at Netheravon, still sporting the RFC Flying Badge above its doors. In fact that building was the Mess for Field Officers, the current QMs building was for subalterns.

There was a story about the Farnborough Mess that it had been built with the wrong set of plans. The story suggested that the plans used had been for a Mess in India hence the verandahs.

I once looked to see if it had provisions for punka wallahs but could find no evidence!

I stayed at Netheravon Mess 2 weeks ago; it has large RFC wings above its main door, with the date '1913', and I was told that this Mess is the original RFC one! Which is it - Netheravon or Farnborough??

It probably is Netheravon then.
DTWH - it was a brass Spitfire which went missing; on a plinth on the plateau in front of the mess said to be at the exact point where Cody started it all ie started his first takeoff run (although some sources say he did a short hop to get up there in the first place!). They left the Spit there until a suitable place at Boscombe could be prepared, but by the time this happened it had gone. I drove through the old mess area about once a week and it was there the week before it went missing. Don't know if they ever found it though.

I know what you mean but...:)

I visited the RFC mess in the early '80s. Netheravon was the home of the Army parachute asoc., and I was the UK rep for their Pilatus PC6. The lunch was excellent and if it still the same, well worth a visit.

The same story exists for the Officers' Mess at Redford Barracks near Edinburgh, which does look somewhat ornate compared with the nearby Victorian barrack blocks in my opinion.

Jess and Lou Scannon
 

Same story applies to St George's Barracks Gosport, built between 1857 and 1859! Redford was built between 1909 and 1915, so I guess Gosport wins the apocryphal tale stakes!

Jack

Ah Netheravon............brings back memories of the time i was on a sport para course and ended up with two fond memories.

1. Lights going out in the bar and everyone laying on the floor every time the MOD PLOD did there mobile patrol past the bar.

2. Finding out that there was a drink called "the rusty nail" and spewing it up the following morning through the Spider block window