SWOs
 

Do SWOs still exist?

Since retiring from "attached RAF" in 1996 I had understood that two stalwart breeds had disappeared from the orbat:

Station Adjt went yonks ago I think. Duties absorbed into somewhere in WgCo Admin empire?

SWO also gone?

Please someone put me straight.

The position of SWO still exists.

Back in the days of old, they were fillied by the WOs of the RAF Admin Trade (part of TG10). This trade was made obsolete in the late 90s. SWO posts can now be filled by WOs of any trade (though some posts may restrict the holders to specific trades (eg Gunner)).

Stn Adjt still exists, too. OC GD Flt was rebadged as Stn Adjt around the year 2000.

If SWOs disappeared there would be chaos and we would all be doomed......doomed I tell ye!

Get your hair cut you orrible man :)

"PUT THAT FAG OUT!! CANT YOU SMELL GAS!!!"

I remeber as a young (ish) Pilot Officer, my first real posting was at RAF Laarbruch, not long after arriving, I managed to acquire a station bike (the type with wheels!). Proudly bimbling around the stn on a daily basis doing what good Pilot Officers did (best rank in the Air Force, as you didn't really do anything except look sheepish every time you opened your mouht!) always on my big A framed bike, cycling along hands in pockets, whistling. All of a sudden the SWO jumnpeed out from bushes (doing what I have no idea) and give me a sound bo**ocking for not riding a bicylce in an 'Officer like fashion'! It was worse than being in front of the headmaster at school!
Also remeber the SWO who was at HW in early nineties who had a little square bit of grey/sandy hair on the back of his head just above the collar, one day all the boys (with balls) came through gate, where he paraded evry morning, with a small square of masking tape on the back of their head......impressed, sadly not as manny found out that day!!

Hope the SWO stays and never dies!:)

Jamesman

nearly 3 hours ;)

He's having his nap.

Many thanks, except for one offering, the SWO and the Adjt live, the sun is in its heaven.

A churchwarden is the C of E counterpart of a SWO, I think:

church tidy and clean until congregation arrive, hymn and prayer books all right way up, neat hymn number board, lectern bible correct at first lesson, bell-ringers finish as organ starts, everyone in correct seat, late arrivals duly glared at, padre privately admonished after service if sermon longer than 12 minutes .................

Did a little stint (7 months ) as a SWO as NCO Aircrew and during this time had to attend a WOs conference at Halton which was attended by lots of SWOs from the 'Rocks' branch. In the bar afterwards, all the 'Rocks' formed a little group and sent one of them over to me while I was chatting to a fellow NCO Aircrew fella. Conversation went as follows;
"Are you that Aircrew SWO fella from ****?"
"What if I am?"
"Well my mates and I, who are all SWOs want to know are you still getting flying pay while your doing the SWO job?"
"Not only am I getting Flying Pay, I'm also getting SWOs pay, £13.50 a day"
"SWOs PAY ????"
"Yep..if you have over 2000 uniformed personal on your unit you can claim SWOs pay"
Rock now calls over to his fellow mates
"Dave..how many you got at Catterick?"
"About 1800!"
"Well you won't get it..what about you Steve..how many you got at Wittering?
"About 2200...why?" "Do you get SWOs pay?" "NO...!"
"Tell you mate then when he gets back to Wittering to go and see the Chf Clrk and get it back dated"

After he scuttles off, my fellow NCO Aircrew mate says to me, " I didn't know you got SWOs pay!"

" I DONT...BUT THEY DONT KNOW THAT!"
Priceless.

orgASMic
 

What goes around, comes around. That was the name up to the early/mid 1960s.



Aaron.

Doesn't matter what you call them, they're still tw@ts

Getting on for 7 hours now. BEags, are you there?

I'm sure I've seen a SWOess on my travels. Can't think where I saw her and I'm sure she didn't wish to speak to this bit of JO pondlife, but I'm sure I've seen one.

Green Flash
 

There was a female SWO at Brampton/Wyton a few years ago.

Charge 360, CLEAR!!!!
BZZZZZZZZAAAAAAAPPPPPP

thread restart failed, continue TPR (thread tyPing Resus)

Paging Dr Beags, Paging Dr Beags. OI Deaf Old Fart, typie typie. your turn to swing the Lantern

Beags woudld only want the "Don't shout at me Mr Warwick" pic again!

Beags was a SWO...!? Oh bless!

:E

No, I don't think Beags was a SWO, but he seems to have a reputation for having a "thing" about that actress, what's her name.....?

W00,

Thank goodness you didn't mention SY's name as Beags would have posted that picture of her in her S & S and I would never have got to sleep tonight!

Surprised P Navigator hasn't piped up either. He seems to have a view on everything else.

Wiretensioner

Female SWO at Lossie late 80's- the first?

There was a SWOess at Valley in 84. Fearsome woman, but when T_M found himself potentialy deep smelly stuff one christmas duty, she proved to be pragmatic and fair whilst maintaining her reputation intact. That was tact, diplomacy and discipline at its finest.

Ok, I'll do it then...

...DON'T YOU YELL AT ME, MR WARWICK!

http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_lm...djso1_1280.jpg

SWOess at Benson 82/83. R****l G*****e. Top lady.

Brampton's Ma'am SWO was in post 1979 IIRC. R**** B***
A wonderful character and a good mate of the late Diana Dors.

Ah yes, Diana Dors whose real name was Diana Fluck. The following anecdote may or may not be true:

Thanks for the nice photos of the late Susannah, who sadly left us just over a year ago. WO Warwick was played by Michael Bates, of Patton and It Ain't Half Hot, Mum fame. He served as a Major with the Brigade of Ghurkas in WW2, hence his military bearing in Battle of Britain came quite naturally to him. Regrettably, he died in 1978 at the relatively young age of 57.

I saw the SWO at Linton on Ouse recently and he certainly looked the part with pace stick and cap at RAFP style.

He turned out to be a really nice chap but I am a civilian.

Google Image Result for http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/feeley/photoalbum2/schick/dannygourd.jpg

Now there was a real SWO (or strictly speaking Depot Warrant Officer). The legendary Danny Gourd who was SWO at Catterick c 1966.

In the 1950s the Head at a Surrey GS [I am told] was one Mr Fluck.

The boys called him Noel.

Never understood it myself.

RAF Norfolk has finally got a "proper" SWO who is turning the place on its head and a top bloke he is too!

I could tell you some tales about said proper SWO..

Seriously though, agreed. He is one of the few blokes who you can say, with a fair degree of confidence, that he will be remembered well, for a while after he leaves. He's also on my Linked in and Facebook page and he's bigger than me so I better be nice to him.

His background (and the breadth of it recently) makes him a useful CASWO candidate.

Not forgetting Blamire in "Last of the Summer Wine". :ok:

Am trying to remember the name of the SWO at Benson and then Odiham late 60s/early 70s. Jack someone i think? VERY old school!

Jack Holt ??
We had the pleasure of JH at cottesmore in 1974ish.
Actually he wasnt a bad old stick but we used to avoid whenever possible ;):)

Joe Overall, SWO at Lossie 1980. Mad as a box of frogs but superb vocabulary of SWO type rollickings

He used to hide out behind the transit cabins outside South Block and snare a load of 8 squadron trooping onto the bus in the morning.

Yup Jack Holt, remember him from Odious, a man totally devoid of humour.

ttn,

Danny gets a few mentions here;

Warrant Officer's you never forget - RAF Forum