RAF memories

Did you serve in the RAF??? You did then this is the thread for you!

Please feel free to put any memories you have on this thread.

Right Ill open the batting.

TACEVAL, remember these??? I was in for 22 years and did wait for it 4 thats all!!!! I didn one at Marham, 1979 so all in blues no NBC kit. Then one at Gutersloh in 83 and we got the AAFCE certificate of honour as it was the highest marks that year. I then did two at Leuchars, and was DI-STAFF for the Leeming TACEVAL at St Mawgan in 98.

I suppose I was lucky as I had a few postings where we didnt do the dreaded thing, and one (Pitreavie) where we were doing the exact same job as we would have been doing if the Russians had invaded.

Tacevals eh?

Only four?.... you lucky chap !!

I remember standing on guard at Brize in 1979 in my blue's and "flasher" mac and brandishing a pick axe handle. We eventually went to the surplus store in Oxford and bought out own greens ! Mk1 NBC's were eventually issued. My mate even supplied his own replica Colt .45 complete with leather holster for use on guard duty. And yes it was allowed ! Even the guard commanders were taking their turns with it...happy days.

Blimey I arrived at Marham 5 nov 73 Marham had its first Taceval in I think 74 or 5 we had done lots of monthly hooter jobs at stupid o clock and then the 3 and 4 day fighting the war the next week or so. We had 3 sqns then all with K1 Victors I went back to Cyprus in 74 with 214sqn as the civil war kicked off. Now That first Taceval, it started monday or tuesday, we split into 12 hour shifts the night shift were allowed home for 2 hours to report back with 14 days kit their taking the p*ss we thought !! at the end of the day shift we were allowed out to get 14 days kit. Nothing but intruder play all week no air raids or anything like that; I was ic one of the PDSUs, but also got nobbled as a sector guard commander for half of each shift I got to see the Di staff list and there were dozens of trick cyclists and doctors on the list many were MoD civvies. friday afternoon we thought endex any minute no such luck early hours monday we started getting air raids every couple of hours. It had been cold foggy damp from startex virtually no one in GEF had cold wet gear except the lads working on the 1st line team. We ate at the mess luckily we didn't have far to go. The tea was in urns with condensed milk .All of GEF was sleeping on the floor in the chippies shop we were like zombies by monday night. To cut a long story short it ended thursday or friday which ever it was it had been 11 days; by wednesday morale was high again with the attitude we played them at their little game this long they won't beat us now. I remember we bust open the Flight laundry store and got every spare pair of clean overalls, going out on guard a lad would get a BIG pair of overalls to put over his blues then his flasher mac over the top but the night fog was terrible.
Still at Marham I then did Taceval in 76, 77 then on the "real taceval" starting mid november 9 weeks on the fire strike in Hull, taceval 78. Posted to Bruggen in early jan 79 been there one week and it was TACEVAL on a DSU living in the old Rx building in the woods south of the SSA , then did 80 and 81, 82 Chivenor but the Falklands put pay to that year's Taceval, 83/84 Goose, 85/6 Headley Court/chessington, so no more until 87, 88 & 89 Taceval each year at Laarbruch 90, 91 & 92 Taceval Leuchars , 93 my dad died and being an only child I got leave. 94 taceval, 95 was at MPA Did their equivalent Exercise spotted goose or something, Endex was 19-00 on the friday I was tourex 10-00 the next day. back to Leuchars Tacevals 96 & 97 now I cannot remember when they ended and we started doing inter flight team expeditionary activities evac-ing casualties, putting up tents and aerials . So how many is that ??/
TED

Mind you as Marham was the home of the tanker force and also 100 Sqn doing target facilities and other support tasks we were involved in a lot of other stations exercises.

I have done too many bloody JMCs though!

Ted I heard about that 11 day exercise at Marham, boy am I glad I missed it.

A mate of mine was lucky on Leuchars TACEVAL in 85, he died in the first air raid and was immediatley sent home until endex!!!!!! Miond you it was all part of OC OPS grand plan, and he got a phone call at endex to tell him he was on nights that night in ops.

canberra;57941 wrote:

I have done too many bloody JMCs though!

Yep, me too.......... RAF Machri...where?!?

Never went to Macrihanish, but of course Pitreavie was where it was all run from in my time.

And as for TACEVALS , had to laugh at Kinloss they had to wear blue shirts AND TIES with greens when on exercise and guard duty. And that included the rocks!!!!

How many remember the Laarbruch Doughnuts (or Donuts if you are in the colonies) to indicate that Endex was imminent.

superplum;58282 wrote:

How many remember the Laarbruch Doughnuts (or Donuts if you are in the colonies) to indicate that Endex was imminent.

Colonies hee hee been there !!! yes and the egg banjos in the hotlocks for breakfast, i had a bottle of HP in my large pack !! my exercise days at Laarbruch were as a white sector incident commander, my callsign was "Bargee one" our sector HQ was a another cold damp concrete bld, this time at the bottom of the MTSS yard. But most of the time I was mobile. Sqn Ldr Clarke was our commander, great chap, I have to say I loved my Germany tours fantastic.