RAF memories

Did anyone during there time did anyone get a bollocking or a talking to? I like many of you got my fair share, but how about a bollocking for taking too much leave??? Yes thats right I got bollocked for taking too much leave! I know its an odd one but the Flight Sergeant concerned was odd, he was too much of the old school. He gave one of the SACs in the tower two 5s and likely to become fit for promotion on his asssessment, it was IIRC the second 6442 this SAC had. I know some of you may say right on the numbers. One problem, this SAC was an ex Army Corporal who in fact during the course of the year had recieved an AOCs commendation, apparently the SACs flight commander gave said Flight Sergeant a bit of a talking to about under assessing. A few months after my talking to about too much leave this Flight Sergeant wouldnt let one of the other Corporals take leave because we had night flying and he hadnt done night flying before, so I got a long weekend.

As I said this bloke was strange, as hes dead I wont name him. But he did spend a lot of time at St Mawgan, that may give some of you a clue.

Got told off for laughing in SCAF by a Sgt one day in 1977. A bit surprising, because there wasn't much to laugh about in there. I was a Cpl i/c a small section in a glassed-off corner of the office that I shared with 3 civvies & a WRAF. This, & the fact that the Flt Sgt i/c was barmy prompted me to buzz off to Role Equipment ASAP. At least laughing wasn't a crime there.

There were people in the RAF who took the job far too seriously, we had a CFI at Cranwell who had to be ordered to go on leave.

And the SAC I mentioned was promoted a couple of years later and a few years after that he got an MBE.

Worked with a Sqn Ldr at Strike who was in the office at 7am every day and did not leave till 8pm at the earliest, this included Fridays. He was living in the Mess and commuting at weekends. Totally distorted the manning requirement, and certainly made a rod for the back of his successor.

Just a thought, maybe his wife was ugly and couldn't cook )

The CFI lived in the mess and went home at weekends, reguarly he would fly the last aircraft to get airborne on a friday (1630!), and as I said he had to be ordered to go on leave. One year we got the dates of the christmas/new year grant and it was one where christmas day was a saturday. Command said that the grant would start after duty the friday the week before christmas, so in effect we were off for just over a fortnight. CFI decides that its too long a standdown, so he sent a signal to command saying that Cranwell would cease flying at 1400 christmas eve and start flying again at 0900 on the 19th. And we would stop flying at 1400 on new years eve.

Unfortunately for said CFI he sent the signal using the COs name, big mistake!! He got a curt phone call from the CO "asking" him to come and pay him a visit and bring his hat, command also rang him up and said that the dates were set in stone so there!

TFIWM

I spent 3 and a half years at St Mawgan, the only time I had to go to the tower was to pick up the keys to the line hut on 201 Squadron:-)

I think it shows how long Ive been out of the RAF. Ive just had a look at the new years honours on the RAF website, only people I knew whove got an honours are, ACM Bryant and AM Walker. Dont know anyone else!!!

Now be honest did anyone ever get a gong or a commendation, or a flight safety "goog show"?

When I left Halton in 72 I was lucky enough to be awarded the Philip Sassoon flying award,the comment in the text is a master of understatement...when it states that gliding is one of my interests...it absorbed all of my spare time,I was on the staff of 613 GS at Halton whilst an apprentice which is probably why I was put up for it.But we had to go to Biggin Hill to take the aircrew aptitude tests (competition from all appo schools) and the supertechs could not believe that a mere craft appo got it (neither could I)-spent a very pleasant 3 weeks up at Perth (AST) in may 72.
Of more interest on the photo is that the commandant pictured presenting the prize was Air/Cdr Bob Weighill DFC who had flown with 2+19 sqns during WW2,was OC 2 sqn in 53-55 and commandant of RAF Halton 69-73 (as well as being ADC to Liz2).He was also high up in rugby union I believe !

He was chairman of the RFU, and during wwii the distinction between the two codes of rugby was temporarily shelved and he played a couple of games of league.

This might make the ex AATCs laugh. The RAF is allowing serving airmen to remuster to SGT controller, so Joe Bloggs can go from an SAC stacker one minute to being on the course at Shawbury. Of course theyve got to pass the aptitude test at Cranwell. But as if there wasnt enough of a "them and us" in control towers as it is now Sgt controllers who know nothing about the trade and how it works, brilliant!