JOINT SERVICES BOMB DISPOSAL COURSE 1964

When I joined RAF Bomb Disposal in April 1964 I worked on the Debden BD Flight for three months before attending a formal BD course.

At that time the Joint Services Bomb Disposal School had relocated to Broadbridge Heath near Horsham, Sussex and consisted of timber huts as classrooms, accommodation and messing.

I have just rediscovered the group photograph (below) from that time consisting mainly of RAF with three Royal Engineer attendees that were easily hoodwinked into doing the hard work of digging a vertical shaft willing to demonstrate their superiority over the 'RAF wimps' At that time I was the correct weight for a woman my height which, in practical terms meant that if I held a pneumatic jackhammer when digging the shaft the bit stuck in the soil and I was bounced up and down!

I did however score a high mark in the final examination and was awarded a certificate (below)

The 'Chief Instructor' was Squadron Leader John Reid RAF

Clearly that would have been on the syllabus of the Advanced Course

However, my statement to the patient would have been "Unless you get rid of it we will have to blow it in situ"

If that did not relax the nether regions to eject the foreign object nothing will!

Sorry I will get my coat, wrecked ‘em, damn near blew ‘‘em to bits