Tales and Anecdotes
After 13 years of searching there are still only 38 old friends on the contacts page.
If you were at Halton with us please don't put it off any longer, switch the telly off and get in touch. It's easy to do and you won't regret it.
Please send me your own stories for this page.I don't have the memory to fill the site on my own.
A very brief history since my time at Halton: Bill Preston
Posted to RAF Scampton along with Dave Haynes (sadly died in a car accident back in the 70s), Steve Fraser, Steve Carrington someone else as well but the grey cells won't work right now.
It was scary, I was allowed to work on an aircraft that not only flew, it carried nuclear weapons and was supposed to scare the reds, well it certainly scared me. Especially when I was rostered onto QRA for the first time. I was supposed to look after the electrical requirements of four (or was it three) Vulcan bombers complete with Blue steel nuclear missiles, all at 15 minutes readiness. Fortunately, nothing terrible happened and I managed to change a couple of nav lights without incident. Many happy memories of Scampton and the Vulcans; I would happily go back tomorrow. Anyhow, after being refused a posting to somewhere more exotic they finally moved me 25 miles down the road to the electrical bay at RAF Coningsby to look after the black boxes from the Phantom F4s, actually most of the boxes were grey!! Got bored with that and swapped onto 41 squadron F4s, more fun at the sharp end. Managed to see a bit of Germany and one or two other Nato countries before I got my third stripe and then opted out after 10 years to join the civilian ranks.
Joined the CEGB (electric board) at Cottam Power Station keeping the nations lights blazing as an electrical fitter. Eventually after some college work moved to CEGB Midland region headquarters as an engineer producing ops and maintenance manuals. Good pension scheme, company car, etc, then Margaret Thatcher came along and blasted that to hell. So started working for my own company as a Technical Author doing ops and maintenance manuals. Still doing it today, but sort of semi-retired. Done all sorts including aircraft, trains, buses, oil & gas industry, water works, you name it.
Somewhere along the way I got married and more recently separated.
My current love is my Harley Davidson motorcycle 1600cc of V-twin energy throbbing between my legs (hey at this age I take what I can get).
I am looking forward to meeting you all at the next opportunity.
Cheers from Bill Preston.
Memories of Halton by 613 Holloway
The beginning: doing endless drill with Cpls Haddow, Aitken and those tossers who’d just graduated with the last AA entry [106?]
Room jobs - that centre deck! The endless fight against dust! Bull nights and Saturday morning inspections by NCO apprentices from other entries. NAAFI tea and yes, what WAS in those Nelsons? [Sounds distinctly Naval in origin!]
The boots when they came back repaired… inch thick studded soles like old-fashioned deep sea divers’ weighted boots. Totally lethal on highly polished green tiles. The strange thing was they actually became very comfortable, eventually! The chic haircuts added somewhat to our sartorial elegance, along with those hairy working blues – ho ho!
Endless GST lectures about fire extinguishers…. [fancy remembering that?]
Dear Sgt Griffin our 3 wing mentor and father figure – until he got posted, ‘like a streak of bloody lightning!’ Nice man.
That smug feeling of superiority over the rooks when we moved up to 2 squadron and donned blue hat bands, wow….[one of those rooks in 210 became a fighter ace, an Air Marshal and a Knight of the Realm] hmm, maybe not so smug after all!
The guys: all the prop fitters I remember fondly; we spent a lot of time together in schools and workshops and in the billet over those 2 years. Jim Skate was like a big brother to me during the first few weeks. I was one of the youngest at 15, and now it can be told… I was scared to death of those mean corporals and all that shouting. Big Jim at 18 was by comparison a mature man of the world, he offered a crumb of friendly advice, sort of along the lines of “Ah, f*** em.” I can still hear that nasally Lincolnshire twang and I cannot hear Andy Williams’ “May each day of your life…’ etc. without thinking of Jim – the voice of radio Halton. Synonymous with that sound was the clicking of about 18 bed side lights being switched off.
Tim Broome was a funny guy with a great store of jokes, as was Mal Blease. Rog Gard was a great little bass drummer. In all these years in pipe bands I’ve never come across one with a more natural rhythm than Rog. I remember on 1 wing, as soon as the wing WO was out of sight Rog used to drop it back from 120 a minute to about 85 - ably assisted by one Roddy McKenzie, and we’d amble down to workshops to a gentle 6/8. It was not unknown for a certain Blenkinsop personage to throw a mace over the telegraph wires at the point… or is this my imagination playing tricks? We probably had the best entry band in the entire camp, anyway.
Colin Moat – definitely going places! He used to help me with my schools stuff sometimes, as I had little education beyond the beginning of fourth form at high school and there were a lot of holes in my mathematical knowledge, like the Grand Canyon to be honest. The fact that I spent most of my down time at the band practising the pipes instead of doing any schools stuff probably didn’t help either. Thanks Col, I imagine you had a very successful RAF career.
Dave Hinchcliffe taught me to smoke – for which I am eternally bloody grateful, it took me years to give it up. Ah, that international passport to smoking pleasure…. [pig’s arse] as the Aussies say.
I could blather on all day but I won’t. Halton was a great experience; I learned a lot more than how to service aircraft. And I feel honoured to have shared those years with such a wonderful bunch of young guys; Britain’s best, without a doubt. We’re a diverse bunch for sure, but we shared so much we have a certain sameness. I guess that means the system worked well. I look forward very much to seeing many old faces in the future. I guess we all WILL be bloody old by then!
“Stan” Holloway.
My memories of Halton and afterwards – Roddy Green (now McKenzie – long story)
Well much the same as everyone else!! The friendly meeting at Wendover station followed by the horrible realisation after attestation that we had perhaps made a big mistake.
Standing shivering on the parade square on a freezing January morning wearing a pair of overalls and being introduced to the lovely Aberdonian corporal (can’t remember his name) who asked if I was cold and when I said yes- told me to double round the square.
The gruelling and endless bull – bed packs, floor polishing, full kit inspections etc. (We used to get up before we had gone to bed, lick road clean with our tongue - but we were happy!)
An early communication problem with Mick Rollings – Conversation went something like this:
Mick “where’d ee get the bumper to”
Roddy “Whit wis that ye sed”
Mick “Pardon”
I don’t think it got much better after that.
Do you remember the tales of the Halton Hills werewolf that had some people (who shall remain nameless) rather worried?
I also remember a number of us deciding to hold a séance in the drying room in the early hours of the morning and being scared s…less when the window suddenly flew open with a gust of wind.
And of course the famous battle of Wendover that so many of us remember. I don’t actually remember too much about it as I was clobbered with a baseball bat in the first charge. I do remember a lone RAF Snowdrop trying to marshal us, somewhat unsuccessfully, in the Rising Sun car park and march us back to camp.
I was a side drummer in the band and have good memories of leading the entry down to the workshops in the mornings to the stirring sounds of the pipes and drums.
I carried on playing the drums after leaving Halton and played in a ‘pop’ band for around 8 years.
After leaving Halton myself and Tim Broome were posted to Leuchars where I had my first encounter with a real aircraft – the fabulous Lightning. Tim Broome also had a severe encounter with a Scottish New Year celebration in Dundee from which he has probably still yet to recover 40 years on.
From Leuchars I was posted to Bruggen (after applying for Gib, Malta or Cyprus).
I purchased my discharge in July 73 in order to continue gigging with the band, which at that time was in demand around the various RAF and Army bases in Germany. I remained in Germany until 1980 when I returned to the UK and joined the Police in Scotland.
I will not bore you too much with my career since then but it has largely revolved around the security industry and I now have my own Security Consultancy and Training company based in Benson, Oxfordshire (the home of RAF Benson). I am married to Kerry and have a nine year old daughter, having become a dad late in life at the age of fifty.
I will hopefully come back with further memories as they come to this old brain prompted by some of yours.
I very much look forward to meeting those of you who are coming to the mini reunion planned for September!!! To those of you who cannot make it I send my warmest regards and hope that we can meet up some time in the future (before we are all on zimmer frames).
Roddy.
My memories of Halton By Ian MacGilvery
My memories of Halton started with the bus waiting at the station then being taken to 3 Wing parade ground and being allocated a barrack room.
Next, to the barbers and a sign on the wall saying "Once a King always a King, But once a night is enough"
(Which took some time to sink in!)
Memories of Mick Goldby playing his trumpet for Reveille in the morning and "Taps" for lights out at night and getting abuse hurled at him.
Steve Clancy dressed only in his shreddies, lying on his bed lighting his farts.
(Steve, I met your brother Niall at Sealand in 1974,)
Also trapping Mick Goldby on the bench in workshops at lunchtime with his overalls in 4 vices .
Ian.
Memories By Clem Ord
The memories are flooding back, reading other peoples reminiscences (I used the spellchecker, Steve).
I suppose the one main memory for me was getting attacked by a bunch of locals in Wendover while coming back from a day in London with Alan Hawkins and Bill Denman. I got my jaw broken and spent six weeks in hospital, Alan also ended up in hospital. Bill was unscathed, although, ironically, I think during our passing out parade, he took it literally and passed out, breaking his jaw as he fell.
As has already been mentioned, retribution was dished out to the locals the following weekend, led by Steve Tank. Thanks lads, that cheered me up at the time.
Other memories – Bull nights. Anyone remember “bumpering the centre deck”,
Red cardinal (polish) in the bogs. Then inspections from some jumped up little squirt from another entry. Oh, what fun we had.
Saturday mornings was Band practice while the rest of the entry had drill.
Then queuing at the post office with our savings book (or Posby) withdrawing our money. I never understood why it was called a savings book because no-one could save anything on 30/- a week.
Saturday afternoons in Aylesbury buying the latest records and clothes from the trendy boutiques.
I recall many of Alan Hawkins memories already mentioned as we were good friends and generally hung around together.
Two holidays in Blackpool spring to mind. I think the first year it was me, Alan, Bill Denman, Andy Elsworth (or Arrrrdrew as we called him) and Pete Foster. The second year, I think Dave Atkinson. Don Window and Derek Harper were there too. Apologies if anyone is left out as it was a long time ago, and I seem to get “senior moments” of forgetfulness lately. It must be down to age (we must all be pushing 60 now).
Owning a scooter illegally and keeping it garaged locally with Andy Shelbournes and Pete Barkers scooters. I think I bought mine off Steve Fraser who rode it to my home in Nuneaton.
After Halton I was posted to Marham, together with Dave Vickers, Andy Shelbourne, Eric Smith, Jim Skate, Dave Teasdale and a couple of other electricians (Chris and Roger).
I spent all my time at Marham, seeing many of our old entry passing through, including John Minns, Bob Savage, Litch Litchfield, Steve Tank. I met Bob Clancy and Dave Campbell out in Singapore while on detatchment, and Dave Atkinson in Gan.
I also remember a reunion held at RAF Wittering in 1989, I think. It was organised by Steve Tank and took place in the Sergeants mess. Around 35 of us attended and we all had a good night. It was amazing to see how everyone had changed. Steve took a lot of photos that night (still waiting to see them Steve).
On demob I settled in Kings Lynn and am still there. I have been married for 34 years with two grown up children and 3 grandchildren.
Clem.
More Random Memories. By Alan Hawkins
1.0 Remember Corporal Hood? What an arsehole. I shall always treasure waking up on a cold winters morning on 3 Wing at 06.30 to the sound of his steel shod boots and the scream of ' WAKE UP YOU F******** ANIMALS MOVE YOUR ARSES'. Lovely man. What sort of perv. wants to live in a barrack block with 90 odd 16 year old boys anyway? Didn't he also get done for charging us for getting our uniform trousers altered?
2.0 They were always telling us we were the best entry they'd ever seen at Halton for marching. Imagine my feelings of betrayal when I found out they said that to all the other entries too. Continuity drill squad.Remember that?
3.0 Getting a record number of 'riggers' into the old heaps they had in elementary airframes. The instructor was about 120 years old I seem to remember. He nearly had a cardiac arrest.
4.0 Wasn't a WAAF murdered when we were there and we ALL got interviewed by the police. I don't think that was ever solved.
5.0 Clem Ord and me got into a fight in Wendover and Clem got his jaw broken. Got to meet some nurses at Stoke Mandeville hospital I think so not all bad news although Clem wasn't too happy about it.
6.0 Going down to the 'Airfield' every morning and everybody did their best to get upstairs on the bus and leaning over to try and tip the bus when it did a sharp 360 degree turn in front of the hangers. Dickheads weren't we?
7.0 First flights in a Chipmunk. Those sadistic riggers who tied you into your chute. When you stood up you could only manage to bend over at 90 degrees. If we had had to bale out we would have suffered severely broken bums.
8.0 The Hunters on advanced airframes we endlessly pulled apart then somehow put back together were sold off to some African country for good money I heard. Scary but true.
9.0 I remember getting a lift into London with Alan James in his Wolsely where he abandonded us for some girlfriend. Staying at the Union Jack club then trying to complete our education wandering around Soho and seeing lots of places we couldn't afford to get into. I think we walked all night. Got back to Halton on Sunday afternoon weary and not very much wiser.
No doubt there must be more.
Alan.
What I Remember of Halton. By Richard Rigby
Well what do I remember of Halton?
Being absolutely useless at drill, I was the one who was yelled at on our first parade by Flt Lt Gibbs as leaning to the right.
Personally I always thought it was a complete waste of time anyway, which was backed up by the fact that I only ever did 2 parades after leaving Halton. One of those at St. Mawgan was an AOCs parade when the station commander decided to have a big parade to impress the AOC, we were all so bad it was funny. Sooty would have been horrified.
I remember the effort people went to, to try and skive off Sports Afternoon and how crowded the hills behind Halton became. I took up boxing in the winter because it was nice and warm in the Gym, we got to Tea first and also it kept me in Hoods ( who ran the boxing) good books. I met Cpl Hood in El Adem in 69 and he was still as miserable as ever.
I remember playing tarzan in the Christmas panto we put on.
I was pretty lucky with my RAF career, I remember though when we were all grouped together for our postings to be announced and the Flight commander read out RAF Tangmere 38 Gee Pee S U, no one knew what it meant. It turned out to be 38 Grp Support Unit, which has now become the RAF Tactical Communications Wing and must be one the few RAF units to have grown in size since those days. Mind you only the RAF would post someone to unit on New Years Eve!. I also remember going in to arrive at General Office and the first thing I was asked was did I have a Passport.
After a year there I was posted to RAF Changi in Singapore , and met Pete Stevens again, stayed there for 2 years until it closed at the end of 71
Then I was posted to St Mawgan, got married; bought a house expecting to stay for 4 years, but to my horror I was posted in Nov 74 with 4 weeks notice to RAF West Drayton to work on a 1.5MW DC power supply system for the Air Defence Data Centre and bumped into Pete Stevens again.
The RAF then abandoned me at West Drayton until I was demobbed. This was great for me since it enabled me to do ONC & HNC and to be honest since I was living off camp it was like being a civvy in fancy dress most of the time.
I am now retired and living in Somerset.
Richard.
Musical Memories. By Alan Hawkins
How about the songs of the times. I remember Sergeant Peppers like it was last week.
How about this lot:
1967
1. To Sir With Love, Lulu
2. Happy Together, The Turtles
3. Windy, Association
4. Ode To Billie Joe, Bobby Gentry
5. I'm A Believer, The Monkees
6. Light My Fire, The Doors
7. Somethin' Stupid, Nancy Sinatra and Frank Sinatra
8. The Letter, Box Tops
9. Groovin', Young Rascals
10. Kind Of A Drag, Buckinghams
11. Little Bit O' Soul, Music Explosion
12. I Think We're Alone Now, Tommy James and The Shondells
13. Respect, Aretha Franklin
14. I Was Made To Love Her, Stevie Wonder
15. Come Back When You Grow Up, Bobby Vee and The Strangers
16. Sweet Soul Music, Arthur Conley
17. Can't Take My Eyes Off You, Frankie Valli
18. Never My Love, Association
19. Soul Man, Sam and Dave
20. Expressway To Your Heart, Soul Survivors
Eeeeh.you tell the young people today and they don't believe you.
Who can forget Judy in Disguise
1968
1. Hey Jude, The Beatles
2. Honey, Bobby Goldsboro
3. Love Is Blue, Paul Mauriat
4. (Sittin' On) The Dock Of The Bay, Otis Redding
5. People Got To Be Free, Rascals
6. Sunshine Of Your Love, Cream
7. This Guy's In Love With You, Herb Alpert
8. Stoned Soul Picnic, Fifth Dimension
9. Mrs. Robinson, Simon and Garfunkel
10. Tighten Up, Archie Bell and The Drells
11. The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, Hugo Montenegro
12. Little Green Apples, O.C. Smith
13. Mony, Mony, Tommy James and The Shondells
14. Hello, I Love You, The Doors
15. Young Girl, Gary Puckett and The Union Gap
16. Cry Like A Baby, Box Tops
17. Harper Valley P.T.A., Jeannie C. Riley
18. Grazing In The Grass, Hugh Masekela
19. Midnight Confessions, The Grass Roots
20. Dance To The Music, Sly and The Family Stone
21. The Horse, Cliff Nobles and Co.
22. I Wish It Would Rain, Temptations
23. La-La Means I Love You, Delfonics
24. Turn Around, Look At Me, Vogues
25. Judy In Disguise (With Glasses), John Fred and His Playboy Band
26. Spooky, Classics IV
27. Love Child, Diana Ross and The Supremes
28. Angel Of The Morning, Merrilee Rush
29. The Ballad Of Bonnie And Clyde, Georgie Fame
30. Those Were The Days, Mary Hopkin
Alan.
My Story - In Brief. By David Colbert.
Here's my story in brief:-
I seemed to have spent a lot of time on Jankers at Halton, probably not that long but it seems like it. I remember the endless Bull Nights and Kit Inspections. Remember that 'orrible floor polish and those Bumpers, Bed Packs and Duraglit, Blanco and boot polish? Looking at the pics brought it all back. Don't we look young, of course, we were. Marching down the hill to the workshops wearing those studded boots and trying not to slide with, was it Jim Sparks, with the high pitched "Left, Left, Left right, Left". HaHa.
I did a bit of that boxing, early finish after the training session, hoping to get on Hood's side, lessen the chances of jankers. (didn't work). Remember the time that Steve Carrington insisted we were the senior entry and that we should march at the front? He ended up ordering 208 band members ( who made up most of the band) to join us and we marched to the workshops on our own.
I think the most enjoyable bit was when we did our stint in the Brecon Beacons (Wales). Remember when we did that all night excercise in the hills around Halton? I still remember the passwords we had to use, Blackbird and we had to answer Robin. HeHe Funny how things stick in your mind.
Anyway December the thirteenth 1968, posted to Kinloss, right up in the Highlands of Scotland, I had asked for Wattisham. Arrived there in January, bloody freezing, reported my arrival and was taken to a Nissen Hut until they could find me a place in the 'Modern Barrack Block', it contained a coke stove and 7 Drunken Jocks. Thought I'd gone through a time warp and was convinced of it the next morning when I reported to the hanger for duty and was confronted with a Shackleton. "Welcome to Coastal Command" said the Flight Sergeant. George Mackay was also there and Trevor Dawber( I think he joined 208 late, being transferred from an earlier entry)
I stayed with Shackletons and Coastal command for my entire career in the RAF, being sent all over on detachment including Madagascar to stop oil tankers delivering to Rhodesia when Ian Smith declared Unilateral Independence, eventually buying myself out on the thirteenth of December 1974. I then took a Job with Dan-Air, working on Comets, 707's, 727's, one elevens and a few other old types. I left Dan-Air and did a stint in Saudi with BAC on Lightnings and then Airline maintenance at Stansted. Met Sally and left aviation and became a sheet metal worker. We married in 1980 and are still happily married with a son of 25 who lives in Michigan, USA with his American wife. We visit them every couple of years in the summer time, their winters are too bloody cold. I now live in a little place just outside Woodbridge in Suffolk, just up the road from Wattisham, (Got here eventually, hehe) Still got all my hair, going a bit grey though, most of my teeth, a lovely wife, a lovely home and I'm really happy. So no complaints and Halton has mostly good memories. Since leaving the RAF, The only person I've met is Bill Denman, he was with BAC on the Saudi contract.
..........Just remembered my first day at Halton. I was put in one of those single side rooms, nobody knew I was there, I was woken by the sergeant, I'd missed breakfast, everybody else was up and about, and to top it all, I had locked all my clothes in the locker, keys in my trouser pocket. Had to unscrew the back of the locker before I could even get dressed, not a good start.
Dave.
Remnisences, Remenan, Rem…(ahhh, bollocks) Tales from the old days !! By Steve Tank.
Hi fellow Luxies. “Gordon Bennett”, have memories come flooding back since I have contacted Adrian. Unfortunately I can’t remember a lot ‘cos I’m down to one & a half brain cells, that’s 50% of what I had at Halton!! (that’s all you need Son, sign here)
With Adrian’s account of the Geordie clan in mind, I would like to point out that me, Blenkie, Clarkie and Atkie and I think Jim (Bloodnut) Sparks should have been in the 206th. We were at Carlisle doing the exam thingy and were told that, on no account, should we leave the accommodation provided for those such as us and were not to fraternise with the enlisted folk. Red rag to a Bull!! It was Saturday night and the disco was in full swing down the NAAFI so we snuck out and started to party!! All was going swimmingly until a fight broke out, can’t remember who started it, but we gave a good account of ourselves. Ended up in the Guardhouse and was told to leave and never come back……but we DID!!
Fond Memories of Halton (not chronological)
Getting into fights in the first three days on account of my name and how it rhymed perfectly with a male adolescent’s pastime when interjected into the classical song “In the Stores”.
Got made Room leader, though, and I got my own room, trouble was it was the bloody band room. Load of Trotsky layabouts.
On the first night, locking me keys in the bedside locker and having to take the back off.
Spending the first two weeks in denims whilst our uniforms were being tailored. Nice look!!
Rucks in the common room.
Fraser hypnotising Brian Barker, 206th Sergeant App. who was put in charge of us, so that he came out one morning to march us down to Schools dressed in his pyjamas.
Talking of Fraser. He was constantly wrapping and un-wrapping a small link chain around his finger, most annoying, so I chopped it into three pieces which he didn’t find very amusing. Trudgian made me do it!!
Banning smoking in bed and catching Hinchcliffe and Co. slinging their cigarettes out of the windows attached to pieces of thread whenever I came out of my room. Scissors ended that malarky.
Marching in double time to get back to the block to watch Magic Roundabout (ah, days of innocence).
Sending Bertie Barratt up to Pimple Point one night to pretend to be the Phantom Piper. Heard him start up, as we thought, only to see him pitch up 5 minutes later, white as a sheet, exclaiming “I was only half way up when the f******g pipes started playing!!” He possessed a strange, yet familiar aroma, as I recall.
Halton Radio having to close down one night each year on account of children’s screams who had, allegedly, drowned on the very spot where Halton Radio was built. Had first hand experience of this……but that’s another story, as well as others. Halton was a very spooky place.
Getting every one in our class (about 12 of us) in Elementary Airframes, to secrete ourselves in the Piston Provost when Chiefy Glendinning was called away to see the Flight Sergeant. He came back to see only me in the cockpit and asked where everyone else was and was visibly shaken when bodies began appearing from every orifice. Again, Trudgian made me do it.
Appearing in front of the Wing Commander after the Wendover showdown and told I was a very naughty boy and that I was lucky not to be thrown out of Halton. After the rollicking he drew me to one side and said “Well done Tank, I hope you gave them something to think about and they will think twice before they mess with apprentices in future”.
Three weeks later, Princess Anne was visiting the station and a hoard of local yobs were massing in Wendover to march on the camp. We were all told to get into denims and webbing belts and to standby to repel the civilian hoards, fortunately the local constabulary, together with The Royal Protection Squad (SAS) managed to calm the situation.
Steve.
Random Memories of Halton. By Steve Fraser
Trying to sew that badge on the sleeve of your uniforms. Then trying to clean it!!! (No staybright then)
Watching these northern kids make chip butties, and the shock I felt seeing it for the first time.
Naafi vans that served tea at the temperature of melted lead.
Don Window (I think) getting a kicking from the locals on his way back from the train station in Wendover.
Steve Tank leading the charge across the road on a later date to retaliate with said local lads. He got whacked with a cricket bat for his troubles, but still managed to put a few on their backs. We won.
Marching up to senior wing at the end of our first year, and meeting the scar faced, and quite terrifying, Corporal Hood. Seeing the poster of artist’s impression of suspect for local murder looking very much like Corporal Hood. Corporal Hood quickly posted to El Adem.
Bob Clancy painting superb cartoon figures on various aircraft on advanced airframes.
Geoff Fairclough doing senior wing jankers with a casualness born of familiarity.
Being able to smell someone light up in the bogs in the hangar three seconds after they sparked up, even though you were half the length of the hangar away.
The sudden urgent need to visit the bogs by about half the smokers in the class, all of whom had run out of cigs and needed a drag to keep going.
Dave Colbert (I think) who responded to a question in class “What’s an alternator?” by replying “I am. I bloody ‘ate ‘alton.”. (Instructor unable to continue for some minutes.)
Watching the Vulcan drag it’s undercarriage through the trees on Pimple Point before landing on the airfield.
Doing proper drill, not this fancy can-can knees in the air dance and dragging feet crap they do now.
There’s more, but that’ll do for now.
Steve.
Communication. By Adrian Small
We heard all sorts of accents and dialects in the 208th, Scots, Welsh, Irish, Yorkshire, Lancashire, London, the Home Counties and Devon and Cornwall were represented along with many others. The overwhelming voice though was Geordie. I don’t think there were more Geordies than any of the others, perhaps they were a little louder, but for some reason the way of speaking was adopted by most of us in some way.
I suppose we might have tried to teach them to speak English but in the end it was easier and more amusing to join them and “Larn Geordie”.
I was walking across the sports field one afternoon with Denis Lake when an aircraft flew over. I pointed it out to him and made some comment and he said “Why aye man, it’s gannen to bombweh!”. In my ignorance, I asked “Where’s Bombweh?”. Why, Ah didn’t naa what he was takkin aboot because ah'd not finished the Geordie course man!
After completing the first oral exam when attempting to "Larn Yarsel Geordie", the successful candidate was permitted to join in with Geordie songs such as "The Bladon Races" and "The Lampton Worm".
The common answer to any question became "Aah Naah Man!"
Does anyone remember a D.I. called Corporal Aitken? He was a short plump Scotsman with a very strong accent. Just in case you’ve forgotten, drill commands were given in two parts. A descriptor to let you know what was coming and then a word of command to elicit prompt action. For example, “Aaaten SHUN!” or “Standaat EASE!” Well, Corporal Aitken found a way to make it simpler to remember and had only one word which he used for the command and it was Bleugh! So we were instructed to “Aaaten BLEUGH” or “Roight BLEUGH” and “Standaat BLEUGH!!
Other memories
We once had to thoroughly clean, strip and paint our rifles and bayonets for a route lining. During a Saturday morning rehearsal Steve Clancy's overpainted bayonet got stuck when he was attempting to remove it from the rifle muzzle. He grabbed it more resolutely, gave an almighty tug and it flew off and stabbed him in the forehead!
Mick Goldby was always on the cadge for cigarettes or money and was constantly in debt. On one payday he went round the room after pay parade, paying various people what he owed them and completely emptied his pay packet! I'll bet he does a lot better now.
Adrian.
After December 1968. By Don Window
I was posted to St Athan near Cardiff along with Barry Blenkinsop, John Barnes, Dave Pridmore, Bunny Warren, Garry Vince and there could have been a couple more, I'm not sure. I did 6 years at St Athan where they had Vulcans, Victors, Canberras, Hunters and we even did Fleet Air Arm Buccaneer conversions for RAF service, mostly on component repairs. First of all on sheet metal repairs to cowlings, flaps, elevons and ducts etc. I then did a spell in the tyre bay followed by the undercarriage bay. I asked for a change and did the last 18 months on Vulcan overhauls. I applied for discharge by purchase so they posted me to Valley in Anglesey on Hunter flying training.
I eventually got out and started at BA engine overhaul near Caerphilly in South Wales. I started off in the fuel systems, building and testing fuel control units and pumps for longhaul planes, 747, Concorde etc. We did a lot of work for other airlines so there were some oldies like the 707 and Olympus engines for the RAF. They thought the Halton Apprentices were the bees knees so I was on inspection in a couple of years. I met some brats from earlier entries before my time. I did 12 years there and then a spell doing something completely different - selling, which I enjoyed, and in 1990 I emigrated to Perth in WA and I’ve been here ever since. I started off selling but then went to Uni, got a degree and did a Grad Dip Ed to become a teacher. I now teach metalwork and social studies down in a place called Collie, 220 km south of Perth but live in Bunbury. I met Pete Foster when I first came out here but lost contact. He was in Darwin when cyclone Tracy hit the place on Christmas day, bad planning. I’ll try and find him again if he's still in Perth.
Don.
My Time Since Halton. By Adrian Small
I was posted to RAF Wattisham with Mick Rollings and we reported to the guardroom on New Years day 1969. We started work with Target Facilities Flight, looking after visiting aircraft, one Chipmunk and up to three Lightning F Mk1As. What magnificent aircraft they were, I have never worked on anything better since then. Mick was sent to RAF Gan after a year or so to work on Whirlwinds and when he finished his 18 month tour, he came back and I had practically taken root. I spent 5 excellent years there looking after loads of different visiting aircraft and supporting the Lightning solo aerobatic displays all over the place. (There used to be stacks of air shows in the summer in those days.)
Eventually I was posted to RAF Brize Norton. What a shock! I had been with the ‘Steelies’ in Fighter Command and had to face the prospect of working on boring Belfasts and VC10s in Transport. What a come down. We worked a 12 day shift on the line. 3x12hr days, 3x12 hr nights and then six days off. Perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad after all. Not long after I got there I got a job during the six days off and took a share of a rented bungalow in Carterton. I was ‘Living out’!
After three years at Brize and a very short marriage I decided to become a civilian again and bought myself out. My Mum lent me the money, and I paid her back with my final wages. I discovered that it wasn’t difficult to get a job being ex RAF and particularly ex Halton so I had a number of jobs in the first few years of being a civvy. I married again and got a mortgage so I thought I’d better get a ‘proper job’ and 20 years ago I began work for Thames Water as a Maintenance electrician. I’ve got a desk job now and the prospect of a good pension. I often wish I had stayed in the mob though; I would have retired three years ago. Life is an adventure isn’t it, but it rarely turns out as you planned it as a teenager.
Adrian.