The
Royal
British Legion
(Registered No. 219279 under the Charities Act 1960)
Garats HaY Branch
(BR 3502)
Branch Patron: Gen Sir Sam Cowan KCB CBE
Newsletter Number 19
September 2005
President: Colonel MK Hill
Chairman: Mr JA Clark
Vice Chairperson: Mrs JM Farrell
Secretary: Mr RJ White
Treasurer: Mr JR Farrell
Web site: www.garatshay.org.uk
Summer is almost over; Conference is over for another year and another electronic committee meeting has passed so now we are turning our thoughts to our AGM in November and to Remembrancetide. Yes it is three months away, but will soon be on us.
Conference this year saw two large changes in our way of doing things. First of all there was a 50 pence increase in affiliation fees. I hope that this will not deter any of you from continuing to be a member of a large caring organisation such as ours. The major change passed at Conference after three years of trying was to introduce a single level of membership in the Legion, that of Member. This will cover ordinary and associate members. I feel that this is overdue as many of the Branches throughout England and Wales rely on their Associate Members to do the majority of the work. We too have Associate members on our Committee.
I would like you all to think about becoming a delegate to Conference next year in Blackpool. Cathie and I will not be doing it, mainly due to health and distance reasons. It is not an onerous task. We have found it very informative and it lets you know how the rest of the Legion attacks the same problems. You would soon get to know the regulars on the podium. Also we shall be voting next year to put our own candidate forward for the board of Trustees. Please think about it.
This year saw the first committee meeting for the new District of National Branches. This is the equivalent of a County and gives us access to the new Board of Trustees (the old National Council). The District comprises the six National Branches, and we are well represented on the committee with myself being Vice Chairman, Roger Manser as Treasurer, and Terry Whittles, Dave Street and David Whimpenny as members. The future looks rosy on this front.
Enjoy the remainder of our summer weather and I look forward to seeing as many as possible of you at our AGM in Loughborough in November.
God Bless.
John Clark
15 New St., Hopeman, Elgin, Moray, Scotland IV30 5SG Tel 01343 830251
SECRETARY’S CORNER
This issue of the Newsletter is yet another “first” for the Branch. We have mentioned that it was the intention to provide the Newsletter on our Web Site and this has been successfully achieved with the last two or so issues. This issue is to be forwarded to all members who have an e-mail address, thus cutting down on an ever increasing cost for production and postage. In short, only those members with no access to the Internet will now receive the Newsletter via normal post. From my point of view, it will mean Joy and I sealing fewer envelopes and sticking on fewer stamps!!!! Quite a job with membership approaching 450.
I have not received any input from the membership in respect of the Branch 10th anniversary celebrations for next year, which is a little disappointing. To that end your Committee will go ahead and organise a function (purely social) sometime in the summer of 2006. Watch out for details in the April issue of the Newsletter.
John Farrell, our Treasurer, has almost finalised the design and purchasing of a Branch Pin, named “Garats Hay – followed by a “Y”. The cost is minimal and will be announced at our AGM in November. The pin will be suitable to wear on a Royal British Legion Tie, or as a Brooch by our Lady members. Please note that NO further Branch ties will be available, as the cost of production was too much.
Whilst on the subject of “Garats Hay”. Many regard the name as that lending itself to our spiritual home. There has been some talk in respect of altering our Branch name, perhaps to bring the “Y” element more to the front. For example “Y” Service (Garats Hay) Branch. I would be most interested in your thoughts – remember – this is YOUR Branch. Please let me have your comments, preferably prior to the AGM.
To conclude, at the end of the Newsletter are the details for the Branch AGM at the Jarvis Hotel, High Street, Loughborough over the Remembrance Weekend of 12/13 November 2006. Please complete the tear-off slip ASAP and return to me. Cost for the Annual Dinner on the Saturday Night is £18.50 per person payable on the night. A number of rooms have been reserved at a rate of £27.50 B & B per person. The booking reference for the rooms is 109 (but book 1 month prior please) otherwise the rooms will be reallocated. Sunday Lunch will be taken at the Quality Hotel on the Ashby Road (A512), Loughborough.
Thank you for your continued support and assistance. If anyone wishes to be part of the Branch Committee then PLEASE let me know – the Secretary’s post is interesting!!! Take care all and I will see you in November.
Bob White
The Old Manse, 211 Forest Rd, Coalville, Leics LE67 3SP Tel 01530 834271
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GARATS HAY TIEPIN/BROOCH Thanks to John Farrell’s efforts the design has now been established. Costings are now being obtained and production will be planned.
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REPORT ON THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ANNUAL CONFERENCE
HELD AT THE RIVIERA INTERNATIONAL CENTRE, TORQUAY 28 - 30 May 2005
Our Delegates: John Clark (Chairman), Cathie Clark (Committee Member) Full details of the Conference can be seen by clicking here
| Le Chemin de la Liberte |
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Ken Kenway’s walk on the “Freedom Trail” July 2005. |
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Towards the end of last year a short item appeared on ‘The Legion’ inviting
members to take part in the above event which involves crossing the Pyrenees
from France into Spain via one of the escape routes used during World War 2. I
had previously enjoyed walking the Pyrenees using the GR10 a footpath which
crosses the range from the Atlantic to the Mediterranean so the idea of a short
return visit was very appealing. I applied and was accepted as one of a contingent representing the Royal British Legion from the UK, we were asked to raise sponsorship, which seemed very appropriate in this 60th anniversary year We flew on July 4th from Stansted to Carcassone, from where we were taken by coach to our base at St Girons - accommodation was provided at a nearby sports camp. The group included two men and four women from the London Regt. (TA), an ex Coldstream Guardsman, and John an ex officer in the Sherwood Foresters of similar vintage to myself (with whom I shared a room.) On Tuesday and Wednesday we all attended local nearby functions relating to a future museum devoted to the escape lines and others in honour of the escapers (evades) and guides (passeurs) who risked their lives guiding them to safety. They were moving occasions attended by standard bearers of the Combattants Anciens and the standard bearer of the RBL Bordeaux region Tom Lewis. The functions also involved a General, a Colonel, numerous mayors and other civic dignitaries, fortunately large amounts of wine were dispensed with which was greatly appreciated. The Chanson de Partisan was heard frequently throughout our stay, a haunting refrain considered to be the anthem of all those who were involved in the Resistance. After two restful days we were keen to make a start on Thursday so it was nice to stretch our legs on a days walk starting at the ‘Chemin’ bridge over the river Salut, most of it was in beech woods with a high point of just over 3,000 feet. A stop took place at midday on the Col d’Artigue where nineteen year old Louis Barrau was shot by the Germans in 1943 while waiting to guide a group on their escape to safety. Food and drink was provided by the Barrau family at the hut where he died, the Partisan song was particularly poignant in this setting. We were met by coach at the end of eight hours walking and taken to the town of Seix which was to be our next base, we had also been joined by a group from Holland, two Canadians and one from the US making a total of around sixty. On route we stopped in Aunac for another vin d’honneur with the mayor. We later enjoyed an excellent meal in Seix and then crossed the road to the school gymnasium where the floor was to be our bed for the next two nights, thank goodness for my lightweight self inflating mattress, the early birds got the judo and gym mats! Friday morning at 6.30 we were again picked up by coach and taken to the Col de la Core half an hour away. The day should have seen us on our route round the east of Mt Valier but due to late heavy snow it had been declared too dangerous so plans had been changed to the western side.This meant that today would be an out and back walk, though disappointing, we all appreciated that the organisers could take no chances with regard to the safety of those taking part, it was understood that crampons and ice axes would have been necessary to cope with the conditions. Nevertheless it was a long hard day with plenty of rough and rocky going and at the end of another eight hours we were pleased to climb on board our coaches for the return journey. Saturday dawned and we were joined by two coach loads of French. We were now over a hundred in total and the real hard stuff lay ahead. We started again at the Col de la Core (1,395m) and almost immediately the climbing started and the clouds came down, this was a pity as those hoping for the sort of scenic views for which the Pyrenees are famous saw virtually nothing with visibility down to around 100 metres in places. A French guide was allocated to every ten or so, they knew every inch of the way and did an excellent job as parts of it were very difficult to follow and frequently dangerous. Our route took us directly south for three hours past remote lakes to the Cabane des Espugues (2,110m), From here we made a steep uphill diversion to visit the site where, on the 19th of July 1945 a Halifax bomber of 644 Squadron crashed killing all the crew. Every year on the crossing a short memorial ceremony takes place. With the mountainside covered in debris and a very heavy mist laying over it the minutes silence was very moving, after a short rest we retraced our steps and continued for a further couple of hours passing more lakes and large areas of snow to arrive eventually at the Refuge des Estagnous where we were to spend the night. Most of the French slept in the refuge which provided excellent food for the hungry mob, great steaming bowls of stew thick with vegetables and meat, just what was needed with plenty of wine to wash it down. The RBL group were accommodated in a small collection of two man tents nearby which were quite comfortable but with the temperature at about +1c we slept well wrapped up and I was not tempted to get up in the night for a call of nature! Sunday came all too quickly and after hasty ablutions and breakfast we were on the trail sharp at 8.0. Initially it was about a thousand feet downhill towards a frozen lake and for a short while the cloud cleared so you could see the beauty of the area, photos were taken quickly before it changed again. There was a huge snowfield beyond the lake which stretched as far as the Spanish border which seemed to take forever to climb - it meant a constant criss crossing, stepping in the footprints of the person in front and careful use of your walking poles to avoid slipping or falling. The snowfield started at 2,125m and topped out at 2,600 at the Col de la Clauere so it was a long way to fall! Happily everyone made it safely to the top and as though it had been waiting for us the sun came out. At this point Spanish firemen took over the duties of guides, and we reached the top at about midday and the final descent into Spain took a further two or three hours which after the constant climbing was a great relief on the knees and ankles. On reaching the finish we were taken by four wheel drive vehicles to Alos d’Isil and from there by coach to Esterri d’Aneau where the town had laid on an official reception with speeches, choir and their equivalent of a barn dance and a splendid buffet which we all took advantage of, there seemed to be an endless supply of wine, it was quite a night.
At 10. coaches took us back to St Girons and our comfortable beds which I had certainly missed, we were in bed by 2am and slept soundly, later that day we were taken back to Carcasonne for our flight to Stansted. (Thanks, and well done Ken. His efforts have raised over £900 for the Legion. If you’d like to contribute, send a cheque to Ken at 4 Beck River Park, Beckenham Kent BR3 1HT )
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BRANCH MEMBERSHIP.
Numbers stand at 435. You will have seen that National Conference decided to raise the annual affiliation fee by 50p. Our Branch funds are healthy, and Branch subs will remain at £5. We welcome the following new members who have joined since the last Newsletter:-
Bob Cheeseman of Weymouth Mark Eizzard of Waddington, Lincoln
John Hills of Ashby De La Launde Sgt Daniel MacSweeney from Catterick
Dr Ruth Martin, at BFPO 2 Gavin Owen, of Stonehouse, Glos
Branch Standard Bearer
Dave Foley does a marvellous job parading our Standard. We often have requests for the Standard to be present at various occasions, but Dave cannot always oblige. We would be interested to hear from any member who would be willing to take on the duties of Deputy Standard Bearer to help out on such occasions. Training and expenses would be available.
Our April Committee Meeting took place at the National Memorial Arboretum. We had agreed to go prepared with old clothes and garden tools, so after our brief meeting we gave the “Y” plot a makeover.
We managed to do some necessary weeding and tidying, but noted that two of the seats need sanding and repainting and the plaque needs cleaning and protecting. If you are visiting the Arboretum perhaps you could take a few things with you and do a spot of maintenance?
NMA kindly let us have the use of their conference room free of charge, so in return we felt it fair to give them a plug. If you haven’t been yet do pay a visit you have missed a real treat – a 150 acre haven of peace and contemplation. There are over 100 memorials to see. There are disabled facilities, a super restaurant and a gift shop.
The arboretum is at Alrewas, Staffs, at the junction of the A38 and A 513. It is open every day 10 am till 5 pm or dusk. Entry is free. Do support this unique national asset.
Name
Looking for
Remarks
Info on RM
I am currently the specialisation advisor for the Royal Marines Communications Technicians Specialisation. Many of us were trained at CSOS Culmhead, Garats Hay and SCU Leydene and I am currently trying to research the history of Royal Marines who may have worked within Y Services. Any information on this matter would be greatly appreciated.
Rene Akeroyd Pedersen [29 Mar 05]
Any ex- members of ATS 1943-46 Y Group
I have often wondered if any of the girls
I spent my wartime service with so enjoyably are still alive and
kicking. After my training on the Isle of Man, I was stationed at
Garat's Hay and did shift work at Beaumanor taking down 5-letter code
words. Respectable ones, I hope. After VEday, I was sent to Keddleston
for new training for intercepting Japanese signals. Much to our
disappointment, the war ended so we never got to India. My name was
IRENE AKEROYD and I think my number was 277558 I only remember first
names but I remember the girls they belonged to very well indeed and
have diaries from those years which may interest somebody...........
I feel I'm shooting into the void with this, but here goes, anyway
LAST POST
We regret to record the passing of Leslie Skelton on 19th May, and have sent our condolences to the family.
May he rest in peace
BOOK REVIEW
Some of you will have read Branch Member Peter Jackson’s book about the 50’s “Y” Station at RAF Hamuhren. (Press here for more details)
He has now written another on the subject of RAF Uetersen, near Hamburg.
ROYAL AIR FORCE UETERSEN: THE STORY OF AN UNUSUAL STATION
by Peter Jackson.
602 pages, photographs, maps, plans, diagrams. Price £17.50 plus £5.00 postage and packing in the UK.
ISBN 0-9542125-1-7.
Available from the author at 110 Church Road, Wheatley, Oxford, OX33 1LU. Tel. 01865 873246.
e-mail: peterjackson25@hotmail.com
Uetersen is near Hamburg and the station dates from 1935 when it was one of the first to be built when the Nazis started, illegally, to expand the Luftwaffe in defiance of the Treaty of Versailles. It had a varied role in the Second World War, mainly in supporting the Luftwaffe’s fighters and bombers. The RAF arrived on 5th May 1945 and were joined in July by a wing and five squadrons of the Royal Canadian Air Force, together with their full complement of Spitfires, so for nine months until the following March, the airfield buzzed with these legendary aircraft. The Canadians then went home and Uetersen’s flying activity was much diminished although it continued with a small number of light aircraft until 1954. It played a peripheral part in the Berlin Airlift, and until the early 1950s was a very important cog in the machinery of BAFO and 2
nd TAF, providing a range of support services without which the RAF in Germany could not have functioned.Its most important contribution to the Cold War was its role as the first RAF Signals Intelligence base in Germany. No. 365 Signals Unit began work in September 1950, after experimental work had been carried out in the previous years. 365 SU was a prolific unit, begetting several children: 755 SU at Uetersen and then at Hambόhren, 477 SU at Butzweilerhof, 291 SU at Hambόhren and then Scharfoldendorf, No. 5 Signals Wing at, successively, Uetersen, Hambόhren and Scharfoldendorf, and ultimately 26 Signals Unit at Gatow. RAF Uetersen was handed back to the German authorities in November 1955, four months after 755 Signals Unit had departed to Hambόhren, and the Luftwaffe took over in the following April. The station still functions as a flouring training school for NCOs, with over 1000 people base there. The chapter on SIGINT is just one of the 24 chapters in the book, it sets this work in the context of the operations of the station as a whole and, it is hoped, of Signals Intelligence gathering in the British Zone of Germany, bringing together information from a wide range of sources.
5A REUNION
Dennis Underwood has sent in some photos taken at 5A Special Wireless Section's recent 59th reunion at the Moat House Hotel, Northampton.
He says “Many of 5A joined C (Indian) Special Wireless Group - later 310 (Indian) Special Wireless Section - in Rangoon and so this is why I know them. Three of those present are members of our RBL Branch - me, Peter Lawrence (who organised the reunion) and Peter Hawker.
24 members, wives and widows were present - unfortunately the number of members is decreasing. We reminisced as usual and had an enjoyable time. The 60th reunion is planned for next year and that may unfortunately be the last but we will see …… “
Dennis also attended the VJ event at Bletchley Park. He is pictured here with fellow Burma Star 5A veteran, Len “London” Wright.
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TO CANADA AND BACK WITH RAF TRANSPORT COMMAND A story of Pete Derrick’s recent adventure…………………… Notwithstanding my membership of, and full-time employment by, the Royal British Legion, I am also an active member of the Territorial Army. My Unit, the Joint Service Signal Unit Volunteers (JSSU)[V] based at RAF Digby in Lincolnshire recently participated in a NATO exercise in Canada. I, together with 8 other JSSU members and 25 regular service personnel from 14 Signal Regiment (EW) (14SR), based in Wales, were scheduled to fly to Kingston, Ontario via Newfoundland on June 1 st on a Hercules C130 of RAF Transport Command.DAY ONE (WEDNESDAY) I was to be given a lift to our departure airfield, RAF Lyneham, by another Unit member. I should have realised when he arrived at 5am instead of the previously agreed 6:30am that the overall trip was to be eventful! We arrived at Lyneham at about 8:00am, checked in our hold luggage and discovered that our flight was delayed for 3 hours until 3:00pm. Those of you who are familiar with RAF Lyneham will appreciate that the “leisure facilities” in the departure lounge make a 7-hour wait somewhat daunting. There were, however, two “incidents” which relieved the boredom: at about 11:00am we met our fellow flight passengers when the 14SR members arrived – real soldiers! We were then informed by a RAF Movements Cpl that there was food available in the Mess. Not up-to-date with RAF speakeasy, we all trooped off to the Sgts Mess only to discover that Mess in RAF terms is the All Ranks restaurant; suffice to say that we had a liquid lunch! At 2:15pm we were bussed across the apron to the waiting Herc. The loadmaster took us through the emergency drills, issued foam-type ear plugs (“it gets quite noisy once all four propellers are rotating..”) and ushered us on board. To air passengers familiar with civil airlines and the annual trip to Spain or even the West Indies, the inside of a Hercules C130 is summat else! · There are no seats other than reinforced canvas “buckets”. · The “toilets” comprise a contraption containing chemicals surrounded by what can best be described as a reinforced shower curtain – my heart goes out to those, returning from the tropics, having consumed fresh fruit and being somewhat “loose”. · The “air-conditioning” unit works fairly efficiently in that the temperature is permanently at about 500 degrees! · One needs a First Class Honours Degree in dexterity to secure the seat belts We took off at exactly 3:00pm; things are looking up, thinks I. At about 3:30pm the loadmaster, flying at about 40,000 feet ABOVE the Herc, declares that one of the engines is on fire and we are returning to RAF Lyneham. We all refastened our seat belts and commiserated with all those who would miss out on Dublin Bay prawns for the next month as we jettisoned our fuel and headed back to Blighty. We were kept in the departure lounge, I use the word “lounge” advisedly , and waited for news; it eventually came in the form of a RAF Warrant Officer (we must be important) who said that it would take at least 6 hours to mend “the broken engine”. We should report back to Lyneham at 8:00am for a morning departure and we were to be accommodated at South Cerney barracks overnight. South Cerney!! In the past I have knelt at the foot of my bed and prayed that I never have to return to South Cerney: indeed on the only previous occasion that I have had the misfortune to stay there with the Unit, one of our members, much more affluent than the rest of us, decided he could not face the 50-man rooms with bunk beds and shared male/female ablutions and booked into a local hotel! However, this time there was no getting away from it – South Cerney it was. We arrived at about 6:00pm, queued for about 40 minutes to have a shower and attend to other ablutions and then contemplated our next move. We were all in uniform, a pre-requisite of flying by Herc, so a visit “downtown” was not advisable. Those, like myself, sensible enough to have brought a change of socks etc were at least able to feel somewhat refreshed so we decided, en masse, to visit the NAAFI (now renamed the XL Club but still the NAAFI) which was scheduled to open at 7:00pm. On entering at about 7:05 the shutters were still down! The manageress informed us that the computer was broke and they: 1. Couldn’t operate the cash machines to take money for 2. The beer and lager that they couldn’t pump! We would have settled for some cans and a whip round! Being a WO1 in uniform has many advantages. The Sgts Mess Manager was in his own words, “looking forward to another boring evening” before he was persuaded to let those of us of suitable status use the bar. The evening’s socialising, somewhat made up for the day’s disappointments and probably equated to about 6 month’s bar takings.
DAY 2 (THURSDAY) One of the many advantages of modern day technology is the mobile phone. Some of us were still lying in our bunk beds with the distinctive smell of rubber from the waterproofed mattresses (a facility for those with TB [tiny bladders]) when the message came that our flight was further delayed until 3:00pm. It transpired that not only had the engine caught fire but also the guidance system had malfunctioned: we also wondered if, perhaps, the pilot had an invitation to a wedding or similar ‘not wanting to break engagement’. There was nothing for it than to spend another fascinating day in the departure lounge of Lyneham – whoopee!! The only notable event of this prolonged wait was the arrival of HRH Princess Anne from Scotland in her “private” jet. We assume she arrived because all the RAF staff changed from uniform and trainers to better uniform and shoes; we weren’t allowed to view the touchdown because “HRH wouldn’t want to see a load of disgruntled people, dressed in green peering at her from the one small window in the lounge”. During this morning period, one of the 14SR female soldiers contracted glandular fever and was taken off the exercise; those who knew that the disease was contagious sought to retrace her steps, others, like myself, became resigned to spending the rest of our lives alternating between Lyneham and South Cerney. At 1:00pm the same RAF Warrant Officer, he now had a sleeping bag with him, told us that the plane was completely knackered, there was no replacement and we may get away on Saturday. Meanwhile he said he was trying to get us some overnight accommodation: none was available at RAF Lyneham, South Cerney (we all cheered at this news – personally I think the Sgts Mess Manager had something to do with it) or RAF Brize Norton so he was waiting to contact RAF Uxbridge but they were all at lunch! Uxbridge and Lyneham are about 80 miles apart! Simultaneously I and the senior warrant officer of 14SR came to the same conclusion – summon higher authority. There were 22 countries (about 130 personnel) participating in the exercise; the UK was providing the lion’s share of participants (about 30%); our party was about 60% of that third and therefore without us the exercise would fold. This would obviously have been hugely embarrassing. I am reliably informed that following a phone call from the senior “regular” of our party, the Brigadier of 11 Signals Brigade spoke to someone in authority in the RAF requesting that the problem be solved. At 4:00pm the same Warrant Officer, now somewhat flustered and without that “bored with the whole saga” attitude announced that, miraculously, we had been provided with accommodation in Gateway House at RAF Brize Norton (the RAF’s Ritz Hotel) and we would be flying direct to Canada at 11:20am the following day on an RAF VC10. Oh the power of rank (I thought I’d done well getting into the Sgts Mess at South Cerney!) After our final meal at Lyneham (the last supper?) we arrived at Brize at 4:30pm having retrieved our hold luggage from the “broken” Herc. I remember during my regular service once, on exercise, having gone about five days without a change of outer clothing – this paled into insignificance upon being reunited with my hold luggage – off with the “greens” into respectable civvies for the evening and tomorrow’s flight. The evening in the “Ritz” was a quieter one than that preceding: we were all pretty tired and thankful for a decent night’s sleep away from the dreads of RAF L and SC!
DAY THREE (FRIDAY) We took off at exactly 11:20am. A VC10 holds about 300 passengers in comfortable seats, with flush toilets and efficient air-conditioning – there were 33 of us! I believe it is peculiar to RAF Transport Command that the seats face aft. Having survived a take-off leaning forward rather than backwards, I settled into my 8 seats and fell asleep. I was awakened by the RAF stewardess after about 15 minutes! Oh no! Have you guessed it? Well you’d be wrong – “Would you like some lunch, sir?” The Spam salad tasted like lobster thermidor. 7 hours later, at exactly 1:20pm local (L) 6:20pm UK time, we touched down at Trenton Airbase just outside Kingston. We arrived at the base for the exercise and met up with those Unit members who had arrived as the advance party. At 10:00pm (L), 5:00am UK I realised that I had finally overcome the change in flavour of Canadian lager to that of my normal UK tipple.
DAYS FOUR TO FIFTEEN Since the object of this rendering is to enlighten readers to the perils of flying by Herc, I will not dwell too much on the exercise as such but the following are worth noting:- · The exercise was run (as are all NATO exercises) on ZULU time (GMT) – UK was one hour ahead of ZULU time – Kingston was five hours behind UK time but four hours behind ZULU time. At times the popular saying including the words “a***e” and “elbow” seemed quite appropriate. · The food in the central messing area was excellent – I lived on salad and pizza for the 12 days and actually lost weight! · Those of us who bought $20 (£10) phone card to keep in touch with loved ones back home discovered that $20 buys over three hours conversation time! · The average temperature during our stay in June was about 30 degrees – at the end of March, 8 weeks earlier, the whole of Lake Ontario had been frozen solid! A huge difference in such a short period. · A five-bedroomed house, at the side of Lake Ontario would cost in the region of 90-100k pounds Sterling! · Canadians are extremely environmentally aware; ALL public places, including the outdoor tables and chairs of pubs and restaurants, are declared smoking-free zones – during June this was not too much of a problem to those unit members that smoke but visiting in winter would be an incentive to kick the habit! · The exercise started, and ended, with a barbeque. This was a chance for all nations to get to know each other and “chew the fat”. Obviously having spent a considerable time at international-work and play during the exercise, the final barbeque was much more relaxed and people were less inhibited – the highlight was the “Brit” drinking team remaining undefeated after 6 challenges at the Boat Race.
DAY 16 (THURSDAY) Our route back was to be the scheduled flight out in reverse, i.e. Kingston – Newfoundland – RAF Lyneham. We arrived at Kingston air base at 10:40pm (L) only to be told that we were at the wrong place. Here we go again. No it was just the wrong gate: Kingston to Newfoundland counts as an internal flight. At 11:00 we watched “our” Herc appear in the distance and fly in. We loaded our own cases and returned to the departure lounge. After discovering that air traffic control had our destination, and hence our flight path, different to that of the Herc pilot we twiddled our thumbs for about twenty minutes. Eventually at 1:20pm, with ear plugs in place, bowels and bladders completely emptied and copious amounts of water to hand we took off. To complicate matters further, Newfoundland time is one and a half hours ahead of Kingston time. After an uneventful flight, we landed at Gander airport, Newfoundland at 6:00pm Newfoundland time, 4:30pm Kingston time, 10:00pm ZULU time and 11:00pm UK time – by this time even my wristwatch had no idea of the time! You would have thought the RAF was attempting to make amends for our flight out. The loadmaster was a Flight Lieutenant (not standard crewing) - we were taken by transport to The Hotel Gander – and, finally were accommodated in single and double rooms. After a three-course meal, courtesy of the RAF, we assembled in the air-conditioned bar for our final evening abroad. This was probably my most enjoyable evening away and I’m sure the same can be said for most of those who attended. During the exercise, I enjoyed tremendously, building bridges with foreign nationals – it is that part of the fortnight that I will never forget but this night in Gander was fantastic! It was Karaoke night in the hotel bar! I was entirely passive in respect of taking the microphone but three particular members of the Unit provided entertainment that would not have been amiss in any decent East End pub. The renditions of “Sweet Caroline”, “Suspicious Minds” and particularly “Wild Rover” brought the house down - once witnessed, never forgotten!
DAY 17 (FRIDAY) I cannot understand why, after a night on the pop, people prefer to sleep on the stairs instead of in a comfortable bed! We took off again at 11:40am Newfoundland time. During the 6 hour flight we were bombarded with food in the form of pizza, salad, Mars bars and the old favourite Spam: all washed down with bottled water. Another marvel of modern technology allowed one of the Unit members, using his laptop, to download, and compile slide shows of, the two thousand plus photographs he had taken during the stay – it was not in line with his transport surroundings! We landed at RAF Lyneham at 9:00pm UK time and had uneventful journeys to our respective homes.
FINAL THOUGHTS Prior to my journey, and certainly when the engine caught fire, I experienced a certain amount of anxiety Overall, however, I feel somewhat sorry for those members who travelled to and from the exercise by civilian airlines: they missed an adventure within an adventure. If you had asked me at the time or arriving back in UK soil if I would do it again I would have said yes: if you ask me in six months time the same question the answer will be an unequivocal YES. |
Members’ memories, photos
or any items of interest
WANTED
Please send to……….. John “Skip” Skipper, Jubilee Cottage 14, Norwich Rd, Honingham, Norfolk NR9 5BS
email : skip@honingham75.freeserve.co.uk
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TEAR OFF SLIP
From: To: Bob White
The Old Manse
211 Forest Road
COALVILLE
Leics. LE67 3SP
REMEMBRANCE WEEKEND 12/13 NOVEMBER 2005
RAMADA JARVIS HOTEL LOUGHBOROUGH
1. I will/will not be attending the Remembrance Weekend 12/13 Nov 05.
2. I will/will not be attending the Annual General Meeting.
3. I will/will not be attending the Annual Dinner. I will be accompanied by
4. I require the following from the Menu.
Starters: Soup of the Day Total ..
Fan of Melon with a duo of Fruit Coulis Total ..
Liver Pate with Melba Toast Total .
Bacon & Garlic Mushrooms in a filo pastry basket Total ..
Main Course: Supreme of Chicken Chasseur Total ..
Grilled Salmon with a Citrus Butter Sauce Total ..
Loin of Pork with apple & peppers in cream sauce Total ..
Aubergine filled with Vegetable Provencale Total ..
Sweet: Chocolate Fudge Cake with a berry coulis Total ..
Strawberry Cheese Cake Total ..
Fruit Crumble & Custard Total ..
Ice Cream Total ..
Cheese & Biscuits Total ..
5. I will/will not be attending the Remembrance Service on Sun 13 Nov.
I will be accompanied by ...................
6. I do/do not require Sunday Lunch booking for . Persons
PLEASE return this form ASAP, but by 30 OCT 05 latest. Book your room(s) direct with the Hotel (Ramada Jarvis, Loughborough 01509 233222) preferably one month in advance, quoting booking reference 109.