Joined 15 Aug 1944, we took our exam with the Typhoons, Bostons, Spits etc blasting low over the school (June 6th. 1944 'D' Day), how we got the questions done I have no idea, anyway I was very pleased to receive the result 50 out of 556.

Took train up to Halton in company with Neil Stagg and Ginger Poore. Arrived Halton carrying 6 foot glider, some fool of a Sgt pointed across a rather large Car Park (sic) and said you will be billeted there, started walking across car park with said glider under arm when deafening voice cried "You, That man," looked around and saw little figure on far side of the car park and had my first, but my no means last, run in with a strange creature called by most, with the utmost reverence, "THE SWO".

Pass on to Cranwell which I asked for from the start. Took a test in the infamous wooden huts where one question was "Define a Henry" well that was about the only question I could answer with any degree of certainty. My Uncle, a smoker of Kensiters (God knows how you spell it) used to give me the cigarette cards which featured (you got it) a cartoon character named HENRY, so that is what I put down.     After sleeping my way through most classes (at first the much beloved Flt Lt Smith, previously a teacher at Dollar Academy) whacked his famous Apprentice Prodder on my desk to wake me up with the awesome question "what did I say Woods" luckily despite being in a deep sleep I could always tell him what he had said, so hence forth I slept in peace. Any of 7M9A can confirm this.

On passing out we went for a year improver course, starting at HQ Southern Signals Area Welford, having been (God knows why) put in charge of the lads when I got to the rail station I rang up the guard room at Welford and in my best professional I AM IN CHARGE voice I told the Sergeant that I had just arrived at the railhead with a party of men and required transport to the camp , "certainly Sir "he said, "a three tonner will be down in a few minutes". When we got to Welford we all piled out at the guardroom and aforesaid Sergeant asked where the Officer was, What Officer? Sergeant I said, I am in charge of this party. Well after casting aspersions on the morals of my father and mother he saw the funny side and no more was heard of the incident.

To cut a long story short the improver year passed and they let me loose on the CH,CHL and CHEL radars as an LAC/A/Sgt in charge of a Quarterly Overhaul Party, After a tussle with Titus Oates (I will not recommend you for a commission now but will wait a year, then I will either endorse the recommendation or strip your stripes)
Six months later I was posted to Malta, via Deversoir Calibration unit Egypt, where I was in charge of the servicing section at the AMES station Ta Silch (CHL plus type 13's). A few months detachment to El Adam (the track to the HFDF station was decorated on both sides by German coffin mines and the day was usually interrupted by loud explosions from mines, the most agreeable being the loud bang made by one of the Flight Line crew who did not like the primitive "Bogs" and went out into the bondu, dug up two mines and using a couple of bricks on a piece of rope over the corrugated iron wall ridded the community of a bone of contention.

Back to UK on CH and then called to HQ 90 Gp Medmenham to become part of Industrial Contracts Technical Control (commanded by would you believe Titus) overlooking Marconi and learning all about Rotor. My new station was Portland where I managed to get the distinction of having on my annual report "Does not suffer fools gladly" after I started to contradict and lecture the Tech officer, Mike Stall, a very nice ex-Navy chap on the fundamentals of Radar. Surprisingly Mike must have given me a good write up as in Feb 55 I was promoted Flt Sgt and posted to 1 Sigs Wing Butzweilerhof. I swanned around with the wing holding the "Rhine Line" with G and G-H from Munster to Colmar in France, and being very popular with the Sgts and Officers of Butz as I used to go up there fortnightly with a three tonner loaded with sparkling wine, its amazing what an "Anglais Militare" and "Englisher Luftwaffe" will do to customs officers particularly backed up by a hard right foot on the accelerator of a Magirus.

Back to UK in 57 to HQBC down the Hole looking after the servicing, no amusing incidents to report, I introduced the Collins SSB KWT 6 into the RAF by using it as a Ham Radio station for 6 weeks, calling in weekly to HQSAC and what probably decided the RAF on SSB in the V force, providing Sir Ken Cross with a phone patch to his wife at Springfields from Bueno Aries where he was on the ground in his Vulcan.

1962 had a choice of a Branch commission or a posting to Hong Kong. After I got to Hong Kong on the radar at Tai Mo Shan, we got the biggest Typhoon (Wanda) in 50 years, winds of 180 MPH which stranded us at Taimo for three days and gave us a lovely time replacing all the Type 23 masts. Then on the move again to a staff job in Singapore HQFEAF when again the offer of a Branch which this time was frustrated by my father dying and a premature repat in Jan 65.

Back in England to Wittering where I finally took my Branch in 1968. I had determined never to take another exam. Some of you may remember that if a Flt Sgt was qualified Ch Tech, was a Radio Fitter (I managed to remain straight Radio Fitter arguing that although at Wittering I would have been designated a Radio Fitter Nav, I had spent far longer on CR, so saw no need for a suffix to my Radio Fitter, Records agreed.) and was in a post where a dual tradesman was specified, he got more lolly, this was me after a little persuasion and taking the CH Tech exam which I believe Sid Brailey marked.

Thanks Sid. That was the last exam, C etc were not even considered.

Off to Wildenrath as OCGRF, and who was there but WO Sid Brailey, regretfully not for long though as he was tour ex. Managed to rub the Wg Cdr and Sqn Ldr up the wrong way by doing my own thing and left, being told that I would not get my Flt Lt after the specified 3 years. Posted to Tac Comms Wg which was right up my street and had a great time going all over the world to trouble in Belize and famine in Africa plus exercises recommended for getting my Flt Lt one year early (twas a funny idea that came out from MOD at the time, but there were two of us and only one could get it and the senior was Pat Lavel. Next posting OCGRF Conningsby which was very boring and noisy with Phantoms roaring past my office all day. From there to a staff job at CINCUKAIR in 74, stayed doing HF Comms and frequency prediction until 1982, the only highlight being the UK part of a CENTO Comms inspection team calling at Ankara, Teheran and Rawalpindi, great fun, although second time we only got out on the last aircraft after the Shah had hopped it. One of the most memorable things at that time was the Pakistani Corps of Signals with a couple of SWAB 10's recovered from our old transmitter station in Ceylon, one of the ceramic funnels taking the cooling air to one of the PA's had been broken and was replaced by a rough thrown pot by a local pot maker, it worked and I also noticed a couple of wires leaving one of the transmitters to a plastic dustbin, this turned out to be because the PA fils transformer had blown and the only similar one they had was too big for the space inside the transmitter, hence it had to be external. Being me I gave them full marks for adaptability, unfortunately when I started to check their stores I found that the spare torch batteries were marked with the old army broad arrow and dated 1942 and all the servicing documents were copied Royal Sigs stuff dated in the forties.

Called away from High Wycombe to rejoin Tac Comms when the Falklands thing came up and after a stint organising in TCW Ops I managed to get down to Ascension as Joint Force Signals Officer, where the fishing was great.

Back again to High Wycombe in the Radio Branch and when the dreaded 55 came up was asked to remain on for 3 years, this stretched to six years and although I could have gone on year by year to 65 I thought enough was enough and finally retired on 16 December 1989 after just over 45 years.

I would not have missed a minute of it, although funny enough I did not miss the RAF in the slightest when I did retire, it just started a new page and I am having a great time very considerably assisted by a tax free disability pension of five grand a year after they found out that my hearing had been affected by the hours of travel on Tac Comms in Fat Albert.

Regretfully my wife died in 1996, so I am now also a qualified cook and bottle washer (pity about the gardening) who sails, fishes and is on Ham Radio, with a special emphasis on restoring old valve sets and putting them back on the air.   If any nostalgic character wants to see a mint AR 88, I have one that Barry kindly let me have recently.

 March 2008.