From Jun 1962 until Jul 1964 Cpl Bob
Abbott served as the Physical Training Instructor at RAF Saxa Vord. His tour of
duty was to coincide with some of Saxa Vords best sporting achievements, particularly
in Basketball, Badminton & Soccer. An Admin Officer, known as Flt Lt "Dickie" Bird, took a number of the
photos used in this account and presented copies to Bob. The intention was to
record the typical overland journey as experienced by RAF personnel posted to
Saxa in the early 60's. The pictures in this account would have been taken in
the first half of 1964, "Dickie" Bird being posted in as the Adjutant
in Feb '64. "Dickie" used his own motor scooter to keep ahead of the
"overland" and to preposition himself to take the photos. If anyone
can identify individuals in the pictures I would be pleased to hear from them
and the names will be included in a future amendment.
"In
June 1962 the telephone rang in the Physical Fitness Flight at RAF Upavon, HQ
Transport Command. “You’re posted” said
Jock Brown, the national service clerk in Station HQ. “Where to?” I responded; “RAF Saxa Vord” says
Jock; “Where’s that?” I said. Jock
retorts: “Come over and I’ll show you.”
Arriving at Station HQ Jock brings a chair around the counter and placed
it in front of a map of the UK which stretched from the floor to the ceiling.
Standing on the chair Jock reaches up and
points to a group of islands away north of Scotland, where the wall met the
ceiling. Looking at me with a quizzical
smile he tells me: “RAF Saxa Vord is near the north end of the island of Unst.”
The
journey from Upavon to Unst was to take three days. An RAF travel publication detailed three
travel warrants required: the first one was for the train from Pewsey to
Aberdeen; the second warrant for the North of
Scotland, Orkney &
Shetland Steam Navigation Company's MV St Clair’s
13 hour overnight ferry crossing from Aberdeen to Lerwick on a Monday or a
Thursday; and the third warrant was for the John Leask & Son overland bus
journey from Lerwick to Unst.
Arriving
in Lerwick,
 |
I
made my way to the John Leask & Son car park for the bus to Toft, the
mainland ferry point to cross to Ulsta, on the island of Yell. Around the bus was a hive of activity as
mail, bread, milk, and a variety of parcels and luggage was loaded aboard. This included numerous mail bags stacked on
the seats of the bus, with just about enough seats for the number of passengers
heading north.
The
journey north was on single track roads with passing places. The bus stopped along the way to deliver mail
bags to various mail sheds, where postmen awaited their arrival. One of the scenic places on the journey was
Voe.
Arriving
at Toft we piled into a nearby café for a welcome bowl of oatmeal broth soup,
while the luggage was loaded onto the ferry.
I often would assist with the loading and it
was always a pleasure to meet and chat with other travellers, like my RAF
colleague Dave Mawson, and the Methodist Minister, Rev Wesley Crocker, who was
going to Unst to conduct the Sunday services at Haroldswick, the most northerly
Methodist Church in the UK.
Once
the loading was complete the passengers boarded the ferry for the crossing to
Ulsta, where the luggage continuing north was loaded onto the next bus.
The
bus followed a route up the east side of the island, making deliveries as it
travelled north:
Eventually
reaching Mid Yell for a change of bus:
Then
the journey then continued to the
Gutcher ferry point for Unst. Yell is
noted for its untold acres of peat.
Arriving at Gutcher the remains of the luggage and remnant of passengers boarded the ferry for the short crossing to Belmont on Unst.
We
were met by the bus for the final leg of the journey through Unst, calling in
at the three main communities on the island: Uyeasound in the south, Baltasound
mid isle, and Haroldswick in the north.
En
route we passed the Loch of Snarravoe, with Yell visible in the distance:
and Numerous Shetland Ponies:
The
view as we descended Setters Hill into Haroldswick was particularly memorable:
We
stopped at the Haroldswick Post Office, the most northerly one in the UK, to
deliver the mail:
After
three days travel by train from Salisbury Plain to Aberdeen, an overnight ferry
to
Lerwick,
a nearly five hour journey, by four buses and two ferries to Unst, I finally
arrive at RAF Saxa Vord, my home for the next two years. It was to turn out to be one of my most
memorable postings, as the lone Cpl PTI for the circa 120 personnel stationed
there. "
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