"Getting an Air Radar Fitters
Course was deemed virtually in 1962 impossible, so I elected to go Ground Radar
like so many ex boys, which initially I thought was a step down leaving Air
Radar. As time went bye I realised I was
being stupid. So of I went for 13 months
to complete my Ground Radar (Rotor) Fitters Course at Locking, Compton Basset
and back to Locking.
With the usual RAF efficiency I
was posted in late March 1963 back to Cottesmore to await an appropriate
Posting. However, I was posted in May to
a Stafford MU, which was ear-marked to become a holding site and maintenance
unit for Thor Missiles; I must add here that Stafford was made up of 6
different MU sites at the time.
So having had a lot of cash spent
on training me as a Air Radar Mechanic and then
a damn sight more on getting me trained as GRF, some twerp (in Gloucester
Records Office) thought it would be a good idea to send me to work on something
I’d never seen. That is, if and when the
missiles were going to arrive, which no one was able to confirm.
One day in late June we were told that the Stafford RAFA was to be opened by the AOC, and it was suggested we young airmen should go along and swell the numbers, which we did.
After I’d had a walk around and a
few pints I was approached by some nice oldish, well-spoken bloke who asked me
if I was stationed at RAF Stafford. I
said yes and he went on to enquire about my trade and what I did there, and if
I liked what I was doing. You may recall that I am inclined to speak my mind
and be direct, so I did, but what I didn’t know was that he was the bloody AOC.
Now, for the uninitiated or those
not from Scotland or just not so good at the old geography, these two little
gems feature in the North Scottish Islands and West Scottish Islands
respectively. They do have something in
common though, (apart from housing a Radar Site each I mean) the Islands that
they are on both start with a U, Unst and Uist.
I asked for the weekend to think
about it and was generously given the OK.
Only to hear on my return that
“Only one is left”, which one I asked, Saxa Vord was the reply, to which I
smiled sweetly and said, “Oh great, ‘cos that was the one I wanted.” I spent the next six weeks in the
Technical Records office for my sins, up dating AP’s before departing Stafford
for the Shetland Islands in August of 1963.
Arriving at Lerwick at 6.15 in
the morning I woke up with a blanket wrapped around me, obviously some kind
seaman had the job of issuing blankets to those without a cabin; my first trip
over the North Sea (NS) was the kindest I ever had. I found the office where my
rail/bus warrant needed to be changed - Leasks Travel:
At Leasks I received a strip of 6
tickets, with names like Gutcher, Mid Yell, Toft & Belmont on them.
I was somewhat bemused.
The first bus was just like any
other coach, comfortable seats etc, but it carried nothing like any other
coach. However, I didn’t realise that
until after an hour or so of driving, we then stopped at a small pier at a
place called Toft. With absolutely
nothing in sight left or right or out to sea, we sat and waited. While we waited loads of stuff was unloaded
onto the quay, milk, (crates of it), packages, cases, kitbags and all the
usually stuff associated with travel, together with the Royal Mail.
We still waited. I did say my first crossing with the North of
Scotland ferry to Lerwick was the best, so you can imagine that the weather was
very good, it was. But, standing there waiting for the inter-island ferry it
felt freezing cold, believe me it wasn’t nice.
Then, at last, with a chug, chug, chug a smallish boat came around the
headland.
He repeated this many times before
we reached Mid Yell an hour later, when we did the unloading and loading up
activity yet again, except it was now from one bus to another old one
Well I’m sure you’ve got the hang
of this by now. Off we jolly well go
for another hour, again as postman pat and milk man and dropping off all manner
of things that small peat farmers and Shetland ponies need. Eventually we arrive at another, but much
smaller quay, and a boat arrives not much bigger than a rowing boat. It’s OK though, because our numbers have
shrunk to seven people, four blokes including me, a couple and a young woman.
After we rounded the headland and 20 minutes
on I saw the oldest looking coach you’ve ever seen, well what I mean is, I’d
ever seen. It was backing down this
causeway towards where I assumed the boat would tie up – well I got that right
and I’d arrived on Unst.
I always seemed to pick the worst
weather to go on leave, booked way in advance, so much so I was asked to ‘post’
my proposed leave dates on the notice board so that others could avoid
them. I flew out once on leave and once
when there was an epidemic of something in Aberdeen ,
all the other times the weather was far too bad to fly so I had to use the over-land
and then St Clair into Aberdeen Aberdeen
A Saxa Soccer team photo (with key) from 1964, supplied by
David Shields, I'm in the centre of the front row with the shield:
My stay was interrupted in June of
’64 to attend my Conversion Course and become C & R GRF, so Rita (my then
wife and eventual mother of my two children, Tom born in Lerwick and Jen in
Cyprus) and I went to RAF Locking and Weston Super Mere.
I was asked to complete a posting
request whilst at Locking as my 18months would be up shortly after going back
to Saxa, I requested 91SU, Saxa Vord and the Shetlands.
Our qualified driver to Aberdeen
was a 6 foot 2 direct entry lad named Bert Weedon whom would have just finished
(with me) his Conversion Course. I
really don’t remember his first name, but he was a smashing bloke and I've
never seen him since. We all shared the
driving and it was great adventure for us and gave us what we didn’t have for
the test in Bristol, driving experience.
:
Taking the driving test six months
later was fun on Unst. Imagine you are
approaching a set of traffic lights -Mr Churchward, they are… Similarly, 25yds
ahead is a zebra crossing; neither of these things existed on Unst then. I went back in the afternoon with Rita as her
qualified driver! Interestingly, I had
never seen so many L plates appear in the space of two days ever before, or
since.
Foot Note: - I had an email from
Bert (Alan) Weedon 22nd December 2016; funny old World isn’t it?"
CONTENTS LIST