The Hustlers (Updated 12 Mar 2011)

Whilst many servicemen from Saxa attended dances in the local halls it was a two way traffic. Many entertainment events were held on camp and attended by both servicemen and civilians. For much of the time Saxa was open there was at least one camp band on the go.

As far as I’m aware the first of these bands to make a big name for itself off camp was a group called the Hustlers. The Hustlers consisted of four airmen – Dave Joseph, Geordie Henderson, Bill Borthwick and Jim Barber. They were playing in Shetland in the 1962 to 64 era and covered much of the contemporary hit parade material, especially Shadows tunes.  Apart from their gigs on base they played in the Unst Halls and were a fairly regular feature in the Planets Dance Hall in Mounthooly Street, Lerwick. How they managed the logistics of round trips to Lerwick in the days of the Earl and the old overland is beyond me. They were very popular and there are people in Shetland who remember them today

Harry Cairns, an officer on camp, was nominally their Manager (more a point of  contact)  and he still visits Shetland on a regular basis. Attempts were made to keep the group together when they were due for posting but the RAF was not particularly sympathetic; but, eventually perseverance paid off and they were all posted to RAF Boulmer in Nothumberland

The newspaper article below is from the Shetland Times and the 2 photos are by Dennis Coutts. (Left click on pictures to enlarge).

Another photo, showing 3 of the Hustlers playing in the Officers Mess in 1964, was sent to me recently , the drummer is out of frame: copy is displayed below:

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A Day at the Beach - Raft Race

One reason why many people have happy memories of Saxa is the number of events arranged for entertainment and/or charities. For whatever reason community spirit was more in evidence and inhibitions were less obvious.

The photos below are all of the same family event on the Norwick Beach. I’m not sure when it took place but I would guess it was in the early 8
0’s (shows what I know about dates - see comments at the end of the section!). It would be a normal summer’s day for Unst – no swimsuits but the occasional parka and fleece on view. If any of the participants would like to get in touch to give me more information I will happily update this section.

I am afraid that I have been unable to find out who took these pictures. If he/she reads this I will add the appropriate credits or remove the photos if necessary. I have published them as I believe they could provide a few happy memories. (Left click on picture to enlarge)

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Cresta Run 1985 - SAC Tony Isherwood

In 1985 the Daily Mail decided to hold a competition to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the famous Cresta Run. The paper called for applications from the public to participate in the Daily Mail Challenge Trophy, a timed race on the famous Run. From the applicants a group of 50 were picked to undergo tests at the Hendon Police Training Centre. At Hendon the 50 were whittled down to a party of 12 lucky(?) individuals who were taken to St Moritz in Switzerland.

The party were in Switzerland for 2 weeks and underwent training before taking part in the race. SAC Tony Isherwood from Unst was one of the volunteers lucky (?) enough to take part in the event. The cuttings below have been taken from newspapers at the time. (Left click on pictures to enlarge).

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AOCs Inspection 1967

 

In 1967 the Commanding Officer of RAF Saxa Vord was Sqn Ldr RG Sparkes MBE, DFC. He was quite short in stature and perhaps not the most popular man I’ve worked for. The Annual Inspection was carried out by Air Commodore EV Stokes CBE BSc who was Air Officer Engineering at HQ 11 Gp. As far as the Sqn Ldr Sparkes  was concerned the Inspection must have been successful as the was promoted to Wg Cdr rank the following year and posted  to take over as CO of RAF Western Hill (on the Island of Penang, just off the west coast of mainland Malaysia). Having visited Western Hill twice I can confirm that it could not have been considered a punishment posting!

The article below is from the Shetland Times and the photos below were taken during the Annual Inspection. (Left click on pictures to enlarge):-

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The Springfield Hotel - Now The Baltasound Hotel

The Springfield Hotel, later to become the Baltasound Hotel, was well known to many servicemen from Saxa. It was an alternative to the official camp bars and made a change from service orientated establishments. It also provided am opportunity to mix with the local population. Over the years the Hotel changed hands on a number of occasions but is still functioning today. (Left click on pictures to enlarge)

In February 1967 there was a serious fire. Fortunately no one was badly injured but the RAF Fire Tender and Ambulance were called to the scene. I have copied 2 newspaper articles below. It can be seen in the Shetland Times article that there had been another fire in the premises a short time before.

The main part of the Hotel was closed for a considerable period and the opportunity to refurbish and extend the premises was seized. A large Lounge and new Lounge Bar were installed and the Hotel reopened for full business early in 1969.

Just before the official reopening the new Lounge and bar were the venue for a wedding reception. The first of the two pictures below shows the happy couple in front of a mural painted by the local GP - Dr Robertson and the second shows the groom partaking of light refreshment (or should that be a pint of heavy!)

A large article was published in the Shetland Times just after the reopening. I have reproduced it below – I rather like the advert at the bottom right of the page, transport to and from the Shetland Mainland, full board and lodging for a weekend for 150/= (£7.50 in today’s currency). (Left click to enlarge and some zooming may be necessary)

In the 70’s the name was changed to the Baltasound Hotel and later expansion took place with the import of a number of Chalets.

 Another natural disaster occurred in 1979. As occasionally happens in Shetland a breeze blew up and a certain amount of structural damage was done. The event is recorded in the following clipping:

The Hotel is still on the go today, the photo below was taken in 2008.

Some refurbishment has been taking place recently and is nearly complete. The two photos below were taken in Feb 2010.

The name of the Springfield is remembered today in the name of the main bar - "Springers"

The website for the Hotel is below:

http://www.baltasoundhotel.co.uk/

 

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