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Leaving Halton I was with the first batch that was posted to the Far East and it wasnt until arrival in Singapore that we learn of our final destination. After heading to the armoury to collect rifle and ammo. we were on the night train to Kuala Lumpur, up country, to bandit country we were told. On arrival I was asigned to 656 A.O.P. Sqdn M.S.S. The horror of a pongo outfit soon dispersed as it was only the aircraft that were flown by the army. It really was back to basic with Austers. It wasnt too long before I was then moved to Component Bays to service helicopter rotor heads,now where was that in the sylibus at Halton. I had to go to the USIS library in K.L and get a book to find out how the damb things worked. A rigger servicing oversized propellor hubs. A really good first posting.
Back home on disembarkation leave after a glorious cruise on the HMT "" Nevasa" , I eagerly awaited the news of my home posting,icing on the cake it was AE School at Hullavington,even if I had to get a map out to find out where it was.Never forgetting the bus to HV and having to walk bloody miles to the main gate. Didnt we all do that at sometime?
Somewhere someone had the joke of naming the camps with a main gate as far from the nearest placename they could find.
This again was back to basics with the end of the Anson and replacement with Varsity's I was soon jumping for joy with another posting to the Far East and it was back to K.L. and the Rotor Head Bay. This time it was another cruise on H.M.T. Empire Fowey Unfortunately it wasnt to last for long as the R.M.A.F. took over and the next stop was a posting to Seletar 390 M.U. which resulted in various detachments around Singapore and Malaya. Homeward bound this time was the luxury of the Brittania what a difference. Again another good posting.
The eagerly awaited home posting arrived and this time it really was a homer- Ballykelly-as far from Southampton as it could have been.I like the jokers but again I found that it was much better than the first impressions of the driving wind and rain that greeted my arrival.
A couple of years on servicing and mods to Shackletons and again name on PWR this time a bit closer to home Germany and Laarbruch it actually took less time to reach Southampton than it did from Ballykelly. Onto 420M.U. and a few detachments around Germany. My tour was cut short as the 12 was up in a few months and they were spent in pergatory at Lyneham.
Leaving Lyneham like a streek of lightening I tried Brooklands Aviation at Little Staughton who were refurbishing Varsity's but not quite what i wanted so moved to Cranfield onto Light aircraft and there I remained until 1992 when redundancy played its part in setting me up as a Parts Suppler for light aircraft. After several years a customer offered a job on contract which took me through to retirement.
I often worder how I ever had time to work as I have since taken on various rolls which now includes Parish Councillor but I really am thinking its time I called it a day.
