Catterick Lamp Swinging
Done my basic training at Catterick and returned as an instructor early eighties. The promise of a RAFG posting being the bait. Great tour, worked on all courses but ended up on FT1’s, SST but mucked in to help other courses when needed. The wee Irishman was a good supervisor, trade standards had some fair & helpful examiners. As said, Health & Safety was honoured more in the breech but we never lost a single student! Some of the things that happened on fireground do not bear thinking about in light of the present H&S regs. However, training was more ‘rounded’ than the modern exam orientated system & we were left to our own interpretation of the syllabus.
Memories of Village: Jumping the burn (stream) after a night on the pop in the village was always a challenge. The annual fair where we looked the part in the tug-of-war but were pulled all over the place by the locals. The wheel barrow race around the village having a drink in each pub. Leaving whatever pub when the Rocks started to outnumber the firemen. Sanctuary of the CIU club to hide from the trainees for a quiet drink.
FF&SSS: The Creeping Black Death sleeping in his chair in his office on ’airfield watch’. Nimrod sniffing my crutch when being given a ’one-to-one’ by the Rgt Sqn Cdr. Again, standing in front of the Rgt Flt Cdr for ’robustly helping’ a basic over the boards during the lunchtime 5-a-side game. Old Bram the chiefy belching smoke from his pipe in his office - BA required. Vehicles; didn’t start, couldn’t produce, no ‘S’ kit in the lockers. Crash kit smelled of AVTUR, foam compound, vehicle tyre smoke, always wet. Sqn Photo; complained to the Sqn Cdr that I did not have a seat, he told me to come to the front & sit beside Nimrod. Rubber D1ck Club; pranks between instructors which could get out of hand - still not got my keys back!
Courses: LRC; partly drowned in the Swale when the stretcher I was strapped in sank mid-stream. Deployment Course; Mk7 turned over on it’s side when deploying on a/c pan - first thing I said was, ’It’s not my course’! LRC; buried under bricks, rescue set, then someone lit a GFI on top on my pile, started shouting but was told, ‘No use shouting, we haven’t called them in yet’! Officers Course; mistimed my escape and was tossed into the EWS tank, wet area, by end of course FFC’s. Demo Fires; On the ‘medal wagon’ came out with no R/H side of crash kit due to direct contact with flames (regular occurrence). FT1’s; a laugh a minute!
Perhaps my one of my favourite memories was a rollicking by a trucker parked in the lay-by on the A1. It was LWTP drills down the wet area, as usual the basics pushed the pumps down to the EWS tank. I ran down with the course but with one man short. I got a phone call to say the basic was in the hanger & they would drive him down. To cut a long story short he was to report sick but hid until we left. I went back up & because I had already ran down I got on the section bike and made him run. As we reached the lay-by a big trucker got out his truck came to the fence and shouted, ’ Cpl Marsh, you barsteward get off your fcuking bike and run with the man, you lazy git‘! Still can’t remember the name of that old TV sitcom about the mob. Old dreams, old aspirations - more beautiful for being old and gone.
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