The Official Magazine of The UKMAMS Association Winter 2005 Issue No. 54

Basrah International Airport – October 2005

Inside this Edition Life on UKMAMS Membership News People on the Move From the 540 E-Mails Letters & Notices UKMAMS Golf

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Views expressed in this newsletter, unless otherwise stated, are not necessarily those of the editor, the association committee or UKMAMS and are the personal views of the authors. All contributions and correspondence for inclusion in “Team Brief ” should be sent to:

The Editor, Team Brief, UKMAMS Association, PO Box 1126, Swindon, Wilts, SN5 7WB.

E-mail: ukmamseditor@hotmail.com Hello all, Another year over already! I hope you all had a good Christmas and I will take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy and prosperous new year. My Christmas and New Year were spent in Kuwait, and you can see from the happy smiling faces in the photo’s below that a good time was had by all!!! This is another packed edition of “Team Brief”, with some excellent articles and photographs from around the world. I hope you enjoy perusing these as well as the regular features from Colin and Ian. As you will all be aware, this year is the 40th Anniversary of the formation of UKMAMS and as such we are planning to do something a little different to celebrate this. After publishing the options in the last edition it appears that the weekend in Minehead in September 06 was the most popular choice. To finalize the arrangements we will need figures, so if you are interested in attending then please either write or e-mail the secretary at either of the above addresses. It is also planned to hold the AGM at this function. Although this function has been planned by the Association, the Squadron will also be arranging celebrations earlier in the year. When details are finalised we plan to get a mailshot out to all association members, and hopefully, for those with the technology we’ll get something on the website. Sadly this month we have received the news of the death of Marion Slade, wife of the late Sqn Ldr Mike Slade MBE. Mike was instrumental in the formation of the UKMAMS association and Marion had remained an active member since Mike’s death. Our thoughts will be with the family at this time. It only remains for me to say, enjoy the magazine, and be in touch. Mick

A Damp Christmas Day in Kuwait

L-R Cpl Chris Rose (RAFP), SAC Ryan Tilston Cpl Steve Hicks in a reflective mood after Cpl Steve Hicks, Cpl “Doc” Holliday (RAFP) a large Christmas dinner and a couple of free

Heinekens .

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Membership News and People on the Move

By Colin Allen

This edition we welcome ex Sgt Pete Tuite as a new member. As you will recall from the last edition of Team Brief, Pete was the resident RAF Regiment Instructor at UKMAMS. Pete is currently in Cwmbran Wales, on his Stage 2 training with Wiltshire Police having changed one uniform for another. Regrettably Pete is our one and only new member this edition but we do welcome back some old faces in particular Sqn Ldr Kev Jones who rejoins after a number of years. Since leaving the RAF Movs School in Sept 1995 Kev has been kept very busy and has seen service for 6 months in Zagreb as the only Brit in the UN Joint Movs Air Control Cell controlling loads on all the UN’s Eastern Block aircraft (IL76, An 24, Yak 40 etc). The work was hard but he had a fantastic time with the rest of the team. The majority of them were French and they really knew how to enjoy themselves! During the period Apr 96-Apr 99 he was the RAFLO in Gander where again he had a fantastic time and didn’t really want to come back (It happens to everyone!). The experience could not have been bettered, particularly working with such a small team including Dale Walker, Barney Fielder and Neil Cook, who were all excellent. He also met his wife (Gaye) out in St Johns and ultimately plans to retire to Southern Labrador (Gaye’s home town) when the Air Force no longer offers him what he want out of life. In Apr 99 he moved back to the UK and into HQSTC as part of the Exercise Logistics planning team, which basically meant that all he did for 2 years was fly around the world (Australia, US, Singapore, Malaysia, Norway, Canada, etc) organising hotel rooms, local contracts and surface/air movements for RAF sponsored exercises. As Kev says, “What an awesome tour – if I’d had a FS to hold my hand it would have been just like being a team leader again!” In June 2001 Kev was promoted into his boss’s job and became the lead Exercise Logistics planner for HQSTC. Working with a small team of 6 Flt Lts including the current OC MAMF, Neil Jones, he spent most of his time doing Operational Recces and activations in places like Dushanbe (Tadjikistan), Mombassa (Kenya) and Al Udeid (Qatar) and also heading up the RAF Mounting Cell at HQSTC. Away from home a lot, but still great fun. In Jun 03 he moved into A5 Contingency Plans at HQSTC and was heavily involved in setting up the Capability Module-based Readiness System (CMRS) which holds augmentees and Non-Formed Unit personnel at readiness and sets the prep levels they have to achieve. Not the most fun he ever had in a uniform, but interesting anyway! He also did a lot of the planning for the GR7s going to Afghanistan and scoped several other potential small Ops which thankfully didn’t deploy! During this tour (Aug-Dec 04) he did an OOA to Kabul, Afghanistan as the SO2 Air in the BRITFOR headquarters. A fantastic 4 months because he actually got to load aircraft again (or ‘get in the way’ as the rest of the team would say). In May 2005 he was on the move again to PJHQ as the SO2 Air in the newly formed J4 Joint Mounting Cell, working for none other than Gp Capt Paul Higgins! The cell is still defining it’s role and responsibilities, but it looks like they will be taking on a bit of everyones work to try and provide some focus on how the RAF Mount personnel and equipment out of the UK/Germany Home Base. As Kev says, he is now an old man of 37 who is very happily married and very happily employed and can’t think of anything he would prefer to be doing right now (other than maybe OC MAMF).

Brian Hunt has moved from Harrogate and is now living in Combe, Oxfordshire. Brian left the RAF in Sep 90 and became an IFA with Towry Law, and subsequently moved to work with Ebor Asset Management LLP in 2002 and continues to work with them. Retired Gp Capt Jerry Babington is currently living Frome. Sqn Ldr David (Jarvo) Jarvis is in post as J3 JOC, JFC Naples as the XO to Brigadier General Dodds. Flt Lt Ian Stonely has managed to escape his tour at the Defence Movements School unscathed and is posted Lossiemouth as OC MMF.

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Congratulations to Al Randle on his promotion to Warrant Officer. Al has been posted to Northolt as Ted Leath’s replacement, although surprised by some he is actually looking forward to it albeit that he appreciates it may be quiet (he is packing an autograph book and expects to fill it!!). His intentions are to live in the mess Mon-Fri and commute home to Christchurch at the week-ends. So if anyone needs a bed in the smoke you know where he is! Congratulations also to Maj Steven Shea on his promotion to Lt Col. Congratulations as well to Ken Felton who is off on his Warrant Officer Commissioning Study Period prior to taking up post as Flt Lt Felton, OC Standards and Training Flight at the Air Movs Sqn RAF Brize Norton. Steve Maunder is currently working for Initial City Link as the Operations Manager at the Exeter branch. He is also OC 13 (City of Exeter) Sqn ATC and a Flt Lt VRT. (Hobby Zobby!) His partner Wendy's son is currently at the DMS on his basic course and loving every minute! John Belcher, the Association’s Webmaster has left the RAF and taken up employment as an IT Instructor with the Avon and Somerset Police based as Portishead. Mark Stephenson has been living in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada for 14 years now and is working for Exxon Mobil Business Support Centre working on various IT projects. Dave Jones out in NZ has been preparing for his daughter Aimee’s wedding to a Kiwi. His other daughter is in her final year of a nursing degree and will be heading up North upon graduation to take up her nursing career. Dave’s youngest daughter has commenced her second year of an accounting degree whilst his son is Matthew is looking to join the NZ Army with a view to transferring to the British Army at some point in the future. A great deal will depend on whether he commissions or enlists as an apprentice. As for Dave ....he was made redundant in July although he is now consulting for Vic Uni, with the possibility of permanent post in the new year. In addition he has recently made it through the second interviews and presentations to join Meridian Energy's executive team based in Wellington so things are moving in the right direction He has also completed another year towards a BA in Humanities whilst studying towards a Master of Management and when time allows he is also a civilian instructor for the NZ Defence Force (Cadet Forces); they want him to commission next year as a Lt! All in all, not bad for a slow sedate life on retirement from the Service! Visitors to our Website include Tony Gale ukmamsoba@gmail.com ex foxtrot Team 1968-73. Tony says that rumours of his death were greatly exaggerated and he is thinking of starting up the OBA Website again. Terry Mulqueen wt@terrymulqueen.wanadoo.co.uk who lives in Hastings but spends a lot of time in his holiday home in Dalzell, S Carolina, USA cannot believe that he is now a happy OAP although some of his old mates say that he always was!! Chris Thistle christopherthistle@tiscali.co.uk lives in Sidmouth, Devon, enjoyed looking through our website and it brought back some great memories. Chris would love to hear from anyone that remembers him. Nigel (Mal) Powell nigel@seven-fosse-close.freeeserve.co.uk lives in Gloucester. Martyn (Rog) Daughtery MKRKDAUGHTERY@TISCALI.CO.UK lives in Cambourne, Cornwall and recalls 10 fantastic years. Phil Ellis now a civilian blanket stacker at RAF Valley says a quick hello to all that remember him. Terry Alfonso terry.alfonso@virgin.net Ex Sqn Adj and Foxtrot Team 1972 – 76 asks if anyone remembers the Katmandu Detachments. Alastair Logan who lives in west Sussex is now back on the internet and can be contacted on alastair208@aol.com. Al is in regular contact with Fred Cornwall. Tony Neale who lives in Plymouth regularly surfs our website and would love to hear from old friends who remember him from Lyneham, Gan, Wittering, Wildenrath and Khormaksar at nealemagton@aol.com. Jim Bissell is living in Quincy, Illinois and would love to make contact with anyone that remembers him jbissell@adams.net. Pete Morrison who was the co-owner of Stafford Motorhomes has bought his partner out and Pete and his wife Jacqui are now the sole owners. He says that the Motorhome business is going really well although it has become a lot more competitive. He will be moving shortly as he is buying his own site, its about 4 miles from his current location on the A5 towards Telford, the cost of renting is mad and its only lining someone else’s pocket. Jacqui is going to cut her hours at the hospital and do 2 days a week in the office with Pete. He now has 2 employees; 1 valeter and a part time salesman and yes paying the income

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tax and national insurance really does hurt on top of everything else. Jacqui and the boys are doing great. The family had a week up in Northumbria in a log cabin in August it was great. Both his boys are playing rugby for their age group at Stafford Town RUFC, George's team got to the final of the under 10's county cup and played at Welford Road (Leicester Tigers) a good game which they lost by one try. Pete is still trying to keep fit, time permitting and still uses the gym at RAF Stafford. Last summer Pete and Jacqui went to the Summer Ball at RAF Aldergrove, as the guests of Ian Aitkenhead who quite a few of our members will remember as a Cpl MT Driver on shift at UKMAMS and in Germany in the MT Pool at Bruggen. Ian has just been promoted to Flt Sgt. Pete regularly sees Siggy Siggery for a shandy. Siggy is doing well and enjoying himself as a shift manager for Fly Be at Birmingham airport. Howard ‘H’ Firth sends his greetings from South Africa where he and his wife Pat have been living for the past 2 years in the town of Mossel Bay where they bought a house overlooking the Indian Ocean. They live at the start of an area known as the Garden Route, which offers a wide range of outdoor pursuits, which is just perfect for ‘H’. He mountain bikes, plays golf and generally enjoys retirement and has recently taken on the role of Secretary for the Rotarians which is a key and busy post. In addition they he has joined the South African Air Force Association. He also helps out with community projects, which as you can imagine in SA are numerous. Mossel Bay is a small fishing town with a mix of Afrikaans, English and Native speaking people. They have been accepted very well even though there are disagreements when it comes to rugby and cricket! The South Africans are sport mad which again suits ‘H’. As for missing the RAF, as ‘H’ says, “it would not be true if I said that I did not. I miss the camaraderie and the challenges and also the social side of the Service. Still you have to move on.” Finally he recalls that in 1965 after passing out from Hereford, four of them including Mal Girling and Lyn Fellows, went to Minehead. The first day they met 7 girls who ‘H’ had gone to school with, it was a brilliant 2 weeks…enough said! Dave Wilkin is still a man of leisure doing the rounds of the museums. He recently visited Eden Camp in North Yorks and recommends it to anyone, even UKMAMS get a mention on one display. If anyone would like to look at their website it can be found at http://www.edencamp.co.uk. He has also been to Yorkshire Air Museum, Elvington, York, worth a visit if only to spot the model of the Mk2 Bev and the model of a Mk1 in 84 Sqn Colours; their website is http://www.yorkshireairmuseum.co.uk. Finally a small local one at the Purfleet Heritage Centre which is home to the Hornchurch Wing Collection, http://www.purfleet5.freeserve.co.uk. For the past 18 months Dave has been trying to trace the boys who in 1960 joined the RAF at Hereford as part of the 39th Entry Boy Entrants. This year marks the 45th Anniversary of their Pass Out on Friday 28th July 1961. To celebrate the occasion Dave is planning a reunion on Friday 28th July 2006 and having started with 5 names has now managed to trace 27 people from the entry. However, he needs our help as he was not the only person from the entry to subsequently train as a Mover. He has found both Jeff Eslick and Willie Cadogan but would love to make contact with Dave Douse who I believe is Paul Douse’s (currently at UKMAMS) uncle, Ian Land ex Mover who joined the RCT and was out at BATUS Calgary and Mick Rice. Ian Land was a member of the Association until 2000 and I have furnished Dave with Ian’s last known address at South Cerney and Mick Rice is believed to have been at Nicosia at some point. Dave would also like to hear from anyone who has a Service Number Starting 19405** and trained at Hereford as a Supplier II. John (Paddy) Gibson who is living in Preston is trying to make contact with an old friend, Brian Kent, he was a Flt Sgt at Brize late 70’s very early 80’s, and Paddy’s daughter and his daughter were the best of friends and went to school together. Paddy would appreciate any info anyone may have. If anyone can help either Dave Wilkin or Paddy Gibson they can contact them direct at david@wilkin4865.freeserve.co.uk and johng.gibson@ntlworld.com respectively or contact myself and I will ensure the information is passed on. Well that’s just about it for this edition and in closing I would like to wish you all belated Christmas greetings and all the very best for the New Year…………Until the Next Time…Take care…………..Colin.

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Life on UKMAMS

OPERATION SUBMARINE RESCUE 5-9 AUG 05

On 4 Aug 05 a Russian submarine, AS28, sent a signal of distress to the Nation, having become entangled in fishing nets off the coast of Petropavlovsk. The decision was made that the UK and USA would send rescue equipment and specialist rescue teams to assist in the safe recovery of 7 Russian submariners. It was believed that the crew on board only had 48 hrs of oxygen left, so the rapid reaction from the UK and USA was critical.

At approx 1030 hrs on 4 Aug 05 UKMAMS Ops received information regarding the mission; they then had the task of finding 4 team members who were available at short notice. The team consisted of 1 x FS C17 Supervisor (FS Tony Stock), 1 x Cpl (Cpl Alex Morgan), and 2 x SAC Movs Controllers (SAC Leon Muir and SAC Ross 'Eric' Bristow).

The team had approximately 1½ hrs to pack for an operation which had no confirmed recovery date; we were then driven to RAF Brize Norton to meet and board C17 Flt 6564 to Yelizovo via Prestwick. Once the MAMS team arrived at Brize Norton we were met by Sgt 'Plug' Harvey with the information of what load we were expecting to collect at Prestwick. At 1315Z hrs we departed Brize Norton on the first leg of the journey, with an approximate flight time of one hour.

We were met at Prestwick by Cdr Iain Riches RN who gave further information of the task. The equipment arrived at the aircraft promptly, and with assistance from FS Steve Joyce and Cpl Robbie Collins (JATEU) we began building an assortment of pallets. The load consisted of:

1 x Control Cabin (triple pallet)

1 x Crane (double pallet)

1 x Winch (double pallet)

1 x Cabin (single pallet)

1 x Rov Submarine (single pallet)

10 x passengers (Rescue Team)

with a total payload of 63000 lbs. After expediting the rapid turnround at Prestwick

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we pushed on towards Russia. The route took us east over Russia and 400 miles outside the North Pole. We arrived at Yelizovo at 0525Z hrs, so in terms of response time we were offloading in Russia within 20 hrs from being notified, and 2 hrs in front of the Americans.

After the offload the rescue equipment was transported to the port of Petropavlovsk, which was a 1½ hr truck journey from the airport. Time was running low for the submariners and every minute counted; each and every one of the teams involved in this operation played a vital part in the timings and it was critical no mistakes were made. With no communications between us and the rescue team we sat close by a TV set in a local tavern, and with the help of RAF Interpreter Sgt Martin Goodson we conquered the language barrier and watched the news for updates. After finding out that the rescue attempt was successful, we celebrated as the owner of the tavern thanked us with 2 bottles of his finest vodka and made a touching speech. Under the constant watchful eye of Boris, a Lt in the Russian Security Force, we left the tavern on a small expedition to a naturally heated swimming bath for a Sunday swim.

After the third day of being served mashed potato and meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner we were looking forward to the arrival of the freight for us to pack up and return to the UK. The day finally arrived on 8 Aug 05 and we were all surprisingly eager and looking forward to Brize In-Flight Catering! We loaded the equipment and returned to the Russian barrack blocks for a good night's sleep. The departure morning came and we were unexpectedly presented with more vodka and caviar, and a final thank you for our efforts, by a 2 Star Rear Admiral of the Pacific Fleet.

Thanks to the C17 crew and 99 Sqn, UKMAMS were once again 'First In - Last Out'.

ISTANBUL MEDIA REPORT – Op MATURIN By FS Ewan Campbell

The phone call informing me that I was on ’90 minutes notice to move’ standby to deploy to Istanbul was just the wake up call I needed as I had just returned from two weeks RAFLO duties in the Azores. I got my things together quickly and went into the Operations room for to prepare for the deployment. After an extensive brief from the Mobile Operations Officer, (MOpsO) informing me that I was part of a large team deploying to Pakistan, we began to make preparations for our immediate deployment. The mission requirement was to provide Movements assistance in Islamabad, in support of Operation

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‘Maturin’. At this stage, all we knew for certain was that we were to prepare for immediate deployed for at least five days, with the possibility of staying for up to a six weeks. The team consisted of twelve personnel, including one Technician from Mobile Air Movements Engineering, which was to be self supportive in the field for the duration. Therefore, it was necessary to take at least one vehicle and trailer to carry our ‘life support.’ This is standard procedure for the teams, who loaded one vehicle and trailer with all the equipment and supplies imperative to survive/complete the task and another with extra equipment to make conditions slightly more comfortable; should space be available for both vehicles. Within six hours, all twelve members of the team were packed and prepared, ready to depart at 90mins notice; as per the R1 standby requirements. This included a brief from the Station medical Officer; Malaria inoculations/tablets; a brief from the Station Intelligence Officer; collection of an Imprest from the Headquarters and the issue of our cold weather clothing from Stores. Two days later, I was informed late in the evening that I was to deploy to the same location, but with a different team, consisting of two SACs and myself. The task requirements were to depart early the next morning from RAF Fairford, fly to Seville and load two civilian Puma helicopters for onward transportation to Islamabad. There, they would provide Red Cross assistance in support of the earthquake victims who were living remotely. The helicopters belonged to the South Africans and required at least one C17 Globemaster aircraft for the airlift, which had to be completed in the shortest possible time.

As the Pumas were slightly different in design from the RAF versions and hadn’t been lifted together on the C17 before, we were accompanied on the mission by three personnel form the Joint Air Transport Evaluation Unit, who were able to test some new loading equipment and give authorisation for the intended load. After our somewhat speedy departure from the UK, we headed for Spain and loaded up the two helicopters to the one aircraft. It was loaded without incident. However, some quick adjustments

were carried out to the Joint Air Transport Evaluation restraint equipment, that was on trial, in order to fit the rotor blades inside the Cab. With the load only just squeezed inside the body of the C17 and with only five inches of clearance in some areas, we departed on our seven hour flight to Islamabad; having only spent 2hrs 15mins on the ground. It was in the early hours of the morning when we eventually arrived in circuit above Islamabad airport. We were slotted in to the hectic flow of aircraft awaiting clearance to land from Air Traffic Control. After holding for over an hour in the circuit, we were eventually granted permission to land in the chaotic mass of aircraft and vehicles. As this was the first aircraft from the United Kingdom to provide assistance to the Earthquake victims, it drummed up quite a few Press and Media personnel; who were waiting with anticipation at the rear of the aircraft when the ramp was lowered. With the offload complete, we completed a quick reconnoitre of the local area and compiled an ‘Airfield Intelligence Survey,’ listing the relevant Air Cargo Handling Equipment (ACHE) on-hand for future tasks. It soon became clear that unless we were directly involved in the hectic movement of aircraft and loading of trucks (which were screeching around overloaded and straining to carry their large loads!) it was time to get back onboard the aircraft and wait for our departure. As the empty aircraft ramp was raised, the chaos vanished and the only sounds that could be heard were that of the Air Loadmaster

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testing that his onboard intercom was still serviceable. As we taxied out, we could see hundreds of decorated high sided trucks being loaded by the local Pakistan soldiers, it brought home reality and scale of the task ahead!

Two days after my return to RAF Lyneham, I was summoned to another brief by the MOpsO. This time I was informed that I was to return to Islamabad with a three man team and provide Movements assistance with the insertion of three CH47 aircraft from 33 Sqn RAF Odiham. These aircraft, along with 46 personnel consisting mainly of maintenance crew, were deploying into the theatre to provide airlift assistance to remote areas of Pakistan. The MOD sanctioned the aid mission to try and assist in the race against time, cold and injuries to deliver shelter and life support before the impending cold weather set in at the end of November.

The mission required us to depart early the next morning from RAF Fairford on the 1st C17 aircraft, which would be loaded with one CH47 helicopter and all the equipment necessary to assemble it, remain in theatre for the arrival of the other two aircraft helicopters and provide as much support and assistance to the other nations and Aid groups as possible. The flight out was pretty uneventful, stopping in Abu Dhabi for a crew change after seven hours and arriving in Islamabad some four hours later. Again, it was in the early hours of the morning when we arrived and there were as many reporters and TV camera’s as before. Having just been to this location four days before, it was a case of Deja-Vu, only this time, we had to stay! The CH47 and associated equipment only took around 45mins to offload and, before long; the C17 was revving its engines and heading back down the taxiway for the long journey home! We immediately provided assistance with the helicopter technicians, moving the aircraft and its parts into a suitable area for it to be assembled. With the CH47 in place, we headed off into the chaos of personnel and vehicles to find a safe area to set up camp. Fortunately, the Americans had only just started constructing their tents, so we managed to persuade them to allow us four spaces in one of theirs. This wasn’t an ideal solution however, as there was only two spaces available in their sixteen person tent, making it up to eighteen! The tent was erected in no time at all and after a quick clean out, we were soon fixing our camp beds with mosquito nets and collapsible wardrobes. The tent was situated about 40m from the taxi way amongst some trees. The positive aspect of its location was that it would be virtually impossible to miss the arrival of an aircraft through sleeping-in! There was around twenty tents located on the airfield perimeter, all of which belonged to the Americans apart from one, which was French; most of which were ‘Operation Room’ and accommodation tents, with one First Aid and one Visitors rest tent at the front edge. After some quick lunch, consisting of a mixture of American MRE’s and our own rations, we headed over to the ‘American Mobility Tent’ and offered our services while we were waiting for our own aircraft. As it happened there was three 747’s landing together and we were asked to co-ordinate the offload of the 2nd and load it onto the ‘Goal’ Aid trucks which were moving tents/sleeping bags into the hills. The offload consisted of forty aircraft pallets and was soon stripped down and transferred on to the trucks with the help of around thirty local men who were driving the vehicles. Unfortunately, whilst loading one of the trucks, one of the team had his hand trapped when a group of ten local helpers assisted in lifting a 200lb pallet onto the back of their

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truck. He was taken to the First Aid tent and advised to return to the UK for immediate medical assistance from a hand specialist. Fortunately it was a case of over reaction from the American doctor and he was okay to remain in theatre, where he was used for administrative purposes only. Over the next two days, we offload a variety of aircraft belonging to a host of different nations and provided assistance directly to the UN, loading up the local trucks with aid. Along with this we provided movements assistance offloading our C130’s which were transporting tents from Adana in Turkey. These aircraft were linked to the UN and were ultimately to be handled by the French Movements team which was just arriving in Islamabad. Their team consisted of six men, all of which were soldiers who had only just received movements training and had little or no experience. These men were accommodated in a local hotel and worked in the nighttime only, from the small tent at the edge of the airfield. After an in-depth discussion with their Team leader, we established a safe Standard Operating Procedure for the offload of all future British C130 aircraft at this location. On the last day, we helped the Joint Helicopter Support Unit (JHSU) loading inside the American CH47 helicopters, this not only assisted the Americans with their onloads, it helped cement a good working relationship between the ‘Hookers’ and the crews! The Technicians also finished assembling the first British CH47, a task which took them only three days from arrival; due to the long working hours and tireless efforts the Technicians made to ensure the ‘Cabs’ serviceability. The last two CH47’s arrived on an AN124, which was chartered from a civilian company - Vogel Knepp. They were originally supposed to be transported by two C17 aircraft. However, due to the extreme urgency of the mission and lack of aircraft availability, this was chartered to carry them both together. The gigantic aircraft landed in the early hours of the morning, with its precious consignment of 2 x CH47 helicopters locked and lashed to the floor, and took almost three hours to offload. This was due to the airline policy, that only the crew were authorised to operate the winch equipment etc. onboard the aircraft. Shortly afterwards, the last aircraft landed. (Which incidentally was our aircraft home) It was a C17 Globemaster, fully loaded with the remaining support equipment required to carry out the mission. We offloaded the 70,000lb load, consisting of vehicles and generators in record time and back loaded it with our bags and camp cots. With the aircraft only being on the ground for 1hr 30mins, we had time to assemble our beds and restrain the to the aircraft floor. The 14hr journey home would allow us ample time to catch up on the sleep deprivation we had suffered over the last four days.

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FROM THE 540

By Ian Berry

1970 – 35 YEARS AGO… SEPTEMBER Lima – Exercise Alchemist. Flt Lt Taylor plus 5. Delivery of portable Schools to Peru as part of Earthquake relief and recovery of 360 Sqn (Canberras) to Wyton. Khartoum – Special. Flt Lt Green plus 1. Delivery of a Griffon engine to a u/s Shackleton in the Sudan. OCTOBER Decimomannu – Exercise Epicurus. Fg Off Brian Shorter plus 5. Deployment of 6 Sqn (Hunters) from West Raynham to Sardinia. Amman – Operation Shoveller. Fg Off Benson plus 4. Resupply of No 2 Field Ambulance daily from Akrotiri. NOVEMBER Catterick – Special. Fg Off Glen Morton plus 1. Carrying out slinging trials with Tiger Cat missiles of 48 Sqn RAF Regt. Beirut – Special. Flt Lt Johnson plus 5. delivery of Boeing 707 Simulator to Lebanon on Belfast Task 6763.

B707 Simulator being loaded at Brize by JATE DECEMBER Topcliffe – Exercise Hospidar. Flt Lt Bill Wellman plus 4. Deployment of 16 Sqn RAF Regt from Yorkshire to Machrihanish. Bruggen – Special. FSgt Tony Barrell plus 3. Rotation of 3 Scout helicopters between Germany and Northern Ireland. 1975 – 30 YEARS AGO... SEPTEMBER Marrakech – Special. Fg Off Glew plus 5. Recovery of Lynx helicopter from Morocco.

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McChord AFB – Flt Lt Dick Finch, FSgt Terry Hoy, Sgt Trevor Edwards, Cpl Ian Bell, SAC Alan Webb plus 1. Collection of 30 x Mk48 Torpedoes for the Royal Navy. OCTOBER Yesilkoy – Exercise Deep Express, Fg Off Ian Envis plus 5. Representing UK Element in IALCE exercise in Turkey. Mashad – Special. Flt Lt Gordon Townsend plus 5. Recovery of 13 Sqn (Canberras) from Iran to Malta. NOVEMBER Dobbins AFB – Special. Fg Off Peter Burch plus 5. Collection of C130 Hercules Centre Wing Section from Lockheed Georgia to Marshall's of Cambridge. Lossiemouth – Exercise Ocean Safari. FSgt Merv Corke plus 2. Recovery of pax and freight of 12

Sqn (Buccaneers) from Gibraltar to Scotland. DECEMBER Khartoum – Exercise Jowar/Sulphurous/Swift Tiger. Fg Of Andy Spinks plus 5. Rotation of UKLF

personnel in Sudan to and from UK. Belize – Roulement. Flt Lt Mike Perks plus 2. Deployment of 1BN Devon & Dorset Regiment to

Belize. 1980 – 25 YEARS AGO… SEPTEMBER Farnborough – Air Show. FSgt Chas Cormack –plus 7. VIP Handling and Movs Duties. 131

Helicopters loaded and 3344 Passengers handled. Gutersloh – Exercise Epic Raider. Fg Off Sean Culligan plus 11. Deployment of 1 Sqn RAF Regt

and support equipment to Germany. OCTOBER On the 11th October the very first Reunion took place in J5 Hangar since the Squadron was formed in 1966. 175 personnel from near and far and serving and retired made it to the venue. The 5 previous OC’s also attended the event: Sqn Ldr Bill Jacobs, Sqn Ldr Mike Slade, Sqn Ldr Bryan Morgan, Wg Cdr JD Lambert and Wg Cdr DH Gamble. (n.b. With the ability of now obtaining your old assessment forms from Innsworth I may have to have words with Mr Lambert!!! IB) Barksdale – Exercise Giant Voice. Flt Lt Guy Blyth plus 5. Deployment of equipment and personnel

from the Vulcan Wing at Scampton for the annual USAF Bombing Competition. Leuchars – Exercise Fast Ball. Sgt Hugh Humphrey Curran plus 3. Recovery of 111 Sqn (Phantoms)

from overseas. NOVEMBER Binbrook – NATO Sqn Exchange. Fg Off Bob Parker, FSgt Ian Berry, Sgt Tony Dunphy, Cpl Ian

Bell plus 2. deployment of 11 Sqn (Lightnings) to France.

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Patrick AFB – Operation Trial Malm/Rava. Flt Lt Bateman plus 5. Rotation of Torpedoes between

Andros Island and Patrick AFB. DECEMBER Bardufoss – Exercise Rjukan. FSgt Eddie Grace plus 2. Recovery of Royal Marines from Norway to

Scotland. Lossiemouth – Exercise Gaellic Gallop. FSgt Mick McMahon plus 6. Recovery of 17 Sqn (Jaguars)

from Scotland to Bruggen.

December 1980

VC10 goes off the runway in Belize

1985 – 20 YEARS AGO…

Op Bushel – Ethiopia 1985

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SEPTEMBER Cameri – NATO Sqn Exchange. FSgt Alan Soane plus 2. Recovery of 74 Sqn (Phantoms) to

Wattisham. Izmir – Exercise Damsel Fair. Sgt Geoff Cox plus 2. Deployment of Royal Navy Fleet Clearance

Diving Team to Turkey. OCTOBER Andros – Operation Red Kite. Fg Off Mark Stephenson, FSgt Clive Hall, Sgt Dick Colman, Cpl

Brian Harper, SAC’s Ginge Barrett and Dave Spencer. Recovery of Spearfish, Stingray and Mk 46 Torpedoes from the AUTEC Ranges.

Wittering – Exercise Hardy Force. Sgt Gerry Muffett plus 4. Deployment of 1 Sqn (Harriers) to

Billund in Denmark. NOVEMBER November saw the arrival of Flt Lt Marie Djumic as the new BLCO (Base Load Control Officer – now known as BOPSO Base Operations Officer). She was the very first female to take up this post. Patrick AFB – Exercise Rum Punch/Prairie Vortex. Flt Lt Ian Beverley plus 5. Deploy Nimrod

personnel and equipment to Florida and recover 217 and 57 Sqns (Victors) from Alaska to Marham.

Nairobi – Exercise Game Spirit. Fg Off Steve Harpum, FSgt Gordon Black, Sgt Hugh Curran plus 3.

Deployment of 1Bn Kings Regt to Kenya. DECEMBER Accra – Exercise Kangaroo Mercury. Fg Off Andy Kime plus 5. Recovery of 30 Sigs Regt and TCW

from Ghana to UK. Salalah – Exercise Sandy Wanderer. Wg Cdr Mighall plus 3. Deployment of 22 SAS to Oman. 1990 – 15 YEARS AGO… SEPTEMBER Operation Granby continued unabated in September with all detachments remaining in operation. Between 9-15 Sep OC UKMAMS visited all the airheads in the Gulf region to view first hand the work of all the MAMS Detachments and speak with his deployed personnel. On 6 Sep the commitment at Bahrain reduced from 24 to 8 men. Similarly the Akrotiri reinforcement was lowered to 10, including 4 contingency personnel, and remained at this level through to the end of the month. On 24 Sep Sqn Ldr Chris Hewat deployed to Tabuk as part of the advance party to the new Tornado GR1 base. He was joined 2 days later by a team of 6 men in preparation for the GR1 deployment. At Tabuk a joint UKMAMS/5 Mobile Aerial Port Squadron (5 MAPS) Movements Detachment was formed. This worked to great effect dealing with all RAF and USAF transport aircraft during the deployment. Another new base, Al Jubayl, opened on 28 Sep following the decision to send the 7th Armoured Division to the Gulf. Two teams of MAMF and contingency personnel, led by Flt Lt Simon Fletcher were sent to form this detachment working alongside 4 MAPS from Germany.

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4 Tonner going into a USAF Herc Supa Cats being prepped at Lyneham The full manpower commitment at each detachment on 30 Sep was: Dhahran - Flt Lt Simon Hawkins plus 3 Bahrain - Flt Lt Andy Thompson plus 4 Minhad - Flt Lt Rich Green plus 4 Seeb - Flt Lt Woodward plus 2 Thumrait - Fg Off Jolyn Harrington plus 2 Tabuk - Sqn Ldr Chris Hewat plus 6 Al Jubayl - Flt Lt Simon Fletcher plus 11 A SNCO was also deployed to Cairo to the British Embassy to help with Diplomatic Clearance duties. (The SNCO in question was Sgt Taff Owen who tragically died of cancer last month. IB) OCTOBER On 5 Oct the Squadron’s commitment at Al Jubayl rose from 12 to 18 men; remaining at this level until 17 Oct when 6 of the Contingency team, returned to RAF Lyneham. For the rest of October, most of the other detachments in the Gulf maintained the same manning levels as at the end of September. On 24 Oct, following weeks of rumour, the Thumrait detachment finally closed down. This was the result of the Jaguars of 6 Sqn moving forward to Bahrain. This redeployment was achieved using USAF AT, 3 MAPS and further personnel from the Contingency teams. Again this task reflected the particularly close co-operation and liaison between UKMAMS and the various MAPS teams that is a feature of movements operations at each of the Gulf Airheads. The Detachment of a SNCO to Cairo also came to an end on 30 Oct. The final major development in Oct came at the end of the month when 10 men were despatched to Riyadh. Their task was to set up and co-ordinate the daily KC1 and in-theatre C130 resupply system from King Khalid Airport. NOVEMBER A temporary lull was experienced during Operation Granby at the beginning of November as the C130 resupply schedule aircraft were replaced by Tristar KC1s from RAF Brize Norton. However the rest was short-lived as a

Thumrait Det 1990

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backlog of freight soon built up at the Airheads and in the Supply Depots. As the month progressed the tasking rate spiralled, the RAF AT being supplemented by civilian charter aircraft. The new resupply policy of KC1s from the UK into Riyadh, followed by the redistribution of freight around the Gulf by in-theatre C130s, necessitated MAMF redeploying its personnel accordingly. The shortage of palletisation equipment continued as did the unreliability of some of the ACHE used by the detachments. This kept the STF staff exceptionally busy as they continued with specialist training and also ran a mobile course. DECEMBER As the deadline for an Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait moved ominously closer so the tempo of the continuing deployment and resupply of British Forces increased. Even when the RAF AT force was given a short Christmas break, UKMAMS personnel in BAMF, MAMF and STF were fully committed to handling civilian charter aircraft contracted to fly throughout the holiday period. The C130 fleet was bolstered by aircraft and crews from Belgium and Spain but despite the extra airlift, the backlog of freight in the UK for the Gulf Units continued to grow. Consequently the Base, Mobile and STF personnel were all as busy during this month as they were at any time on Operation Granby. Two normal MAMF tasks took place during the month and one of them to Nairobi as part of Exercise Grand Prix was carried out by a scratch team of MAMF and BAMF personnel. The team consisted of Fg Off Simon Hawkins, WO Ian Berry, Cpls Stu Whitton and Douggie Russell , and SACs Figgy Fitches and Brummy Overgaard. During the task Stu Whitton, who was on his swansong was offered his promotion to Sgt and extension of service – he accepted and was promptly ‘Slabbed’. 1995 – 10 YEARS AGO SEPTEMBER Marrakech – Exercise Golden Palm. Fg Off Binns plus 3. Recovery of elements of 7 Sqn (SF

Chinook) to Morocco. Antigua – Operation Harlech. Fg Off John Fairgrieve plus 3. Hurricane relief flights to Caribbean. OCTOBER Nellis AFB – Exercise Air Warrior. Wg Cdr Leonard (OC UKMAMS), Fg Off Keith, WO Ian Berry

(TSO), Sgt Sean Woodcock, Cpl Steve Moore and SAC Taff Gibbons. Recovery of 6 Sqn (Jaguars) to Coltishall and Tornado OEU to Boscombe Down.

Gdynia – Exercise Game Eel. Flt Lt Gary Norman plus 3. Deployment of elements of UK Troops to

Poland for Battle group training. NOVEMBER Belize/Palm Beach – AUTEC. Sgt Paddy Power plus 3. Deployment of SF Lynx helicopter to Belize

and recovery of a Royal Navy Mk8 Lynx from Florida to UK. Tel Aviv – Crew Rotation. FSgt Al Salisbury plus 3. Recovery of personnel from HMS Invincible

from Israel to UK. DECEMBER Oceania – Exercise Flying Fish. Flt Lt Dave Jarvis plus 2. Recovery of personnel and equipment of

120 Sqn (Nimrods) from USA to Kinloss. Sarajevo – Operation Resolute. Sgt Dave Salmon plus 1. Rotation of IFOR personnel from Bosnia to

UK.

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2000 – 5 YEARS AGO… Unfortunately my records only go up to July 2000 at the moment although I am endeavouring to obtain the missing years from the Squadron – Ian Berry.

Exercise Grand Prix – Nairobi December 2000

L to R - Stu Whitton, Figgy Fitches, Doug Russell, Brum ?, Ian Berry, Simon Hawkins

Kosovo Medal presentation – June 2000

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E-MAILS, LETTERS AND NOTICES

The Editor, Team Brief, UKMAMS Association, PO Box 1126, Swindon, Wilts, SN5 7WB.

E-mail: ukmamseditor@hotmail.com We’ll start again with more news from Rip Kirby Northern Newsletter Greetings from the Highlands – time for some more periodic musings from MacphersonKirby Enterprises PLC. Firstly – apologies to all if we haven’t always replied promptly to your E mails. Considering we were supposed to be taking it a bit easier this summer – life is still proving significantly hectic, what with one thing and another.

So what has been happening in Trailer Trash World. Well, as most of you probably know by now: we survived another winter in the Alps and arrived back in UK late April. After taking our customary few weeks off we soon landed back here, homeless in our adopted home of Inverness. Even at this point it was fairly certain that another season skiing in 05/06 was on the cards (more on this later). So, as per last year the plan was to spend summer in cheap and cheerful temporary accommodation. Because we couldn’t negotiate such a good hire deal on a static caravan the next idea was to buy instead, using the dosh we would have shelled out in rent. Originally our thoughts were to get a motor home with awning to park up on a site. Indeed, after much research (and scouring of advertising papers) we came within a day of buying one. However, after thinking about it overnight it was felt that this option would prove just too small for 6 months. Therefore, back to the local ads: to discover a very well equipped static van in our price range on a nice site (with pub) just 5 mins south of town. The deal was rapidly done and we now have a good base both for this year, and for when we get back next spring. Whilst all this was going on – we were also jobless and so concurrently (triple word score in Scrabble) were firing off CVs, references (thanks Pip et all) and applications in all directions. Unfortunately this precluded us attending at least one Ski Bum Party & Reunion ‘down south’. Sorry we didn’t make it you guys – sounds like we missed a monster bash. But, having done a bit of prior networking, our intended employment plans did soon come to fruition.

Myrah signed up with a couple of temp agencies who supply cooks to clients in huntin’ shootin’ & fishin’ lodges. This is proving pretty lucrative, and quite similar to chalet host duties. Usually: breakfast, packed lunch, and dinner. But NO cleaning duties (except kitchen of course), Jacuzzi checks or wake up drinks ! Some of these lodges are pretty remote (one was 13 miles from nearest town, by forestry track up a glen). So shopping logistics need to be well planned in advance. Guests so far have been pretty good. Indeed: one group are trying to book Myrah for the same week next year. They were a sociable bunch too: their shopping list included a bottle each of vodka, gin, Baileys, and blended whisky…….plus 26 bottles of malt whisky (I kid you not !). In between cooking jobs (all over the Highlands) she is also selling lots of chintzy stuff in the local Laura Ashley. Rip, meanwhile, also took the temp agency job route. He registered with Driver Hire and is getting plenty of varied jobs on short term contracts. Everything from wrestling a 7.5 ton multi drop parcels truck around the highways & byways, to delivering flowers for a local florist. Even a stint doing traffic management on road repairs (‘stop & go’ control systems, escorting white lining vehicles and flinging lots of cones about). One big advantage of agency work is that (up to a point) you can more or less dictate when you are available for work. Thus we are usually able to organize our ‘downtime’ to coincide, and it’s easier to plan ahead for a weeks’ holiday.

So here we are mid-way thru summer already. Can’t believe how fast it is going – only 3 months or so before it’ll be time to start packing up to migrate south for the winter again. Yep – as previously mentioned we could not talk ourselves out of doing another season in the Alps. Snowline, our employer for the last 2 seasons, have taken pity on us again and are kindly re-employing us. We are headed back to Meribel and The 3 Valleys – a great all round ski area with plenty of runs we still haven’t done. A (big) change of role for Myrah, and a minor change forRip. She is going to be a chalet manager, responsible for customer care & satisfaction in several chalets, plus staff training/support and welfare in those properties. He will be doing driving and logistics again but sadly no ski guiding planned for this year. Whilst the guiding was great it is a dual role including

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repping and airport transfer duties. Far too much guest contact for him, being ex-military he is not always particularly customer friendly (get yer ‘aircut you ‘orrible little man !). Ha ha. Anyway we’ll be sure to let you know how we get on, and how the rest of our summer went. That’s it for now. Thanks for listening. Best regards to all. Slainte Mhath ! Myrah & Chris. To protect the innocent, the following will remain anonymous!!!

Mick,

Thanks for the last copy of Team Brief, great to hear what is going on in the bazaars!!

One interesting point that you may wish to put as an addendum to a short piece on page 2 of Issue No 53.

You quoted the refurbishment of the some old trains in Romania and the fact that they are now part of Defence Rail Executive. The DRE just happen to work fairly close to me and the kicker to the story is that it cost the MOD £600,000 to refurbish them and they are now within the UK inventory, ‘minor’ problem being that due to the different gauges in UK and the old BAOR Germany, they cannot use them at all in the UK and the they are likely to be headed for the scrapper!!!!!! Defence spending at it’s best!!

Maybe I shouldn’t sign my name to that though as it’s a bit of an embarrassment (to say the least!!). A source advised you is probably the best way around that one!!!

Anyway how are you, hope life is well, I think the last time I saw you was supping beer at the China Lake Golf Course after turforing off a Mk 11 in 90 degrees C. That was a good day at the office!!!

Keep up the good work!

Best regards

A note from Eddie Grace, trying to make us all jealous!!!

Hi Mick,

I have been meaning to write to Team Brief for a long time but in the end a change of address has pushed me into it. We have been in LOS (Land of Smiles) as Thailand is known, (not that you see many smiles on a wet Monday morning) for five years. Time flies.

Sue and I have had a bungalow built just outside Bangkok and will be moving in the next couple of weeks. Nonthaburi is to Bangkok as Highworth is to Swindon.

Life has been good since we moved here. I have been working as an English teacher, mainly teaching children. I did work at a university for a couple of years, but as eighty per cent of Thai Uni students are female, day after day of looking at short skirts, long brown legs and tight white blouses started to effect me. That and the line of

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them at the end of term saying, 'Teacher I want good glade (grade). Can you help me? It was too much, so I returned to teaching kids.

Life here is not like it was in the early seventies when I was stationed here. Could it be that it is because there is no longer a steady stream of our American colleagues on R and R from Vietnam or maybe I have changed? While you all struggle with wars, bombers, council tax etc., life in LOS has its problems as well. Rising oil prices now mean it costs almost a tenner to fill up my Toyota Corolla. The maximum fare on an aircon bus across town has now gone up to 25 pence from 18 and in the local equivalent of council tax, it costs us 60 pence a month to have the bin emptied twice a week. Food is so cheap I won't even mention it.

Of course, that is only part of the story, Thais are very poorly paid, and luckily they pay foreign teachers well in comparison, but don't think of coming here to live unless you have a pension. Corruption is the norm. We were told that we must wait two years for a telephone in our new bungalow, as there were no lines. An envelope changed hands; four days later we had a high-speed internet/phone line installed.

Thanks to you all for keeping the Association going. Team Brief arrives regularly. I hope the new postman can do as well as the old. We have no plans to return to the UK even for a holiday. If we suggest coming back, all the rest of the family say NO, we will come there, I can't think why.

Regards

Eddie Grace

A short note (and some pictures) from Maj (now Lt Col) Steve Shea

All:

Attached are a couple of pictures from a no-notice promotion. The message on the promotion came out Monday with an effective date of last Sunday. The promotion took place Monday afternoon, so there was no time to send out invitations (and barely time for Maria to get the kids out of school for the ceremony).

Best Regards,

Steve Shea

STEVEN W. SHEA

LTC, TC

Strategic Mobility Officer

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Keith Smith MBE WO (retd) Keith Smith. In his own words “A proud moment”. Keith receives his MBE from Her Majesty last year.

UKMAMS OPEN GOLF COMPETITION 2005

By Dougie Betambeau

For the 2nd successive year the Abbey G & C Club was the venue for this annual event, providing excellent V.F.M. with great food and rooms coupled with good service. 20 players attended to show off their various golfing skills, and like last year, although not a particularly difficult course, no one “ burnt it up “!! The overall stableford winner was Stevie Lowe, 63 pts with Stu Whitton retaining the title of “most golf played “!! Due to the generosity of Keith Hubbard, who donated a Wilson Golf Bag (& also golf goodie bags for each entrant) the amount of prizes were increased on last year, and won by various players. Once again my thanks to the Squadron & the Association

for the donations towards the prizes. Sadly Dixie Dean couldn’t compete on the 2nd day due to an old war wound,

and because of work commitments Stu Askew had to cancel at the last minute, but at least that gave others the chance of winning the longest drive!!!!! 4 civvy guests attended (enjoying the service humour and banter), which equalled the amount of serving members!!!!!! only 1 of who was from Lyneham!!!!! Although staged during the 2nd week of October the weather was extremely kind, enabling Dougie B to compete in his customary shorts & polo shirt whilst everyone else was sweltering!!!!.......if you can’t play in “summer dress “it’s not worth it???? May I take this opportunity to say that like Families Day, Pengelly and Xmas this is an ANNUAL event and I apologise if 12 months isn’t enough notice for some!!! But undeterred by attendance figures (

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bit like Swindon Town F.C.!!!), next years event is already in the pipeline and as soon as dates ( August/September ) and venue have been finalised details will be published in Team Brief, on the movers website and in as many crew rooms as possible. Anyone interested please let me know, it’s never too early, or should you have any suggestions please contact me. E-Mail: dougie.betambeau@btinternet.com Address: 16 Glenmore Rd, Swindon, Wilts, SN25 1WH Home Tel: 01793 728694 Mob: 07900302622

Basra International Airport October - November 2005

A snapshot of life in Basra during the roulement in Oct-Nov 05.

Photographs taken by FS Gary Ferguson

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RAF Masirah 1975

Having had some correspondence with Dave Cromb over recent months, and looking at the internet, it appears that RAF Masirah is a popular subject these days. These photographs were taken by my brother-in-law. He was then SAC Terry Strozyk, an Engine Mech on VASS. Hopefully these pictures will bring back a few memories for those who were there. They were all taken in 1975. I would be pleased to receive any photographs and stories any readers may have of RAF Masirah for future publication. Mick.

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No. 13 Movements Operator Course – 25 April – 18 June 1974 Back Row:- AC’s McHardy, Kelly, Holyoake, Brogden, Salisbury. Middle Row:- AC’s Buckley, Meacock, Honeyball, Barnes, Kaye, Wallace, Garvin, Davison, Morgan, Wright, Tyrrell, Thompson, Conduit, Catterall, Mullan, O’Keefe. Front Row:- AC’s McNamara, Grant, Trenaul, McKlass, Sgt Fell (DS), Flt Lt Cox (DS), Sqn Ldr Harries (OC) FS Pike (DS), Sgt Brett (DS), AC’s Stephens, Wright, Adams, Friend.

No. 8 Movements Controllers Course – 28 August – 1 October 1974 Back Row:- Cpl Brown, SAC Wilson, Cpl Clark, SAC Padfield, SAC Smith, SAC Mohindra, SAC Ashford, SAC Brand, SAC Chamberlain, SAC Honeyball. Front Row:- Cpl Thornton, Sgt Fell, Sgt Cormack, Flt Lt Cox, FS Pike, Cpl Hedinburgh, Cpl Terry