RAF CHANGI ASSOCIATION including HQ FEAF€¦ · Changi-ite Newsletter 4 April 2019 IT surprises me to hear people’s opinions on National Service. Whenever the subject comes up,

RAF CHANGI ASSOCIATIONincluding HQ FEAF

April 2019 Issue No. 69

Changi-ite Newsletter 2 April 2019

Chairman/Archivist: John Dicks

4 Langley Crescent, Kings Langley, Herts. WD4 8EW. Tel: 01923 400221

[email protected]

Founding Member/Newsletter Distributor: Mike James

12 Shiners Elms, Yatton, Bristol BS49 4BY. Tel: 01934 833170

[email protected]

Secretary/Regalia Officer: Pat Holt

14 Burrowfields, Basingstoke, Hants RG22 4XJ. Tel: 01256 477253

[email protected]

Treasurer: Richard Collins

115 Station Road, Burnham-on-Crouch, Essex CM0 8HQ. Tel: 01621 785096

[email protected]

Newsletter Editor: Les Davies

4 The Bryceway, Liverpool L12 3HJ. Tel: 0151 228 9874

[email protected]

Membership Secretary: Malcolm Flack

14 Highfield Close, Amersham, Bucks. HP6 6HG. Tel: 01494 728562

[email protected]

Publicity/Press Officer: Brian Lloyd

Apartment 26, Hardy Lodge, Coppice Street,, Shaftesbury, Dorset SP7 8GY

Tel: 01747 850898 • [email protected]

Webmaster: Tony Holt

14 Burrowfields, Basingstoke, Hants RG22 4XJ. Tel: 01256 477253

[email protected]

Reunion Liaison Officer: Peter Mersh

24 Asher Reeds, Langton Green, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN3 0AN Tel: 01892 862643

[email protected]

Overseas Liaison Officers

Iberia: Brian Morgan Tel: 0034 952 196446 • [email protected]

Australia: David A. Wood Tel: 0402 195390 • [email protected]

New Zealand: Brian Churcher Tel: 0064 7 549 4230 • [email protected]

Singapore: Lim Tow Soon Tel: 0065 9647 2953 • [email protected]

RAF Changi Association(Including HQ FEAF)

Founded May 1996

The aim of the RAF Changi Association is to bring together all thosewho were stationed at RAF Changi (including HQ FEAF) Singapore,

in order to renew old friendships and make new ones.www.rafchangi.com

© RAF Changi Association. No part of this Newsletter may be reproduced in any form or by any means, graphic, electronicor mechanical, including photocopying, without the prior written or verbal consent of the chairman or secretary.

April 2019 3 Changi-ite Newsletter

Regalia items have been despatched since I last wrote. I have also sent outseveral “get well” cards to members reminding them that we are thinking ofthem and praying they will have a speedy recovery. Please contact me if youknow of someone who would appreciate a card and I will be more than happyto write and reassure them that they are in our thoughts. I look forward tomeeting up with many of you once again at our forthcoming Reunion inNottingham in May. Take care. Pat Holt (Secretary)

The membership state at the start of 2018 was showing a balance of 915and as the year has progressed we sadly have suffered the biggest drop inmembership in any one year since the formation of the association. This, asI have written in my previous report we must accept is probably due to ourageing membership. In the meantime, despite our continuing efforts infollowing up all leads, new enquiries amounted to 31 new names of peoplewho have memories of Changi during the year and from which we recruited

only 17 new members ‘on board’ during the year.The net result then, at the end of 2018 during a year, as already mentioned, closed with a

paid up membership of 848.So I say, just remember the best line of introduction to the association is still through our

existing membership and therefore I would ask you all to keep a watch out for anyone who hasserved at Changi.

You may have noticed in the last edition of the Changi-ite, amongst the new member listing,that of Air Commodore Dan Honley, CBE RAF (Retd.) and his wife Anne. He, then as GroupCaptain, was the last Station Commander when RAF Changi was closed down in 1972. I am nowpleased to report that just after the last edition of the magazine went to print your committee,after the bi-annual meeting passed on an invite to them both to join us for lunch at our usualrestaurant nearby. This was graciously accepted and a very pleasant afternoon was enjoyed byall. Maybe members remember serving under him during their last days at Changi and perhapswould like to put recall anything of the closing stages of the base.

Now, at the middle of February when preparing my report, (and by the time you read this atthe end of the first quarter of 2019), I am estimating that we will be aware of a further drop innumbers due usually to non-renewal of and the demise of further membership, my estimate,based on previous years are that we be listing around 810 members.

Finally, many thanks for all the greetings cards and compliments sent in with the Christmaspost, they really are appreciated and I do pass on your good wishes to the rest of the committee.

Malcolm Flack (Membership Secretary)

Well here we are again at the start of yet another year. It’s hard to realisejust how long ago it was that we did our Royal Air Force service at Changi inSingapore, followed up later by Mike James, our founder member, puttingthe wheels in motion to set up the Royal Air Force Changi Association in1996. By the time I joined in1998, the Association already had in excess ofsix hundred members. Since its formation, it has given immense pleasureto us all by rekindling memories of those far off days and put us back into

contact with old colleagues; we have also been able to make new friends with kindred spirits fromthose memorable halcyon days.

To say “Thanks, Mike!” seems massively inadequate. A few years after its formation ourmembership peaked at just over twelve hundred personnel, but it now stands at somewhere inthe region of eight to nine hundred, due mainly to reduction by ‘natural causes’, taking intoconsideration the average age that we have now achieved. Malcolm Flack’s report will give theaccurate figure.

On the 10th May we will be holding our 23rd Annual Reunion and AGM, once again at theNovotel in Nottingham, following the good response received last year. We hope that many of youwill be in attendance as much effort is put into the event’s organisation, especially by Peter Mershand the personnel at Isle of Wight Tours.

I have received several enquiries recently regarding the possibility of there being another tripto Singapore and Penang next year, 2020. I appreciate that after the last holiday I suggested thishad been the last, taking into consideration the cost of travel insurance, plus the fact that noneof us are getting any younger – and the thought of sitting for in excess of twelve hours in anaircraft. Anyway, give it some serious thought and if sufficient interest is shown I will start sortingout the details in August of this year.

So that’s all from me. Kind regards to you all.John Dicks (Chairman)

Chairman/Archivist’s Report

Secretary’s Report

A YEAR ago, on pages14-17 of NewsletterIssue 66, we printed anarticle by PriscillaRoberts, the daughterof a Changi navigator who hadbeen involved in covert flights overLaos in 1962. The story evoked agood deal of interest and LucyFisher, the Defence Correspondentof The Times newspaper contactedme to enquire whether othermembers of our Association mayhave been involved in similaroperations. Details appear in page12 of this issue.

I have been in touch withProfessor Roberts who has noobjection to the disclosure offurther revelations, believing thepassage of time will haveeliminated the likelihood of trig-gering an international incident.

If there are any members whowere aircrew at Changi in thesecond half of 1962 and can recallsimilar flights we would be gratefulif you could make contact with usat your convenience.

It was most unusual to receivethis month only one request forinformation on “Searchline”.

Information relating to Sgt.William Roche Griffiths, who hadbeen shot down over Belgiumduring World War II, was sought.

Since I had been delayed byunwelcome computer problemsfrom producing the pages for thisissue, I decided to embark on alittle research myself and foundenough material to fill another twopages. If any member can furnishfurther information on the story ofW/O Griffiths, please contactChangi-ite, Jonathan Humphries atthe Liverpool Echo newspaper oremail [email protected]

Look forward to meeting againat the May Reunion. Les Davies

EDITORIAL

CONTENTSCommittee Reports......................3A Member’s Thoughts ...................4Changi/Butterworth Scroll...............5Postcards from the Past..................6Searchline ............................7/8/9Your Letters...........................10/11Britain’s Secret Vietnam Missions ...12David Haylock (obituary) ..............13National Service Memories .......14/17Annual Reunion Recollections ........18New Members/Obituaries/Events .....19Regalia Shop ............................20

Membership Secretary’s Report


IT surprises me to hear people’s opinions onNational Service. Whenever the subject

comes up, comments range from those whoenjoyed the experience to others whoconsidered it to be a complete waste of twoyears. I fall into the first group and tell peoplethat it was the best two years of my life, atwhich point my wife usually reminds me of ourpast 56 years; but that is another story.

I was called up in October 1958, aged 21,having been deferred to complete myapprenticeship, and reported to RAFCardington for kitting out. ings did notlook too good for me when in my first week acorporal came into our hut and enquired howmany of us were two-year men; over half of usraised a hand. “You’ll be lucky,” was hisresponse, “we’ve just invaded Egypt so youcould all be in much longer.” Luckily this didnot happen, although it did affect my travels.

e next eight weeks were spent at RAFBridgnorth in Shropshire which, to say theleast, was pretty horrible. Learning how tomarch, how to fire and maintain a .303 rifleand the Bren gun. It was then onwards to RAFSutton-on Hull, in Yorkshire for ten weeks.When called up I was a qualified ElectricalFitter but the RAF, in their wisdom, decidedthat I would be of more use to them as anAirfield Crash Rescue Fireman. I soon learntthat January, February and March were not thebest months to be spraying cold water aroundand doing pump drills; still it was a lot betterthan square-bashing.

At the end of the course we were invited tosay where we would like to serve our time and,as a London boy, I selected ‘anywhere in theHome Counties’ as I had a steady girlfriendand would be able to see her frequently. Whenthe postings list went up I was amazed todiscover that I was being posted to Singapore.Up until this time in my life I had not travelledfar; yes, I had been abroad a couple of times tothe Isle of Wight and had experienced holidayswhere foreign languages were spoken, likeNorth Wales and Newcastle; but that was asgood as it got.

I was now posted to RAF Innsworth inGloucestershire, to be issued with tropicaluniforms and equipment and to receive moreinjections to ward off attacks from infection=carrying bugs and insects. We were nowadvised that we would be travelling bytroopship, the Empire Orwell, and due to theBritish/French invasion of Egypt, the Suez

Canal was closed, so we would have to sailaround South Africa and across the IndianOcean, which would take five weeks. So wewere taken by train to Southampton to boardour ship, which was run by the RAF – so mostof us were issued with a job to keep us busy andout of mischief. ere were six of us sprogfiremen on board, with basic first-aid training,so we ended up as ‘gofers’ in the ship’s hospital,where our duties involved keeping the hospitalclean and tidy and fetching and carrying forany sick personnel.

e good thing about this duty was that weate the same food as the senior NCOs, whichwas far superior to that served up on the troopdeck. When we came off duty we would supplyour mates with fresh fruit, from the galley, andon one occasion we had spent time in the ship’shold searching for some medical supplies andwe came across a box containing literallyhundreds of condoms, so we helped ourselvesand handed them out on the troop deck later,although what the blokes were expected to dowith them I dread to think. On our travels we

stopped for an afternoon ashore on GranCanaria in the Canary Isles. en on to CapeTown, on a Sunday, for a day of shore leave,where three of us firemen were lucky enoughto be picked up by a South African and takento his home for lunch. While we were there hetold us that he was the chauffeur for the Mayorof Cape Town and he would show us aroundusing the Mayor’s official car. So we spent theafternoon in a brand new Buick saloon bearingthe crest of Cape Town across the front grille,seeing the sights, although we never actuallysaw Table Mountain which was shrouded inmist for our entire visit. Our next port of callwas around the corner in the Indian Ocean atDurban, for another day’s shore leave, althoughthe only thing that I remember is twice beingmistaken for South African police, in our shirtsleeve order.

Our next port of call was Colombo, inCeylon, now Sri Lanka, but I did not getashore here as I was on duty in the ship’shospital, where we had an outbreak of measlesamongst the officers and senior NCOs’children. Upon reaching Singapore we wereinformed that crash firemen were not wantedso we would be going on to Hong Kong. reedays later we boarded a Valetta for a short

journey to RAF Labuan in North Borneo,where we stopped for a couple of hours, forlunch. Our next stop was at Clarke Field USArmy Air Force Base, on Luzon Island in thePhilippines, where we stayed for the night. iswas a real eye-opener as to how the other halflives.

e next day we flew on to Hong Kong,arriving in the middle of a heavy monsoonshower, once again to be told that we were notwanted here either. Six months later found meon another troopship, the Nevasa, on athree-day cruise back to Singapore,accompanied by the regiment of the King’sOwn Scottish Borderers who were going backto Blighty after two-and-a-half years in HongKong. I had been posted to RAF Changi formy last ten months of service. It was here thatI managed to achieve the rank of SeniorAircraftman and learned how to drive. Ithoroughly enjoyed myself on this station andmet several blokes that I am still in touch with.All too soon it was time to go home, a journeyonce again by troopship, an older, slower ship,the Dilwara; the good news was that the SuezCanal had been re-opened, the bad news wasthat it would still take about five weeks.

On the way back we stopped at Colombowhich I considered to be quite nondescript,then on to Aden which lived up to itsreputation of being the ‘Arsehole of the World’,sailing through the Suez Canal could have beeninteresting but we did it at night arriving atPort Said early in the morning. en it wasthrough the Mediterranean with a briefafternoon stop at Gibraltar and then back toSouthampton, where it was raining, and HMCustoms and Excise took us all to the cleaners.

I think I can honestly say that I enjoyed themajority of my time as a National Servicemen.Obviously this does not include the first fourmonths of square bashing and trade training,but the rest of the time seemed to just fly past,and I am pleased that I did it. It was a greatexperience, not to be missed.

Going back to my earlier statement aboutwanting to be able to see my girlfriend, well itwas not to be because I was waiting for abirthday card from her while I was at Changi,but received a ‘Dear John’ instead, which wasa bit ironic really as when I started to go withher she was going steady with a chap who wasdoing his National Service as a MilitaryPoliceman in Singapore. So it really was a caseof the biter being bitten!

John Dicks (M603)

A member’s thoughts on National Service


lN clearing up in readiness for the ‘Pull Out’ from RAFChangi in 1971 an ‘Illuminated Scroll’ came into my

possession which contained greetings from the BaseCommander of Royal Australian Air Force BaseButterworth, Air Commodore Ford (RAAF), to theStation Commander of RAF Changi, on the 45thAnniversary of the founding of the Royal Air Force on 1April 1918. e Scroll was accompanied by a number offull plate official RAF Changi Photographic Sectionphotographs, all dated 1 April 1963.

I do not know how the method of passage from Penangto Singapore was decided upon but somehow, the RAFChangi Cross Country Club got involved and a decisionwas made to carry the ‘Scroll’ by hand in an OlympicGames type ‘Torch Relay’. Now considering that the roaddistance from Penang to Singapore is almost 450 miles,this was some very brave and courageous decision!

Obviously someone had done their homework incalculating daily running distances to ensure that the scrollarrived in Singapore to be presented to the StationCommander on the actual Anniversary date, in additionto arranging rest stops accommodation and meals.

During my stay in Singapore, at RAF Changi and HQ

FEAF, from February 1968 to March 1971 I did notdiscover any details about the run.

My only pearl of wisdom is that the captain of theteam, crouching to the left of the ‘Scroll’ in the teamphotograph became the RAF Regiment Warrant Officerat RAF North Luffenham in 1965 where he and Isurveyed and set out a new Cross Country course.(Regrettably I cannot recall his name.)

Perhaps some Association members were members ofthe relay team and will recognise themselves on the TeamPhotograph accompanying the ‘Scroll’. e run was asignificant event in the history of Changi and Butterworthand an incredible feat of endurance running.

If anyone can supply any more details about the run Iam sure the Editor would be pleased to publish them in afurther Newsletter article. Having held on to the Scrolland photographs for somewhat over forty-seven years Iwould personally be more than interested.

Before returning to UK in March 1971 I offered the‘Scroll’ to the RAF Museum but my offer was declined. Iam now tempted to seek a final resting place for the‘Scroll’ at the Royal Australian Air Force Museum at PointCook in Victoria, Australia.

Mal Davies (M1645) writes to Changi-ite from Canberra, Australia about the

The Changi/Butterworth 1963 Memorial Scroll

From bottom leftclockwise: The ChangiStation Commanderviews the scroll;handing over the scroll;and the the team.

We are grateful to Mal for this little piece of history. “This

is Radio R double A FB!” - a phrase that brings back

memories to Penangites who grew up in the 1970s. In

particular, they would look forward to Saturday nights

when their song dedications were played throughout the

night on Radio RAAF Butterworth. The Australians took

over the air base from the British in 1958 but the 1970s

were really its golden years as its personnel and

dependants grew to almost 5,000 people, all living around

the state in Butterworth and also on the island.


Postcards from the pastCompiled by Mike James

Bird’s eye view of Singapore (1960s). Courtesy of Peter Chubbs (M1485)

Aerial view of Singapore (1950s). Courtesy of Fred Irwin (M2007)


Searchline

No. 69

Compiled by Brian Lloyd(Please respond directly to: [email protected])

1. WARRANT OFFICER WILLIAM RICHARD GRIFFITHS - 1955 and 1959. Enquiry from a

researcher. William, now deceased, was promoted to Warrant Officer in 1958. Does anyone have any

memories of WO Griffiths? He was buried in Everton, Liverpool, in 1985.

Unusually, the above item was the only query listed

for our Searchline No. 69, so Changi-ite decided

to do a little ‘delving’ of its own and some answers

to questions asked were revealed in last year’s

news pages of the Liverpool Echo, which carried

a headline Astonishing secret linking “sweet oldlady” to WW2 hero who died alone in Liverpool.

His name was actually William Roch Griffiths,

who was born in Barmouth, Gwynedd. He survived

the war but died, seemingly alone, in December

1984, and was buried in an unmarked public grave

in Everton Cemetery in Liverpool.

On June 2, 1942, the then Sgt. Griffiths was

returning from a bombing raid on the Krupps

Works in Essen, Germany, when his Lancaster

bomber was attacked by Messerschmitt fighter

planes. An RAF report, based on Sgt Griffiths’

account, paints a nightmarish picture of the

situation of the doomed Lancaster.

The report stated: “The moon was dead astern

of the Lancaster and the rear-gunner (Sgt.

Griffiths) was watching the Messerschmitt turning

and preparing to come in and attack, when

suddenly his turret was smashed from below.

Another fighter must have come up and attacked

from below and hit not only the turret but the whole

fuselage and the wings. The inner port petrol tank

caught fire and it seemed that the whole aircraft

was on fire and smoking. The rear-gunner (Sgt

Griffiths) was the only man of the crew to be

wounded and, in reply to the pilot’s question,

stated that he was slightly wounded but able to

carry on.”

The account describes how Sgt. Griffiths

attempted to continue operating his guns only to

find that they had been damaged and could not be

moved.

A later report by Wing Commander S. D. Felkin

tells that Sgt. Griffiths had great trouble opening

the doors of the turret, which had become jammed,

but after a terrific effort he managed to force them

open. Sgt. Griffiths found the mid-upper gunner,

Sgt. Hartley, already at the door and, as Hartley did

not seem too keen on making the jump, Griffiths

pushed him out and then sat on the edge, from

which he slipped off at probably 10,000 feet. His

boots had been dragged off while sitting on the

edge. The three other men on board died when the

Lancaster crashed. Sgt. Hartley was never found,

but Sgt Griffiths landed heavily in a field near

Plancenoit, breaking all his upper front teeth.

Bleeding from a shrapnel wound to his arm and

in tremendous pain, Sgt Griffiths sought help from

a local in a nearby house, who helped him bury his

parachute, burn his flying kit and gave him new

boots.

Sgt Griffiths, after an arduous and tense journey

through France, Spain and Gibraltar, was able to

find his way back to British shores and survived the

war.

Joséphine and Jules were not so fortunate.

Above: The “sweet old lady”, Joséphine Van Durme(right) and pictured, left, with her fiance, Jules Colle.


In what turned out to be a terrible mistake, a

member of their group tried to sneak out to visit a

fairground, only to be captured and tortured by the

Gestapo. The man caved in and revealed the

secret hideout of his Comet Line comrades.

When 150 Nazi troops stormed the school, the

pair initially managed to escape with the help of a

Belgian lawyer, turned secret agent for the British,

Jean Flacon.

Flacon leaped over a wall and strangled a Nazi

soldier to death, giving them time to escape and

flee to Brussels.

Their luck did not hold, and in 1943 Joséphine

and Jules were arrested, although Jean Flacon

escaped and survived the war.

She paid a heavy price for her defiance, and her

family say evidence suggests she was forced to

watch thugs from the Gestapo, the Nazi secret

police, torture her fiancé, Jules Colle.

They even believe a notorious Nazi doctor,

Helmut Ernst Rath, performed experiments on her

which left her sterile, while she was held in

Waldheim prison in Germany. But Joséphine never

talked.

Sgt Griffiths, born in Barmouth, Gwynedd,

survived the war but died, seemingly alone, in

December 1984, and was buried in an unmarked

public grave in Everton cemetery.

Now Joséphine’s great-great nephew, music

teacher Gregory Delbrouck, is determined to find

some living relatives of Sgt Griffiths.

After her death, Gregory and his dad emptied

out Joséphine’s apartment and came across boxes

of letters, files and photographs.

Inside the boxes were pieces of Sgt Griffiths’

uniform, still stained with dry blood, his air gunner

badge, and even a piece of shrapnel removed from

his arm.

Sgt. Griffiths’s AirGunner Patch

A piece ofSgt. Griffiths’sblood-stained uniform.

The Warrant Officer’s unmarked gravein Everton Cemetery.

Order for IntermentNo. 50468

Warrant Officer Griffiths’s DeathCertificate entry.

�

City of LiverpoolEverton Cemetery


The William Roch Griffiths story as itappeared in the Cambrian News

THE great-great-nephew of a war hero is

trying the track down the family of a

Meirionnydd airman who escaped the Nazis

after he was shot down over Belgium at the

height of the Second World War.

In the early hours of 3 June 1942, a

Lancaster Bomber flying back to the UK was

gunned down and crash landed 14

kilometres south of Brussels, near Waterloo,

with seven airmen aboard.

Tragically, six of the seven men perished

in the crash.

The sole survivor, Air Gunner Sgt William

Roch Griffiths (1212794), somehow

managed to escape the wreckage but found

himself alone and injured, stranded deep

behind enemy lines.

Fortunately for the lost soldier, assistance

was available in the form of the celebrated

‘Comet Line’, a resistance group in Belgium

and France that helped Allied soldiers and

airmen return to Britain during the Second

World War.

Sgt Griffiths – who hailed from Mount

Pleasant, Barmouth – was fortuitously

picked up by resistance fighters after his

crash landing who then helped the injured

soldier by extracting shrapnel from his arm

and binding his injuries.

After his treatment, Sgt Griffiths was

helped by resistance fighter Joséphine Van

Durme who hid the Welshman at her

mother’s house in Waterloo.

From there he was given false documents

and new clothes and smuggled across

enemy territory to neutral Spain in a

terrifying journey lasting four weeks beneath

the ever watchful eye of the Nazis.

During his escape, Sgt Griffiths’ saviour

Joséphine Van Durme and her fiancé were

captured and sent to camps in Germany for

their role in resisting the Nazi war machine.

She survived her ordeal and returned to

Belgium some months later but horrifically,

her fiancé was shot whilst he was in

captivity.

Sgt Griffiths, who had made it to British

territory, was transferred out of Gibraltar on

21 July, 1942.

Weeks later he sent a letter in Welsh,

thanking Joséphine Van Durme for her

assistance and stating his desire to meet

again after the end of the war.

Now, 76 years later, the

great-great-nephew of Joséphine Van

Durme is attempting to find Sgt Griffiths’

family and return some of his artefacts to

them.

Gregory Delbrouck, of Westmalle,

Belgium, has contacted the Cambrian News

in a bid to learn more about the

extraordinary past of his formidable relative.

“I started this investigation by myself

when my father gave me all the archive

materials from my great-great-aunt

Joséphine Van Durme, who was a

resistance fighter, and member of the secret

army in Belgium during World War 2,”

Gregory explained.

“She never spoke of the war afterwards

because it had left a great impact on her life.

Her fiancé, also a member of the resistance,

was executed by the Nazis.

“Joséphine Van Durme passed away on

28 December 2009.

“During her time as a member of the

famous ‘comet line’ she, and others, helped

escape a pilot by the name of William Roch

Griffiths.

“He was the sole survivor of their

Lancaster MK1 crashing in Waterloo and a

blooded piece of uniform from his arm, his

Air Gunner patch and a small piece of the

plane is in our possession.

“It would of course be fantastic if we could

find out what he looked like or what

happened to him after the war. Does he still

have living relations? Can we fill in the gaps

about his great escape?

“If I could find his relatives I am willing to

come to Wales to give back what belongs to

the family. It would be an honour.”

A trip down with your letters and photos to Changi-ite

IN reply to the request from MoyaMortimer (M1977) (née SACWMoya Alford) to track down herunknown ‘deep sea box’ owner, Ithink I may have the answer. If it’s theGraham Wade I know, he served on215 Squadron 1963-65/6 at Changi.

‘Squeek’, as he was known, is stillalive and kicking and organisesreunions for past members of 215around the Ardet reunions heldannually at RAF Benson.

I have attached Squeek’s e-mailaddress and hope he can throw somelight on Moya’s enquiry. Should itturn out to be her mystery ‘Mr Wade’,I’m sure both parties will be tickledpink. Squeek’s a great lad.

P.S.: Squeek, I trust you take theChangi-ite Newsletter; if not, you’remissing out mate!

Best of luck and a big ‘whatcha’ toall 215 Squadron members of this era.

SAC Peter Gravett (M484)(aka Charlie), Rigger, 215 Sqdn.

MEW Hydraulic BayJuly 1963 to November 1965

HELLO Les, I am that man fromPeterborough referred to in the letterwritten by Moya Mortimer (M1977),who remembered meeting me atChangi all those years ago.

Due to all this “Data Protection”rubbish, I understand that you areunable to give me any details abouther, so it would be appreciated if youwould kindly ask her to contact me. Iam not 100% sure, but think she waseither in the Dental Section, or AirTraffic!

I am still living in Peterborough!Graham Wade (M647)

(Our first ‘Deep Sea Box’ success! Wehave been able to put Moya andGraham in touch with each other.)

AS usual I was delighted to receive thelatest Changi-ite Newsletter, which Inow read from cover-to-cover.

In the last issue, page 17 took myinterest: the item on “e GhostsReturn”. I remember the ChangiHospital very well and was friendswith one of the chaps who workedthere, a Corporal Ernie Higgs who, Ithink, did things to people’s feet! Infact, he married a WRAF corporalwho worked with me in Air StaffPlans, Block 35 HQ FEAF,throughout 1954 and 1955.Unfortunately, Ernie has since passedaway, but ex-WRAF Cpl ValerieSullivan, as was, and I are still friends.

Back to the article on page 17.Mention was made of DaveHucklesby and his old Astra cinemaprogrammes. I too have several ofthose, in pristine condition. I lookedthem out and have issues 1, 2, 3 and6 of e Ghosts Return, together withone entitled e Ghosts’ Ghost. Isuspect Dave already has those, but ifnot he can have any of them.

As an addendum, way back in the1950s I used to frequent the AstraCinema, buying the well put togetherprogrammes for the princely sum offive cents. I usually by-passed themany advertisements for shops in thevillage and what I now see were veryinteresting articles, snippets and jokesof the “dohh” variety. I am nowreading them.

Of course, I suspect the village haschanged out of all recognition, butex-airmen of my age might recognisesome of the names of traders there atthe time. I list them from one of the1954 Astra programmes: MeilongStore, Changi Provision Store, Singh& Sons, Ban Sheng Store, LuckyProvision Store, e Peiping Store,

Karachi Silk Store, Jong Sing, RoseLadies’ Fashion House, S. M. AbdulGaffer & Co., Ramzan (stationbarber), Mayfair Store, Charlie’sPhoto Store, A. T. Gnanapragasam(bookseller), Shing Fatt . . . and so itgoes on. If advertising paid for theprogramme, then no wonder it wasonly 5 cents.

Incidentally, my cheeky grandsonrecently presented me with a chinamug. Printed on either side is aroundel with the words “Have I toldyou I used to be in the RAF?” printedbeneath. So I guess I must havementioned it . . . in passing!

Long may the Changi-ite continue.Anthony Taylor (M205)

SADLY, I lost my wife in Aprilfollowing a stroke and after 64 yearsof marriage.

Following her death after 10 weeksin hospital, I wondered how I couldrepay the staff for their wonderfulattention during her time in their careand ended up doing two tandem skydives from 10,000 feet; what afantastic experience!

My efforts raised £600 for theStroke Ward charity and is goingtowards the purchase of a new strokescanner for A&E.

Anyway, I am now a member ofthe Yorkshire Sky Divers’ Centre,which is like one big happy family. Ifany members fancy having a go, dotry it.

I may be going to the AnnualReunion but will need to leave on theSunday so I can get to the Sky DivingCentre before the end of flying forthat day. I am normally there onSaturdays and Sundays.

Best wishes and ‘blue skies’ to all.Tom Rylatt (M2147)

We welcome your letters, whether they express concern, offer advice,present constructive criticism, or just recall happy memories or events from

Changi days. Please send your contributions to the editor by post or via emailto [email protected] and include your name and membership number.



AS an ex-SAC serving at FEAF OCRAF Changi as a Telegraphist from1966 to 1969, one of many storiescomes to mind during my time there.

Working the evening shift, at 2400hours Z time, I got the change-oversecret codes from the operations safeand changed them over. I then putthe codes back into the safe as I wasrequired to do.

At the end of my shift I travelledhome on my motorbike to the OperaEstate and, having had a busy day,had a shower and went to bed. erewas a European family living next tous, opposite a kampong site.

About 3am there was a banging onthe door. Both my wife and I werenaked and, being a bit apprenehsive,I went down to see who was there.

“Who is it?” I asked. “SIB,” camethe reply. “Open up!” While gettingthe keys to unlock the grille and door,and attempting to get decent at thesame time, the banging continued.

After the two callers entered ouraccommodation, one of them said:“Where are they?”

“Where are what?” I replied.“e change-over codes,” said one,

and proceeded to search the flat andmy bags on the motorcycle.

After approximately one hour ofbeing quizzed and searched while allthe time protesting my innocence, Iassured them that the codes had beenreturned to the safe.

Eventually they left and after I hadreturned to Comcen the next day, Ilearnt that the codes had eventuallybeen found in the safe, where theywere supposed to be.

Apparently the duty officer hadthem out for his change-over; he’dreturned them to the safe, but hiddeninside another book!

What on earth was I going to dowith them anyway; and would theyhave been of any use to a subversiveelement? I think not. e annoyingthing was that we never even got anapology from the parties concerned.

Jack Hobbs (M2190)

YOUR “Ghost Returns” article (Issue68) made being held a prisoner of warby the Japanese in World War Twoabout as enjoyable as a holiday camp.

I have a heavy shelf of P.O.W.

reminiscences that tends to tell a lesscomforting story. I have an evenlonger account of the trial of aKempeitai Japanese colonel who washanged in Singapore for his cruelties.

A hundred thousand well-armedallied men surrendered to 60,000poorly-armed Japanese. e BritishRaj reputation ended there.

Tomoyuki Yamashita, the ImperialJapanese Army general known as the‘Lion of Malaya’, was later hanged inthe Philippines.

I myself as an autodidact, semi-literate scribbler, tended to put a“Boys’ Own” gloss on the debacle byimagining a civilian anti-Jap visionaryof the coming collapse who, bycreating his own small army ofwell-trained underground fightersand installing them in hiddenpositions in the Malayan jungle wellbefore the Japanese invasion.

I comforted an old school-friendin BMH Singapore when he had sixsten gun bullets fired into him by a‘friendly’ patrol – so the reputation ofBritish military incompetence wasstill alive and well.

Frank R. Long (M1555)

Please submit any items to be considered for inclusion in the Newsletter to

[email protected] and please include your membership number

Appeal from Mike James

SINCE Mike James, our Association’s founder, retiredfrom his chairmanship, he has more leisure time on

his hands - and his thinking has gone global. Like the super rich ofyesteryear he now tends to winter in warmer climes and his destination ofchoice is normally Malaysia (and more specifically Penang), where he andDolores had, over the years, formed a close relationship with Alex and hiswife, the proprietors of e Last Drop restaurant. e biennial partiesfrequently dined there between 2000 and 2008. Earlier this year, Alexsolicited Mike’s help in his search for old Malayan and Singapore currencynotes. ese notes would be pre-1960 and marked “IN THE STRAITSSETTLEMENTS AND MALAY STATES”. If any members still holdsuch out-of-date currency that they are willing to part with, please contactMike direct as he is in constant contact with Alex.


In April 2018 Changi-ite published a storyby Priscilla Roberts, the daughter of

Flt Lt Donald Roberts, a navigator, whichtold of covert RAF flights over Laos againstthe Ho Chi Minh Trail by Hastings aircraft

from 48 Squadron based at Changi in 1962.The story was picked up by Lucy Fisher,Defence Correspondent of The Times, whocontacted Changi-ite to establish whether

other air crew members of 48 Squadron hadrecall of such flights. Professor Roberts, a

historian and writer, gleaned the knowledgefrom her father prior to his passing in

May 2014. She teaches in the Faculty ofBusiness of the City University of Macau.The text printed in The Times on Saturday,2nd February 2019 is reproduced below.

AN RAF pilot told his family that heflew over Laos to help fight the Viet

Cong rebels, Lucy Fisher writes.Britain provided covert assistance to

western forces in the Vietnam War byflying secret missions over Laos, thedaughter of a former Royal Air Forcenavigator has claimed.

Flight Lieutenant Donald Roberts,who was based in Asia with the RAF atthe time, confided in his family decadeslater that he had taken part in flyingHandley Page Hastings transport aircraftover Laos in the second half of 1962.

e alleged secret flights weredesigned to help close off the Ho ChiMinh Trail, a key logistics route that wasused to resupply the Viet Cong andNorth Vietnamese army fighting in theSouth. e RAF helped to transportNew Zealand SAS personnel and othercargo to the remote and mountainousarea, Roberts told his daughter, PriscillaRoberts, a professor at City University ofMacau, years after the event.

She has detailed his narrative in apublished paper for a Cold War historyinitiative convened by the WoodrowWilson International Centre forScholars, a think tank in Washington.Her father, who died in 2014, aged 84,was unable to provide proof of hisclaims, as he told his daughter that theairmen had been forbidden to record theflights in their logbooks.

He had, however, been permitted torecord flights between his permanentbase in Changi, Singapore, andailand. It was from Chiang Maiairfield in northern ailand or DonMuang airport near Bangkok that theLaos missions were launched, he

recalled. In one entry in his flyinglogbook he had written “Radio CompassMalfunction!” next to details of a flightfrom Singapore to Chiang Mai.

Professor Roberts wrote, however:“My father confirmed to me thatnothing of the sort had occurred. Giventhe particular sensitivity of this flight,with a British airplane ferrying NZ SASoperatives on a mission into supposedlyneutralised Laos, this entry may havebeen a precaution, just in case word ofthis flight did eventually leak out. In theinterests of plausible deniability thiswould have allowed the Britishgovernment to cite navigationaldifficulties as the reason for intrudinginto Laotian airspace.”

She added: “Tight security wasevident in other aspects. My fatherrecalled that as this group of men werewaiting on the tarmac to board theaircraft he attempted to chat with theteam members, introducing himself andasking who they were. ose whoreplied all laconically informed him thattheir name was ‘Smith’.”

Keeping the involvement over Laossecret would have been imperative toBritain as it had played a significant rolein securing the neutral status of thenation in the war, having co-chaired aglobal conference to agree the terms.Britain, along with the US, SovietUnion, China and ten other nations,signed the deal in July 1962, pledging torespect the neutrality of Laos.

Roberts told his daughter that thefirst of six missions he flew over Laostook place just as the Geneva agreementswere being signed. His explanation forBritain being drawn into Laos was that

the RAF had the four-engine HandleyPage Hastings aircraft, which were morereliable for flights over the mountainousterrain than America’s single andtwin-engine aircraft.

London was also under immensepolitical pressure from Washington tocontribute in the war. Roberts said thatat the end of 1962 he believed that theflights were taken over by Air America,the passenger and cargo airline secretlyowned by the US government from1950 to 1976.

Captain John Sullivan, 84, a friendof Roberts and a contemporary at RAFChangi in the 1960s, said that he hadnot been aware of the Laos flights butconfirmed that secret missions had takenplace. “It’s quite possible. We didoccasionally do things like that, but Iwasn’t involved [in these alleged flights],”he said. A search of RAF records anddeclassified UK intelligence reports inthe National Archives did not yieldproof of the alleged missions but seniormilitary figures believe that the claimsare plausible.

Air Chief Marshal Sir MichaelGraydon, a former head of the RAF,said: “I cannot be sure that the flightsdescribed took place but the evidence isconvincing; moreover, 48 Squadron wasbased at Changi up until 1967 andequipped at that time with the Hastingsaircraft which, being four-engined,would have been better for operations inthe rugged terrain of Laos thantwin-engine aircraft.”

Professor Roberts, 63, said she hopedthat her paper would encourage otherswith any knowledge of the missions tocome forward.


David Haylock (M921)� Dave will be sadly missed by those who knew him. After leaving the RAF, he practised asa Legal Executive until his retirement. During his retirement, amongst other interests he thenbecame qualified as a Welfare Case worker for the RBL. Upon hearing about and becominga member of the Changi Association he offered his services as Almoner and Medal Adviserto members at the same time. Just one month short of his 82nd birthday he passed away on17th January 2018. He leaves his wife Carol and a family. The funeral took place on 31stJanuary at Reading Crematorium and the service was conducted by his ex ‘Changi Buddie’Rev. Richard Christian (M1094) whom he first met up with after arriving at Changi during1955-57 while they were both in Air Traffic Flight Planning and were accommodated inBlock 121 (middle) according to both of their records. The wake afterwards was held atthe Local Branch of the RBL in Tilehurst where he was a very respected member.”

FEAF at theCenotaphArmisticeDay Parade

Left to right: John Dicks (M603), Margaret Roberts (M2350), Nigel Springthorpe (M677) and Dennis-Hill (M1941).

BRIAN LLOYD (M3) recentlyenjoyed a 45-minute vintage

flight from Compton AbbasAirfield, located 800 feet up in thehills south of Shaftesbury. Theviews of the countryside arestunning and include The NationalTrust property at Stourhead.

Brian flew in a 1953-built DeHavilland Chipmunk and sat in thetrainee’s seat immediately behindthe pilot. He was offered the dualcontrols but declined.

The picture shows Brian beingbriefed by the pilot beforeemplaning via the reinforcedspecial plate on the wing.

The most difficult part of theexercise was climbing over theedge of the fuselage into the lowseating position.

NATIONAL SERVICE wasintroduced in 1949, when the

number of volunteers for the armedforces fell short of what was needed tocover the country’s post-warcommitments around the world.Every able bodied man between 18and 26 was required to serve 18months, extended to two years in1950 when the Korean War started.

Barring failing the medical orgoing on the run, only those workingin three ‘essential industries’, i.e. coalmining, farming or the merchantnavy were exempted.

In their first few days, recruits wereissued with kit and uniform and giventhe regulation haircut. For most, itwas the first time they had been awayfrom their families. Recruits headedon to one of the many basic trainingcamps around the country(commonly called ‘square bashing’camps). ey would remain there foreight weeks. Conscripts often slept inramshackle barracks, twenty to aroom with little heating, primitivetoilets and poor washing facilities.ey would be woken early each dayand spent hours marching on theparade ground under the supervisionof a drill instructor.

Afternoons were taken up withfield or rifle training and a gruellingexercise regime of cross country runsand obstacle courses. Evenings werespent cleaning the barracks, their kitand their rifles, a routine known as“bull”. If standards slipped, punish-ments were dished out, such as beingconfined to barracks, washing latrinesor peeling potatoes, known asspud-bashing. Basic pay in 1949 was28 shillings (£1.40p) a week, muchless than the average wage of around

£8 at the time.After basic training, the airmen

would be posted, either home orabroad, some having receivedspecialist training in a specific trade.Some 1.5 million men had completedtheir National Service (mainly in theArmy) by the time it was formallyabolished in 1960; and around125,000 National Servicemen weredeployed in war zones and 395 losttheir lives in combat.

Nevertheless, many nationalservicemen, myself included, lookback fondly on their National Servicedays as a time of great camaraderie.Plenty of the bonds formed would lasta lifetime. Veterans often say theexperience made them stronger andthe discipline learnt helped them intheir civilian lives.

I was one of hundreds of youngmen from the valley called up toundergo National Service. Noteveryone was lucky enough to get agood posting, though I was one whodid, ending up at RAF Changi inSingapore. It was one of the mostmodern and well equipped stations inthe Royal Air Force.

My own story starts in the earlysummer of 1951, not long after my19th birthday. I received my call-uppapers and went to Swansea for mymedical and interview. I was acceptedinto the Royal Air Force, which wasmy first choice. On 11th July 1951 Ileft home for the first time andtravelled to Padgate in Lancashirewhere I found an intake of boys fromall over the country. We were issuedwith uniforms, etc., and within aweek were advised which trainingcamp we would be posted to. I wentto No. 11 School of Recruit Training,

RAF Hednesford and remained thereuntil the end of September 1951.

Facilities for sporting activities atthis camp were poor. I do notremember playing football or cricket.We did, however, have theopportunity of obtaining the RAFSwimming Proficiency Certificate.making use of the baths in Walsall.

During our training period atHednesford some of us wereinterviewed to assess our interest andaptitude for air crew training. I got asfar as a flight in a Tiger Moth aircraftat TAF Cosford in the Midlands (Iwas wearing a parachute) but decidedI was not cut out for air crew. enext step was to choose a trade readyfor moving to another RAF camp atthe end of the basic training. I choseto train as a wireless operator (i.e.receiving and transmitting Morsecode). Once again I was lucky, beingaccepted and posted to RAFCompton Bassett in Wiltshire toundertake a 19-week course oftraining. I stayed at the camp fromthe end of September 1951 toFebruary 1952.

Sporting facilities at the camp weremuch better than Hednesford and,following some early trials, I becamea regular member of the camp’s soccerteam, playing mid-week against theother RAF and Army camps and alsofixtures on a Saturday in a Wiltshireleague.

e training at Compton Bassettwas strange at first and I thought Iwould never achieve the standardrequired to pass out as a trainedwireless operator (commonly knownin the RAF as a W’op). However,everything turned out well in the end.We had a few periods of weekend

National Service memoriesin the RAF (1951-1953)

Winston Spanswick (M2096)


leave and on one occasion I invitedtwo of my colleagues to join me. eywere both Scots and it was too far forthem to travel home for a weekend.ey got a grand welcome at myhome and joined me on the Saturdayfor a trip to Morriston, whereNantymoel AFC had a Welsh Leaguefixture.

Weekend leave would start atlunch time on the Friday. Transportwould be laid on to take us to BristolParkway, from where we would get atrain to Bridgend. After the returnjourney on Sunday night we would bemet by the transport to take us backto camp. During the latter part of ourtraining at Compton Bassett, our classstarted to think about where we maybe posted (if we passed the relevantexams) and it was at this stage that weheard of the possibility of beingposted overseas. ere was a bigdemand for W’ops at bases overseasand we started getting ‘jabs’(inoculations) to protect us againstcertain tropical diseases

I passed the relevant exams at theend of our training and was told wewould be moving to a transit camp atLytham, Lancashire, to await news ofthe next troopship to sail fromSouthampton to the Far East. At thisstage we did not know where in theFar East we would end up. Our nightsin Lytham were spent either in thetown’s ballrooms or the WinterGardens dance locations, as theLytham camp was only a few milesaway.

We were not at Lytham long, butlong enough to be kitted out with ourtropical uniforms. e switch fromour conventional uniforms would bemade en route to the Far East.

Early in February 1952 wetravelled by rail down toSouthampton to embark on theEmpire Orwell, which was to be ourhome for the next four or five weeks.At this stage we still did not knowwhere we would end up. All we knewwas that we were off to the Far East.

e journey through the Bay ofBiscay saw most of us come downwith sea sickness. It was wonderful toget through the Straits of Gibraltarand I started to realise that I wasabout to visit places in the world thatonly four or five years earlier I hadbeen learning about in geographyclasses with Mr. Winston Rees at whatwas then the Ogmore Sec.

We had shore leave in Algiers butwere warned to keep clear of theCasbah. On to Port Said – but noshore leave because of problems inthat area at the time. Down the SuezCanal and into the Red Sea beforearriving at Aden and more shoreleave. Across the Indian Ocean toColombo where a soccer match wasplayed with the crew taking on a teamselected from the Army and RAFpersonnel on board. I was included inthe team and it was my firstexperience of playing in a 90-plusdegree heat. Betweek Colombo andSingapore we were told of our finaldestination. I was to be stationed atRAF Changi, Singapore. Some of mymates also got Changi, but otherswent on to Hong Kong.

At the time there were three RAFbases in Singapore. Seletar was a flyingboat base and Tengah a fighter planebase. RAF Changi, the headquartersof the Far Est Air Force, was a hugecamp. It was the main base for thetransport aircraft in the Far East andit was the terminal point for theTransport Command routes from theUK. It was perfectly possible for theairman or airwoman posted toChangi to lead a full life without everleaving the base. ey could spendtheir leisure time in indulging in anyof a wide variety of sports facilities,there were clubs to occupy them inthe evenings and, when they hadmoney to burn, they could buy mostthings in Changi Village, which wasalmost an integral part of the camp.

How different it had been 10 yearsearlier. Very few RAF personnel wereat Changi, which housed the Royal

Engineers, Royal Artillery, and theGordon Highlanders; all stood readyfor war. e guns of Changi coveredthe sea approaches, but when theJapanese forced their way south in theweeks that followed, there dawned therealisation that those guns could notfire effectively in the direction fromwhich the attack would come. eChangi garrison could do little butwait and hope. Apart from twosmall-scale bombing raids in thecourse of which a few buildings inChangi Village were damaged, thewar did not come to Changi untilFebruary 1942.

On the evening of 7th February,the Japanese occupied Pulau Ubinand followed this up with a heavybombardment of Changi itself. eJapanese made their assault across thenarrowest part of the Johore Strait andthe defenders of Changi had to standidle while the Japanese gained astranglehold on the western part ofthe island. By the 12th February, theenemy had penetrated so close toSingapore city that General Percivalhad no choice but to order thedefending troops to be withdrawnfrom Changi so that all remainingforces could be concentrated within alimited perimeter around the city.

ree days later General Percivalaccepted the Japanese surrender termsand within a matter of hours theenemy decreed that Changi shouldbecome a gigantic prison camp, inwhich all the British captives wouldbe concentrated. e order for alltroops to move to Changi was givenon the 16th February and from thenuntil 18th February a procession ofover 50,000 prisoners trudged wearilyalong the winding road leadingeastwards from the city, watchedcuriously by the Asian inhabitantswho risked the anger of the Japaneseto distribute gifts of money and food;this was their war too and theirknowledge of the fate that hadbefallen their compatriots in Changiat the hands of the Japanese, left them


under no illusion as to what was instore for them. Most of the prisonerscarried as much clothing, food andcigarettes as they could, but theirprivate belongings – the letters, thediaries and the photographs whichmattered so much, had for the mostpart been left behind, because themen feared a Japanese search. ewounded and some other prisonerswho had come direct from thebattlefield had, of course, little in theway of food and clothing.

Back to 1952. My own postingwas to Operations Control, AirHeadquarters, Malaya, which waslocated on the Changi camp. I wasabout to find out that I was joining aunit which was heavily involved inanti-communist operations inMalaya. e Malayan Campaignlasted from 1948 to 1957.

Our accommodation block wasexcellent, with about 40 personnel oneach floor; quite a bit different tosquare-bashing! e building waslocated on top of a hill. Steps leddown to the main road to ChangiVillage (Netheravon Road), then stepsdown to the Chalet Naafi Club, andthen further steps down to the mainplaying fields, which in turn led on tothe swimming facilities. On oursecond day, everyone who had arrivedon the Empire Orwell had to meet inthe camp cinema to receive a welcomeand pep talk from the OfficerCommanding, RAF Changi.

Operations Control Malaya wasoperating 24 hours a day withWireless Operators and TeleprinterOperators, with all the staff workinga shift system. If you worked the 0800to 1300 hours shift you would beback on duty at midnight for the2400 to 0800 hours shift. You wouldthen have 36 hours off and be back onduty the following day for the 1300to 1800 hours shift. Your rota wouldstart again the following morningwith the 0800 to 1300 hours shift;and so on.

In the first few weeks we were

working under supervision, but it wasnot long before I was capable ofreceiving and transmitting Morsecode to the required standard. I wasto spend 17 months at Changi and itwas going to be one of the mostchallenging and enjoyable periods ofmy life. e work I was doing wasinteresting and important and, afterbeing demobbed in late July 1953, Isometimes regretted not taking up theoffer of signing on for an extra yearand spending it in Changi.

Dakotas and Valettas were used inMalaya for supply drops and airtrooping, tasks which in the difficultterrain and weather conditions of thearea, cost a squadron several aircraftand their crews. It was our job inOperations Control, Air HQ Malaya,to maintain signals contact with theseplanes once they were out of range ofradio telegraphy cover (verbal contactwith traffic controllers). We also hadcontact with transport planes betweenColombo and Singapore, which wereon route to or from the UK.

A wireless operator’s worstnightmare was to miss an SOS. tokeep us on our toes. You would be introuble if you missed an exercise SOS;and if you missed a live SOS youwould be moved to other work.Morse code is no longer used. Allcontact is verbal between pilots andair traffic controllers. e verbalequivalent of SOS is “May Day, MayDay, May Day”.

Periodically we were entitled toleave, but as we were so far away totake leave at home, we had to find analternative. Some just relaxed on thecamp, others spent time at the UnitedServices Club in Singapore, whichwas very close to the famous RafflesHotel. e best choice was a shortbreak on Penang, especially if youcould get a flight. Otherwise it was along train journey up through Malayaand there was always the possibility ofthe train being attacked by terrorists.

e sports facilities at Changi wereexcellent: soccer and hockey went

together in one season and rugby andcricket in the other. I made most ofthe opportunities and played for RAFChangi first teams in soccer, rugbyand cricket. In my second year at thecamp, about January 1953, theopportunity came to fly to Saigon. Iwas included in the RAF Malayasquad to play in a soccer tournamentwith RAF Hong Kong and twoVietnamese teams. We flew to Saigonin a Valetta aircraft and stayed for twoweeks.

At the time, Saigon was part ofFrench Indo China and only a fewyears after my visit, this part of theworld was in the news because of awar with France. Peace in Indo Chinawas agreed in 1954, though only nineyears later US troops went into actionin the country for the first time and itwas not until 1973 that the Vietnamwar came to an end.

Christmas 1952 brings back happymemories as Christmas morning twoteams were chosen, one from eachside of our accommodation block fora soccer match, one team to play intropical pyjamas the other in UKpyjamas. Christmas lunch was theonly time of the year when the officersserved the lower ranks. We were welllooked after in respect of food.

Changi had its own broadcastingstation and occasionally any specialevent in the UK would be broadcastthrough all the accommodationblocks. I have clear memories of onesuch event. We were eight hoursahead of UK time and on Saturday,2nd May 1953 we were all lying onour beds listening to the most excitingF.A. Cup Final ever played, with38-year-old Stanley Matthews thehero. With less than half an hour ofthe game between Blackpool andBolton Wanderers left to play,Blackpool were losing 3-1. en theveteran Matthews passed toMortensen to score. Mortensen gotanother from a free kick and finally,with only two minutes left, Matthewsagain beat his full back, crossed the


ball into the goalmouth and saw Perryput it into the net for a 4-3 win.

Two days later, 4th May 1953, itwas my 21st birthday and everyoneon our floor except those on duty,joined me in the Chalet Naafi Club tocelebrate my birthday. By now wewere quite used to Tiger beer so I ampleased to say there were not manyhangovers!

As we moved through the monthsof May and June 1953 our thoughtswere about our return journey to theUK, prior to demob. We were toldthat we should return by air, and weleft Changi late in July on a Hastingsaircraft, eventually landing at RAFLyneham in Wiltshire. Soon after takeoff I was called up to the cockpit toreceive a message from OperationsControl, HQ Malaya, wishing myselfand two other colleagues the best ofluck for the future. e signaller onthe plane allowed me to transmit anacknowledgement. e flight tookfive and a half days. In those days, theflight from Singapore to Colombocould be seven hours.

e best part of the journey was

from Cyprus to Lyneham. I only havevague memories of the places at whichwe stopped.

After proceeding to the Releaseand Discharge Centre at RAFLytham, we were issued with a “BriefStatement of Service and Certificateof Discharge”. My reserve centre wasNo. 63, RAF Hawarden, Chester, butI was never called up for part-time.

e three of us who had spentmost of our service time togetherwent our separate ways at CreweRailway Station - Danny Milne off toEdinburgh, Jimmy Hall to Glasgowand myself back to South Wales.Sadly, we never kept in contact witheach other.

A few weeks after settling back intocivilian life I went back to my clericaljob with the National Coal Board, butI must say that I did miss the life atChangi for quite some time.

My wife Maureen and I visitedSingapore in September 1992 at theend of a holiday that took in Bangkokand Bali. We spent five days inSingapore and top of our itinerary wasa visit to Changi Village, with a view

to finding out if anything was left ofthe Changi camp.

I was pleasantly surprised; wewalked along Netheravon Road,passed the old RAF Hospital whichhad recently been closed after beingused by the Singapore authorities.Our Naafi block had been convertedto an accident and emergency blockbelonging to the hospital, but thisagain had recently closed. We went upthe steps to our accommodationblock which had been used by theSingapore Air Force. I was excited tosee so many parts of the old campwhich I could identify with.

e new Singapore Civil Airport isknown throughout the world;facilities are excellent. We have beenback twice since, combining it with avisit to Malaysia and ailand.

Singapore is a great city and I willalways retain wonderful memories.

In 1953 it took us 5-6 days to flyfrom Singapore to the UK in aHastings aircraft: the same journey,almost 40 years later, took 12 hoursflying non-stop in a 747 Jumbo Jet.How times have changed!


R.A.F. LODGER UNITS CHANGI, 1952Winners of the United Services Singapore League (Division 1), RAF Malaya Cup and RAF Singapore League (Season 1952/53)

Back row: S. M. Lawes, Sgt. Lobb, LAC Berry, Sgt. Daly, Sgt. Semple, LAC Hamilton. Front row: Cpl. Hawthorn (trainer),AC Beattie, LAC Isherwood, Sgt. Davenport (capt.), LAC Spanswick, LAC Davies, Sgt. Doig (General Secretary).


Don’t forget the 23rd Annual Reunion of the RAF Changi Association(including HQ FEAF)

at the Novotel Nottingham, Bostock Lane, Long Eaton, Nottingham NG10 4EPon Friday to Monday, 10th to 13th May 2019.

Nigel Springthorpe (M677) reminds us of a Sunday morning at a previous Reunion . . .

The Time: Late Sunday morning in May

The Place: Metropole Hotel, CoventryThe Occasion: The Annual Reunion of

Members of the Far East

Air Force Association

Scene setting:Association members seated at a circular coffeetable in the hotel lounge: Wing Commander Arthur Motley, RAF(Retired), Secretary; Flight Sergeant Harold Cherry, RAF(Retired), Secretary; Leading Aircraftman Eric Tuttle(Retired), Assistant Secretary & Treasurer.

Motley: Well, chaps, before we begin the de-briefing I mustsay - for me at least - the weekend was a damn fine show. Acredit to the Association. Numbers up, well turned out and oldchums back together to share memories from a golden era. Butlet’s hear it from you both. Harold?

Cherry: Have to say, sir, we did experience a few problems thisyear. For starters, a number of complaints about the traveldirections.

Motley: What sort of complaints, Flight Sergeant?

Cherry: Directions perfectly clear to me, sir. But it was reallydown to some of the members taking it upon themselves to drivehere; and most of them aren’t exactly up to Formula Onestandard. Apparently what foxed them were the numerousroundabouts and the speed of the other cars on the road oncethey reached the Birmingham area. Two of them didn’t arriveuntil we were on the cheese and biscuits. I’m preparing aquestionnaire so that I can get a precise feedback.

Motley: Silly bastards! Next year we give only basicinstructions, suggest they relax and get someone in the familyto give them a lift - both ways. Understood?

Cherry: Of course, sir!

Motley: Now you, Tuttle.

Tuttle: Sir, got a lot of flak at breakfast from the group whowe sat right at the back, close to the cloakroom. You know, sir,the ones with waterworks problems who have to move at shortnotice.

Motley: Yes, I know. Go on, man!.

Tuttle: Sir, apparently they were out of earshot when theraffle numbers were called. Some of them are convinced theyhold tickets for some of the major prizes. Mind you, the raffletook over an hour this year.

Motley: Before they leave give each one a bottle of that cheapRomanian plonk from that box in my boot. That’s an order! Won’tdo much for their plumbing but it will take their minds off it.

Cherry: Can I suggest, sir, that in future we position aCommittee Member midway between the top table and theaforementioned group and instruct him to repeat each winningnumber from close range. Also, we should check their hearingaids are operational. Might even be worth having a dummy runnext year before dinner starts.

Motley: Good thinking, Flight Sergeant! Often wondered whyyou didn’t make it to Warrant Officer.Cherry: Me, too, sir! And a problem with the Raffle. A lot ofill-feeling towards the Snowdrops - the ex-Police that is. Theirtwo noisy tables always seem to have every winning ticket. As incivvy life, they’re not the most popular bunch.

Motley: As I’ve explained before, the Snowdrops buy the vastmajority of tickets. Like us, they did their time in the Far Eastand they’re paid-up members of the Association. Sadly, we arestuck with them. Next! Tuttle?

Tuttle: Sir, rather a tricky problem last night with one of ournew lady members. You know, the big ex-nurse with the bodyodour trouble, who seemed to take a shine to you. Apparently,that dipso, ginger ex-Fireman - the one whose wife sent us anadvance warning note that he might be ‘losing it’ - went into thenurse’s room by mistake. She was asleep and he just climbedinto bed beside her. Only when he started to snore, did sherealise what had happened. ‘Action Stations’ down in Reception,I’m told, when they got her call.

Motley: Getting into bed with her! Must have been a double bed.But proof enough for us old Ginger has ‘lost it’. Given hiscondition, I regard that as perfectly reasonable behaviour. Gether name, I’ll speak to her before she leaves.

Cherry: Sir, since we extended membership to wives andchildren, some of the younger ones have suggested we updatethe background music we play during dinner.

Tuttle: But we always have Vera Lynn, sir!.

Motley: Dame Vera, if you don’t mind!

Cherry: We can certainly do without all that ear-splitting sound,sir! I’ve read undue exposure to sound can affect the brain.Mind you, most of our members probably don’t hear any of themusic, even with a hearing aid.

Tuttle: Is it true, sir, that only women who’ve appeared in pantocan become a Dame?

Motley: Ha! ha! good joke young man. Seriously, no pandering tothe young things. They can play what they like within their ownfour walls. Our gatherings here are of a serious nature, neverforget that. As I say each year, nothing that can’t be settledas long as we have these post-match get-togethers. I think wecan safely say we’re just about prepared for anything now.

(Enter a member of the hotel staff)

“Excuse me, if I may, gentlemen.”

Motley: If you consider you must break into an importantmeeting. Go on then, fire away!

Member of Hotel Staff: Bit of a problem in Reception, sir. Wethink it’s one of the members of your Association.

Motley: What sort of a problem? Speak up, man!

Member of Hotel Staff: Well, it seems he’s lost his name tag,forgotten his name and can’t remember his room number!

OBITUARIESIt is with deep regret that we report the deaths of the following members.

We offer our sincere condolences to their families and friends.

Mem. First Name Surname Rank at Service No. Trade Squadron/Section/ Arrival Departure DeceasedNo. Changi School Date Date

338 Eddie Albrecht AC1 3078892 Airframe Mechanic 52 & 110 Sqdns. July ’47 Jan. ’48 Nov. 2018

356 (LM) Norman Kitchen Ch/Tech S060602 Safety Equip. Worker Safety Equipment June ’66 June ’69 Jan. 2019

610 Robert Winfield AC2 2304289 Electrician 2 F.E.C.S. Dec. ’47 June ’48 Oct. 2018

804 John Chapman SAC E4171253 MT Driver Air Movements M.T. April ’65 Nov. ’67 Nov. 2018

921 David Haylock SAC 2758690 Operations Clerk F.E.T.W. Ops. ATC Dec. ’56 Oct. ’57 Jan. 2019

1339 Peter Higginbotham LAC 2481533 Teleprinter Operator Signals Centre March ’62 Aug. ’64 Jan. 2019

1450 Brian Richards SAC N2724377 Feb. 2018

1658 Mary Brown (nee Young) LAC(W) 2150537 Nursing Orderly Changi Hospital June ’46 June ’48 Oct. 2018

1683 Roy Thomas AC1 2259337 Clerk G.D. HQ ACFE Jan. ’47 April ’48 Oct. 2018

1695 Donald Watson SAC 2774518 Clerk Accounts HQ FEAF Base Accts. Jan. ’56 Oct. ’57 Aug. 2018

1748 David Hayward Snr. Tech. 4090776 Radiographer Changi Hospital Sept. ’60 June ’63 Aug. 2018

2073 (LM) Arthur Taylor Sgt. U0643591 Grd Wireless Fitter Comcen Singapore July ’57 Feb. ’60 Jan. 2019

Mem. No. First Name Surname Maiden Name Service No. Trade Sqdn/Section/School Arrival Departure Block No.

2443 (AM) Elisabeth Grimshaw 2756650 LAC Nursing Attendant Changi Hospital Dec. ’55 April ’57 36 (Top)?

2444 (AM) Carole U1939841 Cpl Clerk Sec. ? June ’68 August ’70 ?

WELCOME ABOARD!We welcome the following two new members who have joined between 23 October 2018 and 14 February 2019

Rank orFather’s Rank

Jan. ’55Jan. ’66

S.S.O.C. (T.1)HQ FEAF (OC) (T.2)

Radar OperatorA.D.O.

April ’56Sept ’68

AM=Associate Member AF=Affiliated Member LM=Lapsed Member

Forthcoming Events for your 2019 diaryMay Wednesday 8th 10.30am LONDON AREA - RAF Veterans’ Day

at the RAF Museum, HendonGrahame Park Way, Hendon (Sat. Nav. NW9 5QW)RAF Changi Association will be in attendance.

May Friday 10th Midday 23rd Annual Reunionat The Novotel Hotel, NottinghamBostock Lane, Long Eaton, NG10 4EP (off M1 Junction 25).Arrival times at the hotel optional.Full details and booking form were in the Christmas 2018Changi-ite Newsletter

Sunday 12th 10.30am 17th Annual General MeetingMonday 13th Departures (time optional)

June Saturday 22nd 10.00am DORSET - Armed Forces Day at Weymouth& Sunday 23rd (Promenade) - 2-day event

RAF Changi Association will be in attendance.

OTHER EVENTS MAY BE ARRANGED • GUIDELINES ARE AVAILABLE IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO ARRANGE ONESO IF THERE IS NOT ONE IN YOUR AREA, WHY NOT CONSIDER ORGANISING ONE!

Schoth (wife ofEric, M2332)

Westgarth-Thompson

Westgarth (d’ghterof Brian Patterson)


(CTLR)


Documents

RAF CHANGI ASSOCIATION including HQ FEAF€¦ · Changi-ite Newsletter 4 April 2019 IT surprises me to hear people’s opinions on National Service. Whenever the subject comes up,