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Post InfoTOPIC: What prompted you to join the RAF, and what were your first few days like etc..
Gannitekos



Senior Member

Posts: 137
Date: Feb 19, 2009
What prompted you to join the RAF, and what were your first few days like etc..

I served my apprenticeship as a wall/floor tiler and terrazzo layer. Great job, but the layoffs over the winter were a pain. I used to get fill in jobs until the weather improved and then back to wall/floor tiling etc...
I got laid off once too often and decided on a change of job. I started work for Leeds City Transport as a bus conductor, heaven!

After a year or so of this, I had had my fill and didn't want to spend my life going from one dead end job to the other, so I went to the RAF CIO in Leeds after I had finished my early shift on the buses, more out of curiosity than anything else.
The Sgt I spoke to was a great bloke and gave me all the gen, the good and the bad points. I told him there and then I would like to join up and he said I would have to have a medical before he could proceed any further. They asked me what trade I would like to consider and after a few "sorry we are not recruiting that trade at the moment", I settled on communications.

He asked me could I go for the medical now, I said yes, where is it. So he sent me up to a local clinic where they had a surgery and staff doctor on call.
Medical passed and I was back in the CIO within the hour.
He told me to come back the next day, which I duly did. I took the attestation and was now officially a member of the RAF.
Then I went home and told my wife, Ooooops!!
I went back a few days later and was issued with my temporary ID card and my travel orders complete with rail warrant to Grantham.

I travelled to Grantham from Leeds and was met off the train by this very nice corporal who asked me if I had had a good trip and could I please proceed to bus number so and so.
The coach journey was uneventful to Swinderby and we proceeded through the main gate and into the station.

The coach pulled up on the square near the mess and this nice thoughtful Cpl underwent a Jekyll and Hyde transformation and went into a shouting fit!!
"All right you lot, off the bus and line up outside!"
"You're in the Air Force now and lesson one starts right here...........!!"

You'll know the rest as all of you passed through various boot camps at one time or another before you went on to trade training.

gturnbullgus



Newbie

Posts: 4
Date: Feb 20, 2009

I joined for the simplest of reasons - I wanted to!  I joined the ATC as soon as I was old enough, went to all the summer camps and did an ATC gliding course and liked the lifestyle I was seeing. It was inevitable that I would want to join as soon as I possibly could so I applied for an RAF apprenticeship at Halton and got accepted.  That was me then for the next 35 years. I have no regrets whatsoever about joining up and I achieved everything I set my sights on so I guess I made the right choice.
Another reason I think that I made the right choice is that if I hadn't, I would probably have got a boring  8 till 5 job in Hamilton, my home town, and still be there never having seen the places that I have been to. What a depressing thought!

-- Edited by gturnbullgus at 21:13, 2009-02-20

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Gus Turnbull
willie



Senior Member

Posts: 177
Date: Feb 20, 2009

I'm practically the same as Gus. I always wanted to join the RAF since I was a wee loon growing up in rural Buchan. Probably the first thing that started me out was seeing my uncle when he came home on leave, during his National Service, in uniform. I always have been fascinated with aircraft, and I think I built just about every model kit going during the late 50's/early 60's. Airfix, Revell and many more. I joined in 1963. Went for trade training at RAF Cosford, and passed out in 1965, a fully fledged Telegraphist, who thought he knew it all, until I went to RAF Stanbridge, CommCen Central, which I think was the biggest tape relay station in the RAF. THAT was a culture shock! Tape EVERYWHERE, busy most of the day, and most of the night. Loved it! Did my share of overseas postings, Masirah as a green as grass 18 year old, Episkopi, having learned a lot more, and then, the piece de resistance, Gan. My favourite tour, despite there being no women for 9 months, still, the beer more than made up for it, that, and the lads who were there with me in 72/73. We still keep in touch. Demob loomed in '79, the RAF offered to extend my time to 22 years, but as I was getting married, I decided to leave. Having said tdhat, I would go back tomorrow, but it would have to be the '70's Air Force, don't think I could hack this modern technology, plus there's no such thing as a Siggie these days, mores the pity. All in all, I enjoyed every bit of my RAF service, some bits were better than others, but you always seem to remember the good times, eh lads?   

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Cheers, Wullie
Ozzy Osborne
Member

Posts: 6
Date: May 26th

I had been interested in aircraft from an early age. I had wanted to join the Air Force out of school, but it did not happen. Ended up on Maidstone Waterworks Company, out in all weathers on building sites up to my neck in mud and rain.
Decided to do something about it after a visit to St. Mawgan for Battle of Britain day in '66. Joined up at Chatham CIO on 16 December '66. Boot camp did not bother me too much. I expected DI's who were too full of themselves. I was extremely fit after my building site days, so no worries marching around like a pratt and being shouted at.
A Mech. P was what I went into and it was a revelation, very interesting. First posting was to Colerne ASF on Hastings. After my fitters course in '69 it was back to Colerne until my posting to Gan, January '71, Back to Colerne, then to Tengah in September '73. That was when I started to go troppo. Huge sense of humour failure on being posted to Odiham in mid '76. Got out April 2nd '79.

Still in the civil aviation world and enjoying it. I would never have got to the Far if it had not been for the Air Force. One thing though, too many guys hiding behind their stripes. They would not have hacked it in civvy street.

Arthur Osborne. SASF Gan '71

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