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...Cont. from p.15

of October.  This was achieved, I had sold my car, sorted out my personal matters and was ready to go.  Unfortunately my movement date was put back until early December but at least I was ready.

 

On a very cold Friday morning I was collected by MT, my 66 pounds of luggage stowed in my blue RAF holdall plus a suitcase, and I was driven to the local railway station at North Thoresby.  The railway line between Grimsby and Peterborough was a double track in 1967 and North Thoresby was really a ‘Request’ stop.  When you saw the train approaching you stuck out your hand and hopefully the train stopped and picked you up.  Getting a ticket was another matter as the ticket office was in the local pub and travel warrants were beyond their knowledge.  I was very glad of my greatcoat, gloves, best blue and SD cap to keep me warm while waiting.  I had to change at Peterborough for the train to Kings Cross, cross London by Underground to Paddington for the train to Swindon.  On Swindon station I reported to the RAF Air Movements desk and was told to board the coach outside that would take me to Gateway House at RAF Brize Norton.  My flight was due takeoff on the following afternoon and all timings were written down so I could not get them wrong.  Gateway House was very comfortable but had a heating system that only had one temperature – hot.  I am not sure if it was a training exercise to prepare me for what was to come but sleeping was very difficult.

 

The next afternoon all the passengers for the VC10 flight to Singapore via Bahrain and Gan were all assembled and driven out to the aircraft.  I had never been aboard a large airliner before but it struck me as odd that the seats faced backwards.  This was for safety reasons in case of a crash – very reassuring!  We took off on time and the journey to RAF Masirah was uneventful, arriving in the late evening with the weather being pleasantly warm.  One and a half hours (and a couple of pints) later we are back on board the VC10 en route to Gan, a six hour flight.  This time was spent sleeping followed by breakfast.  On disembarking at Gan my ‘lightweight’ UK clothing was more like a thick blanket and nowhere near appropriate for the wall of heat I walked into.  Still, the Skyways Club sold cold beer and it was only 90 minutes before we were back on the aircraft bound for Singapore.  Once again the four hours flight to Changi was spent sleeping mixed with a little excitement at actually arriving in the Far East.  Once again the heat and humidity of Changi in a late Sunday afternoon was a bit of a shock but nothing that could not be handled.  After collecting my baggage I was shunted off to Changi Creek for a nights sleep before my flight to Butterworth the next morning.  Luckily, some of my old colleagues from North Coates were stationed at Seletar and had come to welcome me and introduce me to Tiger beer.  A trip into Changi village and a few Tiger ‘tops’ certainly ensured a good nights sleep.

 

An early call was not appreciated but after some breakfast it was back to Changi for the trip north.  I had been briefed about the comforts and delights of the two hours on the Bristol Freighter of 41 Squadron, RNZAF but nothing compares to your first actual experience of this.  The old Bristol ‘Frightener’ (40,000 rivets in close formation) had very little to recommend it and I could see why families trooped up to Penang by Malay Singapore Airlines in the Fokker Friendship.  After pieces of cotton wool were handed out – not much pressurisation on a ‘Frightener’ – it was off to Butterworth.  I had kept a jumper with me as I had been warned it gets a bit chilly up there but nobody had explained why my companion put on his monsoon cape while we taxied out.  After about 30 minutes I found out why, the condensation drips off the bulkhead and you get very wet if not prepared.  The in flight catering was also interesting, consisting of an orange, a Kit Kat bar