Leader of The Band...
And Pond Life
Basic training at Swinderby went well and came to a close with a Parade with lots of pomp and circumstance. Families were invited to come and watch recruits march behind an RAF Band and show off some drill skills.
Towards the end of the “marching up and down”, we were all formed up and awaited the pre-booked fly passed. For me, it was perhaps even more memorable in that the 2 aircraft were Harrier Jumpjets, which came close, hovered, “nodded” and departed. My grandfather, on mum’s side, had actually worked on the development of the Harriers, so hey, it was emotional.
As an aside, during the latter days of our training, a handful of us had been commandeered to attend the passing out parade of a preceding flight of recruits. We were there to make up numbers and socialise with the other recruit’s families.
The parade was excellent, a taster of what we could expect for ours plus we got to grab some buffet and a couple of glasses of fizz lol.
So, there I am nattering with one of the recruits’ fathers when I spot an officer in a mass of finery, a big chunk of gold braid hanging from one shoulder. I thought I recognised him from the parade, something to do with the RAF Band, I guessed, looking at the pomp of his uniform.
He wandered over to us and started chatting to the other recruits ’s father. I felt it only polite to make some kind of small talk also.
“Good afternoon, Sir. A great parade…and are you the Band Leader?” I chipped in.
He looked at me and smiled, “ You could say that airman, lol” and then he drifted off to chat to someone else.
A couple of the lads made a beeline for me as soon as he was out of earshot.
“What did he say?”
“What did you say?”
Their voices seemed excited…?
“Not much really…I asked him about being the Band Leader…” I responded, at which point the guys looked shocked.
“You said what!?”
“OMG! Do you not know who that is?”
Clearly, I did not…
It was actually Air Chief Marshall Sir Anthony Skingsley….oops.
So, yes, you could say he was the Band Leader…hahaha.
Apologies Sir!
And so, that chapter of initial training came to an end, with a short break to visit family and then on to trade training.
RAF Newton would be my home for the following 12 weeks, where, at that time anyway, RAF Police Training took place.
The RAF Police Training had many continuing similarities to Initial Training. There was still plenty of physical training, “Square bashing” and weapons training and then there was the Law. Of course, we would need to know the Law, however, what we had to learn was both Civil Law and then Military Law and how and when they would work with or against procedures.
There were many points where we were tested on Laws and their definitions and expected to recite certain ones on command without error, sometimes this type of check would take in 10 or 20 different laws…it wasn’t easy. We used our time in the barrack room, whilst ironing our kit or bulling the brass screws in the wooden flooring, to test each other (it wasn’t all about going down the NAAFI for a beer in the evenings…well, perhaps now and again).
Physical training took many guises throughout our training. We played football and rugby, and we worked out in the gym (doing amazing acrobatics over the pommel horse…I say amazing… don’t get me wrong, I did it, just not to Olympic standards lol).
We also carried on the cross-country running or perhaps more “yomping” as we regularly went out in full kit (DPM uniforms, boots and Bergen containing 15kg of kit and sometimes rifles…just so we could get them dirty and clean them again).
On one of our “days out”, yomping around the countryside, we had been going for about an hour and had started to feel both hot and drained, when the Instructor told us to form up around a pond in the middle of the field we were crossing.
We all stood, panting and sweating at the edge of this pond, anticipating what may come next.
“Now! Listen in! When I say jump…you JUMP! Got it?!” He bellowed.
“Yes, Staff!” We all responded.
There was a long pause before the order came…
And then…
“JUMP!”
The pond became occupied by 10 recruits, their hot and heavy clothing and Bergens taking in the joys of the water lol.
I was still standing at the side of the pond…
Why?
Well, and this was confirmed by the Instructor, he had said “JUMP!”, he had NOT said, “JUMP IN!”.
When the order came, I jumped on the spot.
The rest of the crew, now soggy and even more weighed down, began to clamber out of the pond, many disgruntled that I had not gone in. But the lesson had been learnt…
It’s all in the wording!
Our return to base was a long and slow process and everyone that had a wet uniform would have to get it dried and made ready for the next day. Damp DP Material doesn’t smell great when it’s impregnated with sweat and pond water.
Naturally, not having to do as much as the others in prepping my kit for the next day, I mucked in and helped the rest of the crew as best I could.
The following day was another field craft day, well outside in the field, some mock warfare stuff and then the highlight, which we knew about in advance..
The NBC/CS Chamber…
A lovely building, just snug enough for around a dozen trainees, full kit and wearing the S6 Gas Mask.
The purpose is to learn how to survive in Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear situations. Use of the mask, changing canisters, drinking and eating drills (these can be tricky if you don’t have the modified drinking straw type lol) and administering the Epi-Pen Autoinjector to give an adrenalin boost…the latter won’t save your life, but may give you time to get to help.
CS Gas more commonly known as Tear Gas, tablets are set alight in the Gas Chamber. Then you are required to put on your gas mask and do a canister change, then take off the mask…and recite the Nuclear and Biological Immediate Reaction Drill Guidelines…approximately 3 sentences.
Very few of us managed to get to the third sentence.
CS gas attaches itself to moisture, we as humans, have a lot of moisture, especially when you're weighed down in your uniform and have sweat running down your face.
It burns! OMG, does it burn, and even if you get the slightest of whiffs of it it's like having glass shards shoved up your nostrils and down your throat…and eyes have a lot of water content.
Once you are permitted to leave the Chamber, coughing, spitting, vomiting (in some cases), all you can do is hope the wind is in the right direction to gradually blow the stuff away…you can’t just go and wash it off as it will continue to react to added water.
This visit to the Gas Chamber is repeated often throughout training and with good reason. When someone shouts “GAS! GAS! GAS!” you better have your mask ready to don in seconds.
Until Next Time
Make sure you check the next one…it may fit well for the Halloween theme lol
“Operation Supervisor”
“The Mull of Kintyre and The Ghostly Airman”
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