From the late '60s to the mid '70s I served in the RAF as an armourer.
After the usual basic & trade training, I was posted to 617 squadron,
RAF Scampton. The Vulcans were a key cold-war deterrent and the
RAF wanted to see if they could be deployed in the Far East without
overflying any Eastern Bloc countries. So around 1970 I was part of
the first ever "westabout" taking the Vulcans to Singapore & Australia
via America and the Pacific. We staged through Omaha, Hawaii, and
the Pacific, eventually returning to the UK via the Maldives and the
Gulf..
After the usual basic & trade training, I was posted to 617 squadron,
RAF Scampton. The Vulcans were a key cold-war deterrent and the
RAF wanted to see if they could be deployed in the Far East without
overflying any Eastern Bloc countries. So around 1970 I was part of
the first ever "westabout" taking the Vulcans to Singapore & Australia
via America and the Pacific. We staged through Omaha, Hawaii, and
the Pacific, eventually returning to the UK via the Maldives and the
Gulf..
Photograph courtesy of John Hall
| The Maldives |
| Tiger Balm Gardens, Singapore |
| copyright 1970 - 2012 grahame soden. all rights reserved |
| THE ROYAL AIR FORCE |
| Per Ardua ad Astra |
In the early '70s I was posted to RAF Gütersloh, Germany, for a tour on 19 squadron's
Lightnings. One of the highlights of my time there was an exchange visit to a French Air Base
at Criel, near Paris.
Paris. You'd think the RAF would have known better! During our visit there we managed to
"liberate" a huge, concrete, garden gnome and a mammoth display bottle from the Mercier
champagne caves. It looks rather well on the Lightning.
Lightnings. One of the highlights of my time there was an exchange visit to a French Air Base
at Criel, near Paris.
Paris. You'd think the RAF would have known better! During our visit there we managed to
"liberate" a huge, concrete, garden gnome and a mammoth display bottle from the Mercier
champagne caves. It looks rather well on the Lightning.
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