An introdution

[Terry Waldron]

If I walked into a new mess and went straight to the bar for a wet, the senior member present would not be impressed. I am also sure that I would be directed to the RSMs’ office first thing next day. I’m not sure who the senior member here is (I suspect that Mr Sparks might be) so my introduction is addressed to you all. I was PO30053M Terry (wally) Waldron. Wandered in to Deal Barracks Jan 72 and marched smartly out of CTCRM some 9 months later. Up to 45 Cdo for some cold weather exercises and then out to 41 Cdo in 75 to thaw out. By this time I had been suckered into joining A/Tk troop. The WOMBAT, easily manhandled by its’ crew of three. Who thought that one up? A short break at CTC for SS11 training and back to 41 and more work on the suntan. 1977 and I was back in 45. The WOMBAT was being replaced by the MILAN and A/Tk troop were issued with 1 tonnies. What was pusser thing? Giving marines a V8, injection model landrover to tear-ass around the place. In 1980/81 I started pilot training at Middle Wallop and in 82, as a brand new “gazelle driver” I went south for that live field firing exercise. I saw and experienced so many things down there that sets us apart from any other military outfit……but that’s another story. Suffice to say that JC Woods (my crewman at that time) kept me on the right track, and out of trouble. By 1989 life was becoming repetitive. I took the PVR option and ran away to the North Sea. Do I miss the corps? At times, yes. Regret joining? Never. Do it again? Bloody right I would. The hairs on the back of my neck still stand up when I hear Evening hymn and sunset.

[harry hackedoff]

Wellcome aboard, Terry. What with you, Derek and Rob we`ve almost got enough drivers to start our own N.A.S.

Take a tot, mate

yours, Aye

Harry

[Rotary Booty]

Welcome indeed Terry, it's nice to have a pilot on board that wasn't trained by Louis Bleriot. Rob is over in Paris right now, on his refresher I think!
I left the Corps in 1977 to fly Hueys for the Sultan of Oman, but 'Once a Marine' it is, and always will be.
Pull up a chair, join the formation, and enjoy the banter you were used to!!
Yours aye, Derek

[El Prez]

'Allo my leetle frends, reports of a rotund, grinning, hot air balloon low flying around the Trocadero are exagerrated, but only a leetle.

[Mutley]

Eeeh ohhhh its the Teeny Weenies all over again,

Now I know Rob has the handbag
so, we just got to find out who has the scooter, who has the big hat and whos the one that thinks he is essence at dancing!

Naughty Noonoo

Terry, welcome to the techno age.......... what happens if I press this one now













0X ?

[El Prez]

Eeef yoo pres zat it will go Poof, but yoo alreddy no that yoo knotty boy.

Derek, would you care to explain a loose finger four to Harry and Mutley?

[harry hackedoff]

If it`s what I think it is, I`ve just been paid for doing nothing else for the last eight months.
Change Hands
Ask Owdun, he`s seen proof

Aye, Harry Jackedoff

Talk about "drip"

[El Prez]

H, when you were interviewed for your move to Oz did you manage to keep a straight face when asked 'Occupation?' or did you just blurt out 'Spermbank'

I must keep to the thread....I must keep to the...what was that?

[Terry Waldron]

Thanks to all for the warm welcome. No more tots available Harry. But my dad used to bring some home so us kids could have sippers. Said it was in stead of pocket money.
Derek, not quiet Louis Bleriot, will Norman Sharp (chipmunk phase) qualify? Although he used to sleep most of the way around the long navs so didn’t teach me much about map reading 50 feet off the ground and doing 120kts!!
Mutley, Teeny Weenies Airway…..haven’t heard that phrase in a dogs watch. Remember the saying “time to spare, go by air” Mostly true. Every time I got caught out in bad weather I always seemed to have MGRM on board. Not a good career move really.
Robert, don’t keep to the thread….don’t keep to the thread…….life could get very boring.
Per Mere per thingy, but mostly per foot.

[El Prez]

Ah Norman Sharp, a name from the past. I was one of Jenks chaps. Derek left the sqn as soon as I joined, very disconcerting for a sprog driver. What's this thing called 'bad weather'? Throw another log on the fire, pull up Mutley and swing that hurricane lamp. My nurse usually drags me away about now, once the cocoa trolley has been past, and my suppositorys have been washed down.

[Rotary Booty]

Norman Sharp was my Chippy instructor too! He was an aerobatic nut case, and as soon as he realised I had achieved the lesson's aim he would take over and try to make me very, very, sick! I soon caught on and played dumb 'til our session was nearly over! Actually, Norman told me once that he taught Louis Bleriot low flying and crash landings!

[El Prez]

Jenks wore his knee high sheepskin boots and thermal suit all the way through the second Battle of Britain in the summer of '76. A real gent and a character to boot. Remember Arthur Sharples, of basic rotary, he was chief pilot and would never stop talking? I flew my first night circuits with him and he only shut up when he realised I'd swung my mike away to save me the problem of interrupting him, he got out minutes later and let me get on with it alone. I'd do it all again tomorrow.

[Terry Waldron]

Norman Sharp to a T. But when he realised anything other than S & L scared the Sh@t out of me he was very gentle..........For the first 20 hours and then he let rip!! His FOD check was to invert the chippy and let all the lost pens/pencils/crap fall in to the canopy. This of course stalled the engine. Thanks Norman, wherever you are.
Arthur Sharples ? He's the one that used to write his students name in big letters on his knee pad due to the fact he could never remember who his student was. He was also the one who asked the tower if he could fire the flares off on his last night flight in the G47(our course was the last to use the G47). The tower said "ok Norman but be careful".......He fired them straight in to the ammo dump !

[Nobby.C]

Wally! what a blast from the past. you may want to forget your days as an anti-tanker but I remember your presence well along with the Jan Hamblie's, JC Mc Leod,s and Jerry Tighe's. The Wombats stayed in the hanger at Condor for years. We were fed up with cleaning them by the time they went. Met some of the old school at the F/I reunion at Condor in June, A weekend just wasn't enough.
Hope the world is treating you right.
Nobby (Ian Clark PO36615D) :fadein:

[Rotary Booty]

Gosh, how that brings back the memories Wally, that's right, Arthur Sharples would call everyone 'Brian', because he couldn't remember names!!
We had a guy on our training team on Advanced Rotary Sioux, ex-RA civilian instructor, we called 'Huge Balloon', (Hugh Calhoon), who, during the Foot and Mouth epidemic in the late '60's, did a genuine 'Engine Off Landing' from 1500 ft overhead Wallop into the disinfectant trough, which measured just a little bit more than the size of a pair of skids. Unfortunately he was killed a couple of years back coming out of a confined area at dusk.
They really were a bunch of characters.
We had a demo from the US Army on Salisbury Plain Ranges of the new Huey Cobra. It blasted off with all it's incredible fire power .......... and took out, VERY effectively, all the range boundary markers by mistake!
Ah, happy days.