Living in the slipstream : life as an RAF wife

169 Pages·2014·1.85 MB·English

by  Alison, Bairsto, Black, Jill, Hollie, Jeffers

LIVING IN THE SLIPSTREAM
LIVING IN THE
SLIPSTREAM
Compiled by Jill Black, Holly Jeffers,
and Alison Bairsto
Book Guild Publishing
Sussex, England
First published in Great Britain in 2014 by The Book Guild Ltd
The Werks
45 Church Road
Hove, BN3 2BE
Copyright © Jill Black, Holly Jeffers, and Alison Bairsto 2014
Illustrations by Alan Turner MBE
The right of Jill Black, Holly Jeffers, and Alison Bairsto to be identified as the authors of this work has
been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval
system, in any form or by any means, without permission in writing from the publisher, nor be otherwise
circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar
condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Typesetting in Garamond by Norman Tilley Graphics Ltd, Northampton Printed and bound in Great Britain
by CPI Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY
A catalogue record for this book is available from The British Library.
ISBN 978 1 909716 24 7
ePub ISBN: 9781910298091
Mobi ISBN: 9781910298107
Contents
Foreword by HRH The Duchess of Cambridge
Acknowledgements
Preface and Reflections
1 Joining the Slipstream
2 Five Star Living
3 The Little Darlings
4 Hostess With the Mostest
5 Far Flung Places
6 On Parade and in a Mess
7 Husbands and Other Animals
8 Pomp and Circumstance
9 Paid and Unpaid Work
10 Final Reflections
About the charities supported by this book
Foreword

This collection of personal and amusing memories by RAF Wives is not only a great read, but also is
in support of two very important charities; The Royal Air Forces Association and The Royal Air Force
Benevolent Fund.
Having been an RAF wife myself, albeit for a short time compared to many of the authors of these
stories, it is interesting to read about some of these situations reflecting all aspects of RAF life over the last
fifty years.
I loved my time in Anglesey when William was serving with RAF Search and Rescue. I cannot
pretend that I didn’t feel anxious at times when William was on shift in howling gales, knowing that he was
out flying in extremely challenging conditions, but he loved doing it and I always felt incredibly proud of
him. I also knew that I was not alone and that there were many supportive Search and Rescue wives on
Anglesey and at other bases across the country.
‘Living in the Slipstream’ is an extraordinary collection of anecdotes that have been brilliantly put
together. I would like to congratulate Jill, Alison and Holly for their efforts supporting the excellent work of
Royal Air Force Charities. These stories are part of the RAF’s story, and this book gives us all a chance to
celebrate them.
Acknowledgements
Alison, Jill and Holly would like to thank the following people for their help in
producing this book:
Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Cambridge for her warm and sincere
Foreword.
Our story contributors, more than 100 of them, who have given up their time
and have shared their funny and sometimes poignant memories to record a
snapshot of RAF history. Without them there would be no book.
Maggie May, an author herself, who has kindly written a new poem, ‘They
Might Have Told Us’, especially for us.
Trevor Benneworth RAAF, who has given us permission to reprint ‘Ode to an
Airforce Wife’.
Our three husbands, who have encouraged and supported us throughout the
venture.
Kate Black, for a very patient extended photography session.
Al Turner MBE, our cartoonist, who has cleverly illustrated the front cover and
captured a number of the stories in his own inimitable way. He has suffered from
MS for several years and is now confined to a wheelchair, but despite having the
use of only one hand, has produced some wonderful cartoons and managed to
capture the essence of the stories brilliantly.
Preface and Reflections
THE COLD WAR
Recent military activity has involved our armed forces operating in areas far
from home, including Iraq and Afghanistan, requiring them to maintain a mobile
capability for deployment anywhere in the world. We forget that from 1961
when the Berlin Wall was erected, to 1989 when it was demolished, our armed
forces prepared for a very different war; a static war over the whole of mainland
Europe where NATO forces faced those of the USSR and its Eastern Bloc allies.
As one side developed a capability, including nuclear weapons, it was quickly
matched by the other until vast armies, navies and air forces faced each other
across the borders of the western world from north to south.
This period of some thirty years after World War II was known as the Cold
War, and many of the tales and anecdotes in this book are told by Air Force
wives who were caught up in that confrontation as their husbands prepared to
combat the very real threat posed by the Soviet Union.
This short explanation is important in order to understand much of the jargon
and many of the abbreviations used in several of the stories. Two in particular
stand out: QRA and Battle Flight. Quick Reaction Alert involved a small number
of our aircraft being held at readiness, fully armed and fully manned by crews
able to get airborne within minutes – the bombers to attack Soviet targets and the
fighters to defend against Soviet bombers. Typically, aircraft on QRA had to be
airborne within ten minutes. Battle Flight was the equivalent force in Germany
held by the fighters but, because they were based only thirty-five miles from the
East German border, they had to be airborne within five minutes.
QRA and Battle Flight usually involved two aircraft positioned in small
hangarettes at the end of a runway. They were fully armed and ready to scramble
instantly. The aircrew and groundcrew were normally on duty for twenty-four
hours, and on Battle Flight the aircrew would sleep in their flying kit in order to
maintain their five-minute state of readiness. Aircraft on both QRA and Battle
Flight were scrambled almost daily throughout the Cold War in response to
Soviet activity spotted on their side of the border. Although very necessary,
QRA and Battle Flight placed a huge burden on the squadrons who held it, and
was much disliked by aircrew and groundcrew alike (and by their wives whose
husbands could disappear for days at a time). Spare a thought, therefore, for the
Typhoon crews who continue to hold QRA in the Falklands today.

REFLECTIONS
Jill
It is easy to forget that when my husband joined the RAF in 1965 it was only
twenty years since the end of the Second World War, and that when we were
married three years later in 1968 the RAF was still very much a male-orientated
club. Rank, privilege and status counted for everything and everyone was
expected to toe the line without question or favour. Collecting and writing some
of these tales has reminded me of the good times, the fun and the laughter we
had as a family following ‘in the slipstream’ of the RAF. It was certainly a
different era in those days, and RAF wives had to put up with a lot.
I never realised before getting married that I would not be able to follow my
own career, that I would have to move house twenty-six times, that my children
would have to go to boarding school, that I would be left on my own for weeks
at a time, that my husband would be sent to war, that we would lose many good
friends through aircraft accidents, and that I would be constantly on edge in case
one day it might be my own husband. It always annoyed me that on every
holiday my husband could not wait to get back to his squadron for fear of
missing out on his beloved flying, and I really resented being referred to as
‘Wife of …’.
However, these things aside, we were given opportunities and experiences
beyond the wildest dreams of most of our civilian friends, and I hope others find
as much humour and pleasure in reading these stories as we did in putting them
together.

Alison
Collating stories from friends and other RAF wives has been an interesting
experience. It has awoken hitherto forgotten memories and made me reflect on
my time as an RAF wife. Looking at our collection it would appear that we led a
very privileged existence and a life full of tea and buns – nothing could be
further from the truth, but like childbirth I think we have all managed to
remember the glorious parts and forget the heartache, loneliness, irritation and
fear that often accompanied our lives. Moving constantly, never living in your
‘own’ home, children in boarding school, far away from family, absent husbands
on exercise or at war, no career, permanently changing jobs, a CV that most
employers shuddered to see, leaving pets behind, all these played their part in
our lives. But on the upside we had a very varied and interesting life, we saw
places and did things that few others ever get the chance to, we made hundreds
of acquaintances and some very special friends who supported us in the most
bizarre range of emergencies, we developed independence, enjoyed a
community spirit and, for the most part, we had fun.
My daughter and son-in-law are both in the RAF now, as a doctor and a pilot
respectively. It has been refreshing to know that the professionalism,
camaraderie, and fun still exist, but they are in a different Air Force. It is much
smaller, the demands are different and both have been on active service from the
outset of their careers. The patriarchal society we once enjoyed no longer exists.
Life does not revolve around the ‘married patch’, most young people live in their
own homes and commute, the Officers’ Mess is a shadow of its former self –
you can’t even get a coffee from a machine there nowadays, let alone be served
by an attentive steward. Young wives are likely to have their own career and
may even be the primary earner; they do not follow blindly. Communications are
infinitely better and it is more a job than the total way of life that we
experienced.
However, they still need our help and the help of our wonderful RAF charities
such as RAFA and The Benevolent Fund. My daughter experienced this first
hand: husband in Afghanistan, she had to be on call for a month at Brize Norton
with two hours’ notice to move to collect casualties from across the world,
usually a minimum of a forty-eight-hour trip. Where do you live and who looks
after the baby? Thankfully three charities have refurbished and fitted out a small
number of surplus married quarters which were able to become our temporary
home. Grannie, of course, had to do the baby sitting – the Royal Air Force still
hasn’t quite recognised that its womenfolk may also be mothers!
During the time we were in Brize Norton, my daughter’s husband was due to
return from his six-month tour in Afghanistan – sadly my daughter flew out to
the same destination to collect a casualty the night before he landed, their flight
paths probably crossed. On returning from war he was met not by his adoring
wife but by his mother-in-law – the blow was softened a little as his baby son