Pen Portraits: what happened next
Pen portraits of post-graduation life, as submitted to the 69th Association newsletter over the period 1994 - 2011
Dave Symonds (armourer)
First posting was Wattisham (Suffolk) where I worked in ASF cleaning rusty 20mms and then I got my tapes, on 152 Sqdn with Meteor night fighters. Here I had the experience that most of us had, being in charge of National Servicemen and three year regulars who knew all about the job and resented my early elevation to Corporal.
However, it all worked out and we had some good times, especially on detachments to Acklington. 1956 while in 2nd TAF; travelled by car from Vienna to the Hook of Holland in the company of R G 'Taff' Thomas (Ann) of the 69th. To Jever and 118 and 193 Sqdns with Hunters. In Central Armoury pools syndicate - big win - £9,000 - everyone bought new cars!
1959 to Swanton Morley and spent a very enjoyable seven years on CSDE on Publishing Flight. Got married in 1959. Promoted to Chief Tech. 1966 to Marham and Victor tankers - memories of picking up statically-charged brake 'chutes from wintry runways. 1968 to Muharraq - Prickly heat and dysentery!
1969 and back to Wattisham as Armament Chief of 111sqdn, Lightnings; best posting with brilliant detachments to Cyprus. 1972 to Coningsby - my opinion at the time was that if you gave the RAF an enema then Coningsby was the place to stick it! For the last two years I was in charge of Phantom Role Equipment and Storage at Woodall Spa which was good. In addition I was ilc NBC for the Aim. Sqdn. I couldn't take this seriously - sandbagging windows with a sticker, etc. so I bailed out on the 1975 redundancy scheme.
In 1975 I bought a smallholding at Maltby Le Marsh, near Mablethorpe (Lincolnshire). Kept goats for 17 years. Built my own sports car. Worked for Bond Helicopters Ltd at Strubby, half a mile away, from my last day in the RAF until 1993. Obtained A and C Rototcraft licence. Flew as engineer, crewman in Bo 105D helicopters for Trinity House for six years, on lighthouse and lightship reliefs. 1,700 flying hours and 1,000 deck landings and only one crash which, given the circumstances, was quite remarkable.
Now a double pensioner, I garden, do woodwork, aero and railway modelling and most of the cooking, while the wife earns the living at Mablethorpe Library. We have two boys - one in Local Government, the other is an Aviation Psychologist.
- RAF Halton and the Brats
- The Aircraft Apprentices Scheme
- Clubs, Societies and Sports at Halton
- RAF Halton's goats
- Tributes to Halton and the Brats
- The 69th and the Apprentices Network, 1951
- The Presentation of the Queen's Colour, 1952
- Summer Camp, RAF Formby, 1953
- The 69th and the Queen's Coronation, 1953
- The 69th's Graduation Review, 1954
- The Senior Entry - a graduate's letter, 1954
- A full list of 69th Graduates
- Halton days: stories from the 69th
- The 69th's Burmese Brats
- The 69th's commemorative window
- 69th Entry Reunions