Taff Lee - My Life: in 4 stages. Education, RAF, RBL & my only job in ‘Civvy St’.
On 27th March 1945 I sat an entrance exam at my village school (Reynoldston, Gower, South Wales) and on 7th July it was announced by the headmistress that I had gained a scholarship to the grammar school: this entailed an 0730 ‘workers bus’ journey of 10 miles then a steam train trip of 5 miles followed by a quarter mile walk to the school (no school buses in 1945). In my 5th year I passed the Central Welsh Board Matriculation Exam: this enabled my selection to the RAF for a 3-year aircraft engineering apprenticeship at RAF Halton as an Airframe Fitter (a ‘rigger’). My Attestation Day was 9th Jan 1951 when I swore allegiance to King George VI and signed on for a 12-year stint. Two days later I was in a line of 18 boys in our 18-man barrack room and a wing commander came along the line. He poked me in the chest with his stick and said: "Where are you from my man?" “Reynoldston, sir”. “Where is that?". “Gower, sir”. “Where is Gower?". “Near Swansea sir”. He turned to the man following him with a clipboard and said: "Put him down for rugby and the choir Flight Sgt”. The man with the clip board asked: “What's your name little Taffy?" I have been called Taff ever since!
(In the first year we were paid 3/9d a week, with 4/- kept back for when we went on leave - which was aligned with national school holidays - but not as many days).
As well as the engineering syllabus we also did academic studies to achieve Ordinary National Certificate. Sport was compulsory and of a very high standard. Halton Apprentices were known as ’Trenchard's Brats’.
In 1917 the Royal Flying Corps was commanded by Trenchard and when the RAF was formed in 1918 he was the first commanding officer Lord, later Viscount Hugh Trenchard, had the vision to create the RAF Apprenticeship scheme in 1922 for boys aged 16 to 17+. ‘Halton Brats’ learned aircraft engineering skills to the highest possible standards, earning the sobriquet, ‘Backbone of the Royal Air Force’.
My service lasted 38.5 years ; ‘man and boy’, as they say. My first posting was to an MU for 2 yrs repairing Meteors and got sent to Germany for 5 months doing mods on Meteors. Subsequently I spent a total of 12 years on 15‘ line squadron fighters (Sabre, Hunter, Harrier, Phantom and Jaguar), 5 years on the Victor Bomber (do you remember the 4 minute warning?), 18 years on transport a/c (3 yrs on Handley Page Hastings, plus two tours totalling 15 yrs on the Lockheed C 130 Hercules) and 1 year as an aircraft crash assessor. One of only two warrant officers covering UK (including USAF crashes) and N/W Europe; probably the most interesting and diverse posting I ever had.
I served a total of 13 years in Germany (as part of NATO) during the ‘cold war’ period (4 tours on fighters at 5 different flying stations: 4 ex-Luftwaffe) and 3 years in Cyprus at Nicosia and Akrotiri during the EOKA troubles. Because it was the Hercules at RAF Fairford that brought me to Cricklade in 1968 I should tell a few stories about that time when people got used to the turbo prop hum flying over the town: as well as the roar of Concorde!
In March 1969 I was flown out to Canada to fix a broken Herc undercarriage; and then found I had to fly on to Anguilla and Antigua in the Caribbean with the crew as well as the lifting jacks (just in case!) and a load of asbestos sheeting + wooden frames which was to be aid from the Queen to Prime Minister Robert Webster; he had defied the UK government over granting the island independence. The cargo was to be erected as a school; but it looked more like an old chicken house to me!
Later in the same year we had a big airlift of army lads into Northern Ireland on ‘Operation Banner’; considered to be the start of the "Troubles". In 1970 we flew a hundred Marines to Bardufoss on the tip of Norway. It was called Op Arctic Express: the BBC filmed it and produced a documentary on TV 6 months later. It was in 1970 that a Herc crashed in a cabbage field in Marston Meysey with loss of all the crew: 2 farm workers were hoeing and were slightly traumatised. In 1971 we flew 6 Hercs to Pisa in Italy: the job was to drop Italian paras on Sardinia but unfortunately the 4th Herc in the stream flew into the Med just after take-off: 7 aircrew and 45 paras were lost.
We moved to Lyneham in1971 and In July 1972 I spent 48 hrs in Ulster on ‘Operation Motorman' (the largest British military airlift since the Suez crisis in 1956): the only time in my service life that I wore a flak-jacket and held a gun loaded with live bullets (other than on a firing range). Lyneham flew 82 Herc sorties to reinforce the army with men and machines: the arrival ramp at RAF Aldergrove (now called Belfast International Airport) was surrounded by removal vans lined with mattresses to guard against IRA sniper fire and grenade attack. I told my wife I was flying up to Norway, which I often did at that time.
In 1973 we flew 44 Hercs to Incirlik in Turkey for a major NATO para drop (Op Deep Furrow): the USAF had 56 Hercs and the RCAF had 23. I was responsible for planning the shift system, the dispersal parking and refuelling; all very complicated and that was just for our aircraft.
The Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 prompts me to say — ‘I was there’ (albeit 24 hrs after the invasion started). In 12 days 5,000 European & GB passport holders were evacuated back to Lyneham. TOO MANY MEMORIES!!
In 1965/66 at Nicosia, I received the Station Commanders commendation (and accelerated promotion) for flight safety investigations on 70 Sqn's ageing Handley Page Hastings. I used to sit in the co-pilot's seat on an air test and trim the a/c in level flight then adjust the trim tabs when we landed. One of our a/c, flying back from Africa had to put out a mayday call with severe vibration. They prepared for ditching in the Med but just made Malta. I was flown out the next day and after a 6-hour investigation sent a signal to Cyprus recommending the a/c be scrapped! ...... and it was. I have a copy of that signal. In 1972 I got a Commander in Chief's commendation for work on the Hercules. I completed my last 5 years of service at Lyneham on the Hercs and on my final day had an interview with the station commander, a real gentleman. When he flew in one of our a/c he always came into my office to thank my guys for a smooth sortie); I invited him to join me in the mess for my final ‘beer call’. I sat in the back of his limo and his driver drove through the camp with flag flying to the mess. The Station Warrant Officer made the speech and presentation; and gave me a hug and big kiss (the SWO was WRAF - a rarity) Who else can say they were kissed by the SWO!
I left the RAF in July 1989 and joined the Legion. I also got a job with an office cleaning firm as their ’stand-alone' payroll officer: a one-day crash course on PAYE tax rules and a two-day course on the computer software before I was "up and running’. My first task was to register myself on the payroll using my P45 figures from the RAF. At the time there were 365 people on a fortnightly payroll, mostly ‘Mrs Mops’ averaging 12 hrs per week but there were 40+ full timers and 6 on monthly salaries. I was very fortunate to have a managing director, ex Royal Navy, who gave me paid time off to attend ex-servicemen's funerals as Cricklade RBL Standard Bearer. When I left the company 12 years later, I did my own P45: I only had two P455 in my life.
At my first Legion meeting the Branch appointed me standard bearer; a post I held until 2007 and carried the standard at 40+ ex-servicemen's funerals. I was appointed branch secretary in 1994 and served in that post for 22 years. I also served as treasurer (4 yrs), welfare committee (4yrs), qualified as a County Welfare Caseworker in 2002 covering north Wilts, north of Swindon (and did it for 7 yrs) and as membership secretary twice (7 yrs and 4 yrs). I was made an honorary vice president of the Branch in 2016 when I retired as Hon Sec.
In Jan 2008 I received a Wiltshire County award "as a mark of esteem and appreciation for loyal and conspicuous service"; and in April 2010 I was awarded the Legion's gold badge for: ”outstanding contribution to the Legion image in Cricklade and Wiltshire for more than 20 years."
We moved to Cricklade in July 1968 when I was posted from Cyprus to Fairford. My wife became the proprietor of Monty's General Stores. We closed the shop in 1974 and during 2 subsequent overseas tours we rented the property. I played cricket for Cricklade 1969 - 72, served on the Town Band committee for 8 years and spent another 8 years on the Town Hall committee. I became vice-president of Swindon Brass (originally named Swindon Young Musicians) in 2008 and was elected president in April 2014. Latterly, in Nov 2014 the Court Leet made me a Freeman of Cricklade; an honour of which I am very proud: my thanks must go to my sponsors, Les Osborn and Bob Jones MBE.
I have been delivering 74 Cricklade Chronicle newsletters in Calcutt St, Spital Lane and Swindon Road since Feb 2002; and still counting!
Over my whole career in the RAF and my various roles with the Legion I only ever publicly thanked my wife once for her enduring support. We met in Gutersloh in 1957 when Ingrid worked in the NAAFI duty free shop. and over the next 30 years of service life, we moved our abode 13 times: a very stressful situation for service wives and children: but she coped with it all including three periods of service separation totalling 9 months. So, better late than never, I want it announced that I owe her a huge debt of gratitude for her 100% support during our Service career and my commitment to the Royal British Legion (the pop song; ‘You are the wind beneath my wings’ comes to mind) She has been a wonderful nurse for all my ailments - some quite serious - but she is a lousy patient!!
Due to my time as a legion welfare caseworker and my cancer that nearly killed me in 2009; both these experiences have prompted me to request that the donations at my funeral will go to Service veterans and Maggies at Cheltenham Oncology Unit.
J E Lee —- Dec 2019
