Best kept secret - bases that you liked and why

[Fake Sheikh]

Deepcut where they train Army Chefs in secret to do magic & rape decent food & make it inedible.
PAYD saved many soldiers apart from the watery custard that sedexo served at Bordon

 

[overopensights]

This is one of the threads where I have read and appreciated and mostly enjoyed all the posts. I think all of us of a certain generation can bow our heads in thanks and feel really privileged to have served at the time we did, it's almost a wonder when you consider just how far around the world we stretched.

 

[Joker62]

Deepcut where they train Army Chefs in secret to do magic & rape decent food & make it inedible.
PAYD saved many soldiers apart from the watery custard that sedexo served at Bordon

Knob, it was either St Omer Bks, Aldershot or Worthy Down, not Deepcut.
(PS, Sodexo)

 

[Fake Sheikh]

Knob, it was either St Omer Bks, Aldershot or Worthy Down, not Deepcut.
(PS, Sodexo)

Life as a Thread God must be good for you, Sir, Good to have you onboard to correct our misdemeanors.

 

[Joker62]

Life as a Thread God must be good for you, Sir, Good to have you onboard to correct our misdemeanors.

As an ex Chef, I should know where I done my training, simple really.

 

[Fake Sheikh]

As an ex Chef, I should know where I done my training, simple really.

Good to hear you admit to being an Egg Burner & passing the hardest course in the Army, I salute you.

 

[old_bloke]

RAF Boulmer, Northumberland, God’s country. Two sites, full of FC totty and brand new facilities when I was there in early - mid 90’s.

Plus close enough to go on the lash in Newcastle!

I was there 87-91 , quaters as a Cpl were council houses in Longhaughton next to the Co-op shop. 4 of us sharing . Bit tatty but no bills to pay. On promotion was sent to the other side of the village to a bigger newer council house shared with two other Sgts. No duties , no bullshit . RAF WO and Sgts mess was an old hut outside the main base. Village Bobby was ex RAF and did nothing for 28 days of the month then went on a spree to get his “quota” of stops/arrests for the month. So during those 2 days we tried to behave. Had to go to Italy on a course in 89 for 5 months just when the “ council tax” started . All those serving there started to pay it taken from you pay at source. As I was in Italy I did not and was never registered . So on my return never paid . Then posted to Donnington then Maidstone with the RE. 93 posted to Germany so never paid any council tax .

 

[Provost]

Knob, it was either St Omer Bks, Aldershot or Worthy Down, not Deepcut.
(PS, Sodexo)

Odd that it went to Worthy Down as that's very much an AGC place. I suppose it's all 'joint' now, as well.

 

[Excognito]

Odd that it (chef school) went to Worthy Down as that's very much an AGC place. I suppose it's all 'joint' now, as well.

Somebody made a mistake - one of those "send three and sixpence" things. It was originally intended to be Porton Down.

Porton Down was the laboratory where initial samples of the Ebola virus were sent in 1976 during the first confirmed outbreak of the disease in Africa. The laboratory now contains samples of some of the world's most aggressive pathogens, including Ebola, anthrax, the plague, and whatever else can be found on an Army chef's hands ...

 

[AlienFTM]

Knob, it was either St Omer Bks, Aldershot or Worthy Down, not Deepcut.
(PS, Sodexo)

I can't believe I was honour guard for Master of the Ordnance at the opening of the new, bespoke Adjutant General's Computer Centre (Adjutant General had a prior appointment that day) in 88, mainframes were gone in a few years and then they used the state of the art mainframe building to train sloppies. Oh the humanity.

 

[Excognito]

Somebody made a mistake - one of those "send three and sixpence" things. It was originally intended to be Porton Down.

Reminded me of New Scientist's Bill Tidy series Grimbledon Down, some episodes of which showed the work of the Army Catering Corp Research Dept hard at work developing Nufood(*):

---------------------------------

(*) Nufood - an artificial foodstuff made with processed human waste, publically described as a universal food but actually the intended replacement for Compo

 

[Excognito]

I can't believe I was honour guard for Master of the Ordnance at the opening of the new, bespoke Adjutant General's Computer Centre (Adjutant General had a prior appointment that day) in 88, mainframes were gone in a few years and then they used the state of the art mainframe building to train sloppies. Oh the humanity.

My first trip to Blandford to see the sights, part of which was a mainframe room.

"Right gentlemen, if you'd all like to put on the white coats, slippers and hats before we enter. It is a cleanroom, so no nasty bits of young officer dropping everywhere. Suprised we let some of you in at all".

So in we trot ... accompanied by a ruddy great German Shepherd. Me, being ever sharp, spotted (if that's the appropriate word) said dog and felt impelled by curiosity, and a complete lack of a sense of self-preservation, to outwardly wonder at this.

"Err, excuse me, Staff, but does the dog not have to put on a coat as well?"

"CO's dog, sir. You tell him - we haven't found the remains of the last chap that tried. Besides, his hair is clean"

 

[Himmler74]

I was there 87-91 , quaters as a Cpl were council houses in Longhaughton next to the Co-op shop. 4 of us sharing . Bit tatty but no bills to pay. On promotion was sent to the other side of the village to a bigger newer council house shared with two other Sgts. No duties , no bullshit . RAF WO and Sgts mess was an old hut outside the main base. Village Bobby was ex RAF and did nothing for 28 days of the month then went on a spree to get his “quota” of stops/arrests for the month. So during those 2 days we tried to behave. Had to go to Italy on a course in 89 for 5 months just when the “ council tax” started . All those serving there started to pay it taken from you pay at source. As I was in Italy I did not and was never registered . So on my return never paid . Then posted to Donnington then Maidstone with the RE. 93 posted to Germany so never paid any council tax .

RAF Catterick was decent, Officers Mess was let’s say over booked and a few of us had a entire three storey block to ourselves.
Becks 71p a bottle, decent amount of peanut butter and a industrial size toaster kept us going during my 12 months there.

 

[robroy]

RAF Catterick was decent, Officers Mess was let’s say over booked and a few of us had a entire three storey block to ourselves.
Becks 71p a bottle, decent amount of peanut butter and a industrial size toaster kept us going during my 12 months there.

73/74 I tupped a female RAF type stationed at Catterick or should I say she tupped me, fekken huge she was.

 

[Roger Out]

Good to hear you admit to being an Egg Burner & passing the hardest course in the Army, I salute you.

He didn’t pass it, nobody ever did!

 

[Sapper D.]

My lasting memory is the ornamental goldfish pond out the front, and Albert the giant carp.

Cannot remember any fish

 

[Roger Out]

Somebody I think mentioned Luffenham, Rutland. My unit was posted from there before joining them but not a bad posting by all accounts. I also remember talking to a Green Jacket who at the time was based in Blackpool (2001 ish). Said that was good too.

 

[AlienFTM]

Cannot remember any fish

In late 76 we washed down our Ferrets by the pond. It slowly filled up with sandy soil. It was decreed that we'd catch and house all the fish in sinks, etc, drain the pond and dig it out. Albert (must have been 18"-2') refused to be caught until, as the pond was drained with buckets, he was half out of the water. Last to be caught, first back in after the sand was dug out.

 

[GrumpyWasTooCheerful]

Knob, it was either St Omer Bks, Aldershot or Worthy Down, not Deepcut.
(PS, Sodexo)

Crusty's sock no 7564?

 

[philc]

My first trip to Blandford to see the sights, part of which was a mainframe room.

"Right gentlemen, if you'd all like to put on the white coats, slippers and hats before we enter. It is a cleanroom, so no nasty bits of young officer dropping everywhere. Suprised we let some of you in at all".

So in we trot ... accompanied by a ruddy great German Shepherd. Me, being ever sharp, spotted (if that's the appropriate word) said dog and felt impelled by curiosity, and a complete lack of a sense of self-preservation, to outwardly wonder at this.

"Err, excuse me, Staff, but does the dog not have to put on a coat as well?"

"CO's dog, sir. You tell him - we haven't found the remains of the last chap that tried. Besides, his hair is clean"

Many moons ago I worked for News International ie. Rupert Murdoch, this was when Wapping was being brought on line. I was a computer engineer and worked on the Mainframe as did others. The room was a vault with bomb proof doors and an external security guard.

One weekend unbeknown to us Rupert and entourage turned up to see what his money had brought. So they come to the computer room and try try to gain entry. As his name was not on the list along with a few others it was the classic you can’t come in your names not on the list.

A bit of a Mexican stand off but in the days of no mobile phones etc, Uncle Rup did not get to see his multi million pound computer.

Every one was smiles and the security guard was just doing his job blah blah but I never saw that guard again.