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A Brief History Of George Gault
November 2004
I
joined the RAF December 12th 1964, did eight weeks square bashing at RAF Swinderby, Regiment training at Catterick followed by a driving course at St.
Athen. Spent a short time in pool flight there until my posting to No. 1 LAA Sqn
at RAAF Butterworth came through, eventually in August 1965 we departed these
shores for two and a half years in the Far East flying by RAF Britannia to Changi
in Singapore, Here we had to make do with transit block and not the splendours
of the Changi Hotel that some people were pampered with, however we did get our
meals there.
I have to say at this point we were all or virtually broke with a long evening
ahead of us, anyway we must have managed to scrape enough money together between
us to enable us to get down to Singapore city and back, what a waste of time
that was we got down there didn't have a clue where to go or what to do, well
there was no money to do anything with was there?. So it was just a walk about
and then back to bed.
The following morning we flew up Malaysia to the Australian Air Force Base at
Butterworth. The whole journey I was accompanied by Taff Hopton from Swansea. We
didn't know it at the time but we were to accompany each other on every course
and posting during our time with the Regiment. We served about thirteen months
with 1 LAA Sqn. until the confrontation between Malaysia and Indonesia ended. We
worked 48 hrs on and 48 hrs off, one month on the guns and one off. I preferred
on the guns, two days on and then two days off it was great. In 1966 1LAA Sqn.
was posted back home to the UK, those of us that had served less than half their
tour were posted to other units in Singapore. I was posted to 15 Fld. Sqn. RAF
Seletar,yes and so was Taff. I enjoyed my time with 15 Sqn, though shortly after
arriving in Singapore I went down with malaria. Later on We had a couple of
detachments up to Hong Kong, both for a months duration each. On my return from
my second trip I got back with only a week left to clear camp at Seletar before
returning home to dear old Blighty.
I joined 51 Fld Sqn at RAF Catterick about April 1968, while there I did a
couple of stints with the Regiment Mobile Recruiting Team. A few of us were also
detached for a while to 37 Sqn. and joined them on an air portability and jungle
training course at the Jungle Warfare School at Kota Tinghi Malaysia, with our
main temporary base at RAF Seletar.
Later that year 51 sqn. was posted to RAF Wittering when the Harrier came into
service. In April 1969 I was in a detachment that was sent to New York as part
of a support team for the Harrier. The RAF and Government entered it in the Daily
Mail Air Race from the top of the Post office Tower to the top of the Empire
State Building. (They weren't really trying to sell the Harrier to the
Americans) On my return from New York I met Joan who is now my wife, In the Autumn of 1969 we were sent to Northern Ireland. April 1970 I
left the Regiment.
On leaving the RAF Regiment I joined British Steel at Corby Northamptonshire, where Joan already worked in the Research Centre Library. I spent a couple of years working in one of the mill offices until the sales office was centralised at Corby, I then took up a position in the export sales office. About 1977 I trained with a local driving school to qualify as a driving instructor sometime later about 1984 I set up my own driving school and have remained doing this ever since.
It has been really exciting for me over the years this site has been running, that a lot of old friends have been in touch. Ron Tiplady who I more or less kept in touch with over the years, others, John Simcock, Nick Bacon, John Harriss, Taff Hopton, Tony Nash, Taff Price, Sheila - Harry Roebuck's widow, and Brian Gale, the latest to get in touch, it has been great filling in the gaps since those heady days of our youth.
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For those of you interested there is a book about the history of the RAF Regiment.
Please click above
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By. Kingsley M Oliver
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