[BITList] Bonfire Night RAF Seletar - Singapore.
John Feltham
wulguru.wantok at gmail.com
Fri Nov 6 10:01:03 GMT 2009
Bonfire Night RAF Seletar.
Here is a memory which might amuse entitled "Guy Fawkes Night at RAF
Seletar" (1960)
After a hard days work on the squadron, a meal, a shower and a pint
(or three) of duty free it seemed quite sensible for us "hard working
single airmen" to repair to the "Bonfire" which was situated on some
waste ground at the far end of RAF Seletar.
This we duly did and stared incredulously at a mighty mound of typical
RAF junk piled high into the balmy Singaporean sky, it consisted of
the normal broken packing cases, furniture etc., But what caught our
eyes was the sheer quantity of large (very large) thick cardboard
tubes, these had previously been used to transport aircraft safety
equipment, and were so vast in number that the bonfire resembled an
enormous Egyptian Pyramid. After a few "fireworks" (well they weren't
proper fireworks, just aircraft distress flares and rockets,), the O.I/
C announced on a loudspeaker "And now Ladies & Gentlemen, boys and
girls, Flight Sergeant ******* from the fire section will LIGHT THE
BONFIRE!!
An expectant hush fell over the crowd as gallons and gallons of
"Scrap" aviation fuel, thinners and Lord knows what in the way of
inflammable liquid was poured onto this mighty pyre...Then.... into
view marched THE FLIGHT SERGEANT, a short corpulent figure of a man,
clad in natty blue dungarees, a world war two white painted tin hat
with a flap of material on the back "a la Beu Geste", swinging his
arms shoulder high, proud as punch his gum booted feet tripping
slightly on the tufted grass, he came to a crashing halt about twenty
yards from the bonfire.
Then withdrawing a Very Pistol from his belt, he elegantly broke it
and popped in a cartridge.
We waited..........he fired...........the flare described an arc and
hit the bonfire dead centre.
Well remember those cardboard tubes ???????? Some one had forgotten to
knock out the ends; soaked in fuel they had become bombs !!!!!
BOOOOOOOOOOOM !!!!!
The bonfire lifted twenty feet off the ground and deposited itself in
about eight different positions, all still burning like a good
un...That was it, everybody left leaving the Flight Sergeant standing
there with his mouth open.....
Well nobody was hurt thank Heavens but the scaleys brats (married
personnel’s children) didn’t half howl !!!! We (the single blokes)
couldn't help chuckling as we left to get to the Malcolm Club for
another pint or two and a toast tomato banjo.
I wonder what the Officer i/c RAF Seletar fire section said to his
blokes? Come to that, what did the Camp Commandant say to the Officer
i/c? ,,,,,,,who cares ! Happy Days !!
http://www.seletar.net/History.htm
ooroo
Bad typists of the word, untie.
ooroo
Bad typists of the word, untie.
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