My Life in England and Supporting NATO

Once again in today’s world we are focusing on Europe and the trauma we face with differing political ideologies that exist in an ever-changing world.  As a young man back  in 1956, I was first introduced to NATO as an Air Force pilot while deployed to the UK in support of our commitment to NATO and European defense against the forces of the Soviet Union during what was known as the Cold War. 

It was a confusing time, and I didn’t fully grasp the situation and the complexities associated with maintaining world peace.  All I remember was sitting in an aircraft loaded with a nuclear device and listing to the aircraft radio waiting for direction regarding a target and who would the enemy be.  Was it the British, the French, or the Russian’s?  

We knew there was a squabble between the Britts and the French over control of the Suez cannel and we had a briefing that the Russians were massing on the Turkish border.  We were briefed that we may be going to war, and we needed to identify our next of kin and write a brief note with our money and identification enclosed and give it to the Operations Officer.  Well, that seemed to clear up after about 24 hours and the worlds negotiators resolved the issue without our war.  After that I went back to being part of the Strategic defense force fighting the Cold War. 

After a few more years in SAC, I was assigned to a Medium Tactical Bomb Wing in the UK.  In 1960, my wife and I moved to England to be a part of the 47^th Bomb Wing located at RAF Sculthorpe near Newbery England.  We were there as part of the 3^rd Air Force and the U.S. commitment to NATO’s obligation to defend Europe and the UK against hostile Eastern European countries involved in the Cold War.  There were F-84’s in France and Germany, F-100’s in the UK and our B-66B bombers in the UK.  All were part of the NATO Force that represented the United States first strike capability dedicated to NATO.  And the Cold War went on. 

        We took our commitment seriously and honed our response capability frequently.  While we lived on the Base, we were required to be an active part of a response capability 24 hours a day.  We took the charge seriously and lived with it to the extent that an alarm horn was installed in the hallway just outside of every crewmember’s home.  Should a strike response be required, the horn was activated, and we responded by rushing to the squadron ready to go to war.  This was a family affair and we developed our family process should the need arise. 

As I remember it this was tested frequently and almost always it was in the middle of the night when we were sound asleep.  In my family, I had my long johns at the bottom of the bed with my socks and boots nearby.  My flying suit was hung on the wardrobe door and my jacket and helmet were at the bottom of the stairs.  While I donned the underwear, boots and flying suit my wife ran to the bottom of the stairs, grabbed the jacket with one arm and the helmet bag ready for me and my arm insertion.  She would have the front door open to facilitate a rapid exit.  I’m sure it looked and was like a rerun of a Dagwood and Blondie cartoon.  But it worked and I would be getting a target briefing with my crew in less than 15 minutes. 

We picked up our parachutes and rode the crew bus to the aircraft where a bomb crew was waiting for us to load a training device, preflight the aircraft and await further instructions.  With the radio on we were given start engines times and taxi instructions.  Sometimes it all stopped and we were graded on our response but there were other times that we closed the hatches, started the engines and taxied to the active runway.  It seems to me that this always happened in the middle of the night and we were half asleep practicing the rote response we trained for on a daily basis.  There were times we taxied to the runway, were cleared into position then told to return to the ramp.  I remember one night the alarm sounded and my wife and I did our thing with perfection.  She opened the front door and fog bellowed into the house like smoke from a smoldering fire.  My thoughts were great, this won’t last long, we won’t be flying in this mess and I can go back home and resume my nights nap. 

After our briefing, the loading exercise and our preflight were completed we ran our checklists and started the engines.  We called for taxi instructions and were given clearance to the active runway.  When I arrived at the departure end of the runway, I was told to take the left side of the runway after another aircraft took the right side.  I could see one runway light ahead of me and knew that was only about 100 feet or so and I was sure we wouldn’t fly in this fog.  The guy on my right was cleared to roll and shortly after, I was cleared to go.  I counted the lights as the started passing on my left and noted that they really were passing fast and I should soon be told to abort and return to the ramp.  Well, I wasn’t and when I looked at the airspeed indicator it read 160 and I knew I was going to fly.  My first response was oh s—t!  I’m going to fly tonight and off I went into the nights swirling fog. 

It was rotate, gear up, flaps up and climb power with a radio frequency change to Anglia Control. Then it was off to Nice, Southern France and our simulated target before returning to fog shrouded ole England.  After that departure and a call to the squadron ops I was told that when we returned, we would get a tanker orbiting Hopton beacon over the North Sea.  I liked aerial refueling and enjoyed the formation flying aspects and challenges it presented.  The tanker would orbit at 22 thousand feet and we could get wet (jet fuel) and dry (no fuel) hookups.  The 2 thousand pounds of fuel we would upload would give us time to practice on the tanker, lots of fun. 

After our successful bomb run on Nice, we turned Northwest, climbed to about 43 thousand feet and enjoyed the ride home.  I was encouraged to find out that the fog was lifting and the refueling area was reported clear so that was going to take some more of the pressure off since the weather worry was gone.  It was a quiet ride home since the French Air Traffic Control was almost always on strike and didn’t communicate with us even if we tried to talk to them.  It was radio silence till we approached the UK and contacted Anglia Control for clearance into the British controlled air space. 

The North Sea is a cold foreboding body of water that washes the shores of Northern England and for those who live there and along the coast of Norfolk County it’s a summer playground.  The natives holiday along the shore and enjoy the rocky beaches and all that the area has to offer.  We lived in the area and enjoyed life on the coast road in the village of West Runton and the sea washed against the cliffs behind our cottage.  At night while in bed we could hear the waves wash the shore and every evening we were comforted by the sound of the RAF flying a reconnaissance mission along the shore in their famous and reliable World War 2 Lancaster.  All of this is a walk through some of the best years of our lives, but I digress and must continue with my story of some memories from our life in England. 

Where was I in this tail of a young pilot’s adventure and reflection on life’s lessons so often learned the hard way? There I was on top of the world at 43 thousand feet and in command of everything around me.  I was flying a jet so high in the sky and at a blistering speed of 480 knots, the world was at my finger tips.  I was approaching the North Sea homing in on Hopton Beacon and looking for a KB-50 tanker somewhere ahead at 22 thousand feet.  I tuned the refueling frequency on the radio and called the tanker to arrange our rendezvous and subsequent refueling.  He as outbound from the beacon about 20 miles east of Hopton and over water.  As I continued out to sea on my Northwest heading, I found the tanker that appeared as a speck over the water so far below.  My heart was pounding with anticipation, anxiety, and my plans for an exciting and spectacular fighter attack on the helpless bomber below. 

What was my plan? I was thinking, thinking about my airplane and it’s capability and the thrill I would have pushing it through the maneuver.  I talked to the navigator who had the tankers beacon painted on his radar and told him that I had a visual on the tanker and would make the descent and subsequent rendezvous visually.  The Gunner was ready with the descent and refueling checklist and just waiting for me to call for it.  Now my descent and refueling plan unfolded.  I decided that it would be fun and exciting to roll the plane over and pull the nose through into a steep dive and do something like what is known as a split S maneuver diving in on the tanker in a fighter like manner, what a thrill I was going to have!  The Navigator and Gunner were behind me, behind an instrument panel and could not see out the forward windscreen.  To my knowledge they didn’t know what I had in mind other than I was to make a visual rendezvous.  As someone once said on TV, “and away we go” and we did.  I rolled the aircraft and pulled the nose through into a near vertical dive and called for the checklist.  The Gunner responded and read Fuel Selector Switch—my response was Takeoff and Land.  This was to ensure the engines feed fuel from all the fuel tanks thus assuring the engines had plenty of fuel.  The fuel selector switch was a wafer switch which rotated either left or right.  One direction was fuel from all tanks and the other direction was fuel for both engines from the forward tank.  Well, you didn’t want to switch to the forward tank because that’s the first tank you empty.  My forward tank was empty.  Obviously I wanted fuel from all the fuel tanks.  Well, it didn’t happen that way.  Ole hotshot Dave in his excitement and anticipation and keeping the tanker in sight while upside down, racing toward the sea, I switched the fuel selector to the forward tank.  Surprise!!! Down I raced screaming through the air toward the North Sea.  It seems that the engines didn’t like this maneuver and decided to go on strike because they had no fuel.  There was a deafening silence as the engine quiet.  Only the rush of an aircraft falling through the air at horrendous speed toward the sea below me and the Gunner reading the checklist echoed in my ears.  I kept telling the Gunner to standby with the checklist and pondered, what do I do now?  First, I uttered my favorite phrase, OH! S—T!  I immediately knew what I had done and knew what I had to do to correct it.  I had to act fast and return the fuel selector to Both Engines All Tanks before the engine generators fell off line.  Thank you Lord I did it.  Then I placed both engine ignition switches to Air Start and all the time the Gunner kept reading the checklist and I kept saying STANDBY.  The throttles were already in the idle position for my eye-popping descent and thank God one engine started.  Still heading for the deep sea I frantically worked to keep the tanker in sight for the rendezvous while doing memory items for an engine relight.  I was closing in on the tanker at some 400 knots when the second engine started.  I was saved and wasn’t going to swim for another day.  The tanker was happy to see me and I hooked up for about 2,000 pounds of fuel.  The tanker said that they had plenty of time so I was offered the opportunity for numerous dry hook ups.  Normally I would have stayed with them and played air refueling but my body wasn’t willing.  I thanked them for the gas but declined sticking around—said I had to RTB (return to base) and thanked them again. 

I headed for the Base and started my approach with a GCA, (Ground Controlled Approach).  There wasn’t any cockpit chatter and I landed safely, deployed the Drag Chute and rolled another 8,000 feet, turned off the runway and parked in the Drag Chute jettison area.  I set the parking brakes and dropped the chute.  The only conversation was checklist challenge and reply.  When I was cleared to the hardstand for parking, I tried to release the parking brakes (to release the parking brake you had to depress the rudder pedals) but couldn’t get my legs and feet to respond.  My legs were bouncing uncontrollably, and my feet were useless.  I’m not sure how long I sat there till I stopped shaking but it seemed like forever.  I had learned a valuable lesson that guided the rest of my flying career.  I was still alive and I knew that my “fun” stupidity had endangered the lives of my two other crew members.  I’m still apologizing for that to this day.  The lesson, THERE ARE OLD PILOTS AND BOLD PILOTS BUT THERE AREN’T ANY OLD, BOLD PILOTS.  This real life story was from my mid-twenties and the lesson guided me for the rest of my flying career.         

 

Seasons

Spring in the North Land

The changes of the seasons always makes me wax in a profound vein and realize that our lives follow the same inevitable path. All things in their season so here are my thoughts. Most of you know that winter isn’t my favorite time of year but it is inescapable and so I accept it and look forward to Spring. Last winter I escaped for a while to Florida and it was a wonderful respite from the two feet of snow that I dug out from prior to being blessed with the warm smile of the beach and sun of South Florida. As in life all things, good and bad come to an end and so did my stay in the sunny South. It was back to Naperville and what had been winter just weeks (perhaps months) before. On my arrival home I was greeted by Spring--just as in our lives it was new, it was fresh and it was beautiful. It was all one could hope for. It embraced a period that may be likened to our youth and our young adult lives when we blossomed into adulthood, found our life partners and started the human cycle with children and of course happy times.

Summer Arrived

Oh how we enjoyed the Spring years--the memories of new experiences, travel and friends will endure through the years and we will often fall back on those memories to guide us and to help usher in the Summer of our life, all the seasons of our life.

 

Summer is full, full of robust beauty, love and the fruits of our labor. It is the reward for enduring the winter, appreciating the beautiful and abounding hope that Spring brings to us. It seems that all too soon our Summer fades and we see the hint of autumn, the fall of our year and years. We enjoy the warm days and cool nights of early fall and we see its’ beauty and realize the importance of embracing those we love and the beauty of seasons past. We scurry to maximize each day and savor all that is beautiful. We realize that winter comes and seasons past will come again and again if only in our hearts and minds. Live Happy, Love caringly with abandon and know that good friends are the diamonds mined from our lives.

Part III of Still More As We Continue Our Good Life In England

As our life on the Coast  Road rolled on we had more good times and loved the way we lived and all of the things around us.  But, as with any military assignment, things are fraught with change, folks you served with rotate home, move on for a host of reason.  We were no exception, our reason for being in England was to fulfill an all weather nuclear commitment to NATO and the US.  We did that in several ways that ranged from sitting alert in the on Base alert facility on a 24 hours a day schedule with an immediate launch response.  While there we would study our adversary, we studied the beginnings of the cold war Communist movement in the Soviet Union, learned a little Russian, preflighted the aircraft and made sure we were ready for launch.  Or, we fulfilled a 24 hour a day response from anyplace on the Base.  We could shop, go to movies, entertain, and live our normal life at home but the hooker was you had to always be ready to go.  Usually this lasted for about six weeks then we had a week off.  To achieve this, the Wing required a predetermined number of combat ready crews to live on base and to always be at the ready.

Well our time had come and we were ordered to move onto the Base to meet this requirement--this had both good and not so good connotations.  With the move, Rose would always be secure and I could be home from work in minutes rather than an hour and she wouldn't have to carry coal and paraffin (kerosene) to heat the house.  The down side was we had to leave our home on the Coast Road and reside in a traditional English Row House.  There were two types of homes that we, the crew members, were assigned to. They consisted of what was called tobacco housing which was a modern ranch type home and then the traditional RAF (Royal Air Force) home.  While adequate, it was small and by American standards not so good.  On Base housing was assigned by rank and family size--guess what a First Lieutenant with one child gets assigned to--you guessed right we were to live in RAF housing. This was now our abode, 36 Lancaster Crescent.  See the black dot in the second story window, that meant that I was home and ready to respond to any requirement. 
As with any situation life throws at you, we made it into one of the most enjoyable experiences available in my memory bank.  Our neighbors across the street were Jim and Betty Stoneburner who through the years have been our best friends.  Jim was more like a brother and Betty was family too.  As time and events turn, things, people and places have a way of molding one's life and lasting memories.  This was one of those life events that resulted in Jim and Betty being a centerpiece in the formation of memories and relationships never to be duplicated.   Jim and Betty became neighbors more than once and as Air Force life often did  they once again lived across the street while we server at McGuire AFB in New Jersey (this was after Jim finished Boot Strap, a college completion program) but the New Jersey life is another story and chapter in our life.  More on that chapter later. 
Once we moved on Base we were able to open our social acquaintances and became close to a group of friends consisting of on Base couples who enjoyed friendship and parties.  The years have faded some of the names but several still remain within my grasp.  Of course there was Jim and Betty, Art and Alice Jepson (Art was died in Viet Nam in the Bien Hoa B-57 explosion), then there was Don and Shirley Walterhouse, and it's here that my memory starts to fade and I have blanks in name relocation--I think there was Harry and Evie Osbun and now a blank.  Nevertheless we all enjoyed each other in the social realm.

As I have previously eluded to, our life was different and full.  It was fun and we lived it to the fullest.  When we had the week free from alert duties we almost always went to London for a few delightful days.  The Columbia club was the Officers Club and hotel in the London area--we were able to purchase theater tickets there at a discount and the room rates were a bargain and although not always the best accommodations they were great for us--we were rarely in the room other than to crash for a few hours and to change clothes in between walks in the park, the Tower of London,

shopping and of course the watering hole (bar).  We were obviously Yanks and relished the encounter with the Ban the Bomb parades and all that those times in London could offer.  One that I clearly remember was an evening at the Elizabethan Room, a restaurant that was period oriented and served the cuisine of the period.  As the evening crowd arrived they would be assigned different roles as the ruling royalty and greeted all those who arrived after you did.  Unlike our normal pattern, we arrived early and therefore were able to greet all with a "Drink Hale Wassail" and down the Mead and Claret---we were really early and we toasted with vigor.  Rose was wiser than I and I suffered and will never forget the taxi ride to the hotel, need I say more.  I will never forget that nite nor will I ever make the same mistake again, should have known better at the ripe mature age of 27. 

Well Done

Click Image to see the full article published October 1962

Where do I start with this another chapter in our Air Force life? I thought it might be interesting to talk about another ordinary day in our life in England and how better to do that than to develop a story that actually happened and had visibility of two similar but different sides.  We were assigned to the 47th Bomb Wing that consisted of 4 flying squadrons.  There was the 420th Air Refueling Squadron, (KB-50J's) the 84th, 85th and 86th Bombardment Squadrons flying the B-66B Destroyer.  I was lucky enough to be assigned to the 86th--always thought it was the best but then those that belonged to any of the other squadrons would argue that they held that spot in the grand scheme of things.  Truth be known we were all good and did the Air Force proud.  August 8, 1961 wasn't much different than any other day.  Our squadron was assigned the morning flying period and I was on that day's schedule for a standard flight that probably consisted of invading France and making a bomb run on Niece and then back to London Bomb Plot and if I had any luck there would be a tanker available for hook ups.  As I recall, it was a somewhat bleak and windy day (typical of this part of England) our briefing that morning consisted of weather and guidance from the Operations Officer, George O'Neil a salty WWII officer who appeared hard as nails but always looked after his troops.  After the briefing, my crew Fred Shaffer the Bombardier/Navigator and the Gunner, (his name escapes me for now) grabbed out parachute, helmets and professional kits, we boarded the crew bus and were dropped off at the hard stand to preflight the aircraft and prepare for flight.  I check hooked up the ships battery, did an interior check and did a visual walk around inspection.  I hooked up the drag chute and climbed aboard.  I loved that airplane, I strapped in and we ran the checklists, started the engines, got taxi clearance and away we went.  It was a normal day and a normal flight or at least it started that way.

  The clouds were hanging low, the usual for where we lived and the wind was picking up.  As I remember, it was a brisk wind from what I remember out of the west.  Anyway it was a left crosswind and I would have to compensate for it during the takeoff roll on runway 31. I was cleared for takeoff and taxied onto the runway and did a rolling takeoff.  Engines normal and airspeed was building--hey Vance remember to compensate for the cross wind-- really that came naturally but I did think about it.  A little left aileron and then all of a sudden the right wing abruptly dropped and I immediately picked it up and said to myself,  "sure hope Major O'Neil didn't see that"  then it was rotate and off into the morning gloom.  I retracted the gear and flaps then checked the hydraulics and all was Ops Normal.  Nothing to do now but to contact Anglia Control (the departure radar) until I departed the UK for France.  At 10,000 feet we contacted our Squadron Operations to report Operations Normal and our remaining fuel status.  With that report we would be on our way for another routine training mission.  When I called in with my report Fred Wright acknowledged and said "standby one" then there was a pause--this was followed Fred saying "Daveeeee", "ah, did you have any problems on takeoff" and my response was a crisp "Negative" everything seemed OK.  Of course my immediate thought was Oh S---t!  George saw my wing drop and he is going to chew on me for letting the cross wind get to me.  Major O'Neil was a very good Operations Officer but he could really get a piece of you from time to time and I was afraid that this young Lieutenant was going to share a piece of his anatomy with George.  Then there came another "Standby".  I continued toward France and stayed on the squadron frequency wondering what in the world would come next.  Then after what seemed like an eternity, Fred came back on and said that they found one of my wheels and they wanted me to return to the VOR (a radio navigation aid) and establish a max endurance holding pattern till they could decide what to do.  I switched back and forth between the squadron and Anglia Control and turned back to the VOR to comply with their instructions.  Fred told me that Major O'Neil would come up in a T-Bird (T-33) to check me out.  So I waited at the VOR for further guidance and Major O'Neil.  Soon I was joined by a T-33 and Major George O'Neil to see what would come next.  While we were holding in a two minute circuit I was watching a huge squall line with obvious thunder storms developing to the Southwest and it seemed to be moving in the direction of the base at a good clip.  Major O'Neil had me lower the gear and subsequently evaluated the damage from his vantage point of close formation flying.  Based upon his assessment we would develop our next plan which was to get the bird back on the ground.  I guess there were broken brake disk parts in the fuselage and elevator from when the wheel came off and the wing dipped.  Apparently it, the brake rotors and discs, exploded into many little pieces but the strut and all of the hydraulic lines were intact--really lucky! 

Well, now the dye was cast and we were to descend, lower the gear and do low approaches until our fuel was down to 5,000 pounds.  Not a bad idea but that squall line was rapidly moving North and toward the base--I knew that it had strong winds and heavy rain, turbulence and who knows what else associated with it and I really wanted to get on the ground before it hit.  We made what was called a jet penetration from 20,000 feet and contacted the Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) about 13 miles Northeast of the field.  I lowered some flaps and the gear when inbound to the airport to burn the fuel as rapidly as possible.  I really wanted to get on the ground and kept telling the powers that be that a storm was rapidly approaching--yes they knew and were keeping an eye on it--maybe they were but I was watching it closer and would be a bur under their saddle till they cleared me to land.  I think I made about three or four very low approaches (50 feet or so) followed by a go around and then set up for another.   On what I determined to be my last low approach before my attempt to land I noticed that the storm was just a few miles away and moving toward me at a fast clip.  As I applied power to go around I was in the heart of what I really didn't want to be in--My thunder storms, the squall line had arrived with a vengeance.  It was raining hard, we were being tossed around like a ball and now I didn't have enough fuel left to wait it (the storm) out.  "OH Sh--t"!! now what?  Well that was obvious, I was to rendezvous with a tanker (Photo Below) and pick up another 5,000 pounds of fuel.  Well that should be easy and I was very good at getting the tanker--just fly formation and it was a snap. 

My aircraft, the B-66B had what was called a probe that stuck out in front of the aircraft about 5 feet and the tanker had rubber hoses with a three foot round basket that trailed behind the aircraft.  The process was to roll out about 60 feet or so of hose behind the tanker and the bomber would stick the probe into the basket to complete the hookup and take fuel.  Did I tell you that the air was turbulent from guess what, the storm?  Did I mention that the basket behind the tanker was bouncing around in different directions than my aircraft was?  Well I missed my first try and I was trying to second guess where the basket would be for the next attempt.  My Nav was a little anxious and chided me to get on with it.  I moved in close and timed the basket movement with my next stab and I made the connection.  We bounced along at 5,000 feet till I got enough fuel to wait out the storm and set up for the final approach and landing.

As I remember it, I started the final approach from about 13 miles and we were in the clouds at a thousand feet.  The GCA guys were guiding me for the approach and landing that was going to be a little different in that the right wheel assembly was missing.  Now with the front past the wind favored runway 13 and the cross wind was from the right.  I wasn't going to go around again, I was intent on landing and setting foot on Terra Firma.  The GCA shack was in the infield to my right and at about 10 miles the controllers asked if I was visual yet and I said negative.  Then they requested that I inform them as soon as I saw the runway so they could vacate the GCA shack.  I, of course, agreed and understood that they wanted to avoid being trapped in the shack should the aircraft veer right upon landing and hit their shack.  With the right wheel gone there was concern that the aircraft right strut would dig into the tarmac and spin off to the right infield.  I laughed to myself thinking that such a thing would never happen but that I would be happy to oblige.  I called runway contact at about three miles out and subsequently chuckled when several men ran from the GCA shack to a waiting Morris Minor that whisked them to safety, it looked like a circus act of some sort and it made me smile.  Well, I continued the approach and touched down on the left side of the runway at about 135 Knots, deployed the drag chute, shut the left engine down and held the right wing up till I was running out of speed.  I was still going straight down the runway when I lowered the right wing and the right strut and wingtip touched the tarmac.  I had full left brake to keep from going to far to the right then the aircraft was starting to rotate around to my left toward the oncoming fire trucks.  I was now turning left onto an inactive runway and appeared to be slowly chasing the fire response team away from me--I had to laugh out loud again! It was about then, with the right wing on the ground that I heard a bang, the gunner hatch flew off and I saw the gunner running down the wing as the aircraft continued to slow toward a stop.  His parachute was banging behind his knees--he was soon followed by the navigator and I watched them hit the ground and keep on running.  Guess they were afraid that there was going to be a big bang or a fire or something bad.  Well, there I was, probably a little shook  but making sure that I did a proper shut down so Major O'Neil wouldn't chew my a--.  I guess I didn't realize how long I spent trying to do everything right.  Then Don Keating, the assistant Operations Officer climbed up the right wing into the cockpit and said "get your ass out of here I will make sure things are shut down".  I did get out and don't remember if I used the belly hatch or the right wing as a walkway.  I really don't remember much about after we were on the ground other than I had to write a statement before leaving the squadron and in the next day or so had to take a check ride so I could go flying again.  Seems that we did everything right and there was no criticism that I remember--even Major O'Neil didn't chew me out.  Guess we did OK.

Our Good Life In England

I started this some time ago and periodically added portions of text and pictures only to experience the computer magic that more mature (not old) folks encounter and subsequently lost about a dozen pages of our experiences and pictures never to be found again. This is another attempt at that story, the story means a great deal to me.



I was going through old photographs the other day and came across some that were taken during a vacation in Paris way back in April of 1961 and our happy years in England.

The pictures took me back in time (as almost everything does recently) to reflect on our life there and our rewarding life experiences preceding, during and after we lived in England.
We, my wife and friend, were (in our minds) mature, we were world travelers at the ripe old age of 25 and 26 respectively. We had the opportunity to do, see and experience things that were well beyond our means and economic status as young, Midwest kids that had never gone much beyond Kansas City and Wichita. Oh, Rosemary had ventured to Florida, Alabama and Texas with her parents and I had been a few places in my early Air Force career but we never had, as a married couple, tasted the world as we did then and subsequently.

My Best Friend Jim, His Wife Betty and Rosemary

Betty and Rose

The chronology is a bit fuzzy but this adventure started in 1960. It took us across the country from Smoky Hill Air Force Base in Salina Kansas to McGuire AFB in New Jersey. There we were processed for our soon to be new life in England, RAF Station Sculthorpe. We dropped our 1959 Pontiac Bonneville off at the port to be shipped to England and awaited a midnight adventure on an Air Force C-118 (DC-6). We had a one year old son who was the best traveler one could ever wish to have. We boarded the aircraft with rear facing seats and started a 24 hour adventure to RAF Station Mildenhall where we would claim our worldly possessions and meet the Family Services representative to embark on a trip North to our new home in North Norfolk County in the country known as England.

To further frame this adventure I must tell you that we had been up for a day and half and our young son had been the victim of projectile vomit from an obnoxious kid seated in back of us who kicked the seat back and yelled as his over weight Mom stuffed chocolate down his throat to keep him quiet. Of course that didn’t add to the pleasantness of the journey. My dear wife took Stu to the lavatory to scrub the stuff from his little body and change him into clean PJ’s. It was an agonizing flight and Rose held up like the trooper she was.

Well back to the chronology of the story- -We gathered our stuff, loaded it onto the van along with about three other families and Northward HO! Seems like it took forever and to exacerbate the already bad situation we had to endure an over- powering fragrance of Rosemary’s spilled bottle of Shalimar perfume, the lid came off while in the baggage hold and we didn’t know it until we were under way. Did I tell you that it was a bright sunny Easter Sunday morning when we arrived in Jolly ole England-- at least the sun made the arrival better. We pulled onto the base and dealt with the Family Services representative and were informed of our temporary living arrangements then boarded another van for another hour’s journey further North to Cromer By The Sea. We were accommodated in an old hotel in Cromer that had been purchased by the NCO Club and was contracted to house incoming personnel until they could find housing somewhere on the English economy. As we entered the drive we could tell it had been a stately place in it’s day. We thought well, this is going to be something very nice for a change. The van stopped and I gathered our stuff and we entered the hotel to register.

We were immediately greeted by the unmistakable smell of stale musty carpet, the remnants of years old oriental carpet. As I signed in I looked at the poor old floor covering and it had signs of years of visitors, it was thread bare. Behind us was a beautiful wide stairway that led to the second floor and we were invited to follow the clerk to the third floor to see our home for the next several months. As we reached the top of the stair way we went down a hall to another stairway that resembled a, a, a how can I describe it! It was a little wider than my shoulders and not wide enough to carry my B-4 bag any way except in front of me. We climbed to the top and were shown a small dark corner turret room and were cheerily told that this was our home. Rose was crestfallen and sat on the corner of the bed and fell silent. Not a good sign so I thought I would help by offering to unpack so we could make ourselves comfortable. I was sternly informed to not touch those bags and that she was going home.

She said she had to get out of there and left to I know not where. The weather was turning cloudy and it had started to rain--I looked out of the narrow window and saw her sitting on a fallen tree crying her heart out and thought what do I do now? I was afraid to make her angry or should I say more upset by inquiring about how she was so as any good courageous husband would do, I delayed. When I looked again she was gone--now I‘m really concerned. Here we are, in a strange country, thousands of miles from home, strangers to all and everything around us and then someone was pounding on the door. I opened it and it was Rose! She was full of determination and ordered me to follow her and bring the bags and that she had arranged for a different room and wondered why I had not done it earlier. Now I am relieved, I think she might stay. We moved the crib, baby and all and she started to unpack. The room was twice as big as our previously assigned nook and was considerably brighter. We had three big windows and could look out onto the North Sea--what a relief. I put several Shillings into the gas meter so I could light the heater and remove the chill and then we settled in. In retrospect we had a delightful stay for the next three months while searching for a suitable home on the economy. The hotel was old in every way, right down to assigned tables in the dining room and whiskey at the bar afterwords.

When considering that Rosemary entered into the hotel arrangement with a certain level of controlled rage and a near broken heart, I found it amusing that after three months there and on the eve of moving into a beautiful cottage by the sea that she would cry again but this time it was because we were leaving. I will never understand women. Then it was "On to our new abode"!

Rosemary and our new home
THE ROCKERIES WEST RUNTON NEAR SHERINGHAM, England 

What a change a day can make. We now had an upscale English cottage that had once been a summer retreat for the president of the Black and White scotch company. It was furnished of course (in England a rental was always furnished even if only a chair, otherwise they could not evict the occupant) with nice furniture of the antique vintage and had big fire places in every room. We had four bedrooms with private baths, colored plumbing fixtures all of which were relatively modern. Then there was the kitchen, OH MY!!!, we had a small gas cooker (the oven would accommodate one small cooking pan) that required shillings in the meter box for the gas. Nickels worked OK you just had to buy them back when the meter man came around to collect the metered coins. We had a coke (a solid carbon residue from bituminous coal) hot water heater along with an electric immersion heater. The heated water also provided a small source of heat for the hall, living and dining area. We used coal for the main source of fireplace heat and kept it going through June. The solid brick and masonry structure absorbed enough heat to make the house quite comfortable and we nearly always had a pleasant fire while we watched BBC, British Tellie. Rosemary loved Coronation Street, a typical British soap.

Yes, we had arrived and were the proud occupants of a beach cottage (see the North Sea in the background) in one of the summer vacations spots in England. Great memories that will live forever in my heart. Rose was just 24 when we lived here. I was an old man of 26 and had been around Great Britain since I was 22 (Temporary duty at Greenham Common for four and a half months in 1956, during the Suez Canal war) and several other one month trips to pull nuclear alert tours) certainly a seasoned world traveler. All of this for 36 Pounds a month plus another 10 Pounds for a full time gardener (was required in the lease about $130.00) I think I received about $110.00-$120.00 a month for quarters as a First Lieutenant so it was a bargain. As you can see the gardener was worth every penny we paid. He always kept fresh blooming flowers through the entire growing season. The roses were in bloom through early December so there was always a good floral show. We had flowers in the front of the house and a manicured lawn in the back. The lawn went back to an apple orchard then a hops field after which was the North Sea. Sea spray splashed the house during stormy days and nights. A great experience.

Part II of Many as we enjoy life in England

Pictures are wonderful--they are forever and capture the essence of life and love. They allow us to capture the moment and give us the privilege of living it again and again. Pictures also bring the realization that what was, may never be again and that life moves on and it is up to each individual to determine the course they will take in response to it. For me, I choose to relive the moment and carry it in my heart while I continue to enjoy the breath of life and all of what the years have allowed to grow around me.



Our life in our home in England was fun and as for Rosemary and me we were living high. After a somewhat rough start, we landed on our feet and Rosemary became the lady of the Village. She knew everyone and was loved by all. She was frequently mistaken as a native and was treated like the English treat their own. She loved it and I was happy too--we made friends and participated in an Air Force sponsored program called Block Groups that paired folks living in reasonably close proximity to each other and we shared culture and experiences. Ours consisted of three American couples and three English couples. We had an interesting group comprised of three Air force couples, one RAF Officer (John Tocker and wife), a retired bank officer from Rhodesia (Charles and Ida Gire) and the Sherringham Village Chemist (Percy the Pharmacist and drug store owner and for my life I do not remember her name--sorry).

Stu at the beach behind the h

Initially, we were more into the local area social circles than we were with our US Air Force counterparts. That was primarily due to proximity in that the Base was almost an hour's drive away and the English roads were not real good for our big American car. Speaking of American cars, we had a 1959 Pontiac 2 door hardtop that was about as large as American cars came. I believe it was the first year of the wide track suspension and that was even big by US standards. We loved that car and it was almost new when we shipped it to the UK. I remember the shock when I got it off of the boat and filled the 25 gallon tank with the fuel at a local service station--one Pound Sterling
per gallon and at the time the Pound was trading at $2.82. In 1960 that was a big chunk of what a 1st Lieutenant earned. Things relaxed a little when we were able to buy Quartermaster gas on base at $0.16 per imperial gallon. Fuel was no longer a problem, only the physical size of the car posed a challenge on the local roads. Not to worry, we soon accommodated to the change and drove wherever we wanted to go although from time to time we had to back out of a road and find a turn around because the road became too narrow for the car.

Living room and the fireplace

It could be spooky living there when the thick fog shrouded the house and the street would be barely visible. Rosemary got great comfort at knowing the local Bobby (the Constable, the police officer) knew our every move. It was incredible what he knew about we aliens and our comings and goings. I felt she was safe in the village surrounded with good people who looked after us but I don't believe they ever understood us--young crazy kids of the Yank persuasion. Rose always looked forward to hearing the low flying British sea patrol Lancaster (WWII converted bomber) fly buy the shore every night at 9PM. There was one night however, that she was concerned -- I was away on alert duty at the base and she and Stu were alone on a very foggy night. While sleeping a big lump of coal fell from the fireplace onto the hearth (it, the fire had been banked for the night) and it was smoldering and subsequently filled the house with dense smoke. When she awoke she discovered the problem and put the coal back into the fireplace and then was faced with eliminating the smoke. It was dense and she had to open all of the front windows and the french doors that opened onto the back patio. It was cold and foggy and she couldn't tell if the smoke was going out or there was more fog coming in. She spent much of the night sitting up with doors and windows open hoping that she would be safe. My Rose was a brave lady and I would have pitied any poor soul that would have invaded her space that night. We frequently saw the pea soup fog roll into the house when we would open a door.

I mentioned earlier that we entertained with the Block Group and rotated through the families to break bread, be entertained and socialize while sharing our favorite receipts. I remember several of the meals and one in particular with the retired couple from Rhodesia. They made their favorite meal and served it and it was wonderful--really delicious. Rose liked it so much that she went back for seconds (unusual for her). After dinner was over and we were having a glass of Sherry, Rose complemented the Gire (I think her name was Ida, I know his was Charles) on the meal and wanted to know what it was (a kind of pot pie thing) and we were proudly informed that it was an English favorite, steak and kidney pie--well Rosemary was gracious enough to ask for her receipt but never let such a thing ever touch her lips again. I still laugh when I think about it. On the other side of the meal coin was when we cooked. I believe the first meal that we served them was barbecue ribs. I bought about 30 pounds of them at the commissary and got some charcoal and made a smoke house out of the garage (the car wouldn't fit so I made it into a smoke house). I hung the ribs from the rafters and let the juice run down the rib slab as they cooked and would occasionally baste them to keep them moist. They cooked over a slow heat for about 12 hours and were tinder with the meat just waiting to fall off of the bone. I think they were the best ribs I have ever made and after a great deal of confusion by the Brits on how to eat them, all you could see was flying bones and smacking lips and moans of gastronomical delight. Then ole Dave's famous baked beans--

Dining room and french doors to patio

I think that evening broke all of the British stiffness and opened a new door for the young Yanks that just moved into West Runton. Of course the participants were plied with their beverage of choice during the cocktail hour (and beyond) and in typical English fashion, consumption was not measured, the evening relaxed to everyone's satisfaction. We felt the party was a success and it was the topic of culinary conversation for months--well maybe weeks but anyway everyone had a good time and appeared ready to experience another evening of Vance hospitality.

But I'm getting a little ahead of my story and need to reflect on our first English summer and the joys of being in our own home again. While we were disappointed in the English summer, the British population didn't seem to mind. The village filled with the tourists and they were everywhere. Their little caravans (very small one room trailers) dotted the pastures and cliffs above the sea for their pure enjoyment of the fresh sea air and holiday supreme. We too enjoyed the summer and lamented the coolness of it but soon fell into the oblivion that embraced the locals and visitors alike.

The sea and cliffs in back of our home

As you can see we too visited the beach and our pride and joy, Stuart, was the apple of our eye. We went to the beach as often as we could and Stu loved to play in the sand and along the rocky shoreline in 50 degree water--a regular heat wave. He would splash and swim with the best of the locals and vacationing outsiders. Occasionally I would fly low over the house on my way back from a flight and see Rose sunning in the back garden when the air temperatures would rise to the low 50's. Proof that one can adjust and acclimate to just about set of circumstances when faced with the realities of nature and an English summer "if you can't beat them join them" and that is exactly what we did.

Guess who

Our life in West Runton continued to expand, we met the village locals and found a lovely older lady who after interviewing us wanted to provide baby sitter services for us and we were ready for her to join our family. She was a lovely lady, about 65 years of age, and she loved our little Stuart. Mrs Spinks was her name --a 65 year old fire ball with red hair and a personality to go with it. Rosemary and I grew to love her and she was the grandmother in England. She would play with Stu in the front garden and would walk him through the village and introduce him to the local shop keepers--they had a marvelous time.

Stu in the front garden

Soon after she started her baby sitting tasks she insisted that we buy a harness for him to wear as they moved about the village. She sternly informed us that no proper English boy would be seen in public without a fine leather harness with the attached leash (lead). She informed us that she would make the purchase and that we were to reimburse her afterword. She proudly brought the thing to the house and fit it to him and subsequently played GEE, Gee--I think that was horse. He loved it and she loved it and we had the best Nannie one could ever hope for. She became so much a part of our family that even after we moved back to the U.S. I would frequently fly to the UK and Rosemary would pack a box with things like sugar, cocoa, chocolate and who knows what--we called it a care package and I would ride the train North with the goodies in tow. She gave Rosemary some of her childhood toys and a small chest that had her doll thing stored inside--we were her family and we had to leave her behind. She gave me a formal Queen Victoria Naval dress sword that had been her uncles and I have it to this day. I will always keep it and ensure it stays in the family in remembrance of this wonderful, loving person. As time went by we depended on her to keep Stu when we went to social functions at the base--we would go to the club and have diner and dance the Twist till the sun was welcoming in a new day. Her only request was that we return home before it got light lest the villagers would talk. We did and we remained close for years to come.

This is the story I wrote one Saturday morning when I heard Judy Blue Eyes. Still makes me misty----

I awakened this morning and turned the radio on and the first noise that boomed out at me was the attached song by Crosby Stills and Nash. I lived it and it sent me on an unexplained trip (not Pot) that wanders back many years to things that I can't explain but if you will indulge me I am compelled to recount the life experience path that won't go to rest until I do. The year is 1969 and it is the end of the Monson season in Viet Nam. I'm in the Central Highlands at a base/city known as Pleiku. We are on the top of a mountainous area where we have made runways that serve as a primary air support point for downed airmen rescue endeavors, close air support for the troops in contact with the enemy and a military jumping off point. The primary aircraft based there are the A1E Skyraiders (a WWII fighter that carries tons of ordinance) and the original gun ship fondly known as Puff the Magic Dragon (a converted WWII DC-3).



It was late at night or early morning and we were experiencing a nightly rocket attack--ordinarily one would go to the bunkers for safety purposes but after a few months one becomes rather jaded, fatalistic or calloused to what the dangers might be and you rationalize that the hooch walls are concrete for about the first 3 feet and the rest is wooden slats and if a rocket hits outside the hooch you will be OK because the blast moves up and omni directional--the concrete will protect you and if the rocket lands inside the hooch you don't have anything to worry about because you will probably be dead--soo why not stay in your nice comfortable bed and wait it out. That's what I did and the guy in the room next to mine did too. He had just returned from Japan (had been on R&R there) and in usual fashion, he bought the biggest loudest and best sound system available. He and several others were unwinding from a long day. They were laughing talking and probably drinking and this song and album were playing at about 140db. Needless to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the experience and the album and songs on it live with me constantly. Funny-- the things that mark your memory, no way to explain it. I turned the radio up this AM until the walls shook with Judy Blue Eyes.

Since I am walking down memory lane I won't let you get away without more. I opened Don's email and Deja Vu, he was relating Craig's phone call and his return from the Far East when (still listening to Judy Blue Eyes) My mind returned to Saigon on Christmas Eve, 1969. It was 17:30 and I had arranged with my boss to have the one 7 day leave that was allowed during the tour. He had asked where I was going (We could only go to Thailand, Australia or Hawaii we could not go to CONUS) and I said Hawaii while knowing that I intended to try a more than 10,000 mile trip to the east, Salina Kansas. Don was talking about the time zones and it was the time difference that made it conceivably possible to spend the biggest family day of my life with those I loved and certainly missed. As you all may or may not know, the aviation world is small and it seems that whether military or civilian you have connections that enable travel. Well ole Vance had friends. There I was in my flying suit with a hang up bag carrying a dress uniform, shoes, some unders and socks. My friend loaded me on a C-141 Starlifter transport bound for Manila and 5 hours later I was there where I ran into another friend that was running the Airlift operations and he put me on a flight to Japan where I got a hop on a flight to Tacoma Washington (where I would later command the organization I was flying with). Well, as the powers above would have it the weather in Washington was so bad that we could not land so we had to go to Travis AFB (a base near San Francisco)--that was perfect--I could buy a commercial ticket there and proceed. I rushed through Customs and all I know is that I had to make a quick trip to San Francisco to make one of the last red eye flights to Wichita. The smell of America was wonderful and I ran (still in my flying suit--a real no-no) to catch the last bus to the airport in San Francisco. I made the flight to Wichita and then caught a ride to the Continental Trailways bus station for a two hour ride to Salina. It was now early morning--Christmas day and I was within running distance of home and ole Judy Blue Eyes was still ringing in my ears. I called from the Salina bus station which was just a few blocks from home. Have you ever had personal excitement that bubbled inside of you to the extent that you thought you would burst? That was me! There inside the open door were three little boys and my wife who I believe shared the same joy that I was experiencing--an unspeakable moment.

Well, for what it is worth that is my Christmas story and it is brought to the fore with anything but a Christmas song. So if you can open the attached song, please do it and share with me what will be with me till I die. If it won't open look for Crosby Stills and Nash and Judy Blue Eyes, play it loud and think of another time and another place. Christmas is a time for family and we have many young and some not so young that can't do what I was able to do those many years ago. Think of them and thank them for what they do. My love and best wishes for this holiday season to all of you.

Dave