Friday 12^th September 1969 – Discharge Contributed by: George MILLIE (49B) Photograph: Sgt. Terry PHILLIPS (Instructor Aircraft Instruments) Location: the SECO huts, originally used by the RAF as barrack rooms and much later converted to lecture rooms Instructor: S/Sgt. G.A. MILLIE (Aircraft Electrical Systems) On the blackboard, Scout Helicopter electrical system What catastrophic event in my comfortable life at Middle Wallop could possibly prompt me to apply for early discharge? You may well ask! I had joined the Staff at A.E.T.W. (Aircraft Engineering Training Wing) as an Instructor long before it acquired the name; during the transitional period when R.E.M.E. personnel were progressively replacing R.A.F. Instructors. In my case I was the replacement for Flight Sergeant WRIGHT (Electrical), who couldn’t get away from the place fast enough to rejoin the RAF as a Crew Chief on a V-Bomber (‘Victor’, ‘Vulcan’ and ‘Valiant’), and Corporal KNOTTAGE (Instruments). This situation was by no means new to my experience; after my initial conversion course at R.A.F. Middle Wallop I was posted to 652 AOP Squadron (later 652 Light Aircraft Squadron) at Detmold, BAOR, to replace three RAF bods – one Electrical, one Instruments, and one Radio. The morning after my arrival they were off; not even time to learn their names; no time for a formal handover; just: “All yours mate!” By the time some menial Clerk had woken up to the fact that my stay at Middle Wallop had perhaps been overly long and I was due a posting, just over ten years had elapsed. During that time I had acquired the rank of Paid/Acting/Staff Sergeant, had become a married man, and a proud father. I had become part of the very bricks and mortar of the place; I had established a valuable “scrounging” network; practically no door was closed to me; I was at that time the longest serving technical Instructor at A.E.T.W. and I enjoyed a certain privileged status. In a nutshell, I didn’t want to be moved, particularly to a god-forsaken place like 74 Aircraft Workshop, Sharjah! My posting was effective during February 1970, - “Just for six months and you’ll be back again” was not a reassuring statement – it transpired that the poor bloke who was sent out there in my stead remained for considerably longer and was not too happy about it. Fate dictated that our paths should cross in Singapore a few years later, at which time he, namely Terry REDDIN, greeted me with a distant shout: “Bloody Millie!” After discussing the matter with Marion – I had already decided what my next step would be – my priorities were clear. Neither of us relished the prospect of being parted, and it wouldn’t have been fair on our four-year-old daughter Tracey to be given the opportunity to forget who her father was. The following morning I put the formal process into motion, and started looking around for a job in civvy-street, preferably something in the same line of work. I wrote thirty-four formal applications to likely addresses worldwide – in Australia, France, Ghana, Hong Kong, Iran, Kenya, New Zealand, UK, and the USA. Many addressees didn’t even grace me with a reply; Qantas promised me an interview should I ever make it to Sydney; Australia was going through a bad drought and work in the aviation industry was scarce; the only two positive responses came from Hawker-Siddeley Aviation Training School at Woodford Aerodrome, and Airwork Services Limited at Hurn Airport. Both offered me an interview, and both produced successful outcomes offering me a position as Instructor. Considering the perceived merits and disadvantages of each, Marion and I chose to throw caution to the winds and accept Airwork’s offer based in Singapore. Upon receiving confirmation of my discharge, effective Friday 12^th September, we commenced finalising our affairs, disposing of effects that we couldn’t take with us to Singapore, and I placed an advertisement in the Brough Superior Club Magazine for the sale of my beloved 1935 Brough Superior SS80 motorcycle and sidecar. A few weeks later, in the evening, there was a knock on the door; a bloke working on the Libyan oilfields had flown home on leave, seen the advertisement, rode the bike round the block, without haggling paid cash on the spot, and rode it away. The hand-over of our hiring at 33 Junction Road, Andover complete, we moved into the small hotel situated at the corner of Salisbury and Junction Roads to await the delivery of our flight tickets and confirmation of the date of departure. Final Documentation Note: 435 Sembawang Road, Singapore was my brother’s address. A CPO R.N. he was based at Sembawang Dockyard. Technical Advisor on all matters relating to the Far East Fleet ship and shore-based computers, his area of responsibility encompassing the arc westward to the Persian Gulf and eastward to Hong Kong
	Testimonial, line 2, makes mention of the mysterious perception of my “… minor limitations in Mathematics, … “ that equally mysteriously vanished, with no conscious effort on my part, by the time I set foot in Australia. This observation is borne out by the fact that I was firstly a lecturer in ‘Mathematics for Electronics’ at the South Brisbane Technical College in Queensland, and, when I was granted Teacher Registration, a teacher of Senior Mathematics and Physics.
Farewell! This engraved name plate was presented to me in advance of the date on which all A.E.T.W. technical instructors were to be issued with one [actual size: 7½ inches long x 1 inch wide] Artist: David Michael [actual size of card: 10½ inches x 16¼ inches]

	A.E.T.W. Signatories:
Ken Mackley (Captain, REME)	Les Culverwell (WO II, REME)	Jim Ness (civilian)
Len Symonds (WO I, REME)	Nev Huchins (S/Sgt, REME)	Arthur Fenlon
Mike Palsey (WO II, REME)	Taff Lloyd (S/Sgt, REME)	Max Dacre (civilian)
David Michael (civilian)	Ken Swain (S/Sgt, REME)	Doug Mullins (S/Sgt, REME)
Robert W. Catton (civilian)	Dave Memmott (S/Sgt, REME)	R. Polkinghorne (Major, REME)
Joe Walker (civilian)	John Pumphrey (Captain, REME)	Robert W. Mills (Major, REME)
Pete Drew (civilian)	Jack Griffin (civilian)	John Stannard
Tony Lee (WO I, REME)	R. Sainsbury
Terry Teg Phillips (Sgt, REME)

Sincere thanks to Len Symonds (also the recipient of a ‘David Michael cartoon’ on the occasion of his retirement from the Army) for his valuable assistance in deciphering the signatures, and for providing the following information:

Bob Catton	He’s still about, now acutely deaf, and spending his retirement restoring old clocks.
Les Culverwell	Also known as ‘Culverbulb’, retired from the Army and went to the IBA as Engineering Information Officer. He is living in Station Road, Andover with his wife Hazel.
Max Dacre	Deceased^1. His favourite subjects were Bellini-Tossi^2, the Radio Compass aerial^3, ‘Sky Shout!’^4, and was a very active archaeologist^5. Notes: ^1 Max died very suddenly of cancer - just before he could come back to Wallop for a re-union we had organised for him knowing that he was ill and didn't have long. [Len SYMONDS] ^2Bellini-Tossi is derived from the name of the two Italian scientists who researched and developed special antennae for use in aviation and maritime radio navigation systems, LORAN (Long Range Navigation) systems, and radar systems, ergo Max’s intense interest in the radio compass aerial. [George MILLIE] ^3 Marconi AD 127 Radio Compass. Beaver, some Scout and maybe even some Auster 9. Two aerials, a rod sense aerial not unlike VHF and this flat (gun metal looking) shape of a Maltese cross containing fine wire loops at 90 degrees (the Bellini-Tossi) that in conjunction with the earths magnetic field and the sense aerial drove a needle around the Radio Compass dial. The Americans used to have two installed on each aircraft. By keeping a magnetic and reciprocal heading on each set they could fly between beacons with no cross track error. Most useful, for us, for listening to the BBC on 200KHz - now 198KHz, they can't leave anything alone over here. [Len SYMONDS] ^4Max, in his RAF days was in technical charge of ‘Sky Shout’ in Malaya during the Emergency. Big loudspeakers were mounted on a transport aircraft to speak to those on the ground who needed speaking to from a distance! When it was found that Max could speak Malay he did the shouting as well. The AAC had some of these in their inventory although I never heard of them being used. Others might know - Aden? [Len SYMONDS] ^5 Brian Clements was very closely involved with Max in his digging activities. Brian is still about, and living in Andover. He stayed in close contact with Max. [Len SYMONDS]
Peter Drew	Ex-CPO Royal Navy, lived at South Wonstan (Worthy Down) since the time it was a Royal Naval Air Station. He has since moved north.
Jack Griffin	Ex-Squadron Leader RAF, is still in Andover.
Nev Huchins	(or Huchinson?) ex-Chief Technician RAF.
Tony Lee	He is still smarting from the ticking-off he got from Les Jarvis (WO II, REME) after encouraging you (George Millie) to break down Les’s refuelling training aid down in the Seco huts. Retired from the Army, initially sold insurance, then joined the Civil Service and rose to PTO 2^6, procuring tools at Middle Wallop and Rheindahlen, Germany. When he retired from the Army he, too, received a ‘David Michael cartoon’. A dedicated golfer, he now lives ‘just down the road’ in Southbourne and is looking well. Note: ^6PTO - Professional & Technology Officer. Level 4 was the entry level for Artificers, Level 2 for Technical Officers, and Level 1 the highest grade. These have now changed to PTO, H(Higher)PTO and S(Superintendent)PTO. [Len SYMONDS]
Taff ‘Ginger’ Lloyd	Deceased; he collapsed in the Dining Hall whilst on duty as Orderly Officer and died from a massive aneurysm. He joined the Royal Army Education Corps, returning to Middle Wallop in the rank Captain.
Ken Mackley	Deceased. He and I (Len Symonds) were in ‘Course Design’ together at Middle Wallop. He retired to a golf course, and later died, we think, of a heart attack.
Dave Memmott	He is still working in the Aircraft Branch as a PTO.
David Michael	His initials DM appear in the lower right-hand corner of the cartoon. He spent his spare time in the Observer Corps.
Bob Mills	Deceased. He died aboard an aircraft whilst touring in the USA.
Mike Palsey	During World War II Mike held a commission in the Sherwood Foresters. His medals were engraved with the rank Captain, except his Long Service and Good Conduct medal, which was engraved WO II REME. After the war he was released but re-enlisted as a Private soldier and received training in REME as an Instrument Mechanic. He initially retired to Wareham and kept a sailing boat on the river, then moved up north to be near his daughter.
John Pumphrey	Deceased.
Joe Walker	He became a civilian lecturer, and ran a band known as ‘The Kestrels’. Joe is now living in Spain.
Departure On Wednesday 17^th September, at London (Heathrow) Airport, we boarded a QANTAS Boeing 707 aircraft, and at 17.30 hours Flight QF 734 took off on the long haul to Singapore via Frankfurt, Bahrain, Calcutta and Bangkok, committing our uncertain future into the lap of the gods! Ship me somewhere east of Suez, where the best is like the worst, Where there aren’t no Ten Commandments an’ a man can raise a thirst; For the temple-bells are callin’, an’ it’s there that I would be – By the old Moulmein Pagoda, looking lazy at the sea. Rudyard Kipling Republished: 1^st December 2006