大象传媒

After 'Swearing in' and signing all the bumph, including the Official Secrets Act, we collected travelling expenses, and returned home to await further instructions - but before that happened things brewed up on the Polish frontier, and the next thing we heard from the 大象传媒was the call for Embodiment of all Reservists. That was on Friday Sept. 1st., so on the Saturday, quite mistakenly, and with no kit of any kind, I set off for RAF Hucknall, a tredious bus journey involving two changes, and arrived to find the place looking like a disturbed wasps nest, with people buzzing around in all directions. Reporting in at the guardroom - no papers beyond a slip from the Town Centre, and a service number which I had not yet memorised, I found myself one of a group of civvies wandering around the station, under guidance from a LAC, and 'signing in' at various sections, whilst in the midst of all this becoming laden with 'irons', bedboards, donkey's breakfast, and the condemnation of every NCO we had to deal with, for being an incompetent civilian who was sticking his nose in where it wasn't needed or wanted. We also got a meal mid-day - and then everything went to pot. A sergeant hove in view, shouting the orders that all RAFVR were to get clearance from the Station, and report to the guardroom for transport to Town Centre and posting to squadrons....So we wearlily undid all that we'd done in the morning, to end up in a truck heading into Arnold, where the Town Centre was situate. There we waited, in a crowded waiting room, what had been 'the front room' of an ordinary semi-detached house.
And here we found out about "Tea and a wad", and were glad for it, until five of us were named, and told we were for 83 Sqdn., at Scampton, the tallest and oldest looking amongst appointed "Senior Man", and therefore i/c 'Party'. He carried the travel warrant and all our documentation, and we set off on foot for Nottingham station - where we waited again, for a train to Lincoln.
Enquiries revealed that Bradshaw and his descent notwithstanding, no railway personnel knew when the local train to Lincoln would depart, or where from, or if at all - until after three hours we heard cries of "Lincoln trian, platform X"
and we rushed over and grabbed seats in a non-corridor set which filled rapidly.

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