Can girls play too?

AudlemOnline has been publishing, normally at the weekend, a number of exploits in their jobs by local residents. This one from Celia Bloor is too good to wait and, hopefully, will encourage others to come forward with a story or two. Celia says:

I have enjoyed reading of some of the exploits of our residents, but feel that the female side is at present under represented, so, come on girls, spill the beans!

Life as a Physics teacher may not have been quite so exciting but there were some opportunities.....I was appointed at a boys' Grammar school when I was able to take on a full time post after childcare.

I was targeted to help with the CCF (Combined Cadet Force), specifically the RAF section. I wavered but was assured it 'would help me settle in' and agreed. I was described on the application as 'a lady of mature years with a lively mind'.

Well what I knew about drill etc. you could have written on a postage stamp but in a way that made the senior cadets more responsible and I enjoyed the shooting and flying although I could never have made a pilot, after a roll or two I didn't know which way up I was!

I was authorised to conduct shooting on the shorter ranges but they decided my voice was not loud enough for the big stuff. I was ably assisted by a retired Wing Commander who took on interesting things like killing and cooking pigeons as part of survival exercises.

Dealing with irascible Squadron Leaders was perhaps a bit easier for me. We had trips to Cosford, Shawbury – flying Chipmunks – and gliding at Ternhill as well as annual camps at various RAF stations including Gibraltar.

One year we were at RAF Brawdy when the airshow was on and the cadets were allowed to visit many planes the next day. There was a Victor, a Vulcan, a Nimrod and an A10. I remember the American pilot asking about their flying experience which was initially just Chipmunks, he managed to keep a straight face. One of the smaller boys was asked to crawl through the air intake of a MIG to remove some debris!

We met all the foreign pilots put up in the officers mess. They came armed with bits of paper with English phrases on, mostly alcohol related.

I also flew in a Hercules doing circuits and bumps for about two hours, a Sea King on a practice winching a passenger from a ferry, and a Gazelle.

In the end we won the 'Air Squadron Trophy' for the best section (I suspect it was so unusual to have a woman in charge that they pushed hard for us to win and it was a first for a female led Contingent) and I have a Geoffrey de Havilland medal for 'achievement'.

The Air Squadron is a bit like the Royal Yacht Squadron, a small group of flyers of light aircraft and about half a dozen owners brought them up to Cosford to give the cadets rides. There was a Navajo Chieftain, four Pipers, (a Saratoga, a Super Cub and 2 Cubs) along with a Cessna 182 RG, a Grob 109B a Gazelle Helicopter and a Bulldog.

Those attending included an Air Marshall plus two Vice Marshalls, an Air Commodore, a Lord, a Viscount and two Knights of the Realm!

Several of the cadets went on to join the RAF and I moved on but it was an interesting experience.

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