In the evening, an Informal Dance was held in the Mess - formal enough for DJ or Best Waiter's Attire - and a right weary do it turned out to be. Pete Botterill felt the urge coursing through his veins, leapt to his feet and danced furiously and then tottered back to the bar, his starboard leg not having stood the pace. Sunday was spent calmly and peacefully.

Monday 28th April - Sunday 4th May

As the sun gets warmer and time out here gets more respectable, only another fifty days to GSM Day, it is obvious that thoughts of much of the pilotry wander to unprofessional things on many occasions. Little relief has been afforded to our celibate state apart from the presence in the Mess of some of the nurses from the Akrotiri Hospital and conversations in the crewroom quickly get switched to The Subject - and a wistful look can be seen in many an eye - that influence was felt the whole week.

On Monday in fine weather a few aircraft got airborne for pairs cine as the Craig Kingdom struggled to its feet. Nobby Clarke made the effort during the day and was able to provide sufficient aircraft to enable a three detail programme of night flying to be completed. One great thing about the night flying was the stand-down rest day which made Tuesday a Day of Rest before a further dice with death in the dark.

A diversion was offered on Monday afternoon when the news was spread that George Grivas had decided to turn on the heat and that we were to counter this threat by carrying revolvers in towns and observing many newly imposed security regulations. To ascertain that Hyperspace Jet Pilots knew t'other end from which of a revolver the Rockape detachment arranged for a quick check-out in the afternoon - appropriately held on the rocks. To qualify for the Akrotiri equivalent of the sheriff's star everyone lined up and fires six shots in the direction of Cairo, two hundred miles of sea and some small targets which happened to be there and which appeared to suffer little injury (EOKA please note).

'Sir' and Dez returned from their short stay at Amman which had been most enjoyable and which had furnished 'Sir' with ideas of a detachment to Jordan sometime. It might also be recorded here that they went on state on Tuesday, the day after their return - it is rumoured that 'Sir' has done it once before.

After another day off on Wednesday came an evening of revelation. The scene: Fisherman's Cove, Akrotiri; the time between seven-thirty and eleven pm - and the occasion a joint Squadron party and barbecue. The first revelation was of Master Brewer Ray's horrific turn of mind in producing ……

Ch 2 - Nicosia/Akrotiri 13

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