Hi
I'm Peter Kidd who joined the 305th Entry on 6.6.1966 at Cosford. My
number was N1961113. I originally came from Milford Haven, Pembrokeshire,
Wales and became known as Pedro because of there being 3 recruits with
the same name....Pete Jones, Pete Kirman and me.
My first posting was to Odiham where the OC Eng was a b......! His
nickname was the 'Mekon' from the 'Dan Dare' comics and he lived
up to his reputation..on
one parade he put all the Commcen on jankers for being one minute late.
All the entries in the signing on book at the guardroom was eng/commcen.
After Odiham anywhere had to be good.
I went in Easter 1968 to the w...... paradise of Gan. Could have been
worse. I saw Bahrain on the way out..hot, sticky and that was a night
arrival.
Anyway met some great guys on Gan and also had a trip to Singapore. Here
along with all the Ganites we went mad for the action if you know what
I mean?? Bugis Street was a revelation!!
Returned to UK Easter 1969 posted to Digby....thankfully got 591SU and
kept away from the 'Y'. Was only there a few months before a detachment
to Mod London Main Building where I monitored the HW23 circuit (maybe
some of you remember that)? Had a great six months in London, living
at Uxbridge
and commuting on the tube everyday.
While at Mod the 'Y' took over 591SU but we had a choice...and I went.
The posting was to Bawtry one of the best camps to have been on..it was
like a holiday camp with the best food in the Raf.
Then came Akrotiri in Jan 1971. I had got married to Angela in December
1970 but as she was teaching didn't join me until July so I lived on
camp for the first six months then moved to a hiring in town. I recon
that we
had the best three years as we could go anywhere on the island and the
Turks hadn't yet landed. In fact the beaches that were used for the invasion
were our favourites when we stayed at Kyrenia.
We returned to UK in Jan 1974, now a family of three as Anna had been
born at Akrotiri Hospital in 1973. I asked for the Midlands area and
was sent
to Pitreavie Castle...how did you guess.Worked down the 'hole' in MATELO
but only for six months. I finally got my tapes and sent to 38 GP TCW
at Benson. Of course, as ex members will know, you were never at home.
But
for me it was mostly Salisbury Plain then a long detachment onto the
Clansman 3201 Trials Team at HQ Army Sigs Blandford Forum Dorset. They
kept insisting
it would work but I had my doubts and said so before a left for demob!!
I managed to get home just before my son Alexander was born at Walingford
Hospital and a couple of months later in October 1975 I left the Air
Force.
I got a job as a Supermarket Manager working for Spar in the Midlands
and Welsh border areas but that only lasted a year before joining the
Police.
By this time I was living in Telford Shropshire and subsequently served
all my 27 years in the Telford area for West Mercia Constabulary. My
last five years being the Station Sergeant at Newport in Shropshire.
I retired
at 55 in October 2003 and since then have done what I want to do when
I want to do it!! I would recommend it!!! Angela was Deputy Head at a
local
school for many years but now works part time from home for the ATL Teacher
Union.
We are very busy and enjoy life as much as we can. We have had a touring
caravan for many years and now also have a static caravan at Broad Haven
Pembrokeshire. We both have had serious medical operations in the last
few years (me a triple bypass in Oct 05) and are now fit a well so it
is all the more important to enjoy ourselves.
