Cosford 305 Entry
1966

My first posting after Cosford was Waddington, which was then still in Bomber Command, three Vulcan squadrons, QRA and all that. It was a ground section with a heavy dose of radar films and a sprinkling of F95s. Like most others I learned the finer points of bridge and drinking beer. I soon dropped bridge but continue to this day my studies into beer and it's effect on the body late at night.

A four week detachment to Butterworth was a nice diversion, then it was off to Muharraq. There it was hot and sandy along with Sharjah and Masirah but I did get to know Tiger very well as did Pete Kirkman.

Trade Group 14(photo) was reorganised at this time and we were told that the future lay in air photography, ground photography was dead, so I became a photographer(ground) and was posted to JARIC(UK) Brampton for three years. I met a great bunch of mates there, (we are still in contact today), got married and at last left in April 1972 posted to 5FTS Oakington. This was a one man section, hardly anything to do, mind numbingly boring and had a busybody WO sparky in charge.

In May 1973 I left for 60MU Leconfield, general ground section with jollies in 202 sqn.helicopters.

I left the RAF in June 1976 after my time was up with just one overseas tour, I never made the scuba diving in Malta or the alpine skiing, guess I was just unlucky. I had several jobs and eventually went for evaluation via the job centre. I spent a day doing tests and interviews and was told that I should be a photographer. I told them that I already was and they seemed quite pleased that they had got one right but they could not get me a job in photography. The forces resettlement officer suggested that I try the Post Office, so I did and spent the next 11 years there and ended up with a really cushy office job.

It was now 1989 and I had divorced and remarried, so the present Mrs. Fricker and I decided to buy a pub, which we did, in Wensleydale. In 1993 we decided that we did not like it any more so left the trade. There was a vacancy in the local postal delivery office so here I am delivering the mail around Wensleydale. My beer studies continue on a regular basis in my village local and I continue my photography using the traditional wet process, developed and printed by my own fair hand in my own darkroom which then go onto my website.

I understand that all the fancy new trades from TG14 have gone leaving photographers only, so maybe we had a use after all. If you are ever up this way,call in at the Cross Keys Bellerby, I won,t be far away.

Joe Fricker August 2005