Bernard Bullivant (17th)

Further to Jimmy James’ comments on 1107 MCU at Newhaven in Newsletter No. 58.
After bratschool I was posted to Tangmere, where my first job was that of pay clerk for 1107 M.C.U. at Newhaven whence, on one sunny summer’s day, I travelled with a Flt Lt Jameson for the annual documents check. Finding one or two people on the quayside by the launch – (un) dressed as you described – we obtained direction to the H.Q. that was on top of fairly steep hill reached by some sort of extended companionway. As we puffed up the hill Jameson observed, somewhat tetchily, “I thought this place was Air Sea Rescue NOT bloody Mountain Rescue”.
Another memory of Tangmere was the compulsory “exercise” one Saturday morning when we were taken into the surrounding fields and ditches in order to wave empty weapons at low flying aircraft. The story at the time was that the Regiment had had some success with this tactic in Malaya. Presumably the Regiment were allowed a little something up the spout?
One last duty for the overnight guard was to pedal round the perimeter track to unlock the padlock on the five barred gate to admit civilian staff arriving from Bognor – things have changed somewhat since those far-off days!
I managed to get posted before the IRA followed up their success with the army at Aborfield by taking over the Tangmere armoury a few months later.