This was common (not wearing uniforms of base) in the late 70s and 80s because of the IRA threats, but I wish the stupid people having a go now would ´take it out out´with the poloticians instead!!! We were also allowed to have ´long hair´too, within reason. This did not go down well with some non operational types such as the SWO at Benson, when it was home to the Queens Flight.
We'd leave barracks in civvies when going on leave..then change into uniform in the train toilet ;-)
Derek
'My Auntie Mabel told me I'd make a great soldier, though I don't know how 30 years working in a biscuit factory had qualified her to make that judgement.....' Eddie Nugent
The idea was to try and encourage people to wear uniform (Not grow bags) in public to raise the image of the air force and get people connected with the military and feel proud of them.
Instead they are just getting abuse :@
We are the unwilling, led by the unqualified, doing the unnecessary, for the ungrateful
I don't know what the situation is with the RAF (or the Army for that matter) but I can't ever recall being anyone wanting to go ashore in rig. Two circumstances would be a) if you were under stoppage of plain clothes privileges or b) you were shore patrol (and yes.. I've been both) The residents of Pompey were never particularly pleased to have us there in the first place even though most of the local economy depended on the military.. but isn't that always the case :roll: Maybe we were just too undesirable :think:
No.. I think the point is, civvies don't really care much for the armed forces wherever they are be they in uniform or not. The alliance/marriage between the two is generally fragile at best and the idea of encourageing servicemen and women to go ashore in rig does nothing in my view to improve the situation. They'll pat you on the back if you've just saved their house from burning down because the firemen are on strike or thank you for delivering fresh water during a flood but otherwise.. invisible is how they'd like to see you. Misguided and uninformed are good words to describe the idea.. however well meaning it was.
Its a funny one. Obviously when my brother was in, uniforms and so on couldn't even be hung out on the line to dry in Belfast. When he was working in England he felt much more at ease about wearing uniform in the street, but to be honnest he still avoided it if possible.
The residents of Pompey were never particularly pleased to have us there in the first place even though most of the local economy depended on the military.. but isn't that always the case :roll: Maybe we were just too undesirable :think: 
