14 Squadron in the early 1960s part 2

[Preparing to go on deployment to Singapore, loading the C130, the silver aeroplane in the middle is a T13, and will be remaining in NZ.]

While we were in Singapore we were split into two shifts, they started at midday and did all the flying and servicing until midday the next day. The next 24 hours were off duty so we could see as much of Singapore as we could.

The cheapest way of getting from Tengah Base to down town Singapore was by ‘pick up taxi’. the driver would stop and you would tell him where you wanted to go. If that was the same as any other travelers already in the car you could hop in and travel.

As the driver went down the road he would toot his horn at anybody that he could see, and he spent more time looking for other passengers that what was happening just down the road in front of him.

Anybody else that was going the same way would hop in the taxi and away the driver would continue.

One trip I was the sole occupant when a lady with a small child and a piglet waved to the taxi, The river proved the brakes could work by almost standing the car on it’s nose.

The lady got in the back with me and we continued down the road. The child began to fret and whimper so she hoiked out a tit and stuffed it in the baby’s mouth, no great concern.

Then the piglet started to wriggle so she hoiked the other tit out and stuffed it in the piglet's mouth. A trip to Singapore could widen your experiences very quickly.

The English had some sections of their Army in the Malayan jungle fighting communist terrorists.

The wives had access to the Malcome Club in down town Singapore, with a very nice swimming pool and restaurant on site. They were very happy to talk to us and help them pass time until their husbands returned.

At the bottom of our barrack block was the English equivalent of the AFRTS [American Armed Forces Radio and Television] of ‘Good Morning Vietnam’ fame.

They broadcast to the south east Asia area, and when we heard of them it wasn’t long before the Kiwis had done a takeover.

About ten of us became announcers, desk jockeys, and just about everything else that needed doing.

At that time Playboy magazines [we only bought them for the articles, truly] had stories on the back of the centerfold.

One of the guys thought it would be fun to read the story on to tape, then play it to the troops up in the jungle.

Because this was thirsty work reading that much, a couple of beers disappeared at the same time.

After the fifth one had been broadcast we were told that the whole show had been broadcast to the RAF married quarters for the wives to hear as well.

They weren’t at all upset, they loved the different accents that we had that they weren’t used to hearing. In fact, they collected enough money to cover the beers for another dozen stories.

We were in the middle story of this barrack block.

The RNZAF decided that we needed light weight uniforms to wear in Singapore.

The local tailor ‘Willy’s’ would take your order, two long pants, three shorts three short sleeved shirts, two long sleeved shirts, write it down in his book, “you come Thursday”.

No measurements, just a look, and lots of scribbles. On Thursday the uniforms fitted perfectly.

The laundry was different, everything was taken away, washed, starched, ironed and returned.

The starch was stiff enough that a pair of long pants could stand all by themselves.

The sight of the guys having a shower, stamping on tomorrows undies trying to get the starch out of them was quite funny.

There was a lady ‘sew sew’ who went through the barracks sewing on a button and making any sewing repairs necessary.

While she worked she would tell us of the period of the occupation of Singapore by the Japanese. She was a young girl and helped her mother who was also a ‘sew sew’ for the Japanese troops.

It must have been a terrifying time, she was not backward in telling her stories.

We probably paid her more to sit and tell us her stories than she had ever earned as a sew sew.

At the end of the exercise the DC 6 aircraft we were due to fly home in had engine problems requiring two engine changes.

Slot cars were the latest toy and a lot of the guys had bought up big. We had enough track to almost run the full length of the barracks, and fire the cars into the air from the second floor. Then there were bets whose car would fly furthest.

It was surprising how far a car traveling at terminal velocity would fly. It kept us amused for a couple of days until we ran out of missiles.

Near the waterfront was an area known as ‘change alley’ where you could change any currency to Singapore dollars. The exchange rate wasn’t quite as good as going to a bank, but the banks weren’t open when we needed them.

The NZ government/banks wouldn’t exchange anything bigger that ten pound [$20] notes.

The exchangers occasionally got caught with a larger note and were ready to sell it at a very good rate, the best I heard was half price.

When you got home it was worth full value.

Another way to pass time was, leave your money on base with a friend, taking enough for the taxi home, and going shopping.

You went into the first store, asked about cameras, mentioned how hot it was, the shop keeper would ask if you would like a beer?, of course we would say yes.

Finish the beer, decline all of his cameras and walk out of the store.

Walk into the next door shop, ask about cameras, say it’s hot, receive another beer, finish it and walk out of that store.

Walk into the next shop, ask about cameras, finish the beer and leave.

That was why you left your money behind, so no matter how happy you got you couldn’t buy anything, but got well hydrated for free.

The beer companies would produce glasses with their brand name sand blasted on the side.

These became very collectible, the bars knew that we wanted to acquire a glass and it became a competition to see whether we could acquire a glass or not.

These were brought home and proudly displayed on top of the drawers in the barracks.

Sometimes after an afternoon shopping for cameras, we would see a mountain of baskets weaving down the road.

Somewhere in the middle was a small bicycle. As we went past an arm would appear out of the taxi, give a basket a slight push and we would watch the bicycle wander all over the road trying to regain his balance.

From the Aquarium looking into China Town. Not a place to wander by your self.

China town from a different corner.

[On deployment to Korat in Thailand, the main undercarriage failed on landing.]

I wasn’t on the deployment, one of the guys gave me this picture when they got home.

The story goes that the main undercarriage failed to lock down and aircraft came to rest in the middle of the spare runway.

The Americans were all for cutting the aircraft up to remove it from the runway, on the off chance they may need it.

It took a squad of armed Kiwi’s to deter them, ropes were attached to the undercarriage, and a refueling tanker used as a tow truck, and the remains dragged off the runway.

The Aircraft was partially repaired and flown back to NZ, with the main undercarriage down and the ground locks fitted the whole way, once home full repairs were carried out.

The little door by the people was a ‘Blast Protection Door’, to enable the Navigator to jump out of the aircraft in an emergency.

Trials done in England proved 75 percent of the time dummies tossed out either hit the engine intake or the tail plane, navigators lead a hard life. The pilot had an ejector seat.

As can be seen, the compression wave is starting to appear just above the main spar of the wings, the aircraft would be doing about .95-.975 Mach [speed of sound] top speed.

[The old and the new, Canberras in the background and their replacement Skyhawk A4 Ks in the front.]

To keep NZ up with the play, when something important needed to be shown on TV. Like the Moon Landing.

There was no direct video link between USA and NZ, so the Sqn came to the fore.

When Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, the TV of the event was beamed to Australia, copied and rushed to RAAF Base Amberley, Brisbane.

NZ6110 was waiting and flew the film back to Wellington NZ where it was broadcast nation wide, four and a half hours after the event,

The Canberra was designed in the early days of super sonic aircraft, The theory being that an enemy fighter would have to go through the sound barrier [super sonic]to catch up with the Canberra, drop down to sub sonic to fire their guns, this was supposed to upset the aim of the fighters. No provision for rockets had entered their planning.

There was a 20mm gun pack that could be fitted to the bomb bay, but to use it the bomb doors had to be open, this would provide more drag, slowing the aircraft down even more, N Z never had the gun packs.

There were three fuel tanks in the fuselage on both models, and a fuel tank in each wing on the B[I]12s, the wings had to be refueled evenly to avoid damaging the undercarriage.

The T[trainer] 13 [Mk 13] was a three seater, the right-hand pilot's seat was swung forward to allow the Navigator to struggle into his position just behind the two pilots seats. All positions were fitted with ejection seats.

Once the Nav was in position the right-hand seat was swung back and locked into position.
The navigator was then locked in, the right-hand seat pilot couldn’t reach the release catch. This had to be done from outside the aircraft.