PRESTWICK

Diplomatic Bags

'I was working at Prestwick as one of the 'Flying APOs. On the north side of Prestwick airport was a USAF base, and on Tuesdays and Fridays a diplomatic bag, accompanied by a "diplomat" would join the flight at Prestwick bound for Heathrow. I would always be booked into the rear seat, starboard side and the "diplomat" would sit one row in front of me, unload his gun and pass it back to me. I had a gun but no shells and he had shells the but no gun! I always told the pilot of the situation but nine times out of ten he would say 'You hang on to it Customs, as long as it is empty'.

What do you think would happen nowadays - I doubt if the Board ever imagined that such events would take place when they approved BOAC's application to carry domestic passengers on these inbound foreign flights' -  George McMillan

 

WORLD WAR II

Cold Swedish Meat Balls

'During the war many Preventive Officers were dispersed to various Ports in the West of the Kingdom. This was because many of the East Coast Ports were being 'Blitzed’ so ships were being dispersed from their traditional various trade routes. Jim Dillon, a London Preventive Officer, was displaced to Scotland where he had responsibility for an RAF Airfield.

One of the functions performed by the Squadron based there was to run the gauntlet to Sweden and return with cargoes of ball bearings. On this particular evening Jim was told that there would be an Inbound passenger on the next flight. This was unusual as the plane, which I believe was a Mosquito, only had room for the two man crew.

Jim went out to the Customs Area and when the panel into the small freight compartment was opened it disclosed a large parcel wrapped in blankets. This was hurried into Jim’s office and unwrapped to disclose General Carton de Wiert VC, a one eyed South African sharing his flight with a load of frozen ball bearings. He had presumably been on a diplomatic mission to Sweden.

There was no form of heating on these planes and it was necessary to defrost the General with a generous ‘Waxer’ of the National Scottish ‘pick me up’. RAF personnel immediately started working out a variety of stories weaved around refrigerated Generals and frozen balls. I believe that the term Brass Monkey story dates from Nelson’s day so there is nothing new.

This script may well belong in an apocryphal file as Jim told a good story but I feel there must be some truth in it. Stranger things happened during the Second World War.' - RW Gregory.