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Weather conditions.

During my first six months at Borgentreich I experienced weather far more severe than anything I had previously lived or worked in.
When I arrived the winter was well set in, but it was no worse than it had been at Jever and therefore caused me little concern. What none of us expected was that it would get colder - much colder. By the time February came we read in the UK newspapers (they always arrived a day or more late) that, back home, they were enduring the coldest February since 1895, and they were protected, supposedly, by the Gulf Stream. In Germany it was the coldest for 225 years.
At Borgentreich, for several days on end, the temperature equalled that in Moscow and Siberia. In those conditions, when we went outside for more than a moment, ice formed on our eyebrows from our frozen breath and even on our eyelashes, let alone our moustaches; we had to be very careful to cover all skin with as many layers of clothing as possible. Uniforms were worn, of course, and so were many 'irregular' items of clothing. I was fortunate to be able to scramble into my flying suit over my uniform trousers and jacket and, if I was due to be outside for an extended length of time, as was sometimes necessary, I made sure to put my pyjama trousers on as well. The old trick of wearing a brown paper waistcoat was also used. Ear muffs were bought in the village and worn by almost everyone as standard kit. Multicoloured scarves also appeared. The standard issue 'Airmen for the use of' woollen gloves were useless and we Officers made sure the lads kept their hands in their pockets, or wore more sensible gloves. For myself, my silk inner and leather gauntlet outer flying gloves came in very useful. Even so, I was hard pressed to keep warm, even with all this clothing and my greatcoat buttoned right up to the neck. The basic rules of wearing uniforms and being 'properly dressed' were abandoned in these conditions, and even for a quick dash between buildings we had to be very careful. Formal saluting was also largely suspended in these low temperatures.
We joked that it was so cold that even the birds walked - and then found that it was true, for no birds were to be seen on the wing anywhere. We also joked that the red alcohol in the thermometers had sense enough to huddle into a ball in the bulb at the bottom. In fact, none of these thermometers registered anything against the graduations on their stems.



Video showing SEN-004 clip from Ken Senar's film.nbsp;  This clip shows it is snowing hard as night falls.   In dim winter light the C.O., Sqn.Ldr Paddy Ryan's Volkswagen arrives in the morning outside Station H.Q.   Next is the camp main gate with Guard Room to the left of the barrier.   Magirus Deutz (air-cooled diesel) trucks are in evidence.   Fg.Off. Doug Breeze walks past Station Sick Quarters.   An Airman salutes the camera and another passes by.   A Service Policeman makes his way for a haircut.   Next there are shots taken inside the barber's shop.   The barber was a German from the village and he used a room at the rear of the Station Headquarters building.

The local Germans, of course, were used to these conditions. Most stayed indoors. The men wore thick clothing when doing outside tasks, and the women wore thick woollen short stockings and stout shoes or boots. Into these woollen stockings they tucked the lower ends of thick woollen trousers, and over their trousers they wore thick woollen skirts. Their upper parts were covered in heavy layers of clothing, and they always wore scarves and hats. To protect their ears they wore ear muffs or tied scarves over their hats and fastened them under their chins to stop them blowing off in the bitter wind. Elegance and chic fashion were definitely not appropriate.
When it snowed, the stuff blew horizontal in the wind, and when it stopped snowing it still blew horizontal in the wind until it had all accumulated in drifts and corners. The snow, in these temperatures, was powdery and stung on the small exposed areas of one's face. Then we would get dry sunny days and snow would disappear by direct sublimation. The ground, of course, froze hard to quite a depth.
To amuse the troops, and to get them outside in the fresh air whilst off duty, Flt.Lt. Ron Young and I decided to flood the tennis courts at the top of the camp with 173