water from a fire hydrant, and turn them into a skating rink. It only took us a couple of hours. The canvas fire hoses (we used two) soon got a coating of ice on them and would stick to the ground very quickly if we weren't careful. We used the spray nozzles rather than the full jets. In this way the water froze and became slush in the air before it landed, and so quickly formed a layer of uneven ice. To get the surface flat enough to skate on, we flooded the water out of the hoses at reduced pressure as we retreated toward the gate. A surprising side effect was that we created a local fog which flowed down the hill and covered the rest of the camp. This fog froze into rime and covered all the buildings with hoar frost. The water we were using was comparatively so 'hot' that it steamed in the severe conditions. When we tried to take off our heavy greatcoats all the front of them was caked in ice to over 1/2" thick and had turned into something like armour plate. It took 20 minutes standing in front of one of the large central-heating radiators in the Mess toilet (tiled floor) before we were be able to undo the buttons, by which time the water from the thawing ice was running across the floor and down the drain. The lads, who bought skates in the village, took advantage of the rink and it proved very popular, especially on sunny days when, in spite of the lack of a reading on the thermometer, they could get quite warm provided they kept on the move. There were some extremely comical scenes as beginners took to the ice for the first time and caused much hilarity among the spectators. Morale, up to this time, had been low but this episode did a lot to improve it.



Video showing SEN-003 clip from Ken Senar's film.   The first sequence shows the use of a fire hose to flood a tennis court to turn it into a skating rink during the exceptionally hard winter of Feb56.   Temperatures at Borgentreich often sank below those at Moscow.   'Conventional' sports being impossible under those conditions, the officers decided to create the ice- rink themselves - for the benefit of all personnel. It was thought unwise to allow airmen to use the hose in those severe conditions because of the risk of frost-bite should there be any 'sky-larking'.   As it was, the water spray landed as slush and this caused problems in creating a level surface for skating.   The 'steam' from the comparatively warm water created a fog over the domestic site and spraying had to be discontinued periodically to allow this to drift away.   Flt.Lt. Ron Young, Plt.Off. Chris Stott, and Ken are seen using the hose.   At the end members of the Fire Picket retrieve the equipment for storage.



Video showing SEN-007 clip from Ken Senar's film.   The clip shows that the snow has been cleared and the rink brushed ready for skating on a Saturday afternoon.   This lengthy sequence shows personnel of all ranks, and all degrees of competence, enjoying themselves on the ice.   Flt.Lt. Billing (in beret) watches briefly (he was Duty Officer) before the shadows lengthen and the sequence closes.   Regrettably, no names can be recalled with certainty.   This sequence was extremely popular when shown to all ranks in the cinema a few weeks later.

MT vehicles were kept in heated garages. Our Magirus Deutz trucks had aircooled diesel engines and coped with the conditions better than most. The fleet of air-cooled Volkswagens also stood up well to the cold. Personnel with private cars had to remove their batteries overnight and take them indoors because the acid would freeze and split the cases. All radiators had to be drained but care had to be exercised when filling them with hot water so as not to crack any metal due to sudden expansion. Engine, gearbox, and rear axle oil became so viscous that it was almost impossible to push a vehicle, even on the downhill stretches of the camp roads. The wear and tear on batteries when starting engines under such conditions was considerable. Most car owners, and there weren't many, gave up driving until the weather improved. Some laid up their cars so as not to have to drive on the polished icy surface of the local roads or in deep snow after a sudden fall.
Travel to the tech site under the tilt in the back of a covered wagon was not the most pleasant of experiences at any time. In these conditions most of us who had to do it turned away from the incoming snow, or dust-laden back-draught, and sat huddled as near to the front, away from the open rear, as possible. We had no enclosed vehicles available capable of making the journey along the rough lanes or across the open fields we used.
Once at the tech site everyone dismounted and made for cover and warmth as quickly as possible, but those radar and engine mechanics who had to service the radars and generators weren't so lucky. They were issued with special clothing and had to be extremely careful when touching metal out of doors. Bare skin could stick to any metal surfaces in an instant and have to be peeled off, leaving a very sore patch which took a long time to heal. Frost-bite was not unknown but, thankfully, was rare.
We Fighter Controllers and our immediate support personnel could stay in our heated vehicles most of the time when on watch. The exceptions were when we had to dash to, or from, one of the Ops vehicles to control aircraft, to the NAAFI wagon for a hot drink and biscuits, or to go to the toilet block. We kept these excursions as brief as possible and coped well in the circumstances. At no time did operations cease through cold alone. Constant radar surveillance was imperative.
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