in this instance) to have the experience of taking weekday morning working parades. If it was regarded as a nuisance to those who had to take the parades, the views of the Erks who had also to be there were unprintable. Whilst it was regarded as an absolute bind, it was admitted that it was essential experience and good for discipline. The trouble was no one knew, until their name was posted on SROs, what role they had to take, or when. I had the advantage of having studied and learned, in self defence, as much as I could about parades and the orders to be given so, unlike others, I had no problems. Sometimes I would be a Flight Commander, sometimes a Parade Adjutant, and sometimes I had to take a parade as if I was the CO. We took these duties in turn, regardless of which Wing we came from, or our normal duties.
I well remember one morning when I was 'Flight Commander' and Fg.Off. Billy May, the Catering Officer and twice my age, was due to take the parade. He, in spite of his seniority and long RAF experience had hardly, because of his duties in the cookhouse, ever been on parade since the war. He marched on, white as a sheet and visibly trembling, and called the parade to order. Then silence. He hadn't a clue what to do next. He did, however, know of my abilities. He therefore called out my name, whereupon I left my position and marched towards him, saluted (which he returned), then, knowing full well what was wrong, and to save his face in front of the other ranks, I muttered to him what we would do. He then commanded me to take over the parade. I saluted him, he responded, and marched off back to the cookhouse. I ordered one of the Supernumerary Officers of what, until then, had been my Flight to take my place. The parade then proceeded and was concluded in the usual way. Billie phoned me when I was back in my office and was very profuse with his thanks, poor man. The matter was at once forgotten and nobody let him down.
When it came to Saturday morning Station Commander's Parades, with Flying Wing being the Senior Wing on the Station, it fell to me to be Parade Adjutant if Les Knell, the Station Adjutant, was not available. Mr Dale, the Station Warrant Officer, was aware of what I would have to do and very kindly asked if he could come and see me in my office. On entering he tactfully explained to me why he had come and, unusually from his point of view, I asked him to sit down. I told him to dispense with formalities for the meeting and asked him to listen first to what I had to say. I ran through all the orders and moves of almost every Officer on parade, in sequence, while he listened. He was visibly surprised. I think I made two mistakes which he had to correct. That done, we understood one another the better and each had more confidence in the other for such occasions. He also passed on one or two useful hints to me.
It was daunting the first time I was CO's Parade Adjutant. Fortunately all went well. With nigh on a thousand bodies on parade, and the parade being held on an open hard-standing, I had to shout, and shout very loud, to be heard.4 Others in my position had been known to strain their voices and go falsetto at the wrong moment. A sucked couple of nodules of Cadbury's Dairy Milk chocolate just before marching on did wonders for lubricating my larynx and I never had any such problems. There was another time, when on ordering the various Officers to shout out their numbers of personnel on parade, and I had mentally to add the figures so as to tell the total to the Station Commander after he had marched on, I completely lost count. At the due time, on handing over, I came out with a quick spontaneous estimate which was miles from the truth. Group Captain Prickett, on hearing this, smiled slightly and muttered to me "You bloody liar, Pod". The parade continued as if nothing was wrong. I had to buy him a drink in the bar at lunch time!
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4 Later, towards the end of my tour at Jever, there were four Flying Squadrons (Nos 4, 93, 98, & 118), three RAF Regiment Squadrons (Nos 30 & 33 Light Ack Ack Squadrons and No.3 Armoured Car Squadron), Admin Wing, and Technical Wing, all on parade at the same time.
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