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Personal problems.

Before I go on to describe my activities on watch I must tell of certain things which, with others, were to have a considerable cumulative effect on me and ultimately, shortened my RAF career.
I still suffered from migraine fairly frequently. Strangely, staring at a radar tube, the trace rotating as it did, four times a minute, and contrary to some people's predictions, had no adverse effect on me. Increases in my radar activities were certainly not paralleled by any increase in the frequency of my migraine headaches. Fortunately for me, most Chief Controllers had an understanding of my problem and would leave me alone if I was suffering an attack while on watch. This was true for both 537 SU and, later, 210 SU. If I had problems in the bunker I would, on occasion, retreat into the dark and comparative quiet of the standby battery room and sit there until the worst had passed, or until the end of the watch. The attacks, as far as I could tell, were entirely random but I have to say that I never had one when I was Duty Watch Officer on night surveillance duties. I suffered from migraine, and I had to live with it.
In mid April 1957 I was on night surveillance watches for a week. On returning to the domestic site just before midnight on Wednesday the 17th, and on entering the Mess, I was met by Plt.Off. Clive Sabel who was Orderly Officer that day. He said "Pod, I've got something very important to tell you, can we discuss it in your room?" On going upstairs and closing my door he said "Look, this is serious, please sit down". Clive then went on to tell me that, earlier that evening, he had received a signal from Air Ministry to say that I was to go home immediately on compassionate grounds. I was stunned and puzzled. He then told me that my father was dangerously ill in the War Memorial Hospital in Wrexham, that I was to leave Borgentreich at once, and that I had better start packing up some kit ready for the journey. He told me that there was a meal waiting for me in the Airmens Mess and that I must leave as soon as I had eaten. Not quite taking in all of this, and while beginning to get some kit together at the same time, he informed me that all travel arrangements had been made while I was completing my watch. He gave me a large envelope containing my travel documents and authorisations. He also said that if I needed to be away for more than a week I was to contact an office in the Air Ministry.
Within minutes I had packed a bag with clothes for a week and was on my way to the Airmens Mess where I was met by the duty cook and served my meal. As I was finishing it an MT driver came and said that he had a Volkswagen waiting outside for me, and that he was taking me to Frankfurt airport. The time was now nearly 01.00 hours. Later in that journey, as dawn broke and I could see to read, I opened the envelope and found that I was to go to the Lufthansa desk.
After some difficulty finding the airport, and after having taken turns at the wheel, we eventually arrived. My driver dropped me off and, on contacting Lufthansa I found that I had a seat on the early morning plane to Heathrow. I had the ridiculous thought that a German pilot would be flying me - was he safe - had he been bombing my home on Merseyside? Anyway, I took my seat on the plane and dozed off as I had had little more than three hours sleep in the last 24.
At Heathrow I was met by a taxi driver bearing a card with my name on it. He took me to Paddington station. I gave him a tip but there was no fare to pay. At
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