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27One of my fondest memories of Spitalgate was a pre-Christmas party. We played a form of musical chairs. This variation was played by when the music stopped and each RAF officer had to grab a chair, each WRAF officer had to grab a RAF Officer%u2019s lap. I remember getting a chair once and immediately finding my lap being sat on by one Group Captain Mary Tudor, the Station Commander at Spitalgate.The late Colin PilcherBig Bang on the Lincolnshire CoastAs part of our specialist training as Equipment Branch cadets we learned about the inventory of RAF weapons, how they worked, how they had to be stored and, the really exciting bit, how they should be disposed of. This last part of the syllabus took place at RAF Donna Nook, Theddlethorpe, on the east coast.A bombing range no doubt well known to some of our pilot mates, RAF Donna Nook offered a vast expanse of sand with the tide going out for seemingly miles, a factor which becomes rather significant. So we have two days away from the College with our RAF Regiment chums, having fun on the sand learning how to crimp fuses, detonate or burn explosives, use plastic explosives and enjoy some fine weather.When it came to the end of the session, we still had many explosive stores left. Our instructor, Squadron Leader Ron Meredith, insisted that none would be returned to the Explosives Depot. We had to get rid of the lot in one go, should be a big bang! So we packed all the available ammunition boxes with the explosive stores, and doubled up on detonators and safety fuse. Now the length of safety fuse is calculated to ensure that once you have lit it, you have plenty of time to walk back to the firing bunker at a steady, controlled pace. You will recall that I mentioned that the tide at Theddlethorpe goes out a long way. Of course, with the beach being so flat, the tide