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230was winched in to the helicopter and that never came back from the hospital. Our O/C supply was a civilian who was very upset about the losses and suggested that the troop should carry blankets to wrap up casualties. This was quite impractical and so I wrote to the Station Commander pointing this out and he agreed. I actually had several problems with our suppliers and these started with the question of boots. The issue boots were Italian boots which were a narrow fit. Team members could get a chit from the doctor saying these were unsuitable for their feet and they could then buy boots approved by the team leader. The Station Medical Officer always gave out these chits I think. The commercial boots would always be more comfortable and so were the preferred option. The shop they got them from would usually throw in a Helly Hanson (an excellent make of outdoor wear) vest for the same price which was a bonus. I was quite happy with this arrangement as most chaps had a number of pairs of boots for different situations that they bought themselves together with various other bits of kit that were not issued, particularly thermal underwear. The suppliers wanted us all to use the issue boots, but I pointed out that it would actually be cheaper for everyone to buy their own suitable boots and the RAF not to keep a stock of boots of various sizes some of which might never get used. Whether the idea was ever taken up I do not know. Of course, a group of young chaps camping at weekends in all weathers would invariably lose bits of kit. Our deputy team leader was a supplier by trade and so he dealt with all this. Whenever we went on a call out the ensuing bits and pieces could be written off with no questions asked. I knew the team leader kept as firm a grip as possible on the chaps and so I was happy to go along with this. Another problem I had was with the team fund. Most units in the RAF had their own small funds made up of subscriptions from members. These funds paid for bits and pieces, perhaps for flowers if a wife had a baby or for a barrel of beer on a special occasion and so on. Mess funds