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249great fun but if the audience were a bit subdued it was more hard work. The worse ones were the matinees where most of the audience were little children and their parents tended to keep quiet. Sometimes some of my students came along to watch. However, the highlight for us was the after-performance parties. There were several formats. At one point we just went to the pub. The landlord laid on food for us and actually opened a bottle of champagne. After all, the audience had turned up at the pub both before and after the performance and so had given him extra trade. The next landlord was not so generous and money was tight for all of us. We therefor decided to have do it yourself parties. These were great fun and went on for hours. Our children were all keen to be in the panto and gradually did so. However, they were a bit unreliable and had to be prompted as to their entrances. I think that they were usually just sent home at the end. Gabby and I continued with the panto until we moved in 2001 although Gabby missed the last one as she was ill, and we had to feed in a replacement from the Boroughbridge Players more or less at the last minute. We did go back and watch from time to time thereafter and although fun it was not the same.Martin Withers, who had successfully bombed the runway at Stanley during the Falkland war, was OC 1 Squadron for about 5 months after Mike Brooks had gone to take over Groundschool. He went to be OC Standards in May 1988 and there was no one to replace him. I am not sure why but a tail of marital infidelity springs to mind. Not with either Martin or Mike I hasten to add. And so the CI asked me to take over the Squadron. I was horrified. I could easily do the job and in some ways, I was treated as a Squadron Commander. in that I was on the Duty Senior Supervisors roster and not on the Station Duty Officers%u2019 had strong powers of authorisation and was on friendly terms with all the Squadron Commanders.