While I have told a few tales aboutthe Navy and Mercan Navy I have very seldom mentioned the United States Air Force in which I served for four years. When I was stationed at McDill Air Force Base in Tampa Florida I recevied a posting to McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey and then one to RAF Burtonwood near Warrington in Lancs.I was only thee a sshort time before moving to RAF Brize Norton near Oxfordt though the nearest small is Witney Oxfordshire. My job was in the Air Police and slthough I was involved in mainly administrative duties occasionally I was assigned to Patrol duties. It was whil on Base Patrol which involved just driving around in a jeep looking for trouble we got a call to immediatley go to the Enlisted Mes's Club where a brawl had broke out. It turned out that some white Southern guys had objected to some coloured guys dancing with white girls, when we got there we waded in with our night sticks and soon had things quietened down.
At a subesquent enquiry in to what had happened it was decided to advertise in Oxfors Reading and a cojuple of other places for colured women to come to the twice weekly dance in a chartered bus
And so a few weeks later I was sitting at thin the club bar Saturday night when in walked about fifteen coloured girls who soon made themselves at home and when the music started were asked to dance by some of the colured guys. I even danced with some of them myself risking the wrath of the coloured guys but as a Air Police member I was pretty safe. Mauri

Mauri, it's now hard to believe that this kind of behaviour was more or less accepted, but that's the way it was. Good idea about the advert, one way of reducing the problem and successful I take it. I bet the "coloureds" were great dancers too, which probably didn't go down too well with the whites. The girls would have loved dancing with men who could actually move rather than just shuffle around.

Ann, Although officialy there is no colourbar in places like Florida and the deep south in the JUSA and in South Africa, unofically it is still practiced in these places by some elements of the population. Mauri

Yes, Mauri, I see evidence of that in the papers. Pity people can't see the person rather than the colour.

Are there any black or Asian people in Lisburn?

Dabbler Is There Mass On Sunday

Dabbler, I don't think there are an awful lot of black people in Lisburn. I would say what we have are mostly in the medical profession. I hope they feel welcome. However, there are a fair percentage of Indian people here in the town. Their children are beautifully behaved and beautiful looking. Always dressed immaculately too.

Ted, hope you don't think I'm contradicting you, but that's how I see it.

Must be hard for people to leave their homes far away and come here for work or study. It has to be done I suppose. How they brave our weather I don't know.

According to press reports, there seems to be more racists than ethnic minorities in your midst. Aidan.

Talking about minorities in the population, I saw a most beautiful little Indian girl yesterday morning. She was only about 3 or 4 years old and was sitting about 4 seats in front of me in church. She was dressed in traditional gear which was stunning. The outfit had a ruby red satin front studded with coloured jewels and there was a pale green chiffon "scarf" over her shoulder. I know it isn't a scarf but that's the only way I can describe it. The little girl also wore gold earrings. I couldn't take my eyes of her and wished I could have got talking to her and her parents on the way out.

Later on, in the afternoon, we took the dogs down to the Wallace Park. It was a lovely day and the park was packed. It reminded me of the old days, years ago, when everyone went to the park on a Sunday.

Walking along the paths we came upon an Indian family having a picnic. There was the grandmother, mother, father and a baby girl who was toddling on the grass, barely walking. They had a rug spread out, covered with a tablecloth, and all their foods were laid out. People nowadays don't seem to picnic the same as years ago, so it was a nice scene.

Ann
in Munich in Westpark, that is the park built for the International garden show in 1983 when walking about at weekends and public holidays one would think you were in Istanbul because it is packed with Turkish families grilling whole lambs and other delicacies. Last week herself and I visited the Biergarten there. I smelt mackerel being grilled over charcoal and nothing would do but I had to have one. I was shocked at the price = €13 for a medium sized one. Together with a giant Pretzl and a litre of beer €23,80 in self service. That was a months wages when I was an apprentice.
donald

Donald, although a long time ago I can remember my first year apprentice weekly wage of £3.17.6. Just about cover the price of a pint of stout.Aidan.

You guys were rich aprentices and didn't know it??, when I started in the Post Officte as a telegram boy which was a form of apprentice as we had to go to night School three times a week and at 18 would have the choice of going into the Clerical or Telephone Engineri bssic pay was around 13 shillings a week I left at 15 and went into the Navy as a Boy Seaman and again my pay was around 13 shi8llings a week of which I received the magnificent sum of two and six the rest being banked untill we reached 18,then our pay jumprf to about 30 shillings a week untill I reached the dizzy heights of Able Seaman when Itt was two pounds ten a week untill I transferred to the Royal Australian Navy in 1950 when it shot up to over ten pounds a week, I though I was a millionare.?? Mauri

When I started work in Barbour Threads, having qualified as a Shorthand-Typist in the Tech,I started as a clerk in the Examining office at 3 pounds a week, increasing to 4 pounds a week after a year. I was told the following year, when I asked for a raise, I was then the best paid clerk in Hilden.??

Later as I progressed up the scale, the pay was better than the Civil Service where I went to work in the seventies.

Pat