At one stage in my junior Met Off career I considerably upset a fairly senior Met Officer (It was, it has subsequently been confirmed, not difficult to do!!). I was posted. I thought I was going to go to the High Altitude Branch which, at that time, fired rockets into the upper atmosphere all round the world. Good game!
I arrived at Bracknell only to discover that this malignant soul had had me posted i/c the Library Photo Section. But it turned out to have its advantages. I was also i/c the Lecture Theatre (and projection eqpt). I had to go on a course (run by SKC) to learn how to be a film projectionist. This was at RAF Bicester – and a very interesting week it was (in more ways than one!!). When I came back I was able to assist some of the up-and-coming bright-sparks in the Met Office into not strangling themselves with the cords from the throat-mike in the Lecture Theatre, etc, etc.
Later on in my career (when I had upset several people in MoD/central govt) I was saved from extinction by these same people! The fact that I, by then, was a Branch Security Officer and had saved a lot of ‘em from embarrassing Mk V Manifoil lock code changes only goes to prove it’s not what you know, but who you know!
Thank you Bicester!
Takes all sorts!
Resmoroh