RAFStories

We had navy blue knickers that came down to your knees.

That’s all we’d wanted to hear.

We got it wrong last time, we won't get it wrong this time.

You couldn’t be proud of him, he couldn’t be proud of you.

They had no right to question a civilian in that way, but they got away with it.

Every career that the military offers, has a civilian alternative that is desperate for those skills.

I looked up, and there were fireworks.

Sir, there will be no trouble, because my son is gay.

You rarely refuelled with the rotors turning because you cannot stand up under that aircraft.

It is to remind us of our obligation to mankind.

They were just kids

It's put me off UHT milk for life.

There was a tug on the Deputy Chief of Airstaff's jacket, and this little kid said, "Sir, this is brilliant".

War is war

They really were a team

I didn't see Peg for two years, and while I was away, we got engaged.

I can't say we were over worked, it’s just as well we weren’t because we'd have been in trouble.

The thought of being done for speeding while on a MERT shout caused a little bit of interesting language in the car.

It's like camping without a tent, but with a 60ft helicopter instead.

The Army, they say it's one of the best sounds because they know that they're being picked up and taken home.

It's not hard to see why you get the myth and the legend and the general affection, which sounds weird for a lump of metal, but it's, it's probably not too far from the truth.

Sometimes the banter gets a little bit too pointed, a little bit too serious and unfunny.

To this day, absolutely delighted, honored, pleased, privileged. All those cliched words that that I had the chance to do it.

I was a squadron boss for two years at a time when my guys were doing about the toughest job that an aircraft has been asked to do.

I think everyone who joins the military at some point finds himself wondering what it would be like to be tested under proper conditions

Lord Etherton actually gave the pin to me so I was able to thank him for his work.

Because we had the police training, we knew all about police interviews and what they do and the process.

I knew there was a significant risk that if it turned up in the wrong place for the wrong person, that could be it.

Millions of pounds has been spent on my training at that point and all of that was going to get thrown away because of something that was entirely legal in the civilian world.

It really threw me out because it was completely unexpected.

Everything streams, your nose, your mouth, your eyes, it's just stings.

They put a lot of time and effort into training them and then put an equal amount of time and money into identifying them as homosexual and kicking them out.

Being able to march in a pride in your uniform is something that I couldn’t even have dreamed of.

We were forbidden to fly over there, but we did.

I knew nothing about it at all. Mind you, I had drunk quite a lot that night.

My record had been exemplary, I’d just been promoted, won various award, but whom I had fallen in love with had an impact.

It would appear that we haven’t learned a lot.

Manchesters first openly gay Lord Mayor in a Mosque with a Rabbi and an Imam showing how our communities had come together.

It’s been signed by all four members of my crew.

They all slid down the door and disappeared into space.

We did it again, and we got one bomb on the runway.

Its where I felt my skills could most benefit the Royal Airforce.

The RAF were the first to change it’s stance to a case by case basis so if you could prove that you were capable, they’d give you a chance.

With diversity in the RAF, it’s having different individuals looking at the same problem.

Having been awarded something from royalty just blows me away. It’s just so crazy.

There need to be more individuals who are able to champion and be ambassadors for neurodiversity.

We can all work with an eating disorder

Flt Lt Khym Pascoe

We put our names in a hat, and I drew the Middle East

Fred Mitchell

Submarine sighted. Going in to attack. Goodbye

We got the call to make 19 special Lancasters

I need 30 of these by tomorrow

Martin Clegg

I look back now and think, how on earth could I have done it?

They’d post men with guns on the door to stop us leaving.

That night was the first time I went home and cried.

If you’re wearing a uniform, it’s to defend everyones rights.

It prompted the need to offer mental or physical assistance to a lot of veterans who were trawling back very traumatic memories.

We’ve never been able to unite and discuss what we went through, ever.

We've nothing to be ashamed of anymore.

You can be charged for not saluting, or charged for not shooting.

Someone, somewhere felt that if you were of a gay persuasion you would be open to blackmail.

You were aware that you were policing it, that it was against the law.

You didn’t have a sweaty smell, you had a feul-ly smelly.

And I walked away from the chinook. And that was it. I hold that quite dear in my heart.

It’s almost like a friend, because it’s always there and it’s always beating deep into your soul and you can’t get away from it.

Water, fresh produce, everything we take for granted, The World Food Programme were taking to small villages who had nothing.

Ignorance is no longer allowed.

Footprints on the mess ceiling

One bomb stuck in the cradle

Deep down, one didn't expect to last long

“We don’t know exactly what you’re going through but we get it".

The Air Force being the Air Force, they make you practice with things not working.

I looked over my shoulder to see 40 smiling faces

The Jet that was underslung just.. took off.

To have John Craven bumping around as you fly people from field to field, yeah, that was a different day out.

You could see the concern of the faces around you, people in the know.

Jog on, you’ve got no chance.

I don't know if 617 saw it or saw the funny side, but I thought that was quite clever.

I think the fact it's here and so many people can come see it is, is great and it is quite weird.

He was dismissed, dishonourably discharged, but life carried on, you know.

Women had fought hard for respect and they didn't want anyone with any other nature coming along and affecting that.

They were locking people up, and now they're an employer of choice

I didn't keep in contact with the friends and colleagues I'd worked with as many of them disowned me.

What was completely ignored was the fact that if we were allowed to be gay, we couldn't be blackmailed for it.

Your logbook is just your history, it's your life.

I saw the Padre, which looking back was a big mistake.

Some chose to end a career early because they couldn’t take the constant pressure of being found out.

I knew there had been cases of blackmail.

He was bung full of his own importance

He described what he thought of us, very crudely. Fancy picking on a general…

Some of the lads who couldn't swim, they were just picked up and thrown anyway, it was a horrible morning.

We were the sorriest set of recruits I could ever remember.

The fear

They were seen as childhood heroes.

Even though I did camp it up a bit, I did it in way that people found funny.

“Gentlemen", he said, "I was about to say Welcome to Jerusalem, but they've done it for me."

I felt like we needed someone who represented normal gays.

He spits, reigns in his camel and heads off across the minefield.

It’s a family away from family. That’s a magical thing.

You need to know that these people were there to look after you and protect you. And when you’re dealing with fire or other incidents, you need that.

We had to replace Noel Edmonds windscreen after a cricket incident.

Jess Boydon-Juckes

Stories from across the globe