Shorthand writing on old photo?

[sandra Bee]

Hi ,
I think Malcolm 33 post re Credington.
Lots of info on the fast teachings of shorthand and typing courses there in the 50's. They taught
for recruits going to lots of postings overseas. I think that this vein needs looking at further.
Perhaps somone who went to Credington might come up with the answer. Quite a lot of
info on sites but also there does seem to have been a derivation between Gregg and
Pitmans with personal or broadhand extras.
They did mention a few places overseas,but to be honest a lot of reading material onsite.
Sandra

[sandra Bee]

Sorry all,
Meant Credenhill.   Old age you know.
Sandra

[Malcolm33]

   Well now you have me thinking back to my 3 months at RAF Credenhill.    We didn't always get the same classroom and therefore often a very different assortment of typewriters which the RAF must have gathered up from old bases all over the world.    One had French accents on it.   We were subjected to all kinds of exercises - one with a small piece of blanket fixed over the keyboard and our hands, then another time having to type a moving message on a screen while they played a record of the Post Horn Gallop.
     If you were ever caught looking down you could get a sharp crack across your knuckles from Flight Sergeant's ruler.     Then you would be woken during the night by other airmen spelling out words in their sleep.
     After that it was straight on to embarkation leave followed by about a week at RAF Lytham St.Anne's getting jabs and kitted out in tropical kit.   Then departure not being told where we were all going, but landing up on a train back to Euston, then RAF Hendon to wait and wait.    In the end we were told that it would not be until the next day and I was able to go get a local bus home for the night.
     Next morning reporting back and there was still a delay so had a morning seeing all my mates back at Cooks in Berkeley Street before going back to Hendon and at last a coach to take us to Blackebush.     It was getting dark again before the old York took off heading first to Malta for dinner at 1am and then away again over the Sahara across to the Canal Zone to land at RAF Fayid.   Next came 10 days at RAF El Hamra close to the Great Bitter Lake on the Suez Canal.   Still we didn't know where we would end up.    Had I had 19 days more in  Egypt I would have been awarded a medal - there were random attacks every night.     When we did get away the MO condemned the troop decks on the Mohammedi trooper - normally a pilgrim ship to Mecca.  So back to El Hamra again, only to be woken during the night with instructions to be up and ready by 6am.   Back to the Red Sea Port just past Suez and now only 30 of us to board the ship where we had staterooms for the 4 days it eventually took to reach Aden.

      Then 2 whole years working in a tiny thatched roof stone building next to the hospital -

[sandra Bee]

Hi Mal
Don't want to hog the site here but there is a great Credenhill website and I think I saw your photo on there, perhaps.
My husband,now I am a widow,was in Aden and he used to tell me of stories of Credenhill being top secret.
I have beenin touch this morning with a lady who used to work at Credenhill and did the shorthand course to ask her if she has any ideas.
Sandra

[ankerdine]

Not too much off-topic I hope.

My step-father was in the RAF end of WW2 and 1950s and was also in Aden for a long stretch!! He was a Flight Sergeant but worked in the cook-house. He left an exercise book so I'll look in it and see if there's any shorthand there.

I know there's instructions what to do if there's a nuclear bomb explosion!!

He was at RAF Fradley, Staffordshire, though.

Thanks Sandra for all your input. Keep up the good work. I wonder what happened about the Professor?


Judy

[Maggie.]

This is a fascinating little diversion and hopefully it may well have a bearing on the writing on the back of the photo.  I do hope the lady who worked at Chedenhill can throw a bit of light on it Sandra.

And where IS that Professor. 

Maggie

[Malcolm33]

Hi Mal
Don't want to hog the site here but there is a great Credenhill website and I think I saw your photo on there, perhaps.
My husband,now I am a widow,was in Aden and he used to tell me of stories of Credenhill being top secret.
I have beenin touch this morning with a lady who used to work at Credenhill and did the shorthand course to ask her if she has any ideas.
Sandra

     I think I found the site you mean, but though some good group photos there, not the course I was in.   I have however now sent them a photo of Typing Course 81 which was 25 Oct 1951 to 31 Jan 1952.

[sandra Bee]

Hi Mal,
Derek Bower there in the late 50's I believe as instructor in shorthand and he demonstrated
100 wpm which was quite fast.  Trouble is they don't say which shorthand he practised.Perhaps someone else on Rootschat can find more info on him.
They taught high speeds within 6 months at Credenhill.

Sandra

[Maureeng]

Hi, i am still trying to find out what is on this photo. I have posted it on Facebook & The Omniglot site & no one seems to know. Maybe the professor will have some news, no news is good news as they say.

 Maureen x