The Argentinian surrender on the Falkland Islands on 14 June 1982, signalled the end of the conflict and the start of a complex operation to return military assets to the UK. Included are some of the F-4 Phantom air defence aircraft which had been based in Ascension Island. The refuelling plan above for the non-stop flight from Ascension Island to the UK required three Victor tankers for each Phantom. The Phantom (callsign BYK30) refuels in mid-air seven times. Only one of the Victors (callsign 10) makes it all the way back to the UK in a little over nine hours flying. This Victor receives 70,000 lbs of fuel in flight from the other two Victors, and completes just the final three Phantom refuelling brackets.

While the Tornados were scored on their bombing accuracy, the Victor crews had to navigate to designated rendezvous positions and then drop off the refuelled Tornados at the right place and time. Not everything went to plan. Things became so confused one day, that I managed to navigate such that my aircraft was pointing exactly 180 degrees in the wrong direction at the specified rendezvous time. Fortunately it was not a competition sortie or I might have been on my way home!

My first visit didn’t auger well for the future. As a healthy bachelor, Marham was not the best place to enjoy an adventurous social life - it was known as "El Adem with grass". Although this clouded my enthusiasm, joining a Tanker Squadron, was for me a new and interesting role which had a tangible meaning not found in the no less important role of nuclear deterrent. Passing fuel to aircraft in flight was perhaps more purposeful than dropping practice bombs into the sea.

It was a fascinating learning process not least because of the several fail-safe features of the system to prevent mishaps. Fuel could only be passed when a green light indicated a positive connection between tanker and customer. If the link was broken the fuel flow would cut off immediately. Any excess acceleration or deceleration forwards backwards or sideways at the point of contact would have similar consequence. It was a comfortable and comforting system to operate

During this phase we went to RAF Mountbatten for sea survival training. We leapt from a launch clutching our one man dinghy packs which we inflated and scrambled aboard as quickly as possible, stabilising our craft by deploying a small sea anchor. Only the pilot neglected to do this and the fresh breeze had carried him way downwind - the crafty devil had realised that the 'rescue' helicopter would fly into wind to pick us up. He was now the closest to the incoming helicopter and first to enjoy the sanctuary of its cabin. I am told that such cunning represents the difference between pilots and navigators.

Sorties dedicated to refuelling practice would take place in well-defined zones known as tow-lines monitored by ATC services. The tow-lines were identified by their associated fighter station such as Binbrook, Wattisham, Leuchars, Boscombe, and RAF Germany tow-lines. The tanker would fly a trombone pattern while receiver aircraft would practice making contact with the trailed drogues. We would fly up and down these trombones for hours at a time. The navigator operating the refuelling kit was busy all the time but the procedure could get monotonous. But practice for all concerned was absolutely necessary of course.

From time to time the non-stop overseas deployment of our fighters would require en route refuelling. Tankers would be prepositioned along the intended route. The stretches of route calculated for optimum fuel transfers would be charted and defined within brackets. The receiving aircraft would aim to start taking on fuel at the start of the bracket, but if the requisite transfer was not complete by the end of the bracket, the receiver would have to divert to a designated en route airfield. The same principals applied to tankers required to take on fuel in flight as part of the plan. And the Tankers had also to ensure that they did not deprive themselves of their own fuel requirements.

On one occasion during pre-flight planning I discovered that HQ Staff had seriously miscalculated the fuel log which fortunately was corrected in good time. I also recall an exercise in the Penang area when we couldn't wind in the central hose. So we headed for a Maritime Danger Area to jettison both it and excess fuel at low level in a fearsome tropical storm. My log book also records just four occasions when we had to RTB (Return To Base), twice for bird strikes and twice for engine problems.

In many ways the refuelling role was perhaps the most mission-oriented role I had experienced. With the sole exception perhaps of two Canberra raids on Egyptian targets during the Suez crisis of 1956. One could get anxious about the fate of aircraft whose refuel needs were critical to their mission even if they were only in peaceful transit. One hoped to get one's own part right by positioning the tanker in the right place at the right time. That was the Navigator Plotter's job.

On occasions we were deployed overseas for a period so provide refuelling support to fighters in unusual environments, using local air to ground firing ranges where possible and air refuelling between mock attacks. Tanker crews were a bit like transport crews meeting each other half way at places such as Cyprus or Gan, some outbound and some inbound. Such Exercises were identified by arbitrary code names such as Piscator, Chicanery, Magic Palm, Blue Nylon, Forthright, High Noon, Ultimacy, Arctic Express, Panther Trail, Bersata Padu, Co-0p.

The one episode which perhaps merits special attention is the Daily Mail Air Race of early May 1969. Victor Tankers were used to refuel the Harrier of No 1 Sqn and RN Phantom of 892 Sqn in their dash across the Atlantic. It may have been the first time in which Tankers were used at such extended range across open water. Tanker-to-Tanker fuel transfers were used even more dramatically in the Black Buck raids. Our crew gave the Harrier its first top up just before it reached the Atlantic.

At first a role for tanker aircraft in this imaginative event was not apparent. But the race was to be separated into several categories. In-flight refuelling was to be allowed, and it became an exciting challenge which would involve several tankers and some very careful fuel transfer planning. The first transfer was over land in the south west of the country, but it proved not to be straightforward. Our TACAN device which enabled aircraft to close in on each other was playing up. With the Harrier running low on fuel and near to abandoning its sprint across the Atlantic he finally spotted us and the fuel transfer was successful. He won his race.