One of Basil’s most interesting postings was as RAF commander on the American Air Force base at Alconbury in Cambridgeshire. The reason he was there is that the Americans lease the base from the RAF, so he was there as a sort of ‘landlord’. But unlike most landlords and unlike his predecessor, Dad decided that he and the family would actually live on site, there on the base. Basil and Eleanor made many good friends while there and fully participated in the social life of the base. And for Richard and I, it was marvelous fun. It was like living in a bit of America: we experienced American football and baseball first hand, were invited to barbeques with over-sized burgers, tacos and T-bone steaks and Richard has the time of his life when halloween occurred, retiring with shopping bags full of candy.
 
But Basil wasn’t there as a mere formality or to be taken for granted. I particularly remember the Americans celebrating American Independence day with a fervor, so that every house on the base had a stars-and-stripes flying for the 4th July. Dad wasn’t to be outdone, I remember coming home from school to find a gigantic union jack flag practically covering our entire house!
 
On another, more serious occasion, there was a dispute about who had authority when a civilian aircraft wanted to land on the base as an emergency. The American commander was adamant that this shouldn’t be allowed (remember these bases had some serious weapons), while Basil was equally certain that it should. There followed some tense minutes while the rule book was consulted, and fortunately for the circling aircraft in distress, it was determined that in these circumstances the RAF commander’s authority prevailed!