ROYAL AIR FORCE STATION UPPER HEYFORD Memorial Web Site "Gone But Not Forgotten"
20th Equipment Maintenance Squadron
Squadron Motto: "STRENGTH THROUGH SUPPORT"
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"The original Field Maintenance Squadron, was the same thing as the final Equipment Maintenance Squadron, FMS/EMS. These outfits included the Fuel Shop, Egress Shop, Hydralics/Pneudralics Shop, Electric Shop, Phase Inspection Docks, Aircraft Repair and Recovery (AR), AGE, Paint/Corrosion Control Shop, Engine Shop, Welding Shop, Machine Shop and of course the Sheet Metal Shop. These were eventually incorporated into the (CRS) Component Repair Squadron, and finally the EMS. This all happened during my tenure at Upper Heyford, spanning 1977 to 1985. Some of the Chiefs of Maintenance (DCM) that we had went on to become some of the finest senior maintenance officers the Air Force could produce during the time frame of my 23 year career. I wish I could find all of the things that I had from Upper Heyford, as the amount of material we brought back from eight years of living and breathing England was unbelievable. I rode a motorcycle almost full time after getting established in my job. I can remember the worst snowstorm in English weatherkeeping history, and plowing snow with an AT (articulated) fork lift, as all of our snowplows became disabled within the first few hours of the storm starting. I was credited with saving a man from Lincolnshire as he was trying to make it home during the storm, and was calling out on the CB band for a place to stay. There had been a major accident just a few miles further up the road and the visibility, was less than a hundred feet for most of southern England. I talked him carefully to my house in the Bicester Anglo area at 26 Byron Way. He would have been involved in the accident if he hadn't come on in as several people were killed and there were 60+ vehicles involved before the Local Constabulary was able to shut down the road to following traffic. As it happens that storm had also reeked havoc here in the northern US during the winter of 1982 including dumping 18 inches of snow here in central Texas before coming across the Atlantic and making England a winter wonderland. That snowfall was one for the record books and also showed the "Yankee Ingenuity" thing to its best sense of the word, as we were able to keep the roads and taxiways and alert area and runway clear in case we were needed. Most of England was shut down pretty much for the whole week after the storm. Upper Heyford was ready as usual. CMSgt Tom Beby and MSgt. William (Dusty) Rhoads wre intramental in accomplishing the remarkable feat of keeping the base ready. We took otherwise useless snowplow blades and cut holes in them for the forks on the lifts to fit through and then tied them off with chains so that they'd stay attached and hold a left or right hand angle in order to clear roadways and all of the rest of the areas including around the parking shelters, for our aircraft, and the Phase dock hangars, fuel cell hangars. I'll also be able to tell you about the Aircraft Battle Damage Repair and decoy aircraft which we put together. The installation of the most powerful Generator Test stand in Europe at that time. The arrival of the first EF-111A and a host of other things that I became directly involved in one way or the other." Alan M. Dinwiddie (Al) SSgt - TSgt (Ret.), 20th FMS, 20th CRS and 20th EMS Aug 1977 - Aug 1985

The 2000's

20th EMS Sign Submitted by Nigel Dawe, Research Historian, The Ridgeway Military & Aviation Research Group, based at RAF Welford, Newbury, Berkshire.

"Back side of Bldg 300." Submitted by Jim Bryan, Avionics Maintenance Squadron 1979 - 1983 and CRS 1988 to Base Closure.

From page 6 of the "Welcome To Britain '82 - '83" information packet. Submitted by John Double, 20th CRS/Automatic Test Stations, Jul 1983 - Sep 1990.

"EMS Hanger." Submitted by Jim Bryan, AMS, 1979 - 1983 and CRS 1988 to Base Closure.

"Back side of EMS hanger." Submitted by Jim Bryan, AMS, 1979 - 1983 and CRS 1988 to Base Closure.

Building 446, Dorm used by the AGS and then by the EMS. Photos taken January, 2000. Submitted by Kurt Rice, 520 AGS, 1982 - 1984, and 520 AGS / 79 AMU, 1986 - 1990.

Building 446, Dorm Dayroom used by the AGS and then by the EMS. Photo taken January, 2000. Submitted by Kurt Rice, 520 AGS, 1982 - 1984, and 520 AGS / 79 AMU, 1986 - 1990.

Building 446, Dorm for the AGS and then the EMS. Submitted by Marty Bindloss & I. Halford on 08/09/01.

Photo taken in March, 2004. Submitted by Stuart Poehner, 20th SPS, Dec 1979 - Dec 1982.

Photo taken in March, 2004. Submitted by Stuart Poehner, 20th SPS, Dec 1979 - Dec 1982.

Miscellaneous

"Kathy, I have your jacket!" I found this jacket at auction on www.ebay.com in 2006 and thought it would be nice to keep it in the UH family, so to speak. The front of the jacket has KATHY embroidered on it, and the back has some amazing embriodery artwork and "AGE RANGER". Submitted by Duane Park, 20th SPS, 1976 - 1978.

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This page was last updated on 23 June 2005.