Brian Allen, who was an RAF policeman at SP from 1959-1961, emailed on 21st March 2019:

Dear Andre,

I have just had my   Best of British delivered and quickly scanning the pages I was rocked in my seat when I saw a letter from your good self about RAF Shinfield Park near Reading.

I was posted there and was a station policeman in the main guardroom near the gate.

I had many happy times there and can recall quite a few of the names of other RAF police that were stationed that were there at the same time, here are a few that I remember.... I think that Sgt Hart springs to mind as being in charge then there was Bill Baker who went on to join the Thames Valley police, Alec Black who got and early discharge because he worked at one of the atomic facilities,Taff Owens from Wales,myself who hailed from Northumberland .

I must not forget Lily Robertson who delivered the mail each morning. I was rather fond of Lily and we used to walk down towards Reading most Sunday evenings to church and I was the only one that she went out with her on the camp. I think that she came from Cardiff and I have tried to trace her but with out success. Bob Stewart was the regular NCO there and used to live down in Anson Crescent with his wife.

I often managed to get home and before leaving I would pull some of the apples off the trees and fill my pockets before setting off the hitch hike home. On occasions I would get the Thames Valley bus into Reading and then the  trolley bus to the outskirts and its terminus and start walking. I was usually quite lucky in getting a lift but I doubt if that would happen today it would be too dodgy

Incidently there used there used to be a gate guard at the entrance to Shinfield Park if my memory is correct it may have been a Spitfire aircraft – I wonder what became of that?

I have lots of other memories but I don’t know if you will receive this so I will leave it for now.

I honestly thought that I would never hear of Shinfield Park again after I was demobbed so I am chuffed about that I can tell you.

All the best in your quest for info, I hope that I have been helpfull.

PS........I now live near Adelaide in South Australia.

There are two photos below.

The following email was received on 1st April 2019

Dear Andre,

I have not got the knack of putting photos up on an email message. I had it all set up yesterday but it would not go so I am having another go minus the photo and hope that this time it will go off.

New day and new attempt!

Now you were asking me about Shinfield Park and when I was there. Well, after leaving Netheravon I was posted to RAF Shinfield Park and I was there from about April or May of 1959 until I was demobbed in April of 1961. I was interviewed by the CO and asked if I would sign on but I had already applied to join the London Metropolitan police.

I have a number of photographs taken of the things we got up to but if you wish I can copy them off and send them to you by mail as it will be faster than me trying to work out why this thing of mine won’t send the emails of the photos.

I expect you will be wondering what I did get up to on a normal working day. When I was on duty in the main guardroom first off was the opening up of the Command buildings with a huge bunch of keys that I was supplied with from the guardroom and I had a hand drawn guide to the place, (I still have that hand drawn guide)After that there would be the raising of the flag. Breakfast was in the mess room which was just about opposite the billet where I lived. There was always plenty of grub which was really quite good. When I was on night shift we could usually scrounge something to heat up during the night on a small stove that was in the guardroom. The guardroom was not all the big but it was kept spick and span and the floor was kept polished by us walking about with lumps of blanket under our boots as walking on the line was strictly verboten.

I think that payday was usually on a Thursday I would be driven down to Reading with the officer of the day in a Standard Vanguard RAF car and stand outside the bank with a drawn truncheon to hopefully keep the enemy away but the occasion was never used. We usually returned to the camp via a roundabout route.

If you wish to put my name up on your information sheet I will be happy about that but I don.t think that anyone will remember me after all these years  (I am now in my eighties).

I hope that this bit of info will be of use. By the way I was never in the Black Boy as I was tee total in those days. If any  one  wants my email address  I will be quite happy for you to pass it on.

I hope that you manage to keep in touch.