1954 to 1958 RAF Yatesbury

This is an extract from Phil Tomaselli's book RAF Yatesbury The History.

My sport being cycle racing and as there was up to eighteen cyclists of all types, we could on some occasion’s field up to four teams of four especially in local RAF events. The club was named RAF Yatesbury Wheelers and we had our own clubroom at hut Y20, fitted out with rollers so that we could do training during inclement weather, and store our cycles. The club colours were mid-blue with a horizontal gold band.

During the summer season, the local cycling club, Chippenham Wheelers used to organise ten and fifteen-mile time trials on the Sutton Benger to Great Somerfield course on alternate Wednesday evenings starting at 7 pm. After competing we usually ended up at the NAAFI Club in Chippenham for a "fry-up" before returning to camp. The other two local events were organised by RAF Compton Bassett. Their event was usually 75 miles, often used as a selection event for short-listing riders for the forthcoming RAF Five Day, or the Isle of Man International events. The course would include three of the biggest road hills in the area namely Clyffe Pypard, White Horse Hill, and Wroughton Hill, all very hard climbs. The other event being held on the aerodrome perimeter track at RAF Hullavington, this being 50 miles and would attract a field of 5 0-60 riders from local stations.

During the winter months on the Wednesday sports afternoons, we would cycle to Newbury to avoid the obligatory cross-country running or football, to spend the afternoon in a cafe until it was time to go back to camp in time for the evening meal. During the run-up to the racing season, the racing cyclists would use the return journey as a training session, the first one back through the main gates would get a free beer in the NAAFI that evening. At weekends, we would go touring, using Youth Hostels, averaging 100-150 miles over the weekend.

During my stay at Yatesbury, we competed in the Inter-Station 100km (62.5 miles) Mass Start Championship held at RAF Syerston during August 1958, in which we won the second team award. I was also a member of the Technical Training Command winning team in the RAF Inter-Command Five-Day Road Race based at the nearby RAF South Cerney over 480 miles of Cotswold open roads which also included all the major hills in this area.

The Services were always very supportive. When, for instance, an event was north of London, we were issued with travel voucher of tickets to the nearest railway station.We would sign off camp on a Tuesday to travel to the event, compete on the Wednesday afternoon, and travel back on the Thursday to report for duty after signing back on camp for Friday morning. Then if it was a camp "48", leave camp at 4 pm to cycle home. In my case that meant S. W. London, ready to compete in a local civilian event on the Sunday, and catch the last train from Paddington to Swindon, arriving approx I am, cycle back to camp to arrive about 2.30 am, then up at 8 am to start another working week. "What a life"!!

On occasion, to save 12/6, (a lot of money when your weekly pay is £2) the travel voucher amount, we would ride to Cranbourne Youth Hostel in Dorset, approximately 60 miles. Next morning, ride 25 miles to the event, race the 75-mile road race, and then cycle back to camp another 60 miles, arriving at midnight.

Once a year in May, RAF Yatesbury would promote its own 25-mile time trial on the local Chippenham course, which attracted all the top RAF racing cyclists.

The last event in the racing calendar was the Inter-Station Hill Climb time trial held at the nearby RAF Clyffe Pypard which had a very steep and long hill adjacent to the camp, a real lung buster!!