Prior to the festivities, the DTUS Officer Cadets attended a brief on 90 Signals Unit and the Communications & Electronics engineering branch. The brief covered a wide spectrum of topics, from the day-to-day life of junior Officers at the Unit, the organisational structure of the CE branch to the aims and mission of 90SU.

After the brief, participating squadrons of 90SU took part in a mess cannon competition, similar to the Typhoon Squadron Sunset Salute held earlier this year. While the Sunset Salute rules stipulated that the propellant be lighter fluid, 90SU had no such regulations and the entries varied in complexity and effectiveness.

The winning cannon was constructed from two metal pipes welded to a pair of fire extinguishers cut in half. The propellant was compressed air and hairspray, raised to 80PSI and ignited with a blowtorch. As well as firing the obligatory tennis ball, a can of Fosters was launched a great distance prior to an audible sigh of relief as it missed the car park.

 

Other entries included a shoulder-mounted drainpipe cannon and a cannon housed inside a camouflaged tank made from cardboard and a trolley.

 

The main event of the evening was the dinner. The bar, in full Halloween livery, was open beforehand for introductions and drinks prior to moving to the dining room. The meal was excellent, as were the drinks, and the atmosphere was lively and jovial. The more light-hearted traditions were strictly observed; OCdt Blackie learnt the importance of keeping a firm hold on her place card and OCdt Heath now has a firm understanding of handling a port decanter.

 

Mr Vice kept the room entertained with a trumpet solo after the Group Captain finished his speech, wishing a departing officer a warm farewell. The bar was open after the dinner so that conversation could continue into the small hours of the morning.

 

While Typhoon Sqn also holds an annual dining-in night with a near identical routine, it was a very novel experience to participate in such an evening at an active RAF base with serving personnel. The silence for absent friends served as a poignant contrasting element to the dinners held at DTUS squadrons. Hopefully the DTUS will receive an invitation to the annual dinner next year, it is a rare and valuable opportunity for RAF bursars to experience the best of mess life and the mysterious CE engineering branch.