Langeleben

ken vipond · Posted: Sun Dec 16, 2007 6:46 pm Post subject: INFO ON BRIAN PATCHETT

Hi everyone,as per pauls request for info on Brian Patchett,i thought i had better start a new subject.
Brian Patchett was I Corps and stationed at R.A.F.Gatow,his trade was voice op.He defected to East Germany around 62/63 never to be seen again,hope this bit of info is helpful Paul,best regards from Ken. Question

P.S.i was there at Gatow at the time.

Mac Bowker · Groupie Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 49 Location: York

Hi Ken,
Your posting re: Brian Patchett reminded me of an ’I’ Corps voice op on 'A' Watch called Tony Pask(e) who purchased a pair of Jack Boots from Braunschweig and was once seen wearing them whilst walking up and down the corridor of the accommodation block.We all found it rather amusing. The amusement turned to disbelief shortly after when we discovered that he’d done a bunk to the East.This happened in the early 60's too.
I can’t imagine what the attraction could have been for these people to do such a thing - a reward of some kind? Better food &/or living conditions?….not on your life.
I wonder what these people are doing now. It would be interesting to trawl through the Stasi (Staatsicherheit) records eh?
Merry Christmas.
'Mac'

paul croxson · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 4:07 pm Post subject:

Incredible.
That makes 4 we now know of who went 'walkies' to the East.
I'd bet a lot of money on it being sex in one form or another behind it.
All this makes a complete farce of the security and how we were all sworn to secrecy virtually on the pain of death. They must have known everything that we did!
Someone earlier mentioned a woman where patchett was concerned who was spying for the East.
What a fate, having to lve in East Germany. They would have been unceremoniously dumped when the wall came down but may well be scrimping on a Stasi pension. On the other hand, they may be living the life of Reilly.
Yes it would be good to get into Stasi records but I was told that one could only access your own record

Mac Bowker · Groupie Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 49 Location: York

Hi Paul,
Hard to believe there were four though....Surely not.
However, seeing as a female 'spy' has been mentioned. You may/may not find this interesting.
Whilst at Langeleben I had a bit of a liaison with an attractive young ‘lady’(mid 20's) who turned up at Schumanns one evening in the early 60’s (I doubt that I was the only one in her life Wink

). Sometime during our relationship she invited me to stay with her at her aunts house in Königslutter for10 days while her aunt was on holiday.
I couldn’t believe my luck - these things just didn’t happen in my life.
Before the pre-arranged day arrived she told me that she was from Gdansk.That caused alarm bells to ring. Whether or not it was a wise decision, I backed out of the arrangement. However, I did see her again, but there was no ‘hanky-panky’after that.
Reflecting on it later, I don’t think she would have told me that she was from the east if she had been another Mata-Hari.
Oh heck! I bet I’ll spend the next few nights laying in bed thinking of what might have been.

ken vipond · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 7:06 pm Post subject:

Another little snippet on the patchett saga,Patchett was besotted with a rather attractive young lady called Rosy who worked behind the bar in the N.A.A.F.I. this was just opposite our living accomodation,she had told Patchett that she was going to visit her grandparents who lived some were in East Germany,Brian Patchett then must have decided to join her at her grannies,it also turned out that Rosy was a East German herself and should not have been employed on the camp in the first place,but love is a funny thing and the rest is HISTORY. Wink

Best regards from Ken.

David Thomas · Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2007 8:16 pm Post subject:

Hi to everyone, and of course a very merry Christmas. Never having met the guy I can’t add very much to the Brian Pagett saga, I can however help with the date. I first went to 13 Sigs in September ‘63 and on my first (and only) interview with the CO, all he could talk about was “did we know Brian Pagett, because he had been a very naughty boy, and let not only the Regiment down, but the CO personally”. I gather from the diatribe that followed, that Brian had only recently done a bunk, and the CO was very cross. So I should say he went in the summer of 63. All the best. Dave T.
_________________
Dave Thomas 2 Sqn 13 SR, '63-'66

paul croxson · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 6:24 am Post subject:

many thanks everyone
Any more info, snippets etc

GerryK · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:54 am Post subject: Brian Patchet

Hi Guys, had to add my two pennorth. I,m sorry Mac but I believe you are wrong about Herr Pask. It was his way of getting a discharge. Bad security risk and all that. Apart from his Nationalistic views he was quite a nice guy. I can picture him now in his "boots", and going red in the face!!

Mac Bowker · Groupie Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 49 Location: York

OK Gerry, I bow to your much better memory. I must say though that I remember nothing about the discharge angle.I obviously felt certain that he'd done a bunk to the east otherwise I wouldn't have said so.However, I do certainly remember his tendancy to blush easily.Can you remember what year it was?

GerryK · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 11:38 am Post subject: Brian Patchet

I believe it would have been 1961 Mac.

Mac Bowker · Groupie Joined: 06 Jun 2005 Posts: 49 Location: York

OK to that Gerry & thanks.
Do you by any chance remember what year it was that Mick Harris (B Watch)and I hitch-hiked to Paris? That could also have been 1961...What an experience that was.One incident I DO remember was nicking a stray duck and stuffing it in my rucksack to be plucked and consumed later...What a farse!

ken vipond · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 12:40 pm Post subject:

Another little bit of info.
House of commons Hansard debates 20th Dec.1994.

Mr Allason to ask Mr Soames what efforts have been made to trace Cpl Brian Patchett of the I Corps formerly based at RAF Gatow.

Mr Soames replied that my department has no record of any Brian Patchett in the army.

The mystery deepens Wink

best regards from Ken.

David Thomas · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 8:24 pm Post subject:

Hi Ken, Good to hear from you on this festive occasion. Why doesn’t your Hansard entry surprise me? When faced with unpalatable questions the Establishment invariably have a check list of responses. Namely: 1. Deny the incident ever happened, 2. Impugn the integrity of the questioner, 3. Vilify the research upon which the question is based, 4. Obfuscate the question with spurious detail, and, when all else fails announce an expensive enquiry. For a lowly Cpl (and only I Corps at that) no record of service, when we all know it is patently untrue, is about par for the course. All the Best Dave T.
_________________
Dave Thomas 2 Sqn 13 SR, '63-'66

GerryK · Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2007 9:12 pm Post subject:

Mac you are a year out. It was summer 1960 when you nearly soured Anglo-French relations.

misterbee · Posted: Wed Dec 19, 2007 9:15 pm Post subject:

Hi to all. I knew Brian Patchet in Langeleben. It was me who took the photo in the 'Old Boot' with him in it. I also know him from Gatow. He was a voice op and mainly kept himself to himself. I think Dave T is correct, it was the summer of 1963. I was having a beer in the NAAFI with him the evening beford he went over and he seemed to be his normal self. After he went all hell broke loose, there were men in suits everywhere and we all had several grillings by them. I don't know if anyone has access to the newspapers of the day as he made the front page in most of them for a couple of days. Even being linked by them to Burgess & McLean!!!
Merry Christmas to all and am looking forward to our mass posting.
Dave B


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