General outrage
Sir: Whereas, as one of the clan, I am not the 'someone' Paul Johnson suggests (And another thing, 6 August) should rise to the defence of our more senior service officers, perhaps I could recount my own experience when, in the late 1970s, I was Commander- in-Chief of the RAF in Germany and living in one of these so-called luxurious official residences. Incidentally, it was a splendid house but had cost the British taxpayer nothing as it had been provided by the Ger- mans under war reparations.
In those days too the Ministry of Defence was always searching for economies and a high-level inspection team arrived to exam- ine the need for such a style of living.
In answer to their first question — Did I need to live in such a luxurious home?— my answer was simple and to the point. `No,' I said, 'my children are away at board- ing school and my wife and I have quite modest requirements.'
I could see the gleam in the eyes of the inspectors at the prospect. 'What would be the requirements then?'
`Well,' 1 said, 'we have a large number of official visitors. Both Prime Minister Callaghan and the leader of the opposition [Margaret Thatcher] have been here recently and we have a constant stream of MPs, Nato delegations and senior govern- ment officials, together with a number of foreign dignitaries. I am also expected to do a considerable amount of official enter- taining locally.'
`How could these requirements be met then?' the team asked. 'In a house of simi- lar size to this,' I replied.
`And what staff would be required?' was the next question. I outlined an estimate which equated to the staff then in place but added one qualification.
`You will have to put someone in overall charge,' I said, 'probably a squadron-leader with experience of catering and hotel man- agement. That is the job my wife now does at no cost to the British taxpayer.'
The inspection team went back to Lon- don and decided to leave things well alone. Sir Michael Beetham Marshal of the Royal Airforce South Creake, Norfolk
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