I had been in the bugle band of 'The Corps' at my school and had started to attend band practice in 3 Wing band hut, hoping to become a trumpeter, when we first joined up. However the fact that I was not excused bull nights and was not chosen to represent Halton, blowing me trumpet, at The Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday (I must have been in the RAF all of 5 weeks by then!) cooled my ardour somewhat and so I gave up on a promising career.

It was Brian 'Spanner' Spencer who fired my interest in playing the cornet. Spanner had acquired an instrument from somewhere and was teaching himself to play. (Incidentally it was Spanner who I believe was the brain behind those stickers "The 81st Entry Stuck This Here!")

In my billet, now in 2 Wing after the split up, was a member of the Military Band. I can't remember his name, so I shall refer to him as "Bob" He played the euphonium, was excused boots (really), was working his ticket and was in the 80th (but none of that makes him a bad person). I asked him if he knew where I could get an instrument and Bob said to leave it to him. True to his word about a week later Bob turned up with a beautiful silver cornet." £5 to you Stan and I will include music lessons"

Now five quid was a hefty sum of money in those days but I was a non smoker and thrifty (some might call me tightfisted, my brother still does, but I refute that statement. Just because Silas Marner and Ebenezer Scrooge are my role models doesn't make me POSB) I handed over the cash and took the cornet away to the drying room to see what sound I could get out of it. I practiced (with a sock in it, after being told "Put a sock in it!") and worked on my triple tonguing technique (which came in useful in later life).

A few days later I was in the billet, after the Saturday morning parade and block inspection, looking forward to an afternoon of Egyptian PT, when in strode a posse of people. The Flt. Cmdr. The Sgt i/c the block, an RAF policeman, a member of the Buckinghamshire Constabulary and another uniformed man. They surrounded Bob; whose bed space was about 3 down from mine .I could hear him being asked questions but not the substance of their queries. I then heard my name mentioned, by him, and all eyes swung round to me. Then it was me surrounded. "Where is the cornet you bought from Apprentice Bob? " asked the Flt. Cmdr. I took the instrument from my side locker. The Flt. Cmdr passed the cornet to the snoop who passed it to the copper who passed it to the other uniformed man, who turned out to be a major in the Salvation Army. "Yes " he said "That's one of ours, stolen from The Citadel in Aylesbury " .Strewth! I was caught red handed, in possession of a cornet, nicked from the Sally Ann!!

Luckily for me and Bob the culprit was already in custody, a well-known local tealeaf .No action befell either of us though I had my suspicions that Bob wasn't the innocent he made himself out to be.

I retrieved my fiver from Bob and put it safely back into my wallet, where it remained, undisturbed, for the next two years.

I still have twinges of conscience when I see a Sally Ann band and, uncharacteristically, stuff money into the collecting box.

. Not long after 'The Rotten Apple ' lecture Bob got his ticket and left Halton

I gave up the cornet.

Eddie Calvert breathed a huge sigh of relief.