THE DECCA LEGACY - Wootton Bridge Historical

CHAPTER 6
S0METIMES IT WAS DIFFICULT TO GET THERE
(Stan Milliner)
A problem had developed on an HF200 installation at a remote site in Pakistan. The radar was not
performing to the proper standard. The installation people had withdrawn from the site and Pakistan
demanded that the most experienced team be dispatched from the UK to sort out the problem. This
turned out to be Bob Childs and Stan Milliner, from R&D, and Frank Bennett from Installation Division.
The first move was to fly to Karachi which went without a hitch. The team then discovered that it had to
find their own way to the radar station which was way up in the foothills of the Himalayas. They also
found that not much support could be expected from the Pakistan authorities. They were still annoyed
about the malfunctioning of the radar. So no flights were available for us. Frank Bennett eventually
persuaded the Military that this was not a pleasure trip and some seats miraculously became allocated to
us.
The next port of call was Lahore and when we arrived there, we were stranded again. After more careful
negotiations with the Military, we eventually got another forward flight to Rawalpindi. We still had a
long overland trek to reach the radar site at Sakesa. No more help was forthcoming from the Militia, so
the only option left to us was to hire a taxi. When it arrived our hearts sunk. It was in terrible condition.
The tyres were threadbare with wires visible through the rubber and we had hundreds of miles to go. We
found out later that the handbrake was kaput also. However, the gallant driver (who we were sure had
never passed a driving test and never felt the need to change gear) was prepared to take us.
Most of the journey was over flat plains and farm lands but occasionally it got very wild and it meant
driving through rocky dried up river beds. We were running late so the driver decided when we came to a
tarred road to put his foot down. This particular road was only wide enough for one vehicle and everyone
was using it and taking their farm animals along it. The taxi driver kept his hand on the horn and his foot
hard down on the pedal, ignoring our protests. People and animals jumped for cover as we came through,
then his luck changed and a frightened cow ran back on the road. We hit it so hard we ran off the road,
but somehow the driver regained control and continued his mad progress. We looked back and saw the
poor animal on its back pathetically kicking the air. There were a lot of angry peasants who had observed
this. Had we been caught, the chances of escaping unscathed were minimal. Our driver had decided that
his driving skill was better than his powers to negotiate and we got away as fast as possible. When we
were at a safe distance, we looked back. The car which was just adequate when we had started was now
half a wreck. The nearside headlamp was damaged, but the vehicle, amazingly seemed to have the
wherewithal to take us to our destination. We had no choice but to continue. The right thing to do would
have been to return and put matters right. This did not appeal to any of us.
After what seemed hours later, it started to get dark. But we saw lights ahead high up on the mountain
and we thought we were getting close to our destination. By the time we arrived at the guard room at the
base of the mountain it was very dark and the armed guards seeing unannounced people at that time of
night, trained their rifles on us until we proved we were on their side. The beleaguered driver and his
damaged taxi now faced an even bigger challenge.
This mountain was about 6000 feet high and changing gears was not his preferred choice.
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