SAC0001

 

Written evidence submitted by Sqn Ldr B R F Relf RAF(Retd)

Transition to Civilian Life

I retired in 1997 after some 38 years Commissioned service in the RAF. After getting married in 1964 my wife and I lived mainly in a Officers Married Quarters on a variety of Stations culminating at RAF Cranwell. I left just as a mammoth series of improvements were underway to RAF married accommodation, so I am clearly unable to comment on living conditions now or even over the years since I retired. It may however be of interest to hear of my experience of transitioning to civilian accommodation in retirement.

There was no shortage of time to prepare for the move. The exact date, my 55th Birthday, was known to us years in advance and so we could discuss plans and implement them as needed well in advance. We started about 10 years before, co-incidentally when I was diagnosed with a chronic, progressive, illness and our plans were therefore somewhat unusual. At RAF expense I completed an Open University degree, and gained an HR qualification to give me some choice should I decide to work in retirement.

Our discussions led away from settling into an humdrum suburban semi-detached and starting new careers. We wanted to see more of the world whilst I was still fit enough and considered all sorts of options before deciding to buy an RV in the USA, a Camper van in UK, with which to explore America and Europe for as long as my health held up. We bought a small house in Suffolk on a mortgage as a backup in case everything went wrong and let it out so that it in effect cost us nothing.

Our plans gave us several main areas of difficulty; procurement of the house, RV, and Camper van, disposal of our surplus furniture and other belongings, and storage of stuff we could not take with us in our mobile living quarters but might need later when Old Age forced us into a more sedate lifestyle. Again, the RAF ensured we had plenty of time, and the embryonic email helped with long distance plans. House and Camper van purchase was easy; all we needed was time – and money! Through friends in USA we were advised on the type of RV we needed, where to buy it, and to move into a hotel for a few days on arrival so we could choose and equip our future home in the States. This proved excellent advice and worked well.

As the final day drew nearer we dispersed our surplus effects to our kids if they wanted them, sold them at car boot sales or other outlets, and prevailed on kindly relatives for help with storage of things we might need in the future. By carrying forward my annual leave and adding it to Terminal Leave, and by undergoing work experience at home, I was able to cease work nearly 2 months before I left. The fact that the RAF would not pay for my final move was irrelevant; by the time we vacated our OMQ there was nothing to move that we could not transfer to our Camper and drive away with.

As you can see, our move from the RAF to civil life was far more complex than most will have experienced but I suggest it amply illustrates the main requirements of a successful transition; time and forward planning. I would say that little more could have been done by MOD to make our transition from Service to Civilian life easier. A friend at Cranwell retired at about the same time and moved straight into a Council House which he had arranged for over several years. Again, this emphasizes the importance of forward planning by the individual. The availability of commercial and academic training whilst serving is also important. I made use of the facility though in the event it paid little part in my transition. But it did give me choices which I could consider and discuss, given time!

20 August 23