Robert Charles Langton Aran
My Dad
When we were young my Dad worked away at sea for long periods, so it was a little different to others at school, one benefit of Dads work pattern meant that he was able to take extended summer breaks.
Regularly in the summer months we would go camping as a family at weekends to Camping club meets across the UK.
We had numerous tents, trailer tents and caravans.
 
My Dad was always someone that wanted to have the latest gadget or newest technology, we had the first VCR in the street albeit Betamax, a BBC Microcomputer, and TV tennis game well before they were commonplace.
 
I remember going camping and taking a portable black and white TV – that was when it had to be powered from a car battery!
 
Dad loved camping and socializing at these events, we often met other family members at these camps including Uncles Tom and Roger.
 
One favorite camping meet was the North Warwickshire DA Dodge City western camping event, Dad loved to show off and we decorated the caravan in western theme. Everyone dressed in western clothes, I remember Uncle Roger and Dad dressed as Cowboys.
 
Dad loved tennis and Rugby, he was always disappointed that myself and Duncan hated sport, but we did all find a common interest in CB radios, We had three of them and we all used to go weekly to the CB radio club. Dads handle was Albatross, I think it was a little grander than mine. Dad enjoyed using the CB and managed to contact radio users as far away as Holland, which was remarkable for such a low power setup. We had a huge Thunder pole antenna on the top of the house, of course it was bigger than everyone else’s in the street, Mum hated it.
 
Dad loved his cars and was always looking for the newest thing to impress the neighbours, I remember that we had the first import Japanese car in the village, it was a Honda Accord, folks in the street all came to wonder at its enhanced equipment level having a sunroof, cigar lighter, cassette player and door open indicator on the dash, all unheard of on traditional British cars of the period.
 
As a family, Dad was keen that we always went on extended summer holidays, usually abroad to France, Germany, Luxembourg, Austria etc.
 
I remember one holiday when we took his mother Nanny Flower and we all went to Lake Wolfgangsee in Austria. It was an especially hot heatwave year and we all got roasted, of course Dad had to buy the biggest inflatable boat in the shop and we all enjoyed rowing up and down the lake in amongst the million pound yachts.
 
Bob was a great story teller, even if the tales often got elaborated in the telling, he did have a tendency to exaggerate in order to try and impress, and was always known for putting on a posh voice ( I don’t think he knew he did this) but we all called it his Ponsonby Smythe voice when he was trying to impress others.
 
After spending a career on the Ocean Weather ships at Sea during the Cold War, Dad was transferred to head up the London Weather centre.
 
When he retired he bought a newer caravan, a new car and a hobby vintage looking sports car, in fact it was a kit car and we all called it the Plastic Pig, he was the only one that really liked it.
Dad purchased a Historic military Land Rover which he regularly took to Military vehicle shows up and down the country. He made a display of weather instruments for his Mobile Met office historic display, alongside his 1960s RAF Land Rover and trailers.
 
Funny thing Trailers, Dad always had a thing for trailers, when travelling up and down the motorways he would always comment on trailers and large boats that we saw passing.
 
Following the Land Rover, dad purchased a US Army M38 jeep, it was in pretty good condition, and he enjoyed taking that to Military Vehicle Trust (MVT) shows too.
 
On the 55th Anniversary of D Day , I took Dad to Normandy in my WW2 jeep, we had WW2 uniforms, tents, field equipment and army rations for a week. I said it was his camping re-habilitation course as he had to sleep in a WW2 sleeping bag in a WW2 pup tent.
We really enjoyed the trip, it was a great achievement to travel to Normandy and back in the jeep, especially as I hadn’t yet restored it and it had original WW2 wiring. We broke down once in France on a small lane, dads good command of French language helped loads there, we met an olld French farmer who fixed the jeep for us at the side of the road.
I think that dad really liked the military history side of things, as we had always visited air shows as kids, Abingdon being a favourite, he always liked to see the Nimrod and, Vulcan and Victors having flown on many of them during his time in the RAF.
 
During his time in National service Bob had been posted with the RAF to Libya and Tunisia, he said that at that time there was still German WW2 vehicles laying in the dessert, He and his buddies used to use an old VW Kubelwagen to go to town in, they just found it in the dessert and got it going. Dad spent some time with his early Met Officer years working with the Royal Artillery ranges plotting shell profiles in the atmosphere, and even worked on some of Ronald Regans Star Wars lasers towards the end of his time on the weather ship- they were told that the kit was to burn away clouds!
 
When on the Ocean Weatherships Bob was the senior Met scientific officer onboard, the ships were stationed mid ocean to detect weather trends, and of course monitor above and below the waves for Russian activity in the Cold War. There was no such thing as email, so communication with the family was via post, which came all at once, being delivered to the ship by air dropped mail sacks from Shackleton long range patrol bombers, post from the ship came once during each tour as it was brought back by the returning relieved ship on station. Typical tours were 4 to 6 weeks on and off.
 
As one of his duties Bob was in charge of the bonded stores (duty free) that came onboard the ship for each trip, this included tobacco and spirits. I remember that each time he returned home he always had his quota of duty free cigars and spirits.  On board Bob was in charge of the Avon rigid inflatable boat, he used to enthuse about these fast speedboats and said he loved speeding about mid ocean with the crew taking ‘scientific measurements’.
 
On board ship Bob developed a keen interest in maritime ornithology, he studied sea birds and such. Being stationed in the mid Atlantic the ship often received flying visitors in the form of Gulls, Albatross and Sea eagles and owls. One particularly memorable trip saw him return with a strange insulated package. This turned out to be a Sea Owl that had landed and despite nursing had died, the Owls remains were stored at home  in the freezer alongside the icecream before being sent off to the natural history museum in London for research. Sometimes we had Deep sea squids and such for similar research on their way back to London on return.
 
In 2010 myself Duncan and Bob organised a 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain event in the Greens Norton village, this culminated in a really well attended 1940s dance and a military vehicle parade through the village attended by over 45 military machines from across, the country alongside over 150 marching personal, veterans , and cadets . The event raised over 3500 pounds for the Poppy appeal.
In more recent years dad sold his military vehicles and started to buy and sell a series of collectible pseudo classic cars , in general these were all of the British sports cars such as 1940s MG replicas etc. For some reason he loved those cars, and I think that fact that the rest of the family hated them, made him like them even more.
Dad was interested in cars up until the end, being more concerned about the repairs and MOT on his latest pride and joy that his own health issues.
Funny things that you remember as a Kid, One day I returned from school to find dad sitting in the living room with Michael Fish the weatherman!
Dad also met John Noakes when he hosted the Blue Peter BBC TV team on their trip around the Ocean Weathership in 1972.
I will miss my Dad very much but will always be reminded of him when I see Scottish Gingerbread, a family favourite and one that he always brought by the suitcase full when returning from Sea.
Rest In Peace
You will always be remembered
Your Son Howard