Did you know.....

On a screen near you

Every year land and buildings owned by the Ministry of Defence, are used in the making of films and popular television programmes. The Officers Mess at RAF Halton - once a home to a member of the Rothschild family - regularly serves as a location. In the last year it has been used in Judge John Deed, Holby City and Miss Marple.

Happy landings!

The RAF's longest runway is at RAF Fairford in Gloucestershire. Measuring some 10,000 feet, it was prepared for the NASA Space Shuttle. If, for any reason, the Shuttle needs to make an emergency landing in the northern hemisphere, it would land at RAF Fairford.

Say again!

Many phrases in common use today have military origins. For example, 'three square meals a day' originates from the navy around the time of Nelson, and came about because sailors were given three meals a day served on a square plate.

Less appetising, 'biting the bullet' dates to the days before anaesthetics were available on the battlefield. An unfortunate soldier undergoing an operation simply had to brace themselves against the agony. Biting on the soft lead of a bullet absorbed the pressure of the bite without damaging their teeth.

It pays to 'gen up' on the origins of words and if you do you discover that 'gen up' comes to us courtesy of the RAF. Originally a shortened version of 'general information', 'gen' soon came to mean the important or key information about something.

It is not only the fighting forces that have added to the language in this way, those who support them have too. 'The Back Room Boys' - now a common term - was originally used to describe the scientists and technicians that worked diligently behind the scenes during World War Two to ensure that our Forces were properly equipped.