Lightening experiences anyone got any stories?

[Pete999]

Just been reviewing some photographs I took whilst serving in Cyprus, Troodos, to be exact.

Troodos is situated above the cloud line, or where I was stationed was, which was about 6000 feet above sea level. I was always taught that lightening never traveled in an upwards direction, this was so much hogwash as many of the numerous conifirs had been struck by lightening traveling up from the cloud layer, in fact there were warnings issued during the storm cycles, not to venture outside.

Has anyone else had odd experiences with thunder storms, oh nearly forgot the storms were Snow storms, which apparently is another no no for lightening to be produced.

 

[Midwest]

I went up the Troodos mountains, one summer holiday. They had refurbished an old ---- barracks/accommodation that was put there during WW2, somewhere near the top. Look liked some Austrian ski pad, quite bizarre. Didn't see any lightning, but saw the ski lifts. Think we went paced your place Pete, you had some big Sky tv dishes

 

[Pete999]

I went up the Troodos mountains, one summer holiday. They had refurbished an old ---- barracks/accommodation that was put there during WW2, somewhere near the top. Look liked some Austrian ski pad, quite bizarre. Didn't see any lightning, but saw the ski lifts. Think we went paced your place Pete, you had some big Sky tv dishes

Think you needed to go a bit higher up Middy they weren't Sky dishes.????

 

[Midwest]

Either that or it was some of those Jodrell Bank

 

[Pete999]

Either that or it was some of those Jodrell Bank

Thingies?

 

[Midwest]

Expect you've been to some interesting places Pate, did you ever work at Hanslop Park? I have an amusing story.

 

[Pete999]

Expect you've been to some interesting places Pate, did you ever work at Hanslop Park? I have an amusing story.

Go on then yes I did

 

[Midwest]

Sorry to hijack your thread Pete, but some might find this interesting. In another life I had chance to visit there, and was granted some limited access to their black museum. Was showed some very old bugging devices.

One was a plague presented to the US Ambassador in Moscow, circa 1960's, by Russian boy scouts. The Russkies listened into everything he was saying, sat at his desk. The Yanks eventually realised what it was, but couldn't work out how it functioned. So they gave it to the Brits. One of our talented boffins worked it out, and developed it.

Some time after my visit there, I visited Bletchley Park, its now a modern day museum. I was in the section where the codes were put onto tape for the bombes. This guy there had helped re-assemble it. So we were having a bit of a chit chat. He was a very interesting guy. I recounted my story about the boy scouts and the Brit boffin. He said yeah, that was me;

Tony Sale - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Sale

I do like reading about our history, but never been so close to it, like this.

 

[Midwest]

Incidentally, he told me the only reason Peter Wright wrote his book, is cos the government wouldn't pay him his pension early.

 

[Pete999]

Sorry to hijack your thread Pete, but some might find this interesting. In another life I had chance to visit there, and was granted some limited access to their black museum. Was showed some very old bugging devices.

One was a plague presented to the US Ambassador in Moscow, circa 1960's, by Russian boy scouts. The Russkies listened into everything he was saying, sat at his desk. The Yanks eventually realised what it was, but couldn't work out how it functioned. So they gave it to the Brits. One of our talented boffins worked it out, and developed it.

Some time after my visit there, I visited Bletchley Park, its now a modern day museum. I was in the section where the codes were put onto tape for the bombes. This guy there had helped re-assemble it. So we were having a bit of a chit chat. He was a very interesting guy. I recounted my story about the boy scouts and the Brit boffin. He said yeah, that was me;

Tony Sale - Wikipedia - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Sale

I do like reading about our history, but never been so close to it, like this.

 

[Pete999]

No worries Middy yes worked there since 1989 til I retired in 2012, did 4 years in Moscow in charge of all thins Maintenance, wonderful time smashing Russian Tradesmen, 17 I looked after. brilliant time.

 

[Midwest]

You have some stories to tell like Tony then.

 

[Pete999]

You have some stories to tell like Tony then.

Yep sure do

 

[Lou]

We love Cyprus!

Don't really know if this counts but when I was younger and living with parents lightening hit the field behind our house and I felt the whole house shake and it knocked the power off..

A few years ago when I was on a cruise in Australia, there was a thunderstorm at night but it was so far away you could only see the lightening. Something very magical about seeing the whole sky light up in the dark in the middle of the sea with nothing around.

 

[Squid]

Remember having to visit a National Trust office in the middle of nowhere many years back and finding that a lighting strike had taken out 14 Wyse dumb monitor terminals, luckily the server and hub where fine.

 

[7029 dave]

I went up to troodos mountains when I was married to the Greek goddess.

 

[Squid]

I went up to troodos mountains when I was married to the Greek goddess.

Is that the same as going up the OXO Tower?

 

[Rpa07]

Is that the same as going up the OXO Tower?

I don't know what that means @SWD but I like it! T'is probably another euphemism that has caught me out - darn my sheltered upbringing!

 

[Squid]

Think about it, taking the wife up the OXO Tower is and old joke

 

[Wilko]

Moving right along ...

In a far away place, I strolled out into the car park with my then 10yo Darling Daughter when the mid summer, mid afternoon storm hit. Some drops of rain as big as marbles then just as we approached the car ... bbbanggg ... the gal steel lamp post next to it got hit. Flash camera light level and full on stink of burnt galvanising etc. Bundled DD into car sharpish, shut door and got away unscathed. I did say a prayer of thanks to the folks that had bothered to securely earth that pole.