Formation of the Mildenhall team
The Mildenhall Marauders Rugby Club was started in the spring of 1978 by Tex Byrd who also served as team captain. Interest in starting a rugby team was generated by Tex's old unit (5th Mobile Aerial Port Sqn) who put together a small sevens team with some combat controllers and entered a few local sevens tournaments. Tex started playing with the Newmarket and then Thetford clubs before joining forces with this sevens group to form the Mildenhall rugby team. Members were from a variety of on base units, but mostly from his then unit, 315th Transportation Sqn (he was the commander). When the club was formed one of the players was on the base staff, which gave the team the support of the Base administration. (he was also Tex's boss, a Colonel at age 45 was an eager and valued team member!)
We think this was the first Rugby club to be formed at Mildenhall. RAF Lakenheath is located 5 miles away and was & is a completely different type of base with its own complete facilities. Lakenheath was a fighter base and Mildenhall a tanker, transport, and special ops base with heavies. Lakenheath had no rugby team and there was no interaction between the two bases other than hospital and commissary.
They began playing some of the local English team "B" sides and the Thetford and Newmarket teams as well as the Suffolk constabulary @ RAF Manston. The furthest traveled was to visit Gordon Alderson and we stayed overnight for that one (a match refereed by Tony Mason who later became Air Vice Marshall Mason)
The club was allowed to have its own dedicated pitch on the fight line and as much area as they wanted. It were several hundred yards to the side of the flight line but also a quarter mile away from any of the base facilities. It was perfect! (They had to construct, and erect goalposts, and line the field) They were alsoallowed to use the base gym basketball court for indoor practice when it rained.
Other notes:
- Tex was also the base football team coach and due to there much improved record over the two seasons he was at the helm, he was selected as 1979 UK coach of the year.
- Tex finished out his playing career at Mildenhall, ended by a pretty severe shoulder injury, however went on to successfully coach rugby at the US Air Force Academy
- Tex's son, Matt, at age 17 was selected for the Newmarket & Suffolk county under 18;s, the only yank". He also played for our base team and went on to play for the USAF Academy team prior to a successful Air Force career.
