By the time Adrian returned to North Coates, his complicated personal life was unravelling. He was in serious debt and his future as an officer looked bleak. He was then sent to Malta. However, the RAF was not ignoring his situation. His Commanding Officer in Malta, Tich Whiteley, arranged to have part of Adrian’s pay stopped in the UK to go toward his debts. Three years later, while on leave in England, Adrian met Tich and learnt that not only were all his debts paid, but there was a significant credit balance. Adrian attempted to leave half of the remainder in an envelope for Tich to open after he left. Tich simply deposited the money back into Adrian’s bank account.     