RAF News Edition 1551, 13.01.2023

Personnel named in New Year Honours

A C-17 CREW gets a grandstand view of the Northern Lights during an Arctic training sortie over Norway. The 99 Sqn aircraft is operating in temperatures as low as -30°C at Nato’s most northern airbase at Bardufoss alongside British Forces during Exercise Clockwork extreme weather training.

Squadron commander Wg Cdr Essex said: “Our route allowed us to see the Northern Lights, an unexpected delight. We were lucky enough to watch the electric green waves begin to flare, lighting up the sky.”

Putin war crimes probe

JUSTICE MINISTERS from around the world will meet in London in March to support investigations into Russian war crimes in Ukraine.

The Lancaster House summit hosted by Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab and Dutch Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius aims to increase global financial and practical backing for International Criminal Court prosecutions.

The news comes as Russian forces continue striking at crucial energy infrastructure in the freezing cold of winter, while in reclaimed areas of the country prosecutors continue to gather evidence of atrocities and sexual violence.

Mr Raab said: “Russian forces should know they cannot act with impunity, and we will back Ukraine until justice is served.

“Almost a year on from the illegal invasion, the international community must give its strongest backing to the ICC so war criminals can be held to account.”

Ms Yeşilgöz-Zegerius said: “The reports and images of Russia’s unlawful and unprovoked armed attack on Ukraine are horrific. For us it is crystal clear: these crimes

may not go unpunished.”

Last year, the UK offered the ICC an additional £1 million funding and police assistance.

This Week In History

Malta attacks

operating

It is helping to train 30 Ukrainian judges to conduct war trials with a programme for prosecutors led by the Crown Prosecution Service due

to start later this year.

So far court proceedings have begun in more than 200 cases with 50,000 war crimes files opened to date.

1976 RAF Regt combats IRA

You can’t find a single reference to Lily anywhere in any history of Victorian literatures

1941

2 SQN RAF Regt establishes a long-term presence at RAF Aldergrove to counter the growing threat from the IRA.

Extracts from The Royal Air Force Day By Day by Air Cdre Graham Pitchfork (The History Press)

WELLINGTON BOMBERS

from Malta attack the Italian fleet at Naples after the first blitz by German dive bombers against the Mediterranean island begins.

DEVASTATION: The smouldering remains of a residential tower block near Kyiv following Russian missile strike; inset, Putin

PHOTO: ALAMY

Man on a mission Padre, fellow cleric and charity volunteers among RAF personnel featuring in New Year Honours

Simon Mander

A TEACHER who tackled poverty in an African village and the ‘engineering genius’ behind the Fylingdales radar join two padres and a former ISTAR chief as the latest RAF honours recipients.

Tireless volunteer FS (now acting WO) Fiona Phillips becomes an MBE for improving conditions in a Tanzanian village, teaching English to more than 70 Cambodian orphans and

developing a comprehensive water safety programme for youngsters in Cyprus following a spate of drownings.

She said: “I am extremely humbled to receive this award for the small contribution that I have played toward raising funds and volunteering for many charities and community projects.”

Waddington padre Rev (Wg Cdr) Ian Brown is made an OBE for protecting the mental health of personnel during the Covid pandemic.

Among the initiatives he pioneered are ‘First Tourist Days’ to orientate new arrivals and prevent loneliness, a ‘Buddy System’ to connect people about to be posted with future peers and Post Operational Deployment days to help personnel resettle after time away.

He said: “I receive this OBE on behalf of all RAF Chaplains whose, often unseen, ministry makes a positive difference to the lives of the women and men serving in our Armed Forces.”

Reservist Chaplain The Revd Canon (Wg Cdr) Paul Wright is appointed to the Royal Victorian Order – an honour in the personal gift of the Sovereign – for his role as Domestic Chaplain to the Royal Family, Sub-Dean of the Chapel Royal and as an RAuxAF chaplain attached to 600 Sqn at Northolt.

Former ISTAR Force Commander Air Cdre Nick Hay OBE is awarded the CBE for his ‘exceptional and pivotal contribution’ to UK defence and security over three-and-a-half years, during which he spearheaded the introduction to service of the Poseidon P8 maritime patrol aircraft.

He said: “I am humbled to receive this personal honour, but it has undoubtedly been a team game.

“All those in the ISTAR Force over the past four years deserve special mention – their actions are committed, remarkable and inspirational.”

Brize-based

base’s

She

“Awards

Mission Aircrew and Airborne Specialist instructor FS (now Acting MAcr) Matthew Bailey is awarded an MBE for improving the

Serco Chief Systems Engineer Bob Clarkson is awarded an MBE as the ‘engineering genius’ at the heart of the RAF Fylingdales Radar in a 40-year career supporting the UK’s Ballistic Missile Early Warning, Space Surveillance and Missile Defence systems.

He said: “It is a great honour to be recognised for the work I have been involved in over the last 40 years, alongside our RAF partners.” l Full honours list, pp14-15

RADAR LOVE: Bob Clarkson (inset)is awarded an MBE for his work at RAF Fylingdales, above

Sqn Ldr Andrea Dowds gets an MBE for managing the station’s reception centre during the evacuation of Afghan refugees from Kabul during Operation Pitting and leading the

Covid Cell, which operated around the clock on local and international contact tracing dealing with hundreds of passengers.

said:

may be received by an individual, but it is the people who support them who make the difference.”

training of ISTAR and Air Mobility Forces and volunteering for the Lincolnshire Emergency Medical Response charity that supports the NHS.

VOLUNTEER: A/WO Fiona Phillips has helped youngsters worldwide.

She now becomes an MBE

Falklands raid hero joins Cranwell greats

Simon Mander

A HELICOPTER crewman who took part in a Special Forces mission during the Falklands War has become the latest hero to sign on at Cranwell’s Wall of Honour.

Fleet Air Arm Lt Cdr Peter Imrie was one of the first rescuers on the scene after the Argentinian Exocet missile attack on HMS Sheffield that sank the destroyer killing 20 crew while he was flying on Sea Kings from the carrier HMS Hermes with 846 Commando Sqn.

But it was his later exploits with the SAS behind enemy lines that led to his invitation to join aviators celebrated on the Aircrew Survival, Evasion and Resistance (SERE) Training Centre monument.

Lt Cdr Imrie volunteered for Operation Mikado – a daring mission to protect Britain’s Navy fleet by attacking a Super Etendard fighter base in Argentina.

The plan involved flying a Sea King to the Argentinian mainland, dropping off an SAS team and then making their way to neutral Chile on foot.

In Brief

Imrie and two crewmates took off from HMS Invincible with an SAS team on a recce mission, flying at speed below 20ft to avoid detection, with rudimentary navigation systems.

But extreme weather and white-out conditions forced the aircraft to land 12 miles short of the target.

SERE instructor Mark Fairhead said: “The mission was aborted, and they used the little remaining fuel to get to Chile. With the recce patrol unloaded the crew spent seven days on the run as ordered.

“They headed for a local port in the hope of boarding a British-friendly vessel but were captured by Chilean security forces and questioned before being officially deported a couple of days later.”

It was a daring and gruelling mission in a war which Imrie described as the Royal Navy’s ‘finest hour’.

Invitations to sign the Wall of Honour are offered to crew who have won gallantry awards, crashed, ejected, ditched or abandoned an aircraft and escaped the enemy to get back to fly.

New chief in as UK marks 8 years fighting Daesh terror

Simon Mander

A NEW boss has taken over the hot seat on the eighth anniversary of RAF missions against Daesh Islamist terrorists in the Middle East.

Museum nets Lotto payout

RAF MUSEUM Midlands chiefs have landed a £5 million lotto windfall to help fund a £22 million scheme to transform the venue.

Work on the redevelopment programme is expected to start in 2025 and will take two years, a spokesman said.

Museum chief executive Maggie Appleton said: “We’re one step closer to our ambitious plans becoming a reality, made possible thanks to National Lottery players.

“We will continue to work closely with our local communities to develop the project.”

Wg Cdr Jonathan Eastlake becomes the 42nd Commanding Officer of 903 Expeditionary Air Wing in its 78year history and the 20th during Operation Shader.

The campaign began in 2014 when a C-130J airdropped humanitarian aid onto Mount Sinjar in Northern Iraq to support Yazidi people fleeing persecution.

In December 2014, Akrotiri’s 140 EAW was renamed 903 in charge of the deployed C-130J Hercules and Tornado GR4 bombers that then formed the UK element of the USled coalition.

Over eight years of Shader sorties the Wing has provided air support to the Battle of Mosul, the evacuation of Kabul during Op

Pitting, and has expanded to take on Nato enhanced vigilance flights in the Black Sea region.

The first UK air strike took place in September 2014, when two Tornados attacked a Daesh position using a Paveway IV laser-guided bomb and a Brimstone missile against an armed pick-up truck.

In April 2018, Tornado and Typhoon aircraft hit the Assad regime’s Him Sinshar chemical weapons storage site in Syria.

Today the Wing supports Typhoon, Voyager, C-130J Hercules, and Atlas A400M operations in the region.

Handing over command Wg Cdr Mark Frazer ceremoniously passed the Wing’s tactical identification flash to his successor.

He said: “Everyone who has ever served on 903 EAW, be that in Burma, Singapore, Basra, Bastion or Akrotiri, should be immensely proud of what they have achieved.”

EXOCET THREAT: HMS Sheffield ablaze after Argentinian missile strike. Above, Lt Cdr Imrie signs on at the Cranwell Wall of Honour

GULF COMMAND: Wg Cdr

Jonathan Eastlake takes over at 903

EAW, targeting Daesh terror group

PHOTO: SGT NEIL CHAPMAN

JACKPOT: RAF Museum chief executive Maggie Appleton (right) and fundraising director Karen Whitting celebrate funding boost

RAF joins rescue bid as mountain top New Year toast is hit by disaster

Staff Reporter

RAF RESCUE experts joined the search for two women climbers attempting to mark New Year on a lakeland peak after one fell and broke her ankle as extreme weather halted their bid to see in 2023 on one of Cumbria’s highest mountains.

The duo issued an SOS call to Keswick Mountain Rescue just 40 minutes into the New Year following the fall as the pair attempted to descend from the 3,000ft Great Gables peak as weather conditions worsened.

Members of the RAF’s mountain rescue teams from Lossiemouth and Valley who were training in the area joined the five-hour rescue mission battling strong winds, hail and snow to reach the stricken climbers.

The casualty was carried by stretcher down the mountainside and transferred to hospital for treatment for her broken ankle.

An RAF spokesperson said: “In the early hours of New Year’s Day, 13 RAF personnel who were training nearby were asked to assist Keswick Mountain Rescue team responding to an incident on Great Gable.

“Our personnel responded quickly and professionally to assist the Keswick team where there was a potential threat to life, providing valuable experience in the skills they require and contributing to a successful rescue of the casualty.”

UK aid combats Putin booby trap horror

HUNDREDS OF metal detectors and bomb de-arming kits are to be airlifted to Ukraine to help clear minefields and booby-trapped homes.

The latest deliveries, that will continue throughout 2023, come after the UK donated more than 1,000 missiles and 125 anti-aircraft guns to defend against Russian strikes on the country’s cities and infrastructure.

Since 2022, the RAF has flown more than 240 sorties to move thousands of tonnes of military aid – from sophisticated rockets to winter clothing.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “Russia’s use of landmines and its targeting of civilian infrastructure underline the shocking cruelty of Putin’s invasion.

“This latest package of UK support will help Ukraine safely clear land and buildings as it reclaims its rightful territory.”

In addition, military instructors including RAF Regt specialists, expect to train up to 20,000 more Ukrainian troops this year, on top of the 11,000 recruits given combat skills in the UK during 2022.

The Vallon metal detectors will help troops breach minefields, create safe routes on roads and paths and clear infrastructure and houses, allowing people to return home.

The bomb kits are designed to de-arm the fuses from unexploded Russian bombs, munitions and improvised explosive devices.

The UK has established the International Fund for Ukraine which uses contributions from

partners to rapidly procure priority military material.

Suicide alert for under 25s

EX-MILITARY PERSONNEL under 25 are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their Civvie St counterparts, according to a new report.

However those over 35 and who stay in longer are at no greater risk than the non-military population – University of Manchester researchers say.

The MOD and NHS-funded study looked at data for more than 458,000 veterans between 1996 and 2018, during which time 1,086 (0.2 per cent) of them took their own lives – a similar rate to the rest of the population.

Contrary to popular belief, academics found those who had served in a conflict had a reduced risk of suicide.

But being male, discharged from the Forces before the age of 34, untrained, and having served for less than 10 years were risk factors.

Author Cathryn Rodway said: “While previous studies suggest combat-related experiences are associated with suicide, our findings paint a slightly different picture.

“We found suicide was no more common than in the general population, although risk is higher in the youngest age groups and for those with short lengths of service. But deployment to a conflict appears to reduce suicide risk.”

The findings come as Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer called for greater awareness of the support available. He said: “Any death is a tragedy, and we must help those who need support.”

Reaper strike

A REAPER remotely piloted aircraft fired a salvo of two Hellfire missiles at a building near al-Bab in northern Syria where at least one active Daesh terrorist was known to be operating.

RISK: Suicide risk reduces the longer veterans serve, according to report

Simon Mander

Britain provided £2.3bn of

military aid to Ukraine in 2022 –more than any other nation except the United States.

EXTREME CONDITIONS: Keswick and RAF Mountain Rescue teams carry injured climber to safety after five-hour rescue mission

PHOTOS: KESWICK MOUNTAIN RESCUE

Honey trap

UK COMBAT pilots will take on L-159E Honey Badger fast jets during combat training following a deal with aerospace giant Draken.

Under the contract, eight Czechbuilt multi-role fighters will provide ‘Red Air’ threats to UK fast jets during exercises from this month. The move follows the aircraft’s first Operational Readiness Training sortie with a 41 Test and Evaluation Sqn Typhoon over the North Sea, last month.

Air Cdre ‘Cab’ Townsend, the RAF’s Senior Responsible Owner for Capability, said: “This capability will truly challenge our Combat Air pilots, training them more effectively for future operations.”

Super-grad Megan’s on track

Simon Mander

The 25-year-old Flt Lt from Huntingdon, who rides for the UK’s top women’s team, is set to hit the road as a military medic after passing the Specialist Officer Initial Training Course.

But away from ops she’s keen to retain the UK Armed Forces indoor cycling crown she won last year after only saddling up in January.

She said: “Cranwell has enabled me to practise a holistic set of skills, many of which are transferable into Elite Sport. I have set my goals, which include representing the RAF in my sport at the highest level possible. It is an exciting time for women’s cycling and it’s great to see the Service welcome its development and support riders at every level.

“The College has fostered my time management and leadership skills and I have become a more resilient and disciplined athlete, teammate and Officer as a result.

Valley crash course

MOUNTAIN RESCUERS simulated saving an aircraft crash casualty from a remote Welsh mountainside on a recent training exercise.

Valley-based RAF volunteers joined civilian counterparts from Aberdyfi and South Snowdonia to practise life-saving skills and drills ready for winter emergencies.

They were joined by AOC 2 Gp AVM Suraya Marshall, who

deployed with them to Fairbourne to meet personnel and experience an operational training weekend.

Born out of wartime necessity to save the lives of downed aircrew, today three teams at Leeming, Lossiemouth and Valley operate as Defence’s only all-weather, groundbased search and rescue organisation.

Dating back to 1943, the RAF Mountain Rescue Service maintains a one-hour readiness state throughout the year living up to its motto ‘Whensoever’.

“RAF stations are brilliant because they are so cycle-friendly and safe that many choose to ride around camp rather than drive.”

She has her sights set on a place on the RAF’s Elite Athletes Scheme which enables talented personnel identified by a professional body to participate at the highest level – as an athlete, coach, official or judge –while serving.

It allows leave of absence for training or competition with access to kit, equipment, training facilities and events.

Duty calls for e-stars

Up for the World Cup

TYPHOONS FLEW a total of 114 operational hours on counter-terrorism missions during the World Cup.

Eight RAF Coningsbybased fighters from the joint UK-Qatar 12 Squadron, backed up by a Voyager tanker from Brize Norton, supported air security operations from Dukhan Air Base alongside Qatar Emiri Air Force fast jets.

UK Defence support

also included counter-IED advanced venue search training, operational planning, command and control support and specialist advice.

UK Forces Commander Air Cdre Mark Biggadike said: “Over two years of planning and engagement with the Qatari Ministry of Defence and six other partner nations has led to a very successful operation; of note, the first joint operation that Qatar has conducted.”

E-SPORTS ACES The RAF Reapers outgunned USAF and British Army rivals to clinch the online Call of Duty Code Bowl championship. The team battled through technical glitches to lift the trophy after blasting through the final rounds of the digital shoot-out.

ELITE CYCLIST Megan Walker is riding high after graduating from Cranwell.

Staff Reporter

SOS DRILL: Members of the Valley Mountain Rescue unit with crash site casualty

SPORTING CHANCE: Medical officer and UK cycling star Flt Lt Walker is hoping to join the RAF’s Elite Athlete scheme

RED AIR: Czech-built L-159E Honey Badger swing role fighters will simulate enemy aircraft during combat training.

PHOTO DRAKEN

£129m

MINI DRONES with high-resolution imaging capabilities to locate and identify potential targets will be delivered to the Armed Forces under a £129 million deal with Lockheed Martin UK.

More than 250 portable and packable devices will replace existing systems such as Desert Hawk 3 and include 159 rotary-wing Indago 4 and 105 fixed-wing Stalker VXE30 aircraft, due to be operational by the end of 2024.

Weighing a little over 20kg and with a 4.88 metre wingspan, the portable verticallaunched, near-silent Stalker can provide more than eight hours of imaging and cover around 60 miles.

The packable Indago 4, weighing only 2.27kg, can be folded and carried in a

soldier’s backpack and deployed in just two minutes, with a range of approximately eight miles.

Its high-resolution zoom capability can accurately identify people, objects, vehicles and weapons – day, or night.

Minister for Defence Procurement, Alex Chalk, said: “As the global threat changes, it’s crucial we remain at the forefront of innovation, delivering cutting-edge capabilities to our deployed forces.”

During the 10-year contract Lockheed Martin UK will work with other manufacturers to regularly upgrade the equipment.

Air Cdre Steve Bentley added: “Employing a Systems Integrator approach will ensure that UK Defence is able to deliver the latest and best capability into the hands of our users on the frontline.”

More

Simon Mander

PHOTO: LOCKHEED MARTIN

Simon Mander

OFFENCES BY military personnel, including rape and serious sexual assault, are to be investigated by a new unit.

The Tri-Service independent Defence Serious Crime Unit will have powers to probe the most serious allegations against persons subject to Service law in both the UK and overseas.

The unit, based in Southwick

Park, replaces Special Investigation Branches and is part of a commitment to Service justice reform and the implementation of changes to improve the experience of victims.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “This Unit is a step change to improving the quality and capability of the Armed Forces to investigate serious crimes. Fully independent, it will create a critical mass of experience and personnel

to ensure our investigations are thorough, high quality and timely.”

The new unit will be staffed by officers trained to the same standard as civilian police.

All DSCU investigators will be trained to deal with sexual offences, and some will be sent on College of Policing family liaison, senior investigator, and specialist interviewing courses.

Chief of Defence People Lieutenant General James Swift

said: “All members of the Armed Forces should have the confidence to report a crime and know that it will be fully investigated.

“The Defence Serious Crime Unit will be completely independent of the Chain of Command. This will give our Servicemen and women reassurance that their concerns will be taken seriously, investigated independently and prosecuted.”

The unit will operate as part of the Defence Serious Crime

Command established in April.

A new Victim and Witness Care Unit is also being set up after consultation with the Survivors Trust and Victims Commissioner and is expected to be fully operational early this year.

The reforms follow the recommendations of the judge-led ‘Henriques Review’ in 2020 and the launch of zero tolerance policies to address unacceptable sexual behaviour in July last year.

CASH BOOST: Defence chiefs have announced a £8.5 million programme to tackle crisis

Homeless vets funding pledge

Defence launches new crime unit to combat sex offenders Fore King & country Golf champ Mark buggs out after 42 yrs service

EXTRA CASH has been made available to combat homelessness among veterans.

More than £8.5 million of funding has been announced to pay for more than 900 supported housing units in England with specialist help for former Armed Forces personnel.

A new referral scheme will enable veterans to access accommodation, health care and education through a single referral scheme to identify those in need.

Veterans’ Affairs Minister Johnny Mercer said: “No one, not least those who have served this country, should be homeless.

“As a government we remain steadfastly committed to ending veteran homelessness in 2023.”

Veterans Advisory Board member Lee Buss-Blair added: “The funding will ensure the government’s pledge to end veteran rough sleeping within this Parliament is delivered a year early.”

Notts nets Reds drills

THE RED Arrows will conduct low level winter flight training over Nottinghamshire following the team’s move from Scampton to Waddington.

The distinctive Hawk jets will fly over RAF Syerston under a temporary arrangement until April, while options for alternative training sites in Lincolnshire are explored.

GOLF-MAD AIR traffic controller Mark Elsbury, who served in Iraq and the Falklands, got an appropriate send-off on his last day in the RAF after 42 years’ service.

The Warrant Officer, who once led a winning combined British Forces team in a Ryder Cup-style contest against American troops in Germany, was driven out of Boscombe Down’s Porton Gate in a golf buggy wearing the traditional bowler hat.

Colleague WO Jim Evans said: “We joked at his leaving do that if he had a day off every

month for golf (which can be considered a conservative estimate) he would have had 510 days – a little under a year and a half – but as he always said it was ‘duty’!”

WO Elsbury joined up in July 1980 as an Assistant Air Traffic Controller and after basic and trade training at Swinderby and Shawbury was posted to Prestwick, Laarbruch, Brawdy and Linton-on-Ouse before beginning controller training. He was promoted to Sgt in July 1995 and ran control towers at airbases across the UK and on overseas operational tours of Mount Pleasant in the Falklands, Masirah in Oman and Basra in Iraq.

WO Evans said: “He was awarded an AOC’s Commendation for his sensitive and considerate handling of a welfare issue concerning one of the junior members of the squadron.

“His commendation highlights the kind, supportive nature that everybody who worked with him knows him for.”

He represented RAF Golf whilst in Germany 1985-1989 and was team captain at Brize Norton when they won the Inter-Station Scratch Championships in 2010.

He currently plays off a handicap of 5.6 but did reach a low of 4.

Simon Mander

THE MOST HONOURABLE ORDER OF THE BATH

As Companions (CB)

l Air Vice-Marshal C D Da’Silva Air Vice-Marshal I F Vallely OBE

THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE

As Commanders (CBE)

l Air Commodore N J Hay OBE

l Air Commodore J H Hunter

l Gp Capt (now Air Commodore) S P Kilvington

As Officers (OBE)

l Gp Capt N J Critchley

l Gp Capt P M Saul

l Gp Capt D P Snape

l The Revd (Wg Cdr) I Brown

l Wg Cdr S C Byford

l Wg Cdr (now Gp Capt) L A Henton

l Wg Cdr A P Hobson

As Members (MBE)

l Sqn Ldr N M Brook

l Sqn Ldr A H Dowds

l Sqn Ldr S E Mackinnon (née Brind)

l Sqn Ldr M H Singleton

l Sqn Ldr (now Wg Cdr) T A Stone

l Flt Lt C L Dooley

l Flt Lt L K Perry

l WO D R Betts

l WO M. Macdonald

l Flt Sgt (now A/MAcr) M Bailey

l Flt Sgt (now A/WO) F J Phillips

l Flt Sgt J D Stewart

l Cpl (now A/Sgt) C A Houghton

As Member of the Royal Red Cross, First Class (RRC)

l Gp Capt E L Redman

As Ordinary Associates of the Royal Red Cross, Second Class (ARRC)

l Sqn Ldr (now Wg Cdr) G M Percival

l Sqn Ldr S M Wheeler

The King’s Volunteer Reserve Medal (KVRM)

l Sqn Ldr M B O’Neill

THE CIVILIAN DIVISION OF THE MOST EXCELLENT ORDER OF

CBE: Air Commodore N.J. Hay

WO M S Dickson

FS (now A/MAcr) M G Lingham

WO2 N J Coe

SSgt (now WO2) J Wilson

FS A C Flanders

FS C K Morgan

FS T R Morton

SSgt J Rai

FS P A Satterthwaite l A/FS (now Chf Tech) G Hull l SSgt K G Smith-Roberts l Sgt (now SSgt) A S Madden l Sgt K M A Drake

Sgt S D Lant l Sgt R J O’Neil

Sgt J R Smart

Cpl P B Croucher

Cpl S Green

AS1 E Muir

Ms R Pritchard

Mr J Riddell

Mr L Seth

Mr G Booth

Capt R Taylor

Team Commendations

Military Skills Trg Sqn, RAFC

Robson Academy of Resilience Eagles Coord Team

Contract Management Team –

Secure Communications Syndicate, Cyber Security Flight, No 1 Radio School

No 4 School of Technical Training Course Design Team

Mercury Training Team

Physical Education Section, MOD St Athan

Air and Space Operations Training Squadron Trade Group 7 Course Design Team

RAF St Mawgan Environmental Action Group

RAF Valley ATC ASOS Training Team

RAFAC Historic Safeguarding

How RAF North Coates helped slow down the Nazi war factories

STRIKE FORCE

AUTHOR JOHN Vimpany’s father Dick was stationed at RAF North Coates in Lincolnshire from 1943 to 45 and flew as a navigator on one of the three Strike Wing squadrons based there. Their Beaufighters, from 1943, attacked heavily defended German convoys transporting raw materials to Rotterdam in a little-known, hard-fought and successful two-year campaign.

Dick died in 2006 and, while organising his late father’s papers, John described the material to his friend, David Boyd, who suggested expanding a planned memoir of Dick into a book about the RAF’s North Coates Strike Wing.

The result, To Force The Enemy Off The Sea, by John Vimpany and David Boyd, published by Helion & Company (helion. co.uk), explains why the first Strike Wing was formed and describes its big ‘Strikes’ and other operations against German shipping. It looks at the careers and character of some of the leading aircrew, including Wg Cdr Neil ‘Nebby’ Wheeler, and portrays the day-to-day life of the Wing on the station. It also traces the station’s story through the Cold War to today.

Five decades after World War II ended, Sqn Ldr Dick Vimpany wrote: “All aircrews in the RAF were volunteers. We did not intend to lose the war – there was too much at stake, for all the world.

Throughout the war I never heard once any suggestion that we should not continue fighting. I don’t suppose that any of us wanted to fly against the conveys except for one reason – to force the conveys off the seas, which we did. Morale at North Coates was always good. There was sadness when our friends did not return, but we did as we were told.”

His son said: “Dick Vimpany was a young man like many thousands of others, who served their country in its hour of need. He was fortunate to survive. Many of his friends did not. The book is a tribute to Dick and to all of those who served with him in the North Coates Strike Wing; and especially those who failed to return.”

John and David explained: “By the late summer of 1940 Western Europe was under the control of Nazi Germany, and Britain stood largely alone. Germany’s munitions factories in the Ruhr were supplied with iron ore from Sweden, transported by heavily defended convoys down the coast of Norway and along the North Sea coast of Holland into the Port of Rotterdam. It fell to RAF Coastal Command to attack this supply line.

“From 1940-42, however, Coastal Command’s campaign over the North Sea was

a costly failure. Aircrews displayed enormous bravery but were equipped with insufficient numbers of slow and inadequately armed aircraft, such as Hudson bombers and Beaufort torpedo bombers, and tactics were inconsistent and ineffective. Consequently, more than 600 aircraft were lost, mostly with four-man crews. Put simply – ‘courage was not enough.’

“This unsustainable situation was addressed in late 1942 by introducing the fast, rugged and versatile Bristol Beaufighter to the anti-shipping campaign, deployed in dedicated Strike Wings. The first of these Wings comprised three squadrons flying from North Coates on the coast of Lincolnshire, directly opposite the enemy-held Dutch coast. Crewed by a pilot and navigator/observer, the ‘Beaus’ were to fly as a highly co-ordinated unit and to ‘strike with overwhelming force’ at carefully considered targets. 236 Squadron, joined a little later by 143 Sqn, were armed with cannon and 254 Sqn (‘Torbeaus’) were equipped with torpedoes and cannon. Rocket projectiles were soon added to 236 and 143’s firepower.

“But November 20, 1942 saw a tragic start to the new Wing’s operations. After only a short period of training together, 236 and 254 Sqns set out to attack a convoy off the Hook of Holland. The Wing failed to rendezvous with its fighter escort and encountered a convoy more heavily defended than expected, but nevertheless pressed ahead with their attack. The flak from the convoy was heavy, enemy fighters appeared, and the Wing lost three Beaus, including 236 Sqn’s CO Wg Cdr Fraser, and five other aircrew.

than

A new leader was immediately appointed. Wg Cdr ‘Nebby’ Wheeler joined the Wing as the new Commanding Officer of 236 Sqn and masterminded an intensive training programme to perfect the new tactics devised specifically for anti-shipping strikes. Wheeler raised morale, as well as honing the Wing’s offensive capability, and by spring 1943 they were ready to strike again. The torpedo bombers of 254 Sqn were now led by Wg Cdr C. S. ‘Stan’ Cooper, an experienced pre-war officer, also determined to raise his squadron’s fighting confidence.

“The tactics of a strike involved an initial saturating attack by the ‘anti-flak’ aircraft of 236 and 143 Squadrons, diving from 1,500 feet to suppress enemy fire. This gave the 254 Squadron Torbeaus a better chance of releasing their ‘fish’ accurately at almost sea level.

“In April and May, led by Wheeler, the Wing executed a series of textbook strikes that inflicted sinkings and heavy damage to

the convoys, suffering in return fewer losses amongst the Beaufighters. The introduction of rockets in the summer of 1943 added to the Wing’s effectiveness. As a result of these successful Wing Strikes, the Germans were forced to increase the number and firepower of the vessels escorting the convoys and increasingly to seek shelter behind shore defences during daylight hours.

“During the 10 months of Wheeler’s operational command 27,000 tons of shipping was sunk by the Wing, and he was awarded the DFC and DSO. For his gallantry and leadership of 254 Sqn, Cooper

was awarded the DFC in the summer of 1943, but was killed in action on a strike in September. Their legacy was an elite striking force that, by the early summer of 1944, had largely ‘forced the enemy off the sea’. By the end of the war in Europe the North Coates Strike Wing had destroyed 80,000 tons of enemy merchant shipping and 70,000 tons of surface warships and U-boats, comprising more than 100 enemy vessels.

“Their memorial that commemorates the loss of 241 aircrew and their 120 Beaufighters overlooks the North Sea at Cleethorpes, near North Coates.”

ATTACK: Three anti-flak Beaufighters pound an enemy ship with rockets and cannon on March 29, 1944

AUTHOR’S FATHER: Navigator Dick Vimpany in 1943

RUGGED ANTI-SHIPPING MACHINE: A 236 Sqn Beaufighter armed with eight rockets sets out on a mission

236 SQN CO: Wg Cdr ‘Nebby’ Wheeler DFC, DSO

Sqn Ldr Bill Stevens MBE, DFC, AFC

Malaya chopper DFC, 104

SQUADRON LEADER Bill Stevens, who has died aged 104, completed two tours of duty as a helicopter pilot during the Malayan Emergency, Operation Firedog, for which he was twice decorated. He joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve in February 1940, serving initially as a physical training instructor. He began training as a pilot in late 1941 before being transferred to Southern Rhodesia to complete his training with the Rhodesian Air Training Wing.

Assessed with above average ability, to his disappointment he remained in Rhodesia to be a flying instructor on twin-engine Oxford training aircraft. He returned to England in May 1945 and was released in June 1946.

With the onset of the Korean War, Stevens completed 15 days’ reserve pilot training in March 1950 and was recalled to full-time service in April 1951. After a brief refresher flying course, he began instructing trainee pilots at a flying school at RAF Dalcross, near Inverness. After two years, he began flying helicopters.

In August 1954 he headed for the Far East where he joined 194 Squadron at Kuala Lumpur to fly the Sycamore. Over the next two-and-a-half years he flew more than 900 hours in support of ground forces engaged in the guerrilla war against the communist terrorists.

The introduction of helicopters into Malaya came at a crucial point in the campaign and marked a turning point in the fortunes of the security forces. They allowed rapid reinforcement into remote and inaccessible locations to mount surprise attacks and to re-position ground forces. In addition, a speedy response to evacuate casualties saved lives, and boosted the morale

of ground forces.

During his time operating over the jungle, Stevens flew no less than 104 casualty evacuation flights. At the end of his tour in May 1957, his squadron commander assessed him as “an exceptional helicopter pilot”. A month later, it was announced that he had been awarded the DFC, “in recognition of gallant and valuable service in Malaya.”

After returning from Malaya, he qualified as a helicopter instructor and spent the next 12 months on loan to the Royal Navy, training Fleet Air Arm pilots at Lee-on-Solent with 705 Sqn.

Two years later, at short notice following the loss of a number of experienced helicopter pilots in a crash, he volunteered to return to Malaya where he rejoined 194 Sqn, which was soon renumbered 110 Sqn. He became the squadron’s training officer as the Westland Whirlwind began to replace the aged Sycamores.

Operating from Butterworth, near Penang, the squadron continued to support the ground forces as the campaign against the terrorists began to draw down. Stevens’ primary job was to train new pilots in the special environment of jungle operations, but he continued to fly troop lifts and casualty evacuation flights. On one occasion, he displayed great skill and determination in recovering the body of a Malay policeman from an extremely difficult jungle clearing. Stevens was awarded the AFC, the citation concluding: “He has rendered conspicuous service and shown courage of the highest order. He has displayed loyal and outstanding

devotion to duty”.

On his return from Malaya, he went to the Empire Test Pilots’ School at Farnborough, where he remained for three years as an instructor.

In August 1965, he returned to the Far East, this time to the Air Headquarters Borneo, based at Labuan. The Indonesian Confrontation campaign was at its height and Stevens served in the air operations centre coordinating air support for the ground forces operating in the Borneo jungle and close to the Indonesian border. For his services, he was mentioned-in-despatches.

When Stevens took up an appointment at the HQ Flying Training Command in August 1966, he was responsible for

helicopter training policy. Due to organisational changes in the headquarters, he also assumed responsibility for the Command’s participation in air displays – an appointment that would eventually justify full-time employment. Stevens carried out the dual responsibility for two years during which time he was under unrelenting pressure which, according to his commanding officer; “would have sapped the energy of a less determined person.”

On a further reorganisation of the headquarters, he became responsible for all aspects of the training at the Central Flying School (CFS), the RAF’s premier flying training establishment. There was an urgent need to review the policy issues, resulting in a fundamental reorganisation of CFS, which accepted its first course based on the new pattern in January 1970.

For four years, Stevens was given a number of significant challenges. This was recognised when he was appointed MBE. His Commander-in-Chief commented: “Sqn Ldr Stevens has made an immense personal contribution to flying training over four strenuous and testing years.”

For his final two years of service, Stevens served in the MOD before retiring in October 1973. He joined Marshall of Cambridge assisting with writing pilots’ manuals for the aircraft undergoing modification by the company.

To mark his 100th birthday, his family arranged a flight in a Tiger Moth. He took the controls with ease and said “the flight wasn’t long enough.”

MALAYAN CAMPAIGN: Sycamore delivers troops to a jungle clearing and Stevens refuelling one of the helicopters, inset

HIGH FLYER: Bill Stevens in a Tiger Moth on his 100th birthday, inset

It’s plucky 13 for Regt

THE RAF Regiment has 13 new Junior Officers after a graduation ceremony at Honington.

Graduates were congratulated by Reviewing Officers Honorary Air Commodore Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton and Commandant General of the RAF Regiment Air Vice-Marshal Mick Smeath.

Honington

Several of the new officers were graduating for the second time after choosing to take their Commission whilst already working within the

RAF or one of the other Armed Forces.

Further congratulations go to the prize winners: The Vaux Trophy: Fg Off Fox For most outstanding development

and character throughout the course.

The Kapuscinski Sword: Fg Off Wells

For demonstrating outstanding leadership and showing the

greatest potential during training.

The Barratt Sword: Fg Off Harrison

For displaying the highest levels of proficiency and character.

Proudest day

CHAPLAIN-IN-CHIEF AND Archdeacon for the RAF The Venerable Dr (AVM) Giles Legood was the Reviewing Officer at the graduation of officers of The King’s Squadron at RAFC Cranwell. He said: “It is a delight to share in the excitement and happiness of these fine women and men who graduate here today. In front of their proud families and friends, they step off to begin the next stage of serving their country, for

the good of the wider world.”

The graduates of Specialists Officers ITC No 8 are: MEDICAL

L Walker MBChB

Flt Lt J L Fray BSc MBChB

Flt Lt J A Milner

Flt Lt C O’Hagan

Flt Lt M F A Vincent

Fg Off H Whateley BSc (Hons)

PRINCESS MARY’S RAF NURSING SERVICE

Flt Lt D M Burrows

Flt Lt L R Trimble BSc (Hons)

Flt Lt L K Foster

Fg Off M F Vincent BSc

CHAPLAIN

Flt Lt R Hadfield BA (Hons)

Flt Lt C S J Walker BA

Flt Lt J Shinhmar

LEGAL

Flt Lt S Owens LLM PGDip LLB (Hons)

PRIZEWINNERS

Daedalus Trophy – Flt Lt J R Mountfield

Best all-round cadet.

Cadets’ Cadet – Flt Lt L K Foster

KAPUSCINSKI SWORD: Fg Off Wells

THE BARRATT SWORD: Fg Off Harrison

THE VAUX TROPHY: Fg Off Fox

Cranwell

PARADE: Graduates of SOITC No 8

Good I for Detail

BACK IN the day cars used to be simple. They had petrol gauges that showed when the tank was empty, full, half and at quarters. They trusted you to use common sense and figure out when you needed to stop for fuel. Then came the 1980s and 90s, when posh brands started to talk to you.

Then came electric vehicles, EVs, and the tech went off the chart. Cars no longer had a fuel gauge at all, instead guessing randomly how many miles you might get out of your battery before you needed to stop for an eight-hour recharge.

Fortunately the tech has now become mainstream and manufacturers no longer feel the need to make the car explain everything to you.

Electric motoring has become relatively calm and the VW ID4 is so laid back, it’s practically horizontal.

Outside

The ID4 stands out, thanks to its curved, flowing lines and contrasting colours. It’s Volkswagen’s first fully-electric compact SUV and VW hopes that it will be massively popular worldwide. In fact, the German car giant is hoping to shift over one million electric vehicles by 2030. A large percentage of these will be the ID4, which sits in the ‘crossover’ segment, currently the most popular global market.

It’s almost as big as a Tiguan on the outside but offers passengers more space on the inside. Wheelbase wise, it’s actually the same dimensions as an ID3. You can opt for either rear-wheel drive, or all-wheel drive versions, with 52 kWh, or 77 kWh batteries. There are a range of trims available, ranging

TIM MORRIS Motoring Correspondent

from our entry level, rear-wheeldrive, 52 kWh Pure, 148 PS test car, to the ID4 GTX, performance model. There are various styling cues through the range but the ID4 is a relatively sleek-looking bit of kit from most angles. Impressive for a ‘boxy’ SUV.

easy. Meanwhile, there’s enough space for passengers to spread out and it’s a generally comfortable place to be on long journeys.

It feels futuristic, almost experimental, in many ways and the detail is amazing. The brushed steeleffect pedals have play and pause symbols on them (pictured inset). There are no physical buttons and the steering wheel controls are touchsensitive. There is a slight downside to all this innovation because some of the controls are awkward to operate and the air-conditioning sliders have no backlighting.

On The Road

Let’s start with the basic stats, which aren’t massively impressive. 0-62mph will take you a lengthy 10.9 seconds, which for anyone used to the instant rush of an EV will feel disappointing.

I can’t help feeling that the base level car is being restricted and should be capable of a lot more. The performance GTX, for example, reduces 0-62 to 6.2 thanks to an extra motor. Top end in our test car was 99 mph, with a range of 213 miles.

It’s not an exciting car to drive but it is composed and capable by class standards.

Inside

The ID4’s cabin is more upmarket than the one you’ll find in the ID3 and it features some very nice materials. There’s plenty of gloss black, shiny silver and wellstitched, soft-touch ‘leather’ on the most obvious surfaces.

The seats are also beautifully styled and the driver feels well supported through tight bends. There’s also plenty of adjustment on the seat and the wheel, so finding the right driving position is pretty

On the upside there’s plenty of grip through the bends, with well-weighted steering, and body movements are well controlled. Push it hard and you’ll get slight understeer but it clings on to grip tenaciously.

It’s a calm driving experience that produces very little wind or road noise on a fast run and is virtually silent around town. Brakes are effective but can be snatchy, although the same could be said of many EVs.

Verdict

Volkswagen’s ID4 is fighting a battle in the most fiercely contested sales segment and its best rivals are faster, charge quicker and feature slicker tech. That said, the ID4 is a compact, family, electric SUV car with a comfortable cabin, real style and a good range. It has its quirks but, once you’ve learnt to live with them, it has a lot going for it.

PEDALS: Play-ful touch from VW

A EWE and a sheep dog walk into a hillside hut. The sheep dog barks sharply, “What do you mean, I’m controlling?” “You herd me,” bleats back the sheep.

That was the first joke of a fourhour drive up to Northumberland and they didn’t get much better. Fortunately the roads were quiet and I was making good time.

I’m often surprised by unusual assignments, especially when it comes to travel, and this one was particularly intriguing because I was on my way to stay in what had been described as a ‘shepherd’s hut’. I was half expecting to find myself sharing a garden shed with a family of border collies and a donkey called Rupert, but at least this shed was in Morpeth, one of the most beautiful parts of the UK.

Stretching down to the ice blue waters of Druridge Bay, this lush green haven is the perfect spot to relax in any season. Stunning formal gardens, picturesque woodlands, dune-lined sandy beaches, golf courses and wildlife reserves are dotted all around this welcoming part of Northumberland.

It’s the perfect staging post to explore the county more widely, driving around ancient historical sites, walking in the footsteps of saints at Holy Island, or meeting seals and puffins at the Farne Islands.

I always enjoy a stay in Northumberland and I was certainly looking forward to it, it’s just a pity that I’ll be camping in a shed, I thought.

Stay

As I pulled into Earsdon Hill Farm I spotted signs for Hillside Huts and followed them up to a car park. From there, a short walk down a track brought me to another sign that pointed into a wood. Then, through the trees, I got my first glimpse of the hut. “What the?!?!?!”

This is no shepherd’s hut, in the traditional sense. This is the type of hut that would be occupied by a shepherd who had won the lottery, spent a year jetting around the planet like a playboy, then decided that he missed Flossy and her sheepy mates so much that he’d just have to move home.

In hut terms, Lottie’s Cabin is epic. It has two floors, central heating, a veranda and an outdoor hot tub. On the ground floor you’ll find a well-equipped kitchen, a dining area, a small lounge with a log burner and a spacious bathroom with a power shower and a freestanding bath. Even the sink, which at first glance looks like an old tin bowl, is a thoroughly modern bit of kit.

Moving upstairs, you find a beautifully decorated bedroom with a very comfortable king-sized bed, soft cushions and a good choice of pillows. Beautiful wild birds nest right outside your window at the back and, when you’re lying in bed, you have a great view of the sea at the front.

It’s the attention to detail that makes a stay here special. From the delicious welcome basket of homemade chocolate cake, fresh farm eggs, milk and local tea/coffee

Ewe'll love it Northumberland?

to the perfectly plumped cushions. You even arrive to find the woodfired hot tub up to temperature and a cosy log fire burning. That’s the difference with a family-run business.

Hillside Huts & Cabins is run by Philip and Fiona Gregory. Both are passionate about protecting the environment and pride themselves on offering sustainable holidays that take guests back to nature. The electricity, for example, is produced by the farm’s own wind turbine, while the land includes wildflower meadows noted for their birds and wildlife. Part of the land is based on the site that, during World War II, was Earsdon weapons pit, an antiaircraft battery sitting 16 miles

south of RAF Boulmer.

Each hut is named after one of the Gregorys’ beloved dogs, Lottie, Saba and Joe, each with completely unique character. Prices vary per hut and at different times of the year, but Lottie’s Hut will cost you around £340 for a two-night stay in February. Military discounts are available, just ask when booking.

Relax

The huts are situated on a working farm and there are plenty of walks to be had. There’s a wildflower meadow in the field below the huts, a lovely walk around a wood to a pond by a stream and an ancient oak woodland. If you’re lucky, you’ll even meet the resident

roe deer. New for 2023, you’ll also be able to take part in a daily yoga class in the meadow or in the yoga tsala. At night, stargazing is a must.

Adventure

If you love exploring, you can visit Alnwick Castle & Gardens, the film location for Harry Potter and Downton Abbey. The ruins of Dunstanburgh and Warkworth Castles are well worth a visit, along with the large country houses of Wallington and Cragside.

If you're sporty, try wild swimming in the ocean, enjoy a round of golf on one of the nearby courses, take time for a spot of paddle-boarding on the River Coquet, go kayaking to Coquet Island, or experience mountain biking in Thrunton Wood.

Eat

Locals will tell you that the food capital of Northumberland is Amble, which is only six miles away. Fish and chips don’t come much better than the ones you’ll find at the Fish Shack on Amble’s harbour.

If you fancy a pint, the village of Felton is just four miles away.

Downsides

There are very few drawbacks to a holiday here but choose your cabin carefully. Access to Lottie’s Hut, for example, may be difficult for guests with limited mobility. Also, there is no parking next to the huts and the car park is a fair walk for the less able. And while we all enjoy sitting next to a roaring fire, cleaning out and relighting two of them may feel like a chore to some. Finally, the farm sits in a beautifully secluded location so you will need a car if you want to see the sights.

Verdict

When I was reporting for ITV regional news, many of us would lovingly refer to the flagship programme for the Border region as ‘Lookaround – With Sheep’. That’s because farming has always been an incredibly important industry here. Hillside Huts & Cabins showcases the most ecologically friendly ways of working the land and throws in a healthy dose of environmentally friendly tourism for good measure. As my photographer joked on the drive home, “ewe just have to experience it”. What have I done to deserve this?

SUPERSHED: Lottie's Cabin provides comfortable, stylish accommodation and stunning scenery, with the coast near by Sheep artwork brgfx on Freepik

Brown's plan for boarding Dom-ination

Skate coach hoping for a big year for his sport

Dan Abrahams

AS1 DOM Brown is a man on a mission as he and his cohorts look to raise the profile of RAF skateboarding over the coming year.

The sport, which kicked off in style with a Tri-Service effort at the start of winter, staged a series of events towards the tail end of last year. Brown even skated 100 miles from Cirencester to London with fellow board coach Flt Lt Jim Fielding.

OiC of his station club at Benson, Brown is keen to keep building skateboarding in the RAF and aspires to expand clubs to other stations and to eventually form a successful

Service association.

He said: “There is a growing network of skaters in the RAF, and the Armed Forces in general, with a range of abilities from beginners to some seriously impressive event-winning champions.

“October 2022 saw the first military skate event take place at Nottingham’s Flo Skatepark, with six RAF participants meeting up with members of the other two services for a very successful day of skating, competing and socialising.”

Brown and Fielding also hold weekend coaching sessions at RAF Benson for current skaters and those looking to return to their boards or take up the sport.

Brown added: “Riding any sort of board, but especially a skateboard, requires dedication, practice, self-discipline and not a small amount of courage, all of which are required in the day to day lives of Service personnel.

“It teaches you to get back up and persevere after a fall and that things which seemed impossible only last week are well within your capability. The sense of satisfaction and progression never diminish either.

“One of the best things about skateboarding is that no matter what level you are at, or what your goals are, if you’re having a great time, you are a skater.”

l Follow RAF skateboarding on Instagram @rafskateboarding.

AS1 DOM BROWN: Wants to build his sport in the military and form a RAF skateboarding association

BOXING

Cam and have a go if you think you're hard enough

Big time beckons for elite National class boxer Lewis

Daniel Abrahams

SGT CAM Lewis is hoping for an explosive 2023 after closing out last year in style with a narrow National Under 21 Championship final defeat.

The bout saw a split decision loss to top 10 GB ranked William Smith, from Hall Green ABC.

Lewis, who moves to a new station, Shawbury, this month, grasped the opportunity and step up in class to represent his Service at national elite level with six fights in just 12 weeks under the expert tutelage of RAF boxing coach FS John Kearns.

Lewis said: “The RAF Boxing Association have given me an opportunity which was not available prior to joining, allowing me to develop with the best coaches, and led me to competing nationally. It was a proud moment to wear the vest and represent the Service and I look forward to where this journey will take me.”

Making the transition from a development boxer to the National Elite Classification with apparent ease,Lewis produced victories

over Western Counties, Wales and London, eventually reaching the National Final, where he was pitched with Smith.

A huge underdog against the 2022 Senior ABA National semi-finalist, the RAF man started the fight on the front foot, dictating the pace and preventing his opponent from settling.

The class and experience of Smith shone through early in the second round, utilising his southpaw stance and footwork to land some clean shots and forcing Lewis to change his game plan.

Slick head movement and countering off Smith’s jab again enabled the military man to regain a foothold going into the final round.

With both boxers aware of the stakes, they went toe to toe, demonstrating the highest calibre of boxing and commitment to win.

An extremely close contest was unfortunately awarded to the GB ranked boxer on a 3:2 split decision, however a valiant and skilful effort from Cam demonstrates his potential for national success.

l Follow RAF Boxing on Instagram @raf_ boxing.

KEEPING BUSY: SAC Cam Lewis (in RAF colours) had six fights in just 12 weeks at the end of 2022

Just taking part makes

a winner… & keeps you fit for Service

Make sport your mission for this year

THE LIFE of RAF Sport has never flowed stronger, but the life within it is something that Director of RAF Sport Rich Fogden sees as this year’s goal.

“Sport is not a 'nice to do', it’s mission rehearsal. What are you going to do, what things will happen, what challenges lay ahead within the Service’s demands.

“Whatever they are, you can prepare for them, or it, through sport.

“Sport is a great development tool, making us all fit for Service, fit for life. 2022 proved this to us again and where we are going in 2023 and on.

“We had a really good year, with events outside the sporting norm, such as the Atlantic Flyers doing the Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge and coming second.

“Then look at how we did at the Winter Olympics, with L/Cpl Shanwayne Stephens in the Jamaican four and two-man bob; AS1 Shona Brownlee and guide Sgt Gary Smith at the Paralympics; plus some of the Team GB backroom staff in Beijing being RAF too; then with AS1 Luke Pollard as a guide at the Commonwealth Games, plus our officials there for beach volleyball, squash and boxing.

speaks

to Director of Sport Air Cdre Rich Fogden

fabulous winners, including the four lifetime achievement award-winners who had worked in their sports from grass roots to Inter-Services level, over an amazing 160 years combined.

“We are fully behind sport providing opportunity for all – you can succeed at each and every level and be better than you were before you started.

“If you have a go, you are better; if you represent your unit or station, you are better; if you get a personal best, you are better, and so on.

“I came last a few years back in the Halton Cross Country, I succeeded because I could still do it. The most difficult step is always on to the court or field of play or wherever. If you can take it, nobody in RAF Sport will judge you and we will then take you as far as you want to go from that initial step.”

“It is here that the life cycle of RAF sport was shown perfectly, Shanwayne was a novice in 2015, being coached by our first elite sporting coach Chf Tech Mark Silva, who has spent a life in the sport, and the same can be said for the Commonwealth officials.”

Fogden pointed to the ground-breaking coaching conference held at the start of 2022 at RAF Cosford. “We had 65 coaches come together to talk about the impact they and future coaches can have and how we cross-fertilise this to leverage it for greater benefit for all going forward,” he said.

“At the RAF Sports Awards there were some

you

GOLDEN BOY: Guide

Luke Pollard celebrates a European triathlon victory with Dave Ellis

Photo: Steve Hoffman, ITU Media

Daniel Abrahams

“We are fully behind sport providing opportunity for all – you can succeed at each and every level and be better than you were before you started”

GOLDEN BOY:

Shona Brownlee (and inset)

Bobsleigh star Shanwayne Stephens

Gp Capt Jeff Brock officiates volleyball at the 2022 Commonwealth Games sandsphotos.co.uk

SPORTS CHIEF: Air Cdre Rich Fogden

Bring on the 2023 championships

LUSH POWDER snow and tricks aplenty were the order of the day for the Service snowboarders at their winter training camp in Austria.

The RAF squad embarked on a two-week training camp to the Kitzsteinhorn glacier to blow away the cobwebs and prepare for the RAF Alpine Championships later this month.

Over the course of the camp, 18 members of the squad were trained by coaches Dave Crozier (REAL Snowboarding), Jack Taylor (REAL Snowboarding) and ex-Serviceman and RAF snowboarder Flt Lt Joe Mather.

The team were given the

opportunity to bolster their racing skills in preparation for the coming Champs and Inter-Services.

Debut winter training rider AS1(T) Chris Harrington said: “The camp was a brilliant opportunity to develop my snowboarding and progress in both racing and freestyle. Having three coaches was invaluable, especially when we split off into smaller groups. After the two weeks, there were noticeable improvements in every single person across the range of abilities.

“The camp was also a great chance to get to know people from across the RAF who you wouldn’t usually come into contact with.”

Cpl's a real life-saver

Dan Abrahams

RAF FOOTBALLING stalwart

Cpl Tom Claisse’s campaign to have defibrillators fitted outside activity venues in Leeds is one-nil up after he secured one at his local sporting club.

“If one of these devices is fitted outside venues, it is simply the difference between saving a life and losing one and I am all in for making sure more are available”, said Claisse, a non-nonsense defensive midfielder for the RAF and UKAF teams.

The Leeds-born airman began his campaign after administering first aid to a parent who had suffered a heart attack outside the Bilal Sports Centre in Harehills, Leeds, where Claisse holds coaching classes for four to 14-year-olds.

He said: “I like to give back to the community and don’t like to see underprivileged children miss out, many of them have nothing, so we have great sessions, and it was after one of these that I went outside and saw a parent collapsed.”

Claisse’s quick

RAF football star who came to aid of stricken sports centre parent in defib

campaign success

defibrillator inside the centre.

He said: “I knew then something had to be done and I tried to start up a fundraising campaign [the units cost approximately £2,000 fitted].

work saved the parent’s life, before he learned a similar situation had ended in tragedy just weeks before because people couldn’t access a

“It was hard work to organise this and there were plenty of knockbacks, but I can deal with that, I’m a proud Leeds fan and my boy Teddy plays for Manchester United’s Under 7s, so if I can deal with the grief from that I can fight for this campaign, no problems.”

Claisse then approached council and sports club officials in the area, but didn’t get anywhere before a

visit

“I was put in touch with local centre director Kamran Khan and ward councillor Salma Arif got in touch and things began to happen,” he said.

“I am very proud to finally

get this unit fitted, but I am now hunting down more venues that need them.”

Claisse who has played Service football since 2011, has already begun advising a similar campaign in Newcastle and hopes others will follow his lead.

l Find Tom Claisse on Facebook @tomclaisse.

pages of the best of RAF Sport action

COOL CUSTOMER: Cpl Darrell Manning (MOD) pulls a trick during the winter training camp

by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Bob Gettings, to his street, where the Cpl discussed the situation and his aims.

WHAT A RESULT: Cpl Tom Claisse (left) with sports centre manager Kamran Khan (centre) and local councillor Salma Arif

PHOTO: STEVE RIDING

DEFENDER: Claisse (right) in action for UK’

Backshall's back and it's a new Dawn for French

FOLLOWING A sold-out tour last year and huge demand for extra shows, Steve Backshall is bringing his highly successful Ocean live show back to theatres across the UK in 2023 for 23 more performances.

Kicking off at Hastings White Rock Theatre on October 14, Ocean is a love letter to the most exciting environment on our planet – and a great way to learn more about what we need to do to save our seas.

Stunts, experiments, props, cutting-edge science and big screen footage from his two decades in TV will all help Steve to bring the icons of the Big Blue to life. From great whites to great whales, seals to sardine shoals, Orca to the oddities of the deep: this is an opportunity for fans of all ages to dive deep into the wonderful world beneath the waves.

Steve said: “Following a sellout success in 2022, I’m taking my Ocean tour back on the road. It’s full of stunts, tricks, stage science, outtakes, big screen beauty and bad, bad dad jokes… it’s dolphin-itely worth sea-ing. I am so, so sorry” l Go to: SteveBackshall.com for more details.

ALSO ON tour again is Dawn French, who has announced a host of new UK dates for her criticallyacclaimed one-woman show, ‘Dawn French Is A Huge Tw*t’.

The sell-out show toured last year to rave reviews. Dawn will return to the stage from September to November 2023, playing more than 20 venues in many more parts of the country, including several

nights at the London Palladium.

In ‘Dawn French Is A Huge Tw*t’, the award-winning actor, bestselling novelist and comedy legend invites audiences to join her on a whirlwind journey through some of the most embarrassing, misguided and undignified moments of her personal and professional life, deep-diving into the countless times she has demonstrated – in her own words – “a spectacular display of tw*ttery”.

Dawn (inset left), who wrote the show, said: “Attention all Tw*ts! We grossly underestimated just how many glorious Tw*ts are out there, wanting this show, so here I come, the second leg of the tour. Wooohooo! I couldn’t be more chuffed if I were a chough.

“So now, stop nagging me on social media about the fact we missed your town…and get booking. I’m bringing my Tw*t to a theatre near you, it’s futile to resist.” l Go to: DawnFrenchOnTour. com for more information.

Hunt for La Bohème star

TV faves in touring return Competition

HAS YOUR dog got star quality? If your pet pooch is the canine equivalent of Brad Pitt or Scarlett Johansson, then they could win a place in the spotlight in the beautiful and romantic opera La Bohème, at the Wycombe Swan, High Wycombe, on Wednesday, May 3. Award-winning opera director and producer Ellen Kent said: “People say never work with children or animals, but I love to do both. The first time was 20 years ago when my pet cat Holly Go-Lightly was in one of my productions and was an instant hit. Since then we’ve had horses, dogs, goldfish and even a golden eagle with a 6ft wingspan on stage.

“Many years ago, when we last did La Bohème and asked local people to volunteer their pets, it was a huge success. We even used a rescue dog once and found him dozens of new owners. We’re a nation of animal lovers after all. I’m sure there is plenty of doggie talent out there.”

Your pet needs to be well behaved, small, used to people and quiet – and as his owner, you will need to be prepared to go on stage in costume to look after him or her.

To audition your dog, email a photograph to Angela Klappa at: angela@ellenkent.co.uk Include your contact number and address as well as the breed, height, weight, age and name of your dog.

Ellen Kent brings one of the most romantic operas ever written to the stage in her new tour. The set reflects the Bohemian art of the period and will include a brass band, snow effects and a full choir and orchestra. It will be performed in the traditional Italian with English surtitles.

Puccini’s masterpiece La Bohème is based on Henri Murger’s novel Scenes de la vie de bohème Set in Paris, it focuses on the tragic love between seamstress Mimi and penniless poet Rodolfo. l Go to: ticketmaster.co.uk and wycombeswan.co.uk for more information.

Korean War action movie

F

OLLOWING THE events of The Battle at Lake Changjin, and still at the height of the Korean war, the 7th Infantry Company of the Chinese voluntary army are sent to blow up a bridge, preventing US forces from regrouping at nearby Xingnan Port.

A series of gruelling clashes and a tense battle of wills ensues, with both sides determined to hold their position at any cost, in the harshest weather conditions.

From legendary producers Tsui Hark (Once Upon a Time in China franchise), Dante Lam (Operation Red Sea) and Chen Kaige (Farewell

My Concubine), directed by Lam and starring international superstar Wu Jing (Wolf Warrior 1 & 2), this box office hit has been hailed as an epic, bloody and cinematic spectacle not to be missed. We have copies on DVD up for grabs, to be in with a chance of winning one, tell us: What is the name of the main star of The Battle At Water Gate Bridge?

Email your answer, marked Battle At Water Gate Bridge DVD competition, to: competitions@rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by January 27.

STAR PAWFORMER: Dog used in previous La Bohème production

HIDDEN DEPTHS: Steve Backshall dives into his Ocean love letter to the deep

THE CRITICALLY acclaimed epic crime saga Gangs of London is back and scores will finally be settled…

Set a year after the tumultuous events of Season One, the map and soul of London has been redrawn. The surviving Wallaces are scattered, the Dumanis broken and estranged, and ex-undercover cop Elliot (Sopé Dìrísu, pictured) is now being forced to work for the investors.

To restore order, the investors have aligned behind heroin baron Asif Afridi and together they have installed a new ruling force in London in the form of brutal gang leader, Koba.

His vision for the criminal landscape is a dictatorship, a world in which old school gangster codes

WIN Gangs of London DVD

don’t exist and in which he holds a complete monopoly over London’s drug trade.

But this monopoly can’t last forever. The gangs are fighting back – who will win the battle for the soul of London?

You could win a copy of Season Two on DVD – for your chance to own one, tell us:

Exhibitions

Who plays exundercover cop Gangs of

Win!

Email your answer, marked Gangs of London competition, to: competitions@ rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by January 27. Please note, entrants must be over 18.

of Life

Major new show

From nature to abstract

HILMA AF KLINT and Piet Mondrian are considered two of the most imaginative artists of the twentieth century.

While they never met, they shared the same deep connection to the natural world and the desire to understand the forces behind life on earth, said a spokesperson for Tate Modern in London which hosts a major new exhibition, Hilma af Klint and Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life, from April 20.

The show, which runs until September 3, will put these two visionary painters in close dialogue for the first time. Featuring around 250 works, including paintings, drawings and archival materials, it will reveal how their art reflected radical new ideas, theories and scientific discoveries in an era of rapid social change.

The spokesperson added: “This will be the largest presentation of af Klint’s work in the UK to date, with highlights including all 10 of her monumental paintings from the series The Ten Largest 1907, presented together in the UK for the first time.

“It will also be the first major UK exhibition in over 25 years to highlight Mondrian’s early work alongside the iconic grid compositions for which he is best known.

“Forms of Life will be rooted in af Klint and Mondrian’s fascination with the natural world. Having both started out as representational landscape painters, they each developed languages of abstract art – almost simultaneously – in the early 1900s.”

The exhibition will also explore how both artists engaged with spirituality and mysticism in their art. Alongside her work as a professional artist in Stockholm, af Klint was also a medium and believed that her paintings were guided by higher powers. Separate to her conventional landscapes and portraits, from 1905 she created a secret body of mystical paintings, which she insisted should not be seen in public for at least 20 years after her death. Tate Modern will showcase key examples of these works.

The show will also explore Dutchman Mondrian’s spiritualist beliefs, including how his geometric, angular and minimal brand of painting was designed to transmit ideas about the essential reality of the universe.

At the centre of the exhibition, a large room will bring together sketches, notebooks and letters from af Klint’s and Mondrian’s archives, offering an intimate look at some of the ideas behind their art.

l Go to: tate.org.uk for more information.

WRITING ROOTS: Kate's greatgrandmother was also a successful novelist, though she has been largely forgotten

Hilma af Klint, Botanical Drawing c.1890. Courtesy Hilma af Klint Foundation

Left: Hilma af Klint, The Ten Largest, Group IV, No.3, Youth, 1907. Courtesy Hilma af Klint Foundation

Piet Mondrian, Composition with red, black, yellow, blue and gray 1921. Kunstmuseum Den Haag

Right: Piet Mondrian, Red Amaryllis with blue background, 1909-1910.

Private collection

Hilma af Klint and Piet Mondrian: Forms

Tate Modern, April 20 to September 3, 2023

Edited by Tracey Allen

New chapter for the Queen of Literature

INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING writer

Kate Mosse jokes that she ‘became an overnight success at the age of 45’ with her breakthrough novel Labyrinth. Now, at 61, the author of huge literary hits including the multimillion-selling Languedoc Trilogy –Labyrinth, Sepulchre and Citadel – is delighted to be starting a new career as a performer.

In February she begins a one-woman tour, taking the show of her latest book Warrior Queens & Quiet Revolutionaries: How Women (Also) Built the World (panmacmillan.com), on the road.

She said: “The book is part a celebration of nearly 1,000 amazing women from history – such as Mary Seacole, Violette Szabo and Helen Suzman – and part detective story, investigating the hidden stories and tragedy in my own family history.”

While researching the book, Kate discovered that her great-grandmother, Lily Watson, was once a successful novelist whose work had fallen into obscurity. Lily’s story will feature in the stage show.

Kate explained: “Thinking about the tour, it’s exciting, but daunting. I’m really looking forward to visiting all sorts of parts of the country I’ve never been to. One of the joys of being on tour is you get to go to new towns and cities you don’t know at all.”

The tour, which starts in Stafford on February 28 and finishes in Manchester on April 12, takes in 32 dates, so Kate is making sure she looks after her voice, with tips from her son Felix, who works in musical theatre – and has just written his first novel.

She said: “It’s tempting to spend the whole day talking, then you have to go out in the evening, so I will be very, very careful. I will limit myself to one cup of decaffeinated coffee in the morning, because caffeine can dry your voice

out. You have to remember that during the day you’re preparing for the evening – I learnt that from watching Felix.”

Lily Watson wrote 14 novels, hundreds of articles and was a correspondent for The Girl’s Own Paper. Born in 1849, she was married to Sam, a lawyer, until his death in 1921. Lily died in 1932.

to Lily anywhere in any history of Victorian literature. I wanted to ask – how does it happen that someone who is so well-known just disappears? Some of her novels are very much of their time in terms of a certain kind of Victorian morality and attitudes to the world, although the writing is beautiful.

"All my novels are influenced by landscape and Lily wrote beautifully about landscape, so that was great to see that link between us. The Vicar of Langthwaite is a really powerful piece of work, about non-conformism and religious intolerance – it couldn’t be more topical because we live in a time of religious conflict still.”

Kate revealed that if it hadn’t been for lockdown she wouldn’t have had the time to research her own family.

She explained: “During lockdown genealogy became one of the most popular things people did and, in the show, I’ll be sharing how I went about tracing family members. I think a lot of the audience will be interested in that.”

All her books are out of print. Her best-known novel was The Vicar of Langthwaite, which, said Kate, she would love to see in print again –no less than the Prime Minister William Gladstone wrote a letter to The Times about it and wrote the novel’s foreword.

Kate said: “In a way, Lily’s story is that of so many women from history. Often their achievements are overlooked and their successes affiliated to others – like the famous fossil hunter Mary Anning, all her work was attributed to the men who bought the fossils she discovered.

“You can’t find a single reference

Her painstaking research involved reading around 500 letters between Lily and Sam – he wrote to her at least once, sometimes twice, a day.

She added: “It was a real labour of love but I feel really proud to have done it. I am, as her greatgranddaughter, walking in her footsteps and I think she’d like that.”

Kate’s next novel, The Ghost Ship, the third in her Joubert Chronicles, will be published in 2023. She explained: “It’s the story of female pirates on the high seas, informed partly by the real-life stories of Anne Bonny and Mary Read, who were pirates in the late 17th century. Doing the research for Warrior Queens I discovered quite a lot of women disguised themselves as boys and men to escape the

restrictions of being female in those days – there were several extraordinary female pirates.”

And, she said, there will be a fourth novel in the series.

Kate’s books have been translated into 38 languages and published in more than 40 countries. The founder director of the Women’s Prize for Fiction, in 2021, she founded the global Women In History campaign. What is the award-winning novelist, playwright, essayist and non-fiction writer most proud of in her career?

She said: “I think it’s all of it –as a professional working woman and a feminist I’m proud of putting women’s voices out there through my own work. It’s always been about women supporting other women.”

By Tracey Allen

l Go to: katemosse.co.uk for full tour details.

S

EX, TRIES & Videotape is the provocative title of rugby star James Haskell’s new stage show.

The Number 1 podcaster with The Good, the Bad and the Rugby, author of Sunday Times bestseller What A Flanker, smash-hit follow up Ruck Me and host of the Amuse Douche podcast will be on the road again from March 8, kicking off a 15-date tour in Nottingham.

The show runs until April 27 and charts James’s journey from his early days as mischievous schoolboy, through his time as a professional rugby player, having played around the world including at Wasps, Northampton, Stade Francais, The Ricoh Black Rams and The Highlanders.

He said: “I couldn’t be more excited to be going on the road, getting a chance to perform and share my

Haskell's tour de force

stories from my career. Hopefully I’ll make some people laugh along the way!”

One of rugby’s most ferocious flankers and biggest characters, Haskell has had an extraordinary global career and has plenty to say about rugby life. Having played 77 times for England, he lifts the lid on the life the fans don’t get to see.

Sex, Tries & Videotape sheds fresh light on the dynamics and day-to-day experiences of the game. Whether that’s recalling the most brutal team socials, dispelling the myths surrounding New Zealand’s dominance, calling out play-acting in the modern game, unconscionable antics of the

professional rugby player, to life in the jungle with I’m a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here... no subject is off limits.

l Go to: myticket.co.uk for full tour details.

FIERCE: Haskell gave no quarter during playing days

NEW BOOK: Warrior Queens

FRESH PAGE: Mosse to undertake first tour

R'n'R

Your Announcements

You can email photos for announcements on this page to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk

Seeking

JANUARY 23, 2023 will mark the 60th anniversary of a group of 15-year-old boys arriving at RAF Hereford to join the 48th entry of Boy Entrant clerks. It would be nice to hear from any exmembers of A Flight, 2 Sqn, who may still be able to recall those memorable days. Please contact Paul Rowse by email: paul.rowse@sky.com or telephone: 01752 343486.

WERE you stationed at RAF High Wycombe? The station’s Media and Communications Officer, Laurence Parker, is looking for personnel based there, from 1940 to the present, who may have old photographs of the station (if the person is in them, that’s not a problem, says Laurence).

He is aiming to compile a history of RAF High Wycombe through the ages, and possibly use some in a social media campaign. He would also like to hear from people who have recollections of RAF High Wycombe when they were stationed there.

Please email him at: laurence. parker140@mod.gov.uk if you can help.

SEEKING S.J.E Adams. Number 680159, 78th Entry Halton. Call Reg Butchers: 07702 238509 or email: reg. butchers@btinternet.com

Reunions

RAF CHANGI – did you serve there between 1946 -72? The RAF Changi Association (inc. HQFEAF) would like to hear from you and a warm welcome awaits you. Membership is open to all ranks, ex RAF/WRAF/ WAAF also including civilian personnel who served there. Why not join us for our 25th Annual Reunion and AGM which has been booked for the weekend of May 12-14,

How to use our service

2023 at the Delta by Marriott Hotel, Warwick, CV34 6RE? Please contact our Membership Secretary, Malcolm Flack, on: 01494 728562 or email: memsecchangi@outlook. com or visit: www.rafchangi. com for more details.

THE 60th anniversary reunion of the 49th Entry 2 Sqn Clerks Boy Entrants at RAF Hereford is to be held from May 15-17, 2023 at Thoresby Hall, Ollerton, Notts.

If interested in attending please contact Dave Beaumont on: 07538651712 or email: beaumont.d@sky. com or Bob Cuss, email: rbc324@john-lewis.com.

RAF Bawdsey Reunion Association. Did you ever serve at RAF Bawdsey? If so, why not join us at our next annual reunion which will take place at Bawdsey Manor on June 3, 2023. For details please contact Doreen at: doreen.bawdseyreunion@ btinternet.com or phone: 07513 301723.

Associations

IF you trained as an RAF Administrative Apprentice (or are related to one) we would be delighted to welcome you to the RAFAA Association. Please see the website: rafadappassn.org; or contact the Membership Secretary on: 07866 085834 or the Chairman on: 01933 443673 for more information

RAF Catering WOs’ and Seniors’ Association (RAF CWO & SA): all serving or retired TG19 Warrant Officers or Flight Sergeants and all former Catering Branch Officers are invited to join the RAF CWO & SA. We meet twice yearly. For more information please get in touch with Dave Scott via email: davescott10@hotmail. co.uk.

Scampton Church scoops top award

THE PROJECT COORDINATOR for the RAF Scampton Commemorative Window and the 617 Sqn Anniversary stained-glass window has paid tribute to the last Dambuster, the late Sqn Ldr George ‘Johnny’ Johnson –who died last month aged 101 – for his fundraising support.

Joe Bartrop said: “Johnny's ongoing support was instrumental in helping us to raise over £23,000 for the commission and installation of the Commemorative Window, and Children's Remembrance Project, and more recently £18,500 for the 617 Sqn Anniversary Window.

“These two wonderful pieces of contemporary art will form a lasting tribute to all who served at RAF Scampton, along the south side of the nave of Scampton Church.”

He said the dedication service for the 617 Squadron window has been arranged for 11am on March 23 –the famous Dambusters Squadron’s 80th anniversary.

Joe added that Scampton Church was named overall

UK winners of the National Churches Trust ‘Open for Visitors’ award 2022 –presented by actor Hugh Dennis – as part of an ongoing collaborative project with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to raise awareness of the war

graves at the site.

Joe said: “The award recognises the positive impact being open and welcoming has on churches and their visitors.

"In the write-up for the award, it was stated that the church had a ‘warm

welcome and wonderful interpretation’ as part of its ongoing work through their war graves heritage centre.”

Contact rafwindow@ scamptonchurch.org if you would like an entry in the 617 Squadron Window Commemorative Book.

Vet Norman praises cadets' drill

A NEW GENERATION of flyers met World War II fighter pilot Norman Enders when they presented a static drill display in his honour at his care home last month.

The cadets, from 27F (Chingford) Squadron ATC, demonstrated their skills at Highcroft Care Home, in Walthamstow, East London, and Norman was presented with an official RAF issue jersey by Darren Cornhill, 27F Sqn ATC’s Commanding Officer and his colleague WO Ioulianou.

Also present, representing the RAF Association Chingford Branch where Norman is an honorary member, was James Baillie who has been visiting the veteran in his capacity as a branch welfare befriender for almost five years.

Mr Baillie said: “Norman observed the drill with rapt attention and complimented the cadets on a very smart turnout. Reminiscing on his own time in the ATC in 194042 prior to his RAF call-up in 1943, he awarded high marks for turnout and for polished boots in particular.

There is no charge for conventionally-worded birth, engagement, marriage, anniversary, death,in memoriam seeking and reunion notices. For commercial small ads contact Edwin Rodrigues on: 07482 571535. We cannot, under any circumstances, take announcements over the telephone. They can be sent by email to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk. Please note that due to the coronavirus pandemic we are currently unable to accept notices submitted by post.

Important Notice

The publishers of RAF News cannot accept responsibility for the quality, safe delivery or operation of any products advertised or mentioned in this publication.

Reasonable precautions are taken before advertisements are accepted but such acceptance does not imply any form of approval or recommendation. Advertisements (or other inserted material) are accepted subject to the approval of the publishers and their current terms and conditions. The publishers will accept an advertisement or other inserted material only on the condition that the advertiser warrants that such advertisement does not in any way contravene the provisions of the Trade Descriptions Act. All copy is subject to the approval of the publishers, who reserve the right to refuse, amend, withdraw or otherwise deal with advertisements submitted to them at their absolute discretion and without explanation. All advertisements must comply with the British Code of Advertising Practice. Mail order advertisers are required to state in advertisements their true surname or full company name, together with an address from which the business is managed.

“Having undertaken his RAF basic training at the 17 Initial Training Wing Scarborough, Norman recalled with a chuckle the Unit’s basic marching drill which ended with recruits crashing together and falling to the ground on the slippery Scarborough esplanade, much to the drill instructor’s disgust.”

He added: “After the display the cadets joined Norman for a chat about his wartime RAF career and he fielded many questions including the types of aircraft

he had flown during his overseas service in Africa.

“For has his part, Norman was delighted to learn that several cadets have already acquired flight experience in Gliders and in the Grob G.115 Tutor at No. 6 Air Experience Flight RAF operating from RAF Benson, and the cadets proudly showed their wings badges.

“Norman related his experiences of aerobatics,

aerial target interception and shooting and reminisced about his comrades in arms from across the Commonwealth and from allied and occupied countries such as Greece and Belgium.

“After these initial visits the 27F Sqn cadets hope to visit Norman on a more regular basis from early 2023, when he celebrates his 98th birthday.”

WORTHY WINNER: From left, Hugh Dennis (actor, comedian and presenter) Canon Ann Easter (former Chaplain to Queen Elizabeth II), Sandra Lynes-Timbrell (Director of Visitor Engagement, St Paul's Cathedral), Rev Sue Deacon (St John the Baptist Church Scampton), Joe Bartrop (Project Coordinator Scampton Church and RAF War Graves Heritage Centre Project) Sarah Stewart, (Trustee, National Churches Trust)

PHOTO: NATIONAL CHURCHES TRUST AND MIKE SWIFT PHOTOGRAPHY

TOP DISPLAY: Norman and the cadets; inset, proudly wearing his new RAF jersey

Tribute to 41 Squadron pilot

WORLD WAR II pilot Peter Hale has died aged 100. He was the last living 41 Squadron veteran.

Born on July 28, 1922 in Harpenden, he was educated at St Clement Danes in Holborn and Chichester High School. He Joined the RAF on January 27, 1941 at RAF Uxbridge and went on to train in Canada before receiving his pilot’s wings in April 1942.

Peter continued training in Canada until returning to the UK in late 1943, where he flew on further Operational Training Units (OTUs), flying many variants of Spitfire and Hurricane and joining 41 Sqn in August 1944 after amassing 1,060 flying hours.

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By the end of the war he had taken part in multiple sorties, destroying 15 ground targets and a 1/4 share in a Heinkel He I I I Bomber. In

total he recorded 1,135 flying hours, 40 of which were on operations and 172 hours in Spitfires – all in one tour with no accidents.

Vets chief has new international role

To mark his milestone birthday last July, 41 Sqn, represented by WO Stevie Dryburgh, Flt Lt Michael Jackson and AS1(T) Alex Szerlowski, presented Peter, a former Warrant Officer, with a limited edition squadron print, which also included a personalised name patch and a 100 Years aircrew patch, similar to the 1,000 Flying Hours patch awarded to aircrew on completion.

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WO Dryburgh said: “The squadron also presented Peter with a personalised canvas print; kindly created and donated by QinetiQ,

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DR HUGH MILROY, CEO of Veterans Aid, has been appointed as a vice-president of the World Veterans Federation (WVF) and acting chair of its Standing Committee on European Affairs.

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The retired Wg Cdr’s appointments were confirmed by WVF President Dan-Viggo Bergtun, who said: “Although voluntary, these roles affirm Veterans Aid’s position as a global influence within the veterans world. Its focus, which puts veterans before process, represents a postpandemic paradigm for veterans that actually works.

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Dr Milroy, pictured, inset, said: “I am honoured, humbled and delighted to be taking up these roles and look forward to working with colleagues from around the world who have a shared commitment to veterans' wellbeing. Informally VA has been forging links with veterans organisations internationally for many years and it gives me great pleasure to be able to continue this work formally from such a prestigious platform.”

Peter was also treated to a flypast from a current 41 Sqn Eurofighter.

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who are embodied within the squadron and play a role within the Typhoon evaluation process. Flt Lt Scott Jones (QCS) also presented him with a birthday card on behalf of the Chief of the Air Staff.”

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“The real test of fire for the VA model was the pandemic and its methodology withstood the pressures.”

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SPECIAL PRESENTATION: Serving personnel with WO Peter Hale (inset, as a young airman) who marked his 100th birthday last July

18.

22.

Prize Crossword No.

Solve the crossword, then rearrange the eight letters in yellow squares

to find an RAF term

What bees gather from Italian river on Gwyn’s return (6)

What planes and impersonators do (4,3)

Put up with daredevil (5)

Touch down opposite 10 Across (4)

Listen to the leading organ (5)

Scrap about southern card-game (5)

Check end of plane managed by former pilot (7)

Missile for Gibraltar alien (6)

Returning if Ascot ends prematurely: what a to-do! (6)

Down

Richard makes several points about author (7)

Staff keep cricketing (5)

After mob returns at end of October, second planes arrive (7)

A lieutenant takes a right table (5)

Maybe Frenchman deserts German in fury (5)

Hurtful RAF attack? (9)

100 engage Carroll’s character in tittle-tattle (7)

Out West, twist around our Voyager (7)

Type of fabric acceptable for helicopter (7)

Flash box for king (5)

Obstacle that helped Charles I lose his head (5)

Saint to rest in peace where planes land (5)

The winners of our Prize Crossword and Prize Su Doku puzzles will receive a recent top aviation title – please send your entries to the address printed in the adjacent Su Doku panel, to arrive by January 27. Prize Crossword No. 328 winner is: Mr P Mathews, Lincoln. Across - 6. Warhead 7. Demon 9. Snipe 10. Car Park 12. Floundering 14. Reach For The 18. Missile 19. Agate 21. Chief 22. Skylark Down - 1. Maine 2. Chapel 3. RAF 4. Reaper 5. Torrent 8. Wanders 11. Buffalo 13. Delight 15. Cashew 16. Haggle 17. Storm 20. Sky RAF station – Wittering

Prize Su Doku No. 340

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, each column and each 3x3 square contains all the digits from 1 to 9.

Solutions should be sent in a sealed envelope marked 'Su Doku' with the number in the top left-hand corner to RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP14 4UE, to arrive by January 27.

On Blu-ray and DVD now (Fabulous Films/Fremantle Media Ents) Name Address............................................................................................................... RAF term........................................................................ Crossword No. 330

Baker's got some sauce

A new virus threatens the world and one man goes back in time to eradicate it

A

The 12 Monkeys sci-fi series ran from 2015 -2018 and is loosely based on director Terry Gilliam’s 1995 film of the same name, which in turn was based on Chris Marker’s 1962 featurette La Jetée.

A man from the postapocalyptic future, Cole uses a dangerous, untested method of time travel to get from 2043 to the present day. He is on a mission to locate and rid the world of the source of the plague that will eventually annihilate the human race. Assisting him is Dr Cassandra Railly, a virologist who must decide whether to do harm in order to save the world – regardless of the fact she has taken the Hippocratic Oath.

LL FOUR seasons of the hit sci-fi show 12 Monkeys are now available for the first time on DVD and Blu-ray.Win!

D

ANNY BAKER is back on tour in 2023 – the third (and final) part of the trilogy that began with the sell-out tour ‘Cradle To Stage’, and charged on through the ‘Good Time Charlie’s Back!’ shows, now reaches its peak with ‘At Last… The Sausage Sandwich Tour’.gleeful raucous eruption, chock full of true-life tales and show business revelation”.

The Sausage Sandwich Game will be played live and dripping with condiment and there’s even a bonus appearance from Dan’s old man Spud.

It starts on January 28 in London and then goes to theatres across the UK before finishing in Lytham on April 30.

The shows promises to be “another panjandrum of unstoppable anecdote, the last-ever instalment in this

Baker said: “This makes that Abba thing seem like a lot of fuss about nothing!”

The cast includes Aaron Stanford (X-Men: The Last Stand, Amanda Schull (One Tree Hill) and Noah Bean (Nikita)and the show features guest stars Madeleine Stowe (who played Kathryn Railly in the original film), Christopher Lloyd (Back to the Future), Matt Frewer (Max Headroom) and James Callis (Battlestar Gallactica mini-series and the Bridget Jones Trilogy).

Email your answer, marked 12 Monkeys Complete Series competition, to: competitions@ rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by January 27. Mark on your entry if you prefer to win the series on Blu-ray or DVD.

You could win a box set of the series – on DVD or Blu-ray – if you answer this question correctly: Who directed the 1995 film on which the TV series 12 Monkeys is based?