Helping Afghans who defied the Taliban
Lest we forget
THE DUCHESS of Gloucester led tributes at Westminster Abbey's Field of Remembrance ceremony as the nation prepared to honour the fallen.
Standing in for HM The Queen, she laid a wooden cross on a cruciform bed of poppies at the event in memory of Service personnel who died defending their country, before chatting to some of the Forces veterans and families who gathered for the ceremony.
More than 40,000 tributes, including symbols of all faiths, were laid out in 308 plots in the grounds of Westminster Abbey.
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“It picks up where most crime thrillers end”
“I’m really proud and want to thank all the coaches who have helped me”
Vets housing pledge
HOUSING SUPPORT for UK veterans has been boosted by new funding for homelessness support programmes.
The announcement came as the Prime Minister hosted a reception at 10 Downing Street ahead of Remembrance weekend.
Sir Keir Starmer said: “This government is ensuring homes will be there for heroes across the UK. They have done so much to secure our safety, it is only right they have security of their own.”
The Reducing Veteran Homelessness programme and Op Fortitude helpline provide mental health support and help with securing employment and independent living. The scheme exempts veterans from rules requiring a connection to a local area to access social housing in England.
The government will also put the Armed Forces Covenant fully into law to ensure ex-Armed Forces personnel and their families are treated fairly.
Defence Secretary John Healey
said: “As a government, we are committed to renewing the nation’s contract with those who serve. We are extending the support for
Icelandic Cod War dispute.
TARGETING HOMELESSNESS: PM Keir Starmer with Chief of the Air Staff at a memorial service earlier this year
£40m Juno lifts UK space power
Staff Reporter
UK SPACE power is set for a lift after Defence chiefs signed a £40 million deal to launch a new satellite capable of tracking enemy troop movements and monitoring environmental changes.
The new Juno satellite will be built by Surrey Satellite Technology and is expected to be launched in 2027.
The deal follows the launch of the UK-owned Tyche satellite on board the SpaceX Falcon rocket from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, in August this year.
Both satellites are part of the UK space-based Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance programme, which will deliver a constellation of satellites and supporting ground systems by 2031.
Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard Knighton said: “With Tyche in space and Juno now on contract, UK Space Command’s ISTARI programme is making great strides, showcasing innovation and collaboration across government and industry.
“With these Earth Observation satellites on orbit, UK Space Command and Defence will be better equipped to conduct
all-domain military operations and deliver assured space-based intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance to the joint force
High-flying grad lands Wedgetail post at Lossie
A FORMER junior NCO is to help spearhead the introduction of the RAF’s latest surveillance aircraft into service after coming top of the class at Cranwell.
Commercial airline pilot Flying Officer Mark Susca will be loaned to assist 8 Sqn at Lossiemouth to develop the new Wedgetail aircraft.
He will work with fellow parttime Volunteer Reserve pilot Gp Capt Ryan Mannering, who said: “It will be a great opportunity to use my civilian skills to support the RAF whilst being able to continue with my training and development as an officer.”
An ex-Honington police Corporal, Susca also won the McRobert Sword of Merit for best all-round cadet.
Squadron Commander Wg Cdr Sarah McDonnell said: “We are really looking forward to Fg Off Susca being part of the team, it is a great use of his skills and a perfect way for the RAF to gain extra specialist support for its frontline tasks.”
In a landmark moment, AVM Ranald Munro became the first part-time Volunteer Reserve officer of his rank to review a graduation parade of 38 Officer Cadets.
He said: “This was a tremendous honour for me to undertake this duty in the centenary year of the RAuxAF. My congratulations to the new officers who worked so hard to complete their training.”
and our allies.” As well as tracking military activity across the globe the British kit will carry out
environmental monitoring and provide real-time data to assess the impact of climate change around the world, the MOD said.
CRANWELL TRAINING ace FS Adam ‘Chewy’ Hardman scooped the Jack Holt Memorial Trophy for his work inspiring the next generation of aviators. He was presented with the distinctive engraved pace stick by former Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew Pulford at the Air Force College.
JET lands funds
AEROSPACE GIANT BAE has agreed a three-year £180,000 funding package with the Jon Egging Trust (JET).
The cash will be used to deliver science and technologybased courses for disadvantaged youngsters in North Wales and Lincolnshire
Spike was given a traditional send-off by pals as he left the Northumbria station for the last time on board a military vehicle.
INSPIRATION: Former CAS, ACM Pulford presents FS Hardman with the trophy at Cranwell College
BLAST OFF: UK Defence’s Tyche satellite is launched from California earlier this year
SPACE KIT: New Juno satellite is expected to launch in 2027
Spike takes a hike
WARRANT OFFICER Spike Morrison grabbed his bowler and brolly as he took a bow at RAF Boulmer.
TOP OF THE CLASS: Graduate Fg Off Mark Susca will join 8 Sqn on Wedgetail
Winner: Cpl Michael Cutler
Winner: AS1 Darcie Proud
Halton honour for sports aces
Staff Reporter
Halton House
WEIGHTLIFTER CPL Michael
Cutler and table tennis ace AS1
Darcie Proud took top honours at the RAF Sports Awards as they were crowned Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year at Halton House.
Elite competitors fought it out across six fiercely contested categories after a blockbuster year of Service sport.
But is was Cpl Cutler’s standout performances netting a British Masters Gold and European Silver medal which helped him power his way to the front of the field.
Sportswoman of the Year
Darcie Proud represented
England as a teenager and competed at the 2018 European Youth Championships before joining up.
She became the first-ever female winner of the RAF Festival and won both the women’s singles and mixed doubles at the RAF Championships, and the same two events at the Inter-Service Championships.
tennis whilst being in the RAF than before.
Darcie, who is now head coach of the RAF team, said: “The RAF table tennis team are the best group of people to be around in supporting and encouraging table tennis and sport – if anything I’ve played more table
“The team and committee put so much time and effort into getting support and opportunities for all the team so that we can continue doing what we love.”
RAF Boxing supremo Gp Capt Ray Morley was named as Official of the Year following his selection as an International Technical officer for the Paris Olympics, where he stepped ringside at the Roland Garros stadium.
The Air Force Motorcycle Road Racing team was named Team of the Year after a highoctane season, scooping the
Inter-Services title for a fourth successive year, while course angler FS Mark Collinson was named Administrator of the Year.
Seven Lifetime Achievement Awards were also awarded on the night, including one presented posthumously to RAF Basketball’s
Speaking ahead of the Halton ceremony, Director RAF Sport Rich Fogdensaid:“Acrossallourmanysports we have seen another year of great team and individual performances, all facilitated by our brilliant coaches, officials and administrators.”
Peter Clowes, who died in March.
GP CAPT MORLEY
CPL CUTLER
Baz battles for Castle crown
CHINOOKS HAVE launched special operations war fighting drills on board Queen Elizabeth II after the Royal Navy flagship returned to Portsmouth following a Fleet Operation Sea course. The exercise gave Navy lower deck crews the chance to work on flight operations with the 7 Sqn helicopters.
Staff Reporter
WELSH AIRMAN FS Baz Jones has vowed to fight on in his bid to be crowned King of the Castle2Castle charity trek after being struck down with injury.
Meteor missile engineer Baz and fundraising pal Des Lally hoped to complete the 170-mile challenge from Conwy Castle to Cardiff Castle across some of the toughest peaks in Wales to raise funds for Forces charity SSAFA, a local hospice and Brecon Corries football club.
But bad weather and injury
struck just days into the challenge. Baz said: “We kicked off at 4am and the heavens just opened. It set the tone for the next four days of rain, rain and more rain.”
After clocking up 40 miles across the rugged terrain the duo struggled with blisters and muscle strain as they prepared to scale Cader Idris – one of the country’s highest peaks.
He added: “It was always going to be tough. We dosed up on painkillers, strapped up with tubigrip and managed to reach the summit, stopping halfway for an interview with the local BBC radio station.
“I realised something was wrong with my knee, ankle and calf but I followed what would have been the standard military medical specialist advice and carried on.”
Four days into the challenge the pair were still struggling with injury, covering just 13 miles in six hours.
Baz has served all over the world including tours in Iraq, Kuwait and the Falklands in his 24-year career.
He added: “We were forced to seek a little medical attention and after a quick chat with a nurse I
Stateside drill tests Rivet Joint
Simon Mander
SURVEILLANCE EXPERTS from Waddington have crossed the Atlantic to take part in US Navy run training.
A 51 Sqn RC-135 Rivet Joint aircraft has arrived at Fallon Naval Air Station for their second ever Exercise Resolute Hunter.
The three-week long manoeuvres are hosted by the Maritime Intelligence,
Surveillance and Reconnaissance Weapons School at the Naval Aviation Warfighting Development Centre at Naval Air Station Fallon, Nevada, Participants operate in ranges over land and over the Pacific Ocean and are confronted by a complex set of scenarios which they must face as a combined joint force.
Previously, the Lincolnshirebased personnel have used the
event to co-crew USAF 55th Wing Rivet Joint aircraft.
51 Sqn’s Wg Cdr Keith Bissett said: “The crews and engineers of 51 Squadron are very much looking forward to taking part in Exercise Resolute Hunter.
“They, alongside some of our 55th co-crewing aircrew and ground crew, will be working with multinational partners in what is a fantastic training opportunity.”
was sent to Nevi Hall hospital with suspected stress fractures.
“It turned out to be an LCL tear, calf tear and tendonitis in my ankle but after four days and over 95 miles we couldn’t go on.
“The disappointment of not completing the challenge in one go took its toll and we decided the only feasible option was to postpone until our injuries healed.”
Baz and Des still have 75 miles to go to complete their epic trek but hope to cross the finish line later this month.
● To donate go to: givewheel.com/ fundraising/4803/castle2castle
Nathan goes with the Mo
AIR FORCE cop Sgt Nathan Curtis is taking on a gruelling challenge later this month to raise money for men’s health charity Movember
Nathan will be running 400km from Henlow to SHAPE in Belgium in just six days. He said: “This is my sixth year raising awareness and funds for an important charity.”
Since 2019 Nathan, who is based at SHAPE, has raised more than £7,000 for the Movember campaign.
PEAK PERFORMANCE: Baz, left, with fundraising pal Des Lally, prepares to ascend Welsh hill during the pair’s 170-mile trek
In Brief
Route march
Staff Reporter
VETERANS WILL walk in the footsteps of heroes next year to support ex-Service personnel with food, clothing and smartphones.
The 140-mile route recreates a WWII training course and is covered over five consecutive days from Ilfracombe in North Devon, across Exmoor, rural Somerset, and Wiltshire via Salisbury Plain, before finishing in Bulford.
Organiser and RAF Wittering employee Ryan Tanner said: “The Forces March on 10 previous occasions has become a test of endurance, determination and camaraderie.”
●Go to: forcesmarch.org.
WWII bomber is Dorn again
Simon Mander
A RARE wing section of an iconic World War II bomber rescued from a watery grave after 70 years is to go on display at the RAF Museum in Cosford.
The artefact from a Dornier 17, nicknamed the ‘Flying Pencil,’ and best known for its role in the Battle of Britain, was unearthed from beneath Goodwin Sands.
Of more than 1,500 bombers produced, more than 400 were deployed by the Luftwaffe during the pivotal battle and today, only one remains complete.
The wing section was lifted from the seabed and broadcast live to a global audience in an operation in 2013.
RAF Museum Head of Collections and Research Dr Harry Raffal said: “This is a remarkable moment for aviation history in Britain. After more than ten years of intensive conservation the Do 17 will go on public display.
“It represents a unique way of understanding the Battle of Britain and the new year will see the Do 17 situated alongside a Boulton-Paul Defiant of the type
Remembrance window on history for IX(B) Sqn
Simon Mander
A NEW stainedglass window depicting IX(B) Sqn World War II fliers was to be dedicated at a Lincolnshire church as the nation marked Remembrance Sunday.
It features a Lancaster propeller honouring crews who took off from airbases at Bardney, Waddington and Honington and was the brainchild of a former OC who died before it was completed.
IX(B) Sqn Association chairman Gp Capt James Heeps said: “Through the initiative and energy of Air Cdre Nick Hay, longstanding chairman and then president of the Association, members raised more than £30,000 to fund the stained glass window in the village church.
“Tragically, Air Cdre Hay died in June aged just 56 when the glass was still in manufacture and so a discreet tribute was included by adding his initials next to the outline of a Tornado.”
They can be seen directly
above the GR4 in which he served as a Qualified Weapons Instructor Navigator and later as its Officer Commanding from 2008 to 2010.
“The window will be dedicated during the Remembrance Sunday service by the Association’s Patron, ACM the Lord Peach,” said Gp Capt Heeps, who is also the current Typhoon Deputy Force Commander.
The installation is at St Lawrence Church, Bardney, in the village near where IX(B) Sqn was based from 1943-1945 which is considered its spiritual home.
Designed by Claire Williamson the installation was completed in October and depicts the 110-year history of IX(B) Sqn from its World War I formation in France.
motto ‘we fly by night,’ and BE2, RE8 and Vickers Virginia aircraft – all flown by the unit.
Another image shows the wheel on a Lancaster being replaced at Bardney in memory of bomber WS-R, which arrived in October 1944 and flew only six operations before crashing after take-off killing six of her seven aircrew.
Other features include the Bomber Command badge, Lincoln Cathedral, FS George Thompson, the only VC winner who rescued two crewmates from burning gun turrets, and the battleship Tirpitz, which was bombed three times.
that delivered the final blows to it,” he added. The wing section will be available for public viewing from early 2025, subject to suitable
weather conditions for the move.
The fuselage will remain in store for the time being, owing to space constraints.
The window shows RAF Bardney’s three runways in a triangular pattern, the Sqn’s
Vickers Wellington, Avro Lincoln, the English Electric Canberra, Avro Vulcan, and Tornados are shown with the Typhoon which has been operated by IX(B) Sqn from Lossiemouth since 2019.
HIT THE ROAD: Veterans will cover a 140-mile route from Devon to Wiltshire
TOP GLASS: Stained-glass window features the Typhoon, Tornado, Vulcan and Lancaster aircraft all operated by IX Sqn
RELIC: Luftwaffe Dornier downed off the Kent coast was rescued from the sea floor in 2013.
Thanks a million...
Author nets Trust job for his epic Battle of Britain history
Malcolm Triggs
TOP HISTORIAN and author Dilip Sarkar has been appointed as Honorary Vice-President of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust for his work creating the definitive history of the Battle that changed the course of World War II.
Dilip’s epic eight-volume history of the 1940 aerial battle – which runs to more than 1,000,000 words – is being published by Pen & Sword in association with the Trust. Volumes one to four are already in print.
The work marks the climax of a career that has seen the author devote many years of his life to researching the aerial conflict between the Royal Air Force and the Luftwaffe.
A meeting of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, which considers the work to be the ‘official’ history of the Battle, voted unanimously to invite Dilip, a Fellow of both the Royal Historical and Aeronautical Societies, to become an honorary vice-president in recognition of the ‘monumental’ work.
The Trust said the position would “show the gratitude of the Trust and allow you a more formal association with the Memorial”.
Dilip said: “Having spent a lifetime dedicated to commemorating The Few, many of whom I knew personally as friends, it has been the pinnacle of my career as an historian to see all that brought together in the eight-volume, one-million-word, official history completed for the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.
“The Trust’s work in maintaining the
National Memorial to the Few and the other aspects of the clifftop Memorial at Capel-le-Ferne in Kent is vital, and the invitation to become an Honorary VicePresident in recognition of my work was a complete surprise and an enormous honour.
“I look forward to continuing to support the Trust however I can.”
The eight-part history takes a detailed look at the lead up to the Battle and covers global events, the political situation and other aspects of the background to the fighting itself, as well as the contributions made by Bomber and Coastal Commands and the Royal Navy.
Charles Hewitt, managing director at Pen & Sword which is publishing the work, said: “Dilip has passionately pursued the recording of Second World War history, and the Battle of Britain in particular, for a number of decades, during which he has traced survivors, recording their memories, and contacted the families of casualties to reconstruct the all-too-brief lives of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“He has dedicated himself to publishing, exhibiting and raising awareness of the human experience of war, all the while undertaking the important task of preserving the record for future generations.
“His eight-volume history, which we have had the privilege of publishing in association with the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, is the result of his incredible journey; a journey which has been acknowledged through the position of Honorary Vice-President of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust.”
HISTORY MAN: Author Dilip Sarker is halfway through his eight volume history of the WWII fight for Britain’s skies
Museum honour for WWII heroine Noor
Simon Mander
A RARE opportunity to see the George Cross awarded to a female spy executed by the Nazis is being offered by the RAF Museum in London.
The exhibition is to share the story of Special Operations Executive agent Noor Inayat Khan, who gave her life for the Allied cause.
Born to an Indian father and an American mother, Noor was living in Paris when Germany invaded France in 1940.
She escaped to Britain and joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force as a wireless operator and, although pacifist, believed that it was her duty to fight Nazism.
Her technical skills and fluency in French led to her recruitment and deployment to Paris in 1943, from where she remained at her post as the only SOE wireless operator before being betrayed, arrested, interrogated and killed at Dachau in September 1944.
British Legion launched this year’s Poppy Appeal, hoping to raise more than £50 million for veterans’ welfare.
The Museum is displaying the George Cross awarded to Noor – one of only three given to women posthumously. The citation reads: “Assistant Section Officer Inayat Khan displayed the most conspicuous courage, both moral and physical, over a period of more than 12 months.”
The new display is part of the Museum’s Strike Hard, Strike Sure: Bomber Command, 1939-1945 exhibition.
The Westland Lysander in this exhibition is integral to Noor’s story, as codenamed Madeleine, she was flown by one into France by Sqn Ldr Frank ‘Bunny’ Rymills.
RAF Museum chief Maggie Appleton said: “Noor’s story of bravery and determination will inspire people of all ages and from all backgrounds.
“The generous loan of the medal by her family, alongside the logbook that records her flight into occupied France and our Special Duties Lysander, are a powerful representation of her service and sacrifice.”
C-17 flies in Lebanon aid as Brits urged to leave region
Staff Reporter
AN RAF C-17 crew has delivered more than 12,500 ration packs and 79 battlefield medical kits to the Lebanese Armed Forces.
The mission follows a call by the Foreign Office for UK citizens to leave the country as Israel continues to target Lebanesebased Hezbollah.
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “Our support for Lebanese Armed Forces is part of how we aim to reinforce regional security and stability.
“We continue to work closely with our partners and allies in calling for an immediate ceasefire.”
The UK has trained more than 34,000 Lebanese Armed Forces personnel and dedicated over £106 million in funding, including 300 Land Rovers, since 2009.
Last month the British Government increased aid to the region by £10 million in response to rising numbers of civilian casualties.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy added: “We continue to call for an immediate ceasefire
between Lebanese Hezbollah and Israel and a political plan consistent with UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
“That is the only way to restore security and stability for the people living on both sides of the border.”
HUNDREDS OF Forces volunteers took to the streets in London as the Royal
SOE SPY: Noor
Inayat Khan worked as a wireless operator in France before being captured and executed by the Nazis
Operation Lazurite helps brave Afghans who worked with British
Escape from
RAF crews who flew into Kabul to evacuate British nationals and Afghan families following the final withdrawal of all US Forces from Afghanistan in 2021, faced scenes of total chaos as thousands fled in terror of reprisals from advancing Taliban troops.
More than 15,000 people were lifted to safety by the RAF alone during Operation Pitting – the UK’s largest humanitarian mission since the Berlin airlift. But thousands left behind who had worked closely with ISAF forces during the 10-year campaign in Afghanistan faced torture and execution under the hardline Taliban regime.
As a prosecutor under ISAFbacked President Karzai’s shortlived rule, Matiullah Hakami jailed dozens of Taliban drug lords and seized tons of heroin, using intelligence provided by the UK and US to cut off the revenue the Islamist group used to fund its terror campaign.
After Karzai fled the country, he knew to remain in Afghanistan would be a death sentence for him and his family. He says that more than 80 prosecutors were tortured and executed in savage reprisals.
“I got a phone call at 10am and was told to get out as the country had collapsed. The nation lost hope at that moment,” he said.
“Outside in the streets people were running for their lives. I knew I was in a very dangerous position. The Taliban were the biggest drug dealers in the world and my job was to put them out of business.”
Matiullah and his wife and five children fled to Pakistan, where they were granted Entitled Person status by the British government’s Home Office station in Lahore.
They are now living in Service family accommodation at Catterick, alongside more than 20 other families, under Operation Lazurite – part of the British Government’s Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy, which has so far provided refuge for nearly 17,000 people.
FS Nathen Massingham is the site commander, managing 15 RAF personnel who run the Catterick facility, the first stage of the resettlement programme and one of 16 transitional centres across the UK.
They provide accommodation, food, welfare and medical support to 200 or so Afghan nationals who have arrived since the centre was set up in August this year.
The programme includes twice-weekly language classes, briefings from the police, traditional Afghan ‘Shurahs’ and prayers, along with on-hand advice from the local education authority, North Yorkshire
Refugee Council, and an efficient NAAFI providing three meals a day, delivered to their accommodation.
RAF Police
FS Massingham, who served four tours in Afghanistan with the RAF Police, said: “These people are not immigrants or refugees. They are Entitled Persons who supported UK Forces and helped get those serving on operations back safe to their families.
“They were willing to put their lives on the line and make huge sacrifices to support the UK military, their
country and the Afghan people. There are not many people who would do that. Anyone in the military who served on Operation Herrick will know the contribution and sacrifices that they made.”
For many the scars of that sacrifice are apparent, particularly on the victims of IED blasts – the biggest killer of military personnel in Afghanistan – while others are clearly battling PTSD.
FS Massingham added: “A lot of them have been in IED blasts while serving alongside us. One man has had serious hand and leg injuries and
FS Nathen Massingham
CHAOS: There was a desperate scramble to escape Afghanistan after US withdrawal in 2021
British Forces during Op Herrick to rebuild their shattered lives
from the Taliban
was unable to climb stairs, so he has been housed in a bungalow.
“We carry out operational therapy assessments where we need to and pay attention to their needs, making sure they get the medical support they need.”
The average stay at Catterick is currently between six to eight weeks, as families move onto settled accommodation provided by the Home Office for up to three years.
Married to an ISAF translator, recent arrival Mary and the couple’s five children arrived at Catterick in September. They are about to move on to settled accommodation in Cambridge, where they hope to rebuild their lives.
The family fled Afghanistan
by driving across the border into Pakistan, dodging checkpoints en route. During their last months in the country the Taliban raided Mary’s Kabul home and tortured her for information about her husband, even interrogating her two-yearold son.
Kabul
She said: “My husband worked for British forces for 17 years and we had a good life. All of that changed and we were fighting for our lives. We had to leave our home immediately and move to another province. After
two months we had to return to Kabul because we had no way to support ourselves.
“I remember being at home by myself when the Taliban came into the house. They smashed everything and tortured me. Now I am really at peace for the first time in so long and I have so many ambitions for myself and my children.”
The RAF team includes Air Force Police dog handler Cpl Ben Wilkinson, who works as the shift
commander ensuring 24-hour support.
He said: “Seeing the trials and tribulations these people have gone through has been quite an experience.
“It is one of the most rewarding things I have done. It is a humanitarian role and seeing the look of relief on their faces when they get here is quite something. After all they have been through they know that they are finally safe.”
15 Sqn RAF Regt
Also on the team is Sgt Liam Greaves who completed four tours of Afghanistan with 15 Sqn RAF Regt.
He added: “They worked shoulder to shoulder with us and there is no doubt that we would not have been able to achieve what we did without the bravery of the Afghan nationals.
“They were aware of the risks but still wanted to fight for their own country and thought that the ISAF mission was worthwhile.”
Cpl Ben Wilkinson
LIAISON: Working with the Afghan people
By Tracey Allen
TED SISMORE was widely considered one of the RAF’s very best wartime navigators and leaders, who went on to have an exceptional Air Force career.
One of just a handful of aircrew to complete a tour of operations in Blenheims in the summer of 1941, he is best remembered for his long association with the Mosquito, planning and leading some of the Wooden Wonder’s most famous raids against the Nazi regime’s most-loathed characters.
He flew in the daylight attack on Berlin timed to coincide with an address being given by Hermann Göring, for which Ted received the first of several awards for gallantry and which was widely publicised.
Identified by Basil Embry, the mercurial AOC of 2 Group, as something of a kindred spirit, Ted joined the Group’s HQ staff planning Operation Jericho, the famous attack on Amiens prison on February 18, 1944. By the end of the war, aged just 23, he was the most decorated navigator in the RAF.
He then took part in further attacks aimed at disrupting Gestapo activities including the bombing of their HQ at Odense. He was awarded the DSO, DFC and two bars and the AFC.
After the war Ted teamed up with the legendary Dambuster Mick Martin to break the flying record from London to Cape Town, a journey of almost 7,000 miles. He later qualified as a pilot, flying the Meteor, Javelin and Canberra.
Air Commodore
He became an Air Commodore, served as the 13th Commandant of the Royal Observer Corps from 1971 to 1973, and retired from the RAF in 1976, becoming an advisor to the Marconi company. He died in March 2012, aged 90.
In his latest book Gestapo Hunter (grubstreet.co.uk), Sean Feast tells the story of Sismore’s remarkable wartime career.
Ted was born on June 23, 1921 into a middle-class family in Kettering, Northamptonshire to Claude and Doris Sismore.
Feast said: “Edward Barnes Sismore – Ted to his friends and later ‘Daisy’ for his fresh-faced appearance – had always wanted to fly. Aircraft held a fascination for him from a very early age.
“Both father and son shared a passion for aircraft, Claude taking Ted to Wellingborough to see a barnstorming display by Alan Cobham’s Flying Circus. They also travelled to the south coast to watch the British and Italian flyers fight it out for the Schneider Trophy.”
When he left school, Ted had little clear direction about a future career and took a job as a clerk for the local council.
“With the war clouds gathering once more, it soon became clear that Ted would have to choose
Top Nav always found a way to target Nazi elite
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which of the armed forces to join. Since he had always wanted to fly, the RAF was the obvious choice,” Feast explained.
Ted said: “I was 16 and we all knew that war was coming… It was all we talked about at school. I was determined to join
equal quantities and which he attributed largely to flying with some of the RAF’s very best pilots. It might also have had something to do with the fact that he was one of the RAF’s very best navigators.”
He was the long-serving navigator for Reggie Reynolds, one of the RAF’s most outstanding low-level pilots, flying with him on the RAF’s first daylight bombing attack on Berlin.
Ted also served as lead navigator with another legendary Mosquito pilot, Bob Bateson, the raid leader on Operation Carthage – the destruction of the Gestapo HQ the Shellhus.
Both Sqn Ldrs, Mick Martin and Ted had known each other for a while before they decided to attempt to smash the London to Cape Town record in the spring of 1947.
Ted said: “Mick and I were both on the staff of 47 Group and got on very well. His main task was a daily flight to Singapore. A request came through to take a Mosquito down to South Africa to take part in an air display. Somebody suggested that if we were going to send a Mosquito to Cape Town, then why didn’t we try and break the record while we were at it?”
The duo took off from Heathrow in the late evening of April 30, 1947 and arrived in Cape Town in the early hours of May 1.
the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve (RAFVR) as soon as I was old enough and could persuade my father to sign the necessary papers.”
Ted applied for the RAFVR on his 18th birthday and was attested on August 1, 1939.
Feast said: “When Ted started on operations, it was well known that most Blenheim aircrew had little chance of surviving for very long. The statistics were that they stood a 25 per cent chance of surviving their first tour of operations…he went through the war without a scratch, a classic combination of skill and luck in
Feast explained: “Their arrival was greeted with great excitement by the South Africans who turned up in large numbers to applaud their achievement. They had flown 6,717 miles in 21 hours, 31 minutes and 30 seconds, recording an average speed of 312.02mph.”
He said: “Ted was never one to boast of his wartime service though he did enjoy meeting aviation enthusiasts at various signing events. His ‘fame’ was not a modern phenomenon, however. During the war his photograph was often to be seen in the press, such that he came to the attention of the Germans.”
Ted remembered: “The fact they [the Luftwaffe] had taken the trouble to get to have a file on me, I suppose, made me think.”
HIGHLY DECORATED: Ted in later life with medal ribbons for DSO, DFC and two bars, and the AFC beneath his pilot’s wings
LEADING LIGHT: RAF navigator Ted Sismore finds time for a quick smoke between sorties during a rare lull
JOB DONE: Sismore, far right, in rubble of Gestapo HQ TOP PAIRING: Ted, left, and low-level flying expert Reg Reynolds
By Tracey Allen
Sole survivor
THE SEARCH for the grave of a bomber pilot whose aircraft was shot down in World War II has united an author in New Zealand and an RAF officer in the UK whose great-grandfather was the sole survivor of the crash.
Flt Lt Dave Wisson, based at RAF Halton, was contacted by Wendy St George, who wrote The Photo On The Wall about her uncle Edward ‘Ted’ Saywell.
Ted and his fellow crew members of 35 Sqn’s Handley Page Halifax MKII bomber HR819 (TL-K) were shot down in the Aachen raid over Germany on July 14, 1943 and all killed –apart from wireless operator Ron Wisson.
Although Ted’s photograph was displayed in the family home, he was never talked about. Wendy explained: “My grandparents died in the 1970s. They had no closure for the death of their only son and couldn’t talk
about him. He was spoken about and remembered by other family members.”
Starting to research Ted’s story in 2003 in a quest to discover where the fallen airmen had been laid to rest, she managed to track down Ron, who had ended the war in a German POW camp.
Dave said: “Ron played a crucial role as a radio operator on the Halifax. He was just 20 or 21 when it was shot down. When he baled out he landed awkwardly and injured his ankle. He was sent to Stalag Luft 6, East Prussia and was in the POW camp until the end of WWII.”
After the war ended he left the RAF and went into civil aviation.
Dave added: “Ron was one of the reasons that I joined the RAF, the story I had heard about him when I was a child sparked my interest. Reading Wendy’s book, I now feel like I know him better.”
Wendy and Ron corresponded by email but sadly never got to meet. He died in 2008, aged 84.
She explained: “I felt unbelievably grateful and humbled that Ron had replied to my request for information – he answered with an honest account of the events of that awful night.”
Edward Wright Saywell was Wendy’s mother Margaret’s brother. She was two when he went away to join the war and she had little memory of him. He was just 25 when he was killed.
Wendy added: “My grandparents couldn’t share their loss with their family, their loss was different from Ron’s. But even so, and after all this time, his decision to write to me could not have been easy.”
Ron wrote: “I was handed
Kiwi author Wendy traces RAF officer whose forebear lived when Halifax flown by her uncle was shot down
over to the police and then to the Luftwaffe. The Luftwaffe told me that the burnt out remains of a 35 Sqn Halifax had been found a few miles from where I was captured. They also told me that the unidentifiable remains of six bodies were in the aircraft.
“I developed a deep sense of guilt, finding it hard to come to terms that I was the only survivor. That feeling is still partially with me today 60 years later, though I have accepted the fact that they were all killed. I wrote a letter to Ted’s parents which I sent through the Royal New Zealand Air Force, I don’t know whether they received it as there was no reply.”
The location of the crew members’ graves is still unknown. Their names are listed on the Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede.
Wendy said: “I have not found Edward Wright Saywell’s grave. A report written in 1950 by the RAF Grave Services states the airmen’s bodies were removed from the plane wreckage by a German recovery team and they were buried in the Monchengladbach Cemetery. The report gave
some grave numbers, but the Commonwealth War Graves Commission said the numbers could not be matched with the crew of HR819 when at the end of the war the cemetery was reorganised. It seems that there is no record of the investigation done by CWGC to match bodies and graves.”
In her search for what happened to Ted, Wendy said she was helped by a number of Dutch resistance groups and individuals.
She explained: “I found their attitude very humbling. The Dutch people are still very grateful to the young men like my uncle, who all those years ago helped to liberate Holland from the Nazis. However, it wasn’t until 2020 when I contacted a lawyer in the UK who had known Ron, and was interested in WWII research, that I found that the excavation of the crash site had been carried out in 2019.”
revealed what was discovered during their investigation of the site. Finds included part of a bomb selector switch box, a parachute buckle, an RNZAF cap badge –thought to be Ted’s as he was the only crew member with New Zealand nationality on board, Perspex from cockpit windows and aluminium parts from the fuselage. The rest of the crew who died when their aircraft was shot down were navigator Frank Whitaker, air bomber Ernie Moore, air gunner SF ‘Ginger’ Hughes, air gunner Frank Ward and flight engineer Joe Marsh.
A report by WWII warplane research and recovery group the Plane Hunters Recovery Team
Wendy said: “I still have not given up hoping that more answers can be found and this was one of the reasons I wrote The Photo on the Wall. I would travel to the other side of the world to visit and lay flowers on Edward’s grave if it is identified.” ● The Photo On The Wall is published by River Press. Go to: riverpress.co.nz/the-photoon-the-wall.html for more information.
The crew of 35 Sqn’s Halifax HR819 (TL-K) with New Zealand pilot Ted Saywell, centre, and surviving wireless operator Ron Wisson, second from right and inset above in uniform and in later life
AUTHOR: Wendy St George
Gordon-Smith’s career off to a fantastic start
TWENTY-SEVEN
MEMBERS of Trainee Gunner Course 1-24, El Alamein Flight, are the newest members of the RAF Regiment to have graduated at Honington. They were accompanied with music from the RAF Cranwell College Band and the King’s Colour for the RAF Regt was also paraded. Chaplain Rev David (Sqn Ldr) Young delivered the blessings and loved ones watched with pride from the sidelines of the Parade Square.
Squadron Commanders and Warrant Officers from receiving RAF Regiment Units also met the new arrivals and their families after the event.
Deputy Air Officer
Commanding No 2 Group, Air Commodore Claire O’Grady, was appointed as the Reviewing Officer and congratulated the new recruits on their future roles within the Regiment.
On graduating from the course the Gunners are posted to either No. 1 Sqn RAF Regt here at Honington, No. II Sqn RAF Regt (Brize Norton), No. 15 Sqn RAF
BEST TRAINEE: AS2 Gordon-Smith receives trophy from Air Cdre Claire O’Grady
Regt (Marham), No. 34 Sqn RAF Regt (Leeming), No. 51 Sqn RAF Regt (Lossiemouth) or No. 63 Sqn RAF Regt (Northolt). Further congratulations go to the prize winners:
● Frank Silvester Trophy for best all-round Trainee – AS2 Gordon-Smith
● The RAF Regt Association Trophy for Drill and Deportment
– AS2 Edwards
.
● WO Ramsey Physical Development Cup – AS2 Smith
● LAC Beard Recruits’ Trophy, voted for by fellow graduates –AS2 Bojang
● SAC Luders Champion Shot Trophy – AS2 Hill
● Cpl Bradfield Trophy for top Corporal Instructor – Cpl Worthington
YEARS AGO, finding a great first car was a fairly easy task. There were many options on the market, with slick manual gearboxes, actual handbrakes and insurance groups that allowed you to cover your 17-year-old without having to sell a kidney. Not so much today.
The modern family market is swamped with crossovers, hybrids and EVs, all two-pedal automatics. The days of just sticking an L plate on Mum or Dad’s motor are therefore, generally, gone. Fortunately there are a few options still available and Hyundai’s i20 is a good example.
Exterior
These days Hyundai is all about bold styling. Just look at the Ioniq 6. The i20 is the baby of the family but Hyundai has paid similar attention to the styling. It’s a genuinely nice-looking little hatch, with well defined contours that flow from front to back, bouncing the light to create intriguing patterns. The pentagram alloy wheels add to the angular vibe and the whole look works.
The new i20 is bigger than the old one. It’s lower by 24mm, wider by 30mm, has a longer wheelbase (by 10mm), with an overall length increase of 5mm. It’s only available in five door, but it’s a sporty-looking affair that any 17-year-old will love to be seen in. Astounding really, as the previous model was a bit dull.
Interior
The i20’s interior is set out as a nippy hatchback should be. The
i20’s a teen dream
… and Mum and Dad will like it too
seat, pedals and steering wheel line up nicely, and the steering wheel has enough reach/rake to cater for almost everyone. The driver’s seat holds you in place well through the bends and the dash is well laid out.
It’s not the most plush car in its class but it does feature some appealingly textured plastics. Softly damped switches and nice design touches give it a smart feel, without taking away that practical hatch vibe. The digital driver’s display is clear and the climate controls are exactly where you expect them to be, physical buttons that are easy to operate.
Visibility is good at the front thanks to relatively slim front window pillars and the car is easy to park, thanks to compact dimensions. The relatively shallow rear window makes visibility to the back a little more challenging but there are
well-placed quarter windows to make life a bit easier and every i20 comes with rear parking sensors/a rear-view camera. The infotainment system is responsive and easy to navigate.
On The Road
The i20 is streets ahead of several rivals in the handling department. The firm suspension
makes it wonderfully agile and almost completely eliminates body roll. The steering is sharp and you can thread the i20 through the bends with precision. There’s not much feedback through the wheel and you experience a slight vague drift around the centre point, but these are minor points.
The stats are 0-62mph in 10.4 seconds and a top end of 117mph from a 998cc, threecylinder engine. It’s a good little unit, quiet, punchy up to about 4,000rpm and relatively refined. The six-speed manual gearbox is, and I rarely say this these days, almost perfect. The clutch is also well weighted and smooth to operate.
It feels sporty enough to be fun, has all the best characteristics of a traditional motor car and is, generally, a tidy drive. Simples… We like it.
Pros
A good looking little hatch
Plenty of room inside
Feisty, efficient engine
Strong resale values
Cons Basic interior
No two-door option
Verdict
If you need a car that’s compatible with a 17-yearold learner, this is at the top of the list. With prices starting from £21,530 it’s not the cheapest option but you do get Hyundai’s brilliant 5-year warranty and a lot of standard kit. It’s a solid all-rounder and the mid-spec Premium trim is the best buy, in our book.
i20: An L of a car for new drivers
DRONE FLYING
ALL THINGS Olympic weightlifting were on show at RAF Cosford as the team held an open day as it prepared to defend the Inter-Service title later this month.
Holding court in the station’s gymnasium with lifting displays, along with Q&A sessions on all aspects of the sport and association, the team showed it was in fine form as it searches for a hat-trick of IS wins.
OIC for the open day, Head of Performance for RAF and UKAF weightlifting Sgt Lee Coonan, said: “The purpose of the day was to allow the RAFOWA athletes the chance to demonstrate their hard work and commitment by hitting their competition openers on the training floor in preparation for the Inter-Services.
“Additionally, it enables us to raise the profile of the sport, increase awareness and promote our industry partners.”
RAFOWA, who will host the prestigious IS championships, can boast a year of highs with its Novice Programme going from strength to strength, and Commonwealth Games prospect AS1 Josh Hibbs training with Scotland.
Speaking during a lifting session, Cpl Tom Eeles (pictured above right) said: “The team now
spends a lot more time together, which is helpful with motivation. The standard has increased massively.”
Eeles, who has been on a sabbatical from the sport, added: “I have spent some time away from the squad after my first IS, it has been great to return and see the improvements. We have more coaches now – so extra eyes on us is always great. The set-up seems a lot more professional now.”
Focusing on all things IS, Cpl Mike Cutler, Operations and Team Manager, said: “Leading the
team to a third consecutive Inters victory would be an incredible honour. It’s about inspiring our team to push harder, work together and continue the legacy of excellence we’ve built, which we were showing today.”
Hibbs, who found time from his international training to attend the open day, added: “So far this year it’s been good. I have developed a lot mentally and physically, in and out of competition. Hopefully all my training will prove worth it to retain our third IS.”
An international silver for UKAF's drone flyers
Daniel Abrahams
A HIGH-SPEED second place was the return for UKAF’s drone flyers at the recent Military International Drone Racing Tournament (MIDRT) 24 in London.
Three RAF flyers bolstered the UK team’s ranks – Chf Tech Simon Fassler, Cpl Brendan Bolger (current RAF champion) and Cpl Mark Booth – for the day’s racing at the Honourable Artillery Company (HAC), coming runners up to the Australian Defence Force.
The team battled against a field of 17 from across the globe, with flyers having two and a half minutes to complete three consecutive laps of the HAC course.
After the action had ended, the scores sat at 123 points for the winning ADF team, with UKAF second on 100, just one point above Estonia. Singapore and Jordan made up the remaining top five teams, on 89 and 67 points respectively.
Fassler said: “It was an honour to represent the RAF as part of British Military Drone Racing. I am so proud of the team for placing second overall. Massive thanks go to Lt Col Karl Eze, BMDR team founder and event organiser. I can’t wait to see what the next event brings, maybe we will come out on top in America for MIDRT 25.”
As the day’s racing unfolded Fassler found himself hanging on to mid-table in the standings at the halfway point. Keeping hold of the spot was a great achievement in such a highly competitive field.
Booth said: “It’s a real honour to have been competing here, I have had to work hard to get up to speed with the faster guys. We are flying racer spec drones, not the fastest but they are quick, reaching speeds of 60mph inside a second.
“Drone flying has helped me with fact finding and hand-eye co-ordination
“I have loved it today and would recommend it to anyone thinking of taking up the sport.”
Would you like to see your sport featured in RAF News? Send a
words) and a couple of photos (attached hi-res jpegs)
RAF FLYERS: (from left) Cpl Mark Booth and Cpl Brendan Bolger PHOTOS: SGT BITU WILLIAMS
AIR POWER: Cpl Paige Harris completes a lift PHOTOS: SGT PHIL MAJOR
Prescott makes history
Western Australia 0 Community Lions 22
RAF RUGBY league star Cpl
Kieran Prescott was part of the history-making Community Lions team that became the first touring side to beat Western Australia since 1975.
Prescott, an ever-present in this year’s Inter-Service championship win for the RAF, played a central role in the Lions’ 23-14 win over WA to seal the two-test series, after winning the first clash 22-0.
Prescott kicked off the tour in the team’s narrow 24-22 warm-up match defeat to a Western Australia Chairman’s Select side. The visitors could do nothing as the hosts roared into an 18-6 lead at the Charles Riley Reserve ground.
The Lions were not willing
Western Australia 14 Community Lions 23
to go down easily and the hosts could only watch as the visitors pegged them back to 18-12 at the break, before forming a late charge which saw the game poised at 22-18 when a forward pass ruled out the ‘try’ after Lions’ star Leon Crellin had crossed the line.
Sitting out the first test, Prescott was in the starting 13 for the final game, again in Perth, this time under the lights for a battling display.
The aviator was front and centre, producing a terrific pass on the half-hour mark for Craig McShane to touch down as the visitors went on to lead 22-10 at the break.
A professional second half display saw the Lions home.
New chief Gardiner puts faith in youth
Nine U23s and 10 debutants in InterServices warm-up
RUGBY UNION
Daniel Abrahams
A YOUTHFUL look to the RAF senior men’s rugby union team signalled a new dawn after a 19-5 defeat by club side Rams RFC in Reading.
The opening Inter-Service warm-up clash against the National One set-up was the first under the watchful eye of new head coach FS Tom Gardiner (inset below).
He said: “We had nine of this year’s Under-23 squad representing at senior level. I want to break the perception that U23s need developing, I don’t agree.
“I am looking to these youngsters now and saying: ‘you are a man’. By the time they are 25 they are then set in the first team – and they did well tonight with that test.”
The aviators travelled to Old Bath Road for the opening season fixture to face their unbeaten
Rams
opponents, who duly scored a try in the opening quarter, through Morgan McRae.
Despite a greasy surface making ball handling and passing an added challenge, Gardiner’s new charges looked to play an expansive game, but failed to get across the line, with the hosts taking a 5-0 lead into the break. Rams added to the scoreline quickly after the restart through a converted Harry Bicknell try, to make it 12-0, but the aviators were not to be railroaded, showing great composure and fight.
Solid displays from game captain Cpl
Mark Williams, vicecaptain Cpl Alex Hayten and L/Cpl Connor Morris bode well for the future of the team, who began moving the ball well between players.
The light blues found space on the left wing for L/Cpl Jiute Tapua to take advantage of his speed and burst home for 12-5.
Another converted Bicknell try for Rams completed the scoring.
Gardiner added: “We want
to have a bit more grunt up front, with a five-man-plus-onedriving maul. We wanted to keep punching when we used that, then pull them around when we didn’t use it.
“Every time we opened the pitch, we wanted to exploit the space, and when we did that, we scored a great try.
“I didn’t know many of the players until the first time we met a few days before the game at our camp, so to get the result we did using 24 players, nine U23s and 10 debutants is pretty good.”
PUT IN: Fg Off Jack O'Regan at the scrum; top left, Cpl Ryan Pugh kicks off; and, top right, RAF Captain Cpl Mark Williams on the ball
PHOTOS: JASON RUSSELL
RUGBY LEAGUE
RAF STAR: Cpl Kieran Prescott with the ball against Western Australia in Perth
PHOTO: DAVE PARKINSON
Enduring champions
Birkett
Daniel Abrahams
A HAT-TRICK victory for the RAF at the Holly Birkett six-hour endurance race at Silverstone meant it maintained its reign as the most successful service in motorsport.
Having stormed to glory in the Inter-Services section for the second time in a row last year in the 73-year-old race, the aviators were fielding a team with three debutant drivers, so the outcome was far from certain, especially with a field of 70 teams using the circuit for the overall race.
The event uses a handicap system that awards credit laps to teams that run slower cars to provide a level playing field –regardless of the car type being raced. Teams then decide a running order for their four to six vehicles, with the race running in a relay style.
Starting in the damp, the aviators relied on the experience of Sqn Ldr Si Frowen in his
Ginetta G20 and, once the track had dried, he was setting some great times and ultimately put the RAF team right in the hunt in the overall handicap standings.
With Cpl Alex Smith’s Honda Integra Type R limited to 28 laps of the circuit, Team Manager Sqn Ldr Darren Berris had decided to use him when the track was dry.
This plan saw him follow on
SERVICE WATERSPORTS is looking to make a big splash with its upcoming Inter-Units swimming, diving and water polo championships at RAF Cranwell.
The three-day event on November 20-23, which will be run concurrently with the RAFSA diving event at Sheffield Ponds Forge on November 20-21, is being held to begin the push towards success in the 2025 season and IS championships.
Open to newcomers to the sport and veterans alike, the Cranwell event will include a training camp.
from Frowen, but a drizzle three laps later saw a further shuffling of the cards, with Sgt Ian Cooper sent out in his Daewoo Nexia for his first-ever Birkett experience.
Cooper put in a superb stint to buy the team time to prepare wet tyres for Cpl Luke Arpino, another first timer, in his MX5.
Cooper put the Service ahead of the sister Services before a
A spokesperson for the women’s water polo team said: “I think the message for everyone about this camp and event, not just from us but from all the disciplines involved, is ‘come
returning Smith was able to realise the full potential of his pace and was dispatched for the remaining 24 of his 28 laps.
After a strong, unfaltering performance, his hour on track was over and the RAF were stretching their lead over the other Services and always around the top five overall.
With about two hours to go,
the last of the newcomers, Sgt Matthew Beech, had his chance in his BMW 325i. He set about learning the track and his lap times showed a great learning curve. As his stint came to an end Frowen was left to bring the team home, delivering a strong final stint for the aviators to finish fifth overall after the handicap adjustment.
Clean sweep for Service
A RAF clean sweep of victories was the just reward for the Service at the UKAF individual Squash Championships at Brompton Barracks in Kent.
along and give it a try, whether you’re completely new or a seasoned vet. Come along and compete for your station’.
“We, like all the disciplines, are looking for new members who would like to join a welcoming and friendly group.”
● Follow RAFSA on Instagram @ rafswimassociation.
Spokesman AS1 Craig Stephens said: “This was an outstanding success for our players. All the finalists had the honour of playing in front of the Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, who also kindly presented them with their trophies during the ceremony.
“There were wins in the Men’s, Masters, and Under 25 categories, though sadly no ladies entered for the RAF.”
Sqn Ldr Paul Warner took the Men’s title with a clinical performance to sweep aside the Army’s form player Paul Jones, beating him 3-0.
Sqn Ldr Phil Rea, in his first year in the Masters, overpowered
his long-time nemesis and fellow aviator, Chf Tech Bez Beresford, to take the trophy on his first attempt.
Another all-RAF final in the Under 25 category saw a brutal encounter between AS1 Louis Cameron and AS1 Dom Bayley, with Bayley proving too much in the end, coming out as victor 3-1 to take the title.
● Follow RAF Squash on Instagram @rafsquash.
WINNER: U25 Bayley with CDS Sir Tony
EXPERIENCE: Old hand Sqn Ldr Si Frowen (third car from left) was joined by three Birkett debutants and Cpl Alex Smith
Marham marvels
IT WAS a Lord Wakefield boxing championship for the ages for RAF Marham, who won four of the eight bouts on show to take the Major Unit Trophy.
The Norfolk station’s 15 Squadron also took the RAF Regiment Trophy.
RAF Leeming hosted the 105th iteration of the annual novice boxing championships, which saw AS1 Ryan Titley (Lossiemouth), who suffered defeat in his semi-final bout, taking up an invitation to compete against AS1 Joshua Madden (Northolt), who he defeated by unanimous decision.
Elite squad boxer Cpl Frankie Lyall
(Leeming) displayed the difference in levels as she took on Chloe Davies (Newark ABC) to breeze through to a unanimous decision victory.
AS1 Aidan Cooper (Marham) then took on L/Cpl Michael Cocker (Leeming) for the Class A 67kg title, in what was a top contender for fight of the night. After the non-stop slugfest, Cooper earned the unanimous points victory.
AS1 Alex Masterman (Coningsby) used his class to defeat AS1 Joe Smyth (Marham) by referee stoppage and earn the Class A 71kg title. He was also crowned Boxer of the Tournament.
A stunning knockout saw Cpl Jos Sumpter (Brize) earn the Class A 75kg title against AS1 Kieran Brimicombe (Marham). The bout ended 52 seconds into the first round as Sumpter landed the KO blow.
Marham’s AS1 Paulo Trof recorded a unanimous win over Spr Ben Reeves (Wyton) in Class B 75kg.
AS1 Mason Slender (Coningsby) used his massive height and reach advantage to score a referee stoppage over AS1
Connor Bignell (Wyton) in the Class A 80kg title.
It was another Coningsby win as AS1 Lewis Denton-Fray managed to avoid the power of L/Cpl George Gatenby (Marham) and take the Class B 80kg title by unanimous decision.
In the Class A 92kg all-Marham affair, AS1 Lewis Neal fought Cpl Adam Collins, with Neal winning by referee stoppage.
The super-heavyweights closed out the show, with AS1 James Durkin (Marham) beating Cpl Ben Gurnell (Brize) by referee stoppage with little time remaining in the third, to earn him the Class A 92kg+ title.
● Follow RAF Boxing on Instagram @ raf_boxing.
RAF edge out Army
First IS title for 14 years
EQUESTRIAN
Daniel Abrahams
LORINERS INTER-SERVICE glory and double London Horse Show qualification capped a dominant season for the Service’s equestrian team.
Association chairwoman Wg Cdr Haley Norris told RAF News Sport: “I am immensely proud of our team for winning this year’s competition. This is an extraordinary achievement. It was truly a team effort, with riders across all disciplines contributing to our overall success.”
The win was topped off with a double qualification for the London International Horse Show.
places in the December event.
Aiming to lift their first title since 2010 the team visited Bury Farm Equestrian Centre for the final leg of the Worshipful Company of Loriners-sponsored Inter-Service competition.
The aviators had taken two wins from the first three competitions, having won the dressage and eventing legs earlier in the year whilst the Army applied pressure by winning the show jumping category in the most recent event.
Doubling for the Forces Show Jumping Qualifier, the top combinations attaining the highest number of points throughout the year secured a spot in the prestigious final, with WO Keeley Martin and Flt Lt Michelle Randall booking their
The RAF produced solid dressage scores all round to make for a nail-biting finish in the show jumping phase, where a troublesome course saw several poles lowered by all three Services.
However, the team of Wg Cdr Caitlin Wroe, Flt Lt Natalie Morrell, WO Keeley Martin, and Sgt Nikki Stevenson held their nerve, with Stevenson posting one of only two clear rounds.
The result meant the Army were pipped at the post by 0.45
per cent for the RAF to take the team win, cementing the overall Inter-Service Championship.
Martin made the victory even sweeter by becoming the individual Combined Training Champion for the third year in succession, riding her own Rachan Wind Dancer.
Chef D’Equipe Flt Lt Mandy Meikle said: “The team riders have all worked incredibly hard over the last couple of years to put us in the position we have been in this season.
“It is so exciting that we were able to take the Loriners title this year and I am incredibly proud of
every single rider who has taken part in the four legs.
“Even more exciting this year was being able to help take the win in the dressage leg on my own horse. Now we just have to put in the hard work over the winter to try to retain the title in 2025.”
SUPER-HEAVYWEIGHTS: Cpl Ben Gurnell (left) was stopped by AS1 James Durkin (right)
DIFFERENT CLASS: Cpl Frankie Lyall, right
CLASS A 92KG: AS1 Lewis Denton-Fray (right) beat L/Cpl George Gatenby
TEAM EFFORT: Fg Off Claudia Durran competing in the eventing leg of the Inter-Service competition PHOTO: STILL LIGHT Inset left, Flt Lt Mandy Meikle and Faside Sir Derry took individual honours in the dressage leg PHOTO: HI STAKES
National crown glory for rookie fighter Jennifer
BOXING
Daniel Abrahams
AVIATOR BOXING power
fired Cpl Jennifer Sabine to National Development glory when she became the first RAF fighter to win a national title since 2015.
Sabine only had her first competitive bout less than a
year to the day she was crowned Under 50kg England Boxing National Development Champ.
She beat Northside Boxing Club’s Amina Patel when the referee stopped the contest in the third round.
Sabine said: “I am extremely proud of my title win and want to thank all of the coaches who have helped me along the way. This
First for the RAF since
includes those from Elgin BC and Windrush Valley BC, who played a big part in my success.”
Sqn Ldr Martin Hughes, RAF Lossiemouth and RAF Boxing Development Squad Head Coach, said: “Jen has been fantastic to
work with and is living proof of the success that you can have in boxing with hard work and dedication.
“For her to be national champion, having first boxed competitively only a year ago, is incredible, and she should be extremely proud.”
Sabine, who had only been with the RAF Boxing Development Squad since the end of August, began her path to glory at the UK Armed Forces Development Championship Finals at HMS Drake in Portsmouth on September 25.
The bout was a prerequisite for the England Boxing Development prequarter finals, which the aviator won by unanimous decision over her Army opponent.
There was double RAF involvement at the pre-quarter finals at Aldershot Garrison the following month, with the UKAF team pitted against London Boxing.
Joining Sabine was Cpl Carl Harper, who had boxed superbly at the UKAF Development Championships to secure his Under 86kg place.
Both RAF boxers were victorious, with Sabine beating her Islington BC
2015
opponent by unanimous decision and Harper coming through a tough contest to overcome his Royal Resistance opponent via a split decision.
The UKAF team marched onto the Quarter Finals, hosted by the Southern Counties at Tenterden Leisure Centre, where Sabine beat an opponent from Hillcrest ABC with a fantastic display of skill and aggression, with the referee stopping the contest in round two. Harper was forced to pull out due to injury. Having booked her place in the next round, Sabine and her coaches travelled to Arena Sports Kettering, where she produced another secondround stoppage win, beating a boxer with twice her experience from Leamington Spa Community BC. She then pulled off a repeat stoppage in the final to be crowned champion.
Follow UKAF boxing in Instagram @ukafboxing association.
LTH V S HEAL H.
WHEN: WHERE: CONTACT:
A new angle on the Blitz
STEVE MCQUEEN’S Blitz drops us into 1940s London, following single mum Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and her son George (Elliott Heffernan). While Rita evacuates George to safety, the nine-yearold has other plans and sets off on a daring journey back home.
Though the film showcases the large-scale devastation of the Blitz, it focuses on George’s episodic trials as he encounters various figures who may be
friends or foes. Unaware of her son’s escape, Rita tries to carry on, with others urging her to keep her chin up. Flashbacks reveal her time with George’s Grenadian father, whose romance was shadowed by racial prejudice – something George will have to face too, on top of the immediate threat of survival.
Some of George’s misadventures feel a bit forced,
Music Luther Vandross Never Too Much: Greatest Hits
EXCITING FIND: The
Unheard Vandross
ANEW compilation of music by the late, great Luther Vandross is to be released on December 13. Never Too Much: Greatest Hits features the singer’s never-heard-before soulful rendition of The Beatles’ Michelle. Details surrounding Vandross’s recording of Michelle remain a mystery. Amidst a vast collection of his music recordings and videos, his long-time friend and background vocalist Fonzi Thornton discovered the cassette simply labelled Luther Vandross Michelle 6/1/89.’
No additional information about the recording, including location or session players, has been uncovered to date.
Since the release of his 1981 debut solo studio album Never Too Much, Vandross won eight Grammy Awards (nominated 31 times), eight American Music Awards and five Soul Train Music Awards, including the Quincy Jones Award for Career Achievement in 1999.
With 11 consecutive platinum/ double platinum albums he
achieved crossover status with eight Billboard Top 10 albums and several No 1 chart-topping singles, resulting in a legacy that has influenced generations of singers and amassed a legion of fans worldwide.
Vandross’s success in the 1980s launched him after many years of working behind the scenes as a session vocalist and arranger for acts like David Bowie and Bette Midler. He died in 2005, aged 54. Never Too Much: Greatest Hits has been hailed as a celebration of his illustrious career and tracks range from his penned and produced classics Never Too
such as a subplot involving a Fagin-like ring of pickpockets run by a duo played by Kathy Burke and Stephen Graham. However, Ronan provides emotional grounding, and Heffernan’s performance brings a child’s perspective to the chaos. Standout turns come from musicians: Benjamin Clémentine as Nigerian ARP warden Ife, who helps George come to terms with
his racial identity, and Paul Weller, making his acting debut as Rita’s father, who has a penchant for tickling the ivories and belting out a spirit-lifting tune down the pub. Turns out the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree as Rita has a set of pipes on her too – music and dance becoming a much-needed remedy to the surrounding bleakness.
McQueen’s sweeping aerial shots reveal the magnitude of
destruction, with fires across London smouldering like a volcanic eruption. Wide shots capture streets reduced to rubble. While the Blitz has been covered in film before, McQueen’s lens on race and identity, along with stunning production design, offers a new take on this welltrodden territory.
3 roundels out of 5 Review by Sam Cooney
Much and So Amazing, to covers of A House Is Not A Home and The Closer I Get To You duet with Beyoncé. The compilation also includes previously unreleased track Speak Your Love, written and produced by Vandross and Thornton. The album serves as a companion record to the first full-length documentary about Vandross, Luther: Never Too Much, directed by award-winning filmmaker Dawn Porter and released at the start of the month.
Using a wealth of rarely seen archives, it tells Luther’s story with assistance from his closest friends and musical collaborators including Mariah Carey, Dionne Warwick, Valerie Simpson and Roberta Flack.
The film relives the many stunning moments of Vandross’s Grammy award-winning musical career, while exploring his personal life, health struggles and a lifelong battle to earn the respect his music deserved.
● Go to: luthervandross.com for further information.
PACIFIC AIR Forces (PACAF) and Alaskan Air Command (AAC) were major commands of the US Air Force. PACAF controlled units stationed in Hawaii, Japan, South Korea and the Philippines and was responsible for an area of more than 100 million square miles; its forces primarily faced the threats posed by the Soviet Union, the People’s Republic of China and North Korea.
AAC was responsible for providing air defence forces which were operationally tasked by North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD), as well as other tactical units stationed within the state of Alaska.
Strategic Air Command, Tactical Air Command, Military Airlift Command, Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve units.
With PACAF and Alaskan Air Command in the 1980s (amberley-books.com), author Adrian Symonds has produced a lavishly illustrated history of this fascinating part of the US military which takes a step inside the day-to-day operations of both commands during that decade.
Both commands received modernised equipment during the 1980s and were supported by aircraft deployed from the contiguous United States by
We have copies of the book to win. For your chance to own one, answer this question correctly: PACAF and AAC were major commands of which Air Force? Email your answer, marked PACAF and AAC book competition, to: tracey.allen@ rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by November 29.
SEPARATED BY WAR: Rita (Saoirse Ronan) and son George (Elliott Heffernan)
NTV Culprits
ITVX, from December 19
EW CRIME thriller Culprits, on ITVX from December 19, features a stellar cast including Nathan Stewart-Jarrett, Gemma Arterton and Eddie Izzard.
The eight-part series centres on Joe Petrus (Stewart-Jarrett, Misfits, Utopia) who is living the American dream in a sleepy town in Washington State with his fiancé Jules (Kevin Vidal) and step-children.
However, unbeknownst to his new family, Joe was involved in a mysterious crime three years ago and now his dangerous past is about to catch up with him. When a killer starts targeting the crew behind the crime, Joe realises it’s only a matter of time before his family is targeted. He returns to London to track down his old gang and find out who is coming after them.
At first, we believe Joe to be American. But in reality he is British, formerly known as ‘Muscle’, and he worked for various London criminals before being recruited onto an elite heist crew that stole millions of pounds. And now he is living in this new life as a fraud – with a fake identity, a fake name, a fake accent. Who is the real Joe?
Stewart-Jarrett said: “Joe is basically a bad guy who wants to be a good guy. He’s a person with morals but one who essentially does many, many bad things. The thing with Joe is he’s always trying to do the right thing, tending towards ultimate goodness – but the make-up of that is often many bad things on the way.”
He added: “I think there’s a simplicity to Joe’s life now that actually, to me, makes it really, really sad, to have gone through everything, all of that, to have done this massive crime and then to kind of settle in the suburbs
Exhibitions
Family man's not just your average Joe
with a small family, which is something that’s so accessible to so many people. It’s tragic that he had to go to that degree to get that. It makes it all rather sad that he was unable to build that prior to the crime. It’s really a great setup.”
The role of Joe was very demanding physically, Stewart-
The World of Tim Burton Design Museum, London, open now until April 21, 2025
Jarrett revealed: “It was ridiculous! I got the part and they literally marched me to the gym! I lived in that gym. I ate whole cows daily. And coops of chickens and eggs. It was really hard. But weirdly it played into the internal transformation as well – actually going through that process, getting up at 4.45am,
MORE THAN 32,000 people bought their tickets to The World of Tim Burton, making it the biggest advance ticket sales for an exhibition in the Design Museum’s 35-year history.
The award-winning film director officially inaugurated the exhibition recently, marking the final stop of his personal archive touring the world. It’s the first and only time Burton’s archives have been seen in the UK. It comes to London after a decadelong world tour that has seen it visit 14 cities in 11 countries since 2014 and is the final time it will be staged.
Tim Marlow, the Design Museum’s director and CEO, said: “We’re delighted that our landmark Tim Burton exhibition generated
getting to the gym, then going to set – my body changing was part of the process. And it really helped. I got stronger.
“Then you’ve got the fight scenes, the carrying – I’ve physically carried so many people in the show. I wouldn’t have been able to do that before. I’ve never had to transform my body in this way before. And I’ve loved it.”
Arterton (The Critic) stars as Dianne Harewood, the mastermind of the criminal crew. A much-feared, infamous underworld figure, Dianne has a reputation for being a high stakes, ruthless criminal. She’s confident, elegant and striking.
Arterton described Culprits as ‘a fun thriller that takes place after a major crime’.
“It picks up where most crime thrillers end, which is after the incident when the crew have dispersed and they’re all living separate lives and with new identities,” she explained.
“It’s a real character piece. Although it follows one character predominantly there are many different characters and they’re all fully drawn. And it’s got a lot of mystery in it, too – there’s a lot of edgeof-your-seat stuff while you’re trying to work out what’s actually going on and timeline jumping. It means that as an audience
cinematic blockbuster levels of interest and excitement before it even opened. It’s a real testament to Tim Burton’s impact on the creative world that his exhibition has driven the biggest pre-sales in our history, by quite some way.”
Featuring 600 items from Burton’s 50 years of creative output, including hundreds of artworks of his much-loved characters from his personal archive, the exhibition runs until April 21, 2025.
Due to demand, it will be open late on Friday and Saturday evenings for the rest of 2024.
The World of Tim Burton showcases Burton’s remarkable output, with more than 18 of his films individually spotlighted. It celebrates
the creative processes behind some of the most significant movies of the past five decades including Beetlejuice (1988), Batman (1989), Edward Scissorhands (1990) and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005).
Curator Maria McLintock said:
“For Tim Burton, each film begins with a drawing, that he often returns to over time, almost like old friends. We’re thrilled to be displaying so many of these deeply personal works at the Design Museum, in the heart of the city he’s called home for over 20 years.
“This hugely successful show has delighted audiences across the globe for over a decade, but our Design Museum reimagining, with many new additions and new narratives,
SECRET PAST: Joe (Stewart-Jarrett) with crime boss Dianne (Gemma Arterton)
member you’re trying to work it out as you go along, which is always quite satisfying.”
She added: “Dianne is very, very glamorous – she loves being rich. She loves glamour and power and yet as the series goes on you learn more about her motivations. She’s deep into the crime world, very revered and respected in high-level crime and is quite feared and mysterious. But as the story progresses you realise that her motivations for the crime itself
are very personal. Although there’s this steel to her deep down there’s this real soft core too. It was quite fun actually to play this very calculating and dangerous person – I don’t think I’ve ever done anything like that before.”
Actor and comedian Izzard plays billionaire businessman Vincent Hawkes (pictured inset left). He said: “To come in and play a sort of flashy git seemed like something that I felt I could do.
“I play him as someone who normally gets things to happen. And if they don’t happen by fully legal means it moves into the grey area of legality... He will go to whatever extremes he has to, but still feel that he’s being a reasonable person or a reasonable businessman. Dianne, it becomes apparent, is the person who is the bane of his life. He is a big player in the story. He’s doing it for money and power.”
● Go to: itv.com for more details.
means this is an unprecedented opportunity to be immersed in Tim Burton’s unique and singular vision.”
Presented in partnership with top London department store Harvey Nichols, this is a not-to-be-missed exhibition for any Burton fan. Highlights include a recreation of the private studio where Burton works, giving a rare glimpse into his creative process, the first-ever public display of the Rave’N dance dress worn by actor Jenna Ortega in the 2022 Netflix series Wednesday and a newlycommissioned film that gives voice to some of Burton’s key collaborators.
By Tracey Allen
● Go to: designmuseum.org.uk for more details.
PHOTOS: Matt Crossick/PA and front page
Edited by Tracey Allen
Health
Caroline Hirons UK & Ireland tour
Hirons has skin in game
DUBBED THE UK’s leading skincare expert, Caroline Hirons will be setting out on her first-ever tour in February 2025, bringing her successful podcast Glad We Had This Chat live to theatres around the UK and Ireland.
The Glad We Had This Chat Unfiltered tour has been described as a one-stop shop for all things beauty, skincare and beyond. And Caroline will be chatting to a different special guest (to be announced soon) live on stage at every show – not only about their skincare regime, but about life too.
In the second half of the show, there will be an audience Q&A with Caroline and an on-stage skincare demo.
She said: “The podcast has been a labour of love, in the best possible way. I’m thrilled to be taking it to the next level and around the country with this brand new tour. Expect entertaining guests discussing anything and everything, with a healthy dose of beauty chat in between, before we get into the questions that you want to ask about your skincare routine.”
Multi-award winner and best-selling author Hirons (pictured
below) grew up around the beauty industry, with her mother and grandmother working in the business from the 1960s onwards. From her first day on the counter in Harvey Nichols in 1997, Caroline fell in love with skincare and went on to qualify in beauty therapy, later leaving the shop floor for more senior roles within the famous department store. In 2008, she began consulting for brands and retailers, advising some of the biggest names in the beauty industry.
In 2010 she launched her blog, which quickly attracted the eyes and ears of millions. Now, when she recommends a product or collaborates with a brand, sales spike and sell out.
Author of the Sunday Times number one bestseller Skincare: The New Edit, people of all ages turn to Caroline for advice about the biggest organ in their body. Born in Liverpool, her own brands include Skin Rocks, the award-winning skincare range and app. A new season of the Glad We Had This Chat podcast launches later this month.
● See: carolinehirons. com for more details about the tour.
Music
Katy Carr Tate Britain, Nov 28
Singer's tribute to Blake
SINGER-SONGWRITER Katy Carr will be performing her unique compositions of William Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience at Tate Britain in London later this month.
The free event takes place at 1pm in the Blake Room on November 28 to celebrate the poet and painter’s birthday – he was born on November 28, 1757.
An award-winning British recording artist, Katy, who has released six albums, rediscovered her Polish roots in 2009 and is now an ambassador of Polish history in Britain. Her albums Paszport (2012), Polonia (2015) and Providence (2020) are inspired by the Polish World War II experience.
She has performed her music internationally, appeared on highprofile radio stations including BBC Radio 4’s Today programme and Robert Elms’ BBC Radio London show, and with her group Katy Carr and the Aviators has played at festivals including Glastonbury, Bestival and WOMAD.
The multi-instrumentalist, who plays the piano, ukulele and banjolele, said: “I am currently working on a double album of Blake’s Songs of Innocence and of Experience to be released in 2027, marking 200 years since his death.”
● Go to: katycarr.com for more information.
KATY CARR: William Blake fan
RUTHLESS: Dianne is a feared criminal mastermind
Your Announcements
You can email photos for announcements on this page to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk
Deaths
PEACH, Alf WO sadly passed away November 2024. He was 88 years old and will be missed by many. True gent, much loved by his daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and all who knew him.
SCOTTING Norman FS MTD. Married to Patricia and father to: Paul, Nigel, Mark and Tracy. Passed away at home suddenly and peacefully on September 7, aged 86.
Reunions
103RD Entry RAF Halton
Apprentices Reunion October 17, 2025 at the The Park House Hotel in Shifnal, TF11 9BA, 7pm. Contact Mick Woodhouse on: 07811 401040, email: mickjwoodhouse1946@gmail. com or through: www.103rdentry.org.uk.
28TH entry RAF Cosford, June 1956 to November 1957. Trade Group 19. How many of us left? Contact: David Slough. d.slough@outlook.com
CALLING all former TG11 T/phonist, TPOs, Tels, Wop Spec, TCO, TCC, TRC, all are welcome to attend the TG11 Association reunion to be held Friday, March 21 to Sunday March 23, 2025, at the Marriott
How to use our service
Delta Hotels Nottingham Belfry, Mellors Way, off Woodhouse Way, Nottingham NG8 6PY. See website: tg11association.com.
Associations
WHAT do you know about the 2 Halifax RAF Sqns 346 and 347 which flew from RAF Elvington near York in World War II? Why not join the Sud-Ouest France Branch of RAFA to find out more? You will be welcomed with open arms or un Accueil Chaleureux! For further details contact Terry Dennett at Admin@Rafsudouest. fr or call: 0033546953889
RAF Armourers past and present: RAF Association’s Armourers Branch aims to provide welfare support and comradeship for all who have served or currently serve as an RAF Armourer. See: rafaarmourers.co.uk or contact the committee via email: plumbersrest@outlook.com.
30 Sqn RAF Association. Reunion and Dinner April 25-26, 2025. Please contact Tony Main at: 30sqnassnchair@gmail.com. All previous Sqn members welcome.
THE Association of RAF Women Officers (ARAFWO) is a lively, friendly, world-wide networking group. Visit our website: arafwo. co.uk and discover the benefits of membership, plus see what activities and events we offer all over the world.
SUAS – have you been a member of Southampton University Air Squadron as a student or staff member? If so, please join our Facebook page, ‘Southampton UAS Association’ or email: 6FTSSUASAdmin@mod.gov.uk to join our association community so that we can welcome you back.
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: rafadappassn.org;
or contact the Membership Secretary on: 07866 085834 or the Chairman on: 01933 443673.
RAF Catering Warrant Officers’ and Seniors’ Association: all serving or retired TG19 WO or FS and all former Catering Branch Officers are invited to join the RAF CWO&SA. We meet twice yearly with a vibrant gathering of retired and serving members. For more information send an email to: janedjones6@btinternet.com. The first year of membership is free.
RAF Physical Training Instructors Association holds an Annual Dinner and AGM over a weekend plus locally organised events. Please contact RAFPTIA Honorary Secretary Denise Street-Brown on: ptisec@outlook. com for membership enquiries. To become a member of the Association you will have had to have successfully passed the RAF Physical Training Instructors Basic Training Course. The Association was formed in 1996 to bring together serving and retired PTIs.
RAF Music Services live
THE public has the chance to see RAF musicians perform live this autumn with various dates around the country. They include The Band of the RAF College are at Newark Palace Theatre on November 21 and the Band of the RAF Regiment at the Winston Churchill Hall Theatre, Ruislip on December 6. Go to: raf.mod.uk/display-teams-rafmusic-services/live-dates/ for ticket details.
Concert for SSAFA
ASTRONAUT and former Army officer Tim Peake will read a lesson at the annual carol concert for Armed Forces charity SSAFA on December 4 at The Guard’s Chapel, Wellington Barracks, London, starting at 7pm.
There is no charge for conventionally-worded birth, engagement, marriage, anniversary, death,in memoriamseeking 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 or by post to: Announcements, RAF News, Room 68, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE.
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The publishers of RAF News cannot accept responsibility for the quality, safe delivery or operation of any products advertised or mentioned in this publication.
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RAF Museum hosts Duke's special visit
THE DUKE of Kent, longstanding President of the RAF Benevolent Fund, met beneficiaries, staff and supporters of the Fund at the RAF Museum in London recently.
He spoke to RAF veterans who are supported by the RAFBF’s community outreach team and have benefited from services including group friendship breaks, telephone friendship groups and dementia reminiscence groups.
The groups are organised and run by the charity’s Community Engagement Workers (CEWs), who work with community organisations, local authorities and individuals to identify members of the RAF veteran community who feel lonely or isolated.
The Fund’s president for 55 years, HRH also met the charity’s outreach team. Joined by RAF Northolt personnel, the CEWs talked to The Duke about the importance of the serving community’s role in supporting veterans and maintaining connections between the past and present.
And he made a poignant visit to the Short Sunderland aircraft on display at the Museum – the same type of aircraft in which his father was tragically killed in an aircraft crash in 1942.
The Duke (pictured inset with Fund beneficiaries) said: “As President of the Fund, it is wonderful to see the significant growth of the charity’s community engagement services in such a short space of time. I look forward to seeing these services
grow further and continue to reach more members of the RAF Family.”
RAF veteran Ivor Barnett, 90, who met The Duke, said: “I attended the Fund’s Group Friendship Breaks earlier this year – I hadn’t been away since my wife died, so it meant a lot. This holiday gave me the chance to meet new people and build connections with others in the RAF Family.”
A spokesperson for the Fund said demand for its community support has increased substantially. “Demand is higher than ever before – referrals to the Fund’s telephone friendship groups have increased by 62 per cent. Dementia reminiscence groups have expanded from two in 2023 to five in 2024; and social activity groups have expanded from five in 2023 to eight in 2024,” the spokesperson added. Air Cdre Simon Harper, the Fund’s Director Grants, Services and Programmes, said: “Our community engagement support provides vital work to reduce social isolation and loneliness in the veteran community, and we encourage those in need of our support to reach out today.” ● Go to: rafbf.org for more information.
WO Alf Peach
SUPPORT: Duke, second left, with RAF Museum CEO Maggie Appleton, Air Cdre Harper, far left and Seb Cox, Head of the Air Historical Branch
PHOTOS: OLLIE DIXON
Your Announcements
You can email photos for announcements on this page to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk
Plane-mad Fiona's crafty tribute
FUNDRAISER Fiona Matthews has come up with an eyecatching way of honouring her late father, an RAF veteran, and raising money for the RAF Benevolent Fund.
Fiona (inset, right) created an amazing Spitfire poppy display, made from 1,500 crocheted poppies, which she displayed in front of her home in Dorchester.
It’s the fourth year she has made a display for charity, inspired by her father Bob’s RAF service. She said: “Dad served in the Sixties and Seventies; the Air Force meant everything to him, and although I wasn't old enough to remember him in uniform, I loved hearing his stories and credit my love of planes to him.
“He was an SAC and worked on instruments on many aircraft including Vulcans, Valiants, Victors, Canberras, helicopters and, my favourite, the C130 Hercules.
“I have been going to RIAT for 25 years and part of my fundraising for the Fund includes making Vulcan shortbread to sell
at my campsite at the event. “Sadly, we lost Dad to prostate cancer last year, but he did manage to walk me down the
aisle last January before we lost him in May.”
Go to: justgiving.com/fionamatthews to donate.
Festive gifts for car lovers
LOOKING FOR a suitable Christmas gift for the automobile enthusiast in your life? The British Motor Museum could have the answer with its wide range – from a cute Mini plush toy to a bespoke 1,000-piece British Cars of the 70s jigsaw.
Or you could adopt a car for the enthusiast who has everything – adoptions start from £25. The scheme supports the overall work of the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. Go to: shop. britishmotormuseum.co.uk for more details.
PERFECT PRESENT: Mini plush toy is based on the 1959 first production Morris Mini Minor
POPPY APPEAL: Amazing Spitfire display outside Fiona's home
Across
Prize Crossword No.
373
Solve the crossword, then rearrange the 10 letters in yellow squares to find an RAF term
1. Correct when the tide turns (4)
8. Duke’s plane of choice? (10)
9. Or leaves teacher order (8)
10. Street we returned food (4)
12. Some bracken gin enjoyed on part of plane (6)
14. Staggered about the Spanish newspaperman (6)
15. Marvel at Stevie (6)
17. I enter conspiracies involving RAF personnel (6)
18. Does southern sailor use this for navigation? (4)
19. Bush wary about RAF station (8)
21. Missing learner may value action of RAF operation (10)
22. At first, Denmark-Romania, England-Wales tied (4)
2. Destitute boxer flattened (4,3,3)
3. The leading comedian is a bit of a plonker (4)
4. Santa uses eastern rider (6)
5. All-conquering RAF plane? (6)
6. It’s often cracked at Easter (8)
7. Pig eats northern flakes (4)
11. Voters locate damaged tree (10)
13. Cretin I’d injured at roundabout (8)
16. He ties people in knots running round and round the rugged rock (6)
17. Unperturbed, Port of London Authority assists police (6)
18. The girl would take her clothes off (4)
20. The Beatles or Take That cancelled, we hear (4)
..............................................................................................
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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 November 29, 2024. Prize Crossword No. 372 winner is: J Evans, High Wycombe.
to Crossword No. 372
Film Review
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story (12A) In cinemas now
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 November 29, 2024.
The winner of Su Doku No: 381 is: Mrs M Gilliland, Cheltenham.
Prize Su Doku
No. 383
Comedy
John Bishop: 25 UK tour
The real-life superhero Bishop's going back to where it all began
SUPER/MAN traces the heartbreaking journey of Christopher Reeve, from his rise as Superman — the invincible superhero — to the cruel irony of an accident that left him paralysed.
The documentary divides into two timelines: one beginning in 1973, as a young Reeve attends prestigious performing arts school The Juilliard in New York, and the other, 20 years later, following the injury in which he was thrown from a horse, shattering his spine.
A highly active individual, Reeve regularly engaged in horse riding, swimming, sailing and tennis, while his acting studies placed a heavy emphasis on physicality. In the same class as Robin Williams, their lifelong friendship is a touching aspect of the story, with Williams’ frenetic energy offering moments of comic relief from the film’s emotional intensity.
Interviews with Reeve’s friends and family provide deep insights into his character, while postaccident interviews are blended with home videos and archival
footage, painting a poignant picture of his resilience.
His early casting as Superman was met with scepticism from his peers and disapproval from his father, who dismissed acting as a serious profession. Nonetheless, Reeve approached the role with a seriousness that elevated this first cinematic depiction of the comic book world. His physicality, especially in the act of flying,
accident
became synonymous with the character’s identity.
Demonstrating an immense amount of courage and selfdetermination, these qualities would help Reeve through those dark days yet to come. After the injury, his focus shifted from physical pursuits to relationships and activism. We see the great purpose he finds in his partner and children, but also in inspiring others – utilising his celebrity to endorse charity and form the Christopher Reeve Foundation.
Super/Man is a poignant tribute to a man whose greatest strength wasn’t in his body but in his spirit.
4 out of 5 roundels
Review by Sam Cooney
IT’S NEARLY 25 years since John Bishop stepped onto the stage at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester to perform his first-ever comedy gig in front of just a handful of people. He was working by day in the pharmaceutical industry, but that night, as he picked up the mic and performed for the very first time, his life changed.
Now, a quarter of a century later, the comedy star is embarking on his tenth stand-up tour, John Bishop: 25, to celebrate his long career. And to mark this special anniversary, every ticket at every show will be just £25*.
Kicking off on October 1, 2025 at the Plymouth Pavilions the tour then travels to arenas across the UK and Ireland before culminating at Birmingham Utilita Arena on November 8, 2025. The tour includes a return show on October 13 to the Frog and Bucket – 25 years since it all began.
Bishop said: “I can’t
believe that next year it will be 25 years since I first performed at the Frog and Bucket in Manchester. It’s been a rollercoaster! And I can’t thank the fans enough who have supported me all the way. I wanted to mark the anniversary with a brand new tour and do something to say thank you – so every ticket throughout the tour will be £25*. I really hope you can come and celebrate with me.”
Within three years of his debut gig Bishop was playing to sold-out arena audiences across the country and he released the fastest selling stand-up DVD in UK history. He has gone on to achieve huge success with his own comedy, entertainment and documentary TV shows.
*All UK tickets: £25 + fees. All Dublin tickets: €25 + fees. Go to: JohnBishopOnline. com for further details.
Solution to Su Doku No. 382
ICONIC IMAGE: Reeve as Superman
TRAGIC: Actor was paralysed in riding
Across – 7. Dakota 8. Repair 10. Chateau 11. Eject 12. Tang 13. Brand 17. Bench 18. Park 22. Cream 23. Neglect 24. Attend 25. Return Down – 1. Educate 2. Ukraine 3. Steed 4. Le-Ferne 5. Capel- 6. Brute 9. Hurricane 14. Leeming 15. Baleful 16. Skating 19. Scram 20. Keith 21. Egret RAF aircraft – Harrier