RAF News Edition 1550, 16 Dec 2022

THE WWII Dambusters passed into history with the death of bomb aimer George 'Johnny' Johnson, the last surviving member of the crew who launched the epic wartime raid on the German dams in the Ruhr Valley in 1943. He was part of the 617 Sqn crew led by Wg Cdr Guy Gibson and faced down the barrage of Nazi guns to make 10 runs over the Sorpe dam – one of three feeding the German war machine.

Leading the tributes to Mr Johnson, Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, said: “We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Johnny Johnson and all of his generation who fought for our freedom in World War II."

BRITAIN, ITALY, and Japan will join forces to develop fighter jets of the future.

The three countries have formed a Global Combat Air Programme billed as an unprecedented international aerospace coalition by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.

He said: “We need to stay at the cutting-edge of advancements in defence technology – outpacing and out-manoeuvring those who seek to do us harm.

“The international partnership we have announced today with Italy and Japan aims to do just that, underlining that the security of the Euro-Atlantic and Indo-Pacific regions are indivisible.

“The next-generation of combat aircraft we design will protect us and our allies around the world.”

The programme aims to produce a next-generation jet enhanced by uncrewed aircraft, advanced sensors, cutting-edge weapons and innovative data systems, by 2035.

On a visit to RAF Coningsby Mr Sunak saw the Typhoons that have secured the UK’s skies for two decades that the new aircraft is expected to replace.

PARTNERSHIP: UK is joining forces with Italy and Japan to develop the next generation of fighters such as the RAF’s Tempest programme

The three countries will now work on a core platform concept before launching a development phase in 2024 after agreeing costsharing arrangements.

Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “This international partnership with Italy and Japan represents the best collaboration of

cutting-edge defence technology and expertise shared across our nations, providing long-term security for Britain and our allies.”

The trilateral partnership has been created by merging Japan’s FX programme and the UK’s Future Combat Air System, known as Tempest, with Italy.

In a joint statement the leaders of the three nations said the programme was designed to ensure interoperability with the Air Forces of the United States, Nato and other allies in Europe, the Indo-Pacific and globally to produce an aircraft that will function across multiple domains.

Simon Mander

The last of his kind

‘A generous, modest gentleman’

TRIBUTES HAVE poured in to the last Dambuster, Sqn Ldr George ‘Johnny’ Johnson, who has died aged 101.

His family said he passed away peacefully in his sleep.

The RAF veteran was a bomb aimer on Operation Chastise, 617 Squadron’s famous Dambusters raid of May, 1943, attacking dams in the Ruhr valley with Barnes Wallis’s revolutionary bouncing bombs.

Johnson’s crew was assigned to attack the Sorpe Dam. They made repeated runs to get the speed and height correct and on the 10th attempt Johnson released the bomb. He was later awarded the DFM.

ACM Sir Mike Wigston, Chief of the Air Staff, said: “We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to Johnny Johnson and all of his generation who fought for our freedom in World War II. Their courage, skill and resilience inspires the Royal Air Force to this day. Rest in Peace Squadron Leader Johnson MBE, DFM.”

Wg Cdr Dr Andrew Walters, Chair of 617 Sqn Association, said: “All the Association members are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of our great friend. Johnny overcame humble beginnings to achieve a lifetime of service to his country.

“The Dams Raid demonstrated how cuttingedge aviation technology can achieve strategic effect for a nation, a truism continued

by 617 Sqn today. And Johnny Johnson embodied the personal expertise and resolve required to achieve this.

“But at this difficult time we remember our great friend Johnny, the warmth of his company, his kindness and great sense of humour. We extend our deepest condolence to all his family and his many friends.”

Dr Robert Owen, 617 Sqn Association’s official historian added: “Johnny was a lovely man – the epitome of all that was to be admired of so many of his generation; by nature a kind, generous and modest gentleman, but fully prepared to make his views known and stand up for the things he cared for and believed in. He will be greatly missed. It was a

privilege to have known him.”

Jim Dooley, an ambassador for 617 Sqn, said: “I was deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Johnny Johnson, he and his family were so supportive of the campaigns in London and Lincoln for fitting memorials to all the volunteers who were killed serving in wartime Bomber Command.

“His own exploits on the Dams raids are legendary, displaying true courage and devotion to duty. We mourn the loss of another veteran of a generation that gave so much, so that we could all enjoy the peace we live with today. RIP Johnny, the last of the Dambusters.”

RAF veteran and bestselling writer John Nichol, who was involved in a campaign for Sqn Ldr Johnson to receive a knighthood for his bravery during Operation Chastise, said: “I was very sad to learn that Johnny has died. He was of that incredible generation of World War II warriors who sacrificed so much, yet asked nothing in return.

“I knew Johnny for over 20 years and was privileged to share many a bottle of his much-loved red wine. He was a humble

man and a great RAF officer. The nation has lost a true hero.”

Sqn Ldr Johnson was a keen supporter of the RAF Benevolent Fund’s charity cycle event the Dambusters Ride.

AVM Chris Elliot, the Fund’s Controller, said: “Everyone at the RAF Benevolent Fund is sad to learn of the passing of Sqn Ldr ‘Johnny’ Johnson. His death marks the end of an era and we remain grateful for his support. Our deepest condolences go to his family and friends at this sad time.”

REMEMBERING LOST COMRADES: Johnny (2nd from left) in front of The City of Lincoln Lancaster bomber at 70th anniversary commemorations of Dambusters raids with fellow veteran Les Munro, daughter of Barnes Wallis Mary Stopes-Roe and Wg Cdr David Arthurton. Below, the Eder dam breached by 617 Sqn and, inset, Sqn Ldr Johnson receiving his MBE and during his flying days with the RAF

Tracey Allen

Celebrities wish the RAF Family a Merry Christmas

TO EVERYONE serving in the RAF, and your families, THANK YOU for all that you do. I wish you a safe and joyful Christmas and New Year. I am proud and honoured to be a tiny part of the wonderful RAF family.

Lovely jubbly!  Sue Holderness, actor

ALLO ALLO to everyone serving in the RAF. Now listen very carefully, I shall say this only once. Thank you for the selfless dedication and commitment in all you do to keep our country safe. Without your work and that of our other wonderful Armed Forces, we would not be able to live as we do today. You sacrifice so much and we all owe you a great debt of gratitude. Wishing you a fabulous Christmas and fabulous New Year because you are all fabulous. Lots of love.

Medal joy for 99-year-old WWII veteran Anne-Marie

A VETERAN Air Force radio operator returned to Northolt to receive her campaign medal 77 years after the end of World War II.

Now 99 years old, LAC AnneMarie Allen, who also served at Innsworth and Cranwell, worked as a plotter and once met Battle of Britain hero Douglas Bader.

Flanked by movements section personnel in a guard of honour as she entered the station’s VIP lounge to receive the award, she was emotional at returning to her wartime billet.

She said: “I feel like I just want to join up again. I remember all the old buildings. It’s so lovely to see all these young men and women today, I feel so special.”

There was a further surprise when she was asked to present rank tabs to newly-promoted AS2 Holly Heald –the modern equivalent of LAC.

Northolt Station Commander Gp Capt Toria McPhaden said:“We are delighted to present AnneMarie’s medal today and even more so as RAF Northolt was the last unit she served on.

“Due to the vast number of people across the world who contributed to maintaining our freedom during the Second World War, it was inevitable that some people would not receive due recognition.

Vanessa’s RAF honour

AN INTREPID dirt bike rider who overcame life-changing injuries to compete at the top of extreme sport is the latest person to sign on at Cranwell’s Wall of Honour.

Cyclist Vanessa Ruck endured a series of operations and a sevenyear fight back to fitness after a van smashed into her.

Since then, she’s bought a dirt bike and ridden all over the world, including Bolivia, Ukraine, Sardinia, Iceland, in the Red Bull Maniac

enduro race and on a 1,500km seven-day desert endurance test.

Married to an RAF engineer, she was invited to the Aircrew Survival, Evasion and Resistance Training Centre to tell students about the challenges she’s overcome.

Defence SERE Training Officer Mark Fairhead said: “Vanessa embodies our unbroken spirit ethos – her dedication and commitment, not only to her personal recovery both physical and mental, has been exceptional.”

After lunch in the Warrant Officers’ and Sergeants’ Mess Anne-Marie was presented with a 99th birthday

Waddington Festive fun

CHRISTMAS JUMPERS were out in force as Waddington hosted a festive feast for families of personnel serving overseas.

The Yuletide celebration returned after two years of Covid cancellations as senior officers served up turkey and all the trimmings.

Station commander Gp Capt Mark Lorriman-Hughes said: “It’s a real pleasure to spend time with the loved ones of those who are deployed and a great opportunity to get to know our extended family in Lincolnshire.”

More than 130 guests attended including visitors from neighbouring stations at Cranwell, Coningsby and Digby.

Coningsby mum Natalie Ackland, whose partner is deployed overseas until 2023, was joined by her two daughters and mum Pauline. She said “We’re having a lovely time. It is nice to be all together at this time and we will attend another one.”

Station Warrant Officer Michelle Rees-Martin, an event waiter, said: “It’s a nice way to bring families together. From events like these they can create their own support networks for each other throughout the rest of the year.”

The community support team handed out goody bags and there was an opportunity for families to record private messages to loved ones via BFBS.

TUCK IN: Youngsters enjoy traditional Christmas feast at Lincolnshire station

Vicki Michelle, actor

Simon Mander

“We have already seen many worthy individuals come forward and would encourage any others who feel that they have been overlooked to come forward as soon as possible.”

cake before visiting the historic Sir Keith Park Sector Operations Room.

FIGHT BACK: RAF wife Vanessa Ruck overcame devastating injuries after a serious traffic accident to become an international dirt bike competitor.

PHOTO: GORDON ELIAS

WAR SERVICE: Veteran Anne-Marie Allen receives her campaign medal from Gp Capt Toria McPhaden

A LOADMASTER on exchange to the French Air Force has returned to Brize Norton for Atlas trials.

FS Jamie Edwards arrived at the Oxfordshire base with his Gallic colleagues to test the use of new pallets in the rear of the A400M.

He joined the Equipe de Marque Avions de Transport Tactiques, the French equivalent of the Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit and 206 Sqn, as part of the exchange programme.

The visit comes after UK crews were recently hosted at Bricy Air Base in Orléans – the home of the French A400M programme.

French on a flying visit Pyramid scheme

AEROBATICS ACES the Red Arrows left their trademark red, white and blue contrails over one of the seven wonders of the ancient world to conclude a fiveweek tour of the Gulf region.

After leaving Cairo they performed a flypast over the

Great Pyramid and the Sphinx in Giza at the end of the display team’s first visit to Egypt for almost 20 years, which included a display in Hurghada.

The latest tour took in six countries.

PHOTO: AS1 KATRINA KNOX

DAMBUSTERS

Suits Stu Sir

A FORMER instructor is back at RAF Cranwell to take command of one of the world’s oldest flying units.

Nimrod and King Air veteran Wg Cdr Stu Lockyer is the new Officer Commanding 45 Sqn dubbed ‘the Flying Camels,’ after its badge awarded by Edward VIII to commemorate the aircraft it flew for much of World War I.

He said: “I thoroughly enjoyed my previous tours on 45 Sqn and to return now as Officer Commanding is an absolute honour and a privilege.”

The unit trains multiengine pilots, mission aircrew and airborne specialists on the Embraer Phenom as part of 3 Flying Training School.

Dambusters hit a home run

with our Norwegian partners.”

Air defence was a key theme of the mission, with Royal Navy Type 45 Destroyer HMS Diamond exercising with RAF Typhoons, USAF F-15s and F-35As, providing intensive training for the fighter controllers onboard.

response to simulated air

UK Lightning jets of 617 Sqn on HMS Queen Elizabeth scrambled

Norwegian F-35As on Operation Achillean.

Lightning Commander Gp Capt Phil Marr said: “617 Sqn’s latest embarkation on HMS Queen Elizabeth has been a resounding success, assuring critical high-readiness operational capability and providing an excellent opportunity to strengthen ties

Commander RN Air Gp Capt Mark Sparrow said: “The Lightning Force have generated additional Carrier Qualified pilots whilst also operating with Norwegian F-35 in the North Sea.”

The deployment was designed to demonstrate Nato’s maritime strike capability of F-35 jets supported by Merlin, and Wildcat helicopters.

FS JAMIE EDWARDS

Simon Mander

JETS came back to Marham after practising defending Britain’s Carrier Strike Group in the North Sea.

in

attacks by

STRIKE FORCE:

617 Sqn Lightning on board HMS Queen Elizabeth

Christmas messages from the stars to YOU

HERE’S WISHING everybody in the RAF a brilliant Christmas and a Happy New Year and there’s a 15 per cent discount for all Service personnel at my Imaginary Sandwich Bar. All the best.

Alexei Sayle, actor, author and comedian

MERRY CHRISTMAS from the Massive Wagons crew, it makes a nice change these days to be off for Christmas and New Year and not out in a Land Rover clearing the runway for snow and ice season at RAF Kinloss… although to be honest I really did love that time of year and that job, miss it a lot! Merry Christmas one and all – thank you so much for your service, travel home safe to your loved ones if you can, and maybe see you at a rock show one day! Big love.

Baz, lead singer Massive Wagons

DARLING FRIENDS from the RAF, thank you for protecting us so wonderfully in a very uncertain world.

Have as lovely a Christmas as possible with your precious families, celebrating all your achievements.

And a very Merry Christmas to marvellous RAF News.

Jilly Cooper, author/ journalist

A MILLION thanks to all RAF personnel for everything you do to keep us safe!  Wishing you all a wonderful Christmas and New Year – we are all sending you imaginary mince pies!’

Anne Hegerty, TV personality

TO ALL the amazing men and women working within the RAF and defending the skies. When I look to the stars I send my thanks for all you do. Have a blessed, peaceful and above all a Happy Christmas. Much love, Carly x

Carly Paoli, classical singer

YOU’RE THE best! And I’m sending you my very best wishes and continuing admiration for all you achieve – and have achieved for our country over the years. We are thinking of you this Christmas and sending you and your families admiration and love. Keep flying high in 2023!

Gyles Brandreth, author and broadcaster

TO OUR dear friends in the Royal Air Force and your families, as always –YOU ROCK !!!!

Thank you for the security you give us all. Wishing you a wonderful Christmas Season and a peaceful New Year.

Brian May and Queen

A VERY Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone serving in the RAF and the whole RAF family. We really appreciate everything you do for us! Here’s hoping that wherever you are based over the holiday season, there will be lots of festive food and drink involved.

Cheers and enjoy!

Matt Tebbutt, TV chef

MY RAF darlings, it’s me again wishing you and your amazing families a very Merry Christmas and the most fabulous New Year. I want to thank you for all the amazing work you do. My last boyfriend was in the RAF, well I thought he was. He was always changing jobs, one minute he was a pilot, then he was a policeman, then he was a sailor… turns out he was a stripper. I look forward to flying RAF business class with some of you soon…! Merry Christmas!

La Voix, singer and performer

WHETHER YOU are at home with loved ones or overseas I hope you all have a very well-deserved Happy Christmas. It’s difficult times for everyone and you all continue to do an amazing job keeping us safe. Thank you for everything you do. Sending heartfelt wishes to you all and your families for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Paul O’Grady, presenter

IT’S BEEN a pleasure over the years entertaining the troops and I wish everyone in the RAF a very, very merry Christmas and a wonderful and peaceful New Year.

Tony Hadley, singer

TO ALL the wonderful men and women in the RAF and to all your families, I would like to wish you all from the bottom of my heart the most wonderful, happy and healthy Christmas and a Happy New Year. Thank you so much for everything you do for all of us and for the sacrifices you all make to keep us safe. Sending so much love to you all, Merry Christmas xx

Amelia Lily, singer

Medal citizen Bravery awards earned by Gunner born into extreme poverty go up for auction

Simon Mander

THE MEDALS of a Lancaster hero killed on his 98th mission in the last year of the war are expected to fetch up to £40,000 at auction.

Rear Gunner Warrant Officer Victor Arthur Roe died aged 21 in a raid on Chemnitz in March 1945.

He was later the subject of a book entitled Zero To Hero, that revealed he was one of nine children born to two impoverished alcoholics – all of whom were removed by the courts from their parents’ custody by the age of two.

But, joining the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve, he flew 14 missions in Wellingtons and Halifaxes with 466 Sqn, before completing a further 84 sorties with 35 Sqn and the Pathfinder Force.

Auctioneers Noonans specialist Mark Quayle said: “From humble origins, and the most difficult of starts in life, Victor Roe rose to distinguish himself amongst the elite of the elite – the Pathfinder Force.

“A talented ‘Tail-End Charlie’, he regularly engaged and successfully fought off enemy aircraft from the rear turret of his Lancaster.

“Having crammed so much into his short life, he was killed just two sorties shy of the

Among his exploits he successfully fought off a German fighter during a raid on Haine-St-Pierre in May 1944 that made four successive attacks using cannon and machine gun fire. He returned fire although his turret had been hit and become unserviceable, covering him in oil.

When the Me. 110 made the fourth attack, it was seen to have caught fire in one engine and it is claimed as probably destroyed.

Throughout the combat, Sergeant Roe ‘handled his guns with cool determination, clearing stoppages in between attacks although he had received a slight injury in his right arm from a cannon splinter early in the encounter.’

His rare Conspicuous Gallantry Medal and Distinguished Flying Medal are being sold with a Pathfinder Force Badge Award Certificate, a telegram addressed to his sister informing her that he was ‘Missing in Action,’ plus letters, photographs, and a bible, on behalf

FROM ZERO TO HERO: Pathfinder WO Victor Roe was born into poverty as one of nine children to abusive alcoholic parents.

US base deal

AMERICAN Forces on RAF airbases will benefit from £117m worth of new contracts to deliver repair and maintenance services.

The deals cover the management of buildings and housing for units at Lakenheath, Mildenhall, Croughton, Alconbury, Fairford and Menwith Hill.

Seal beach bomb warning

WILDLIFE ENTHUSIASTS heading for an RAF air weapons range for the grey seal pupping season are being warned to look out for military debris and unexploded ordnance.

Thousands of grey seals descended on beaches near Donna Nook last month to give birth, attracting naturalists from across the UK.

But 885 hectares of the Lincolnshire beach, saltmarsh, and dunes owned by UK Defence are used as a bombing range by British, American and Nato air forces.

Regular live firing and tactical training mean there is a real danger of walkers, ramblers and dogs disturbing ordnance that has been dropped, discarded, or buried.

Last year Royal Engineers detonated two spent 3kg bombs found on the range dropped by an RAF Hawk during training.

Lt Col Andy Hough said: “Military debris does wash up with the tide, or remain

in situ, after air delivered training. Many of these items can be extremely dangerous. If members of the public spot anything we ask them to report it and never touch it.”

Earlier this year a walker sparked an alert by picking up a piece of weaponary and handing it in to the military. Lt Col Hough added: “What they considered an act of diligence put their lives at risk. Had it exploded it would have undoubtedly led to a fatality.”

The area also attracts collectors scouring the beach looking for ordnance, the MOD said.

“Deliberate removal of unexploded ordnance is dangerous, it’s against the law,” said Lt Col Hough.

“Anybody considering removing and selling debris should think about the danger.

Red Alert for UK’s Top Gun trainees

Simon Mander

FUTURE WARFIGHTERS have returned to Waddington after completing one of the most testing combat tactics courses in the world.

A select team of four staff and seven trainees hoping to become Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) Qualified Weapons Instructors deployed to the home of the US Navy’s Top Gun course in Nevada for Exercise Resolute Hunter.

“The aim is to turn operators and intelligence personnel into recognised ISR experts across all domains,” said instructor WO Graham Davis.

“The course provides in-depth theory and practical training, including the intensive live fly exercises Cobra Warrior and Resolute Hunter.”

Run by the US Navy’s Aviation Warfighting Development Center at NAS Fallon, land-based training takes place on the ranges of northern Nevada before trainees are tested aboard US Navy, US Air Force or Royal Australian Air Force aircraft off the coast of San Diego, California.

Trainee Sgt Sam Garner said: “This is world class specific training in one of the most sought-after aspects of Air Power.

“The exercise brings together experiences and skills from coalition partners and fully tests the tactics and training that students have been learning for the last few months.

“More importantly, it cements relationships that will be called upon in the future; in exercise and perhaps in combat.”

Student FS Thomas Evans said: “The lessons we learn here will enable us to return to instructional roles within our respective Services, helping prepare our personnel for

future conflicts against highlycredible and capable adversaries.”

Exercise Resolute Hunter is the only live-fly exercise of sufficient complexity and size in which the focus is ISR where trainees, mostly RAF with some Army exchange personnel, are assessed by American, British and Australian experts.

ISR Warfare School OC Sqn Ldr Jason Murray said: “This exercise represents the pinnacle of all exercises for ISR and is the perfect place for UK military experts to be tested working closely with Allies with a full spectrum of allied capability.

“There is simply no other exercise like it.”

All fired up

Staff Reporter

A NEW £10 million fire station has been completed at Lossiemouth.

It replaces a building dating back to the 1960s on the Moray airbase which is no longer fit for purpose and will be demolished.

The Defence Infrastructure Organisation awarded a contract to Henry Brothers to build a hub from which firefighters can reach any part of the airfield in under two minutes with space for the latest vehicles and a training area.

Work started in August 2021 as part of a series of improvements including resurfaced runways, an upgraded IX (Bomber) Sqn headquarters expected later this year, and more than 300 new en suite single living accommodation rooms for all ranks in 2023.

Over the next few years there are plans for new in-flight catering facilities and a state-of-the-art Air Traffic Control Tower.

Fire Station Manager George McClelland said: “This has been in the planning stage for many, many years and has only been a dream for all previous fire station managers and firefighters.”

FIRE REFIT: Tenders housed in new facility at RAF Lossiemouth

LIFT OFF: F-15 in action at RAF Lakenheath

COMBAT DRILL: Waddington crews join US Navy personnel during Exercise Resolute Hunter

BEACH PATROL: Royal Engineers

Review of the Year 2022

Review of the Year 2022

January February

NHS teams across Britain receive back-up from hundreds of military personnel as Covid cases continue to soar. RAF Gunners are among more than 2,000 medics and general staff deployed to plug staff shortages.

WO Ian Danks is reunited with his search and rescue dog Juno, who vanished on a family walk before being finally tracked down by a drone. The German short-haired pointer trained to find vulnerable people sparked a hunt herself after disappearing for six days at a Norfolk beauty spot.

Air Marshal Sir Baz North, who commanded campaigns in Afghanistan and Iraq, is the first to sign on at the new Wall of Honour at Cranwell. The installation is a unique personal record of individuals who have triumphed over adversity.

The RAF’s last remaining Search and Rescue unit marks a unique feat of 50 years of nonstop flying operations. Since 1972, Cyprus-based 84 Sqn has fought wildfires, rescued downed aircrew and even delivered babies on board its Griffin helicopters.

The crew of a giant cargo transporter rescues Air Cadets Ambassador Wg Cdr Emma Wolstenholme after her bid to row solo across the Atlantic is hit by disaster when her satellite navigation fails, leaving her stranded 600 miles from land.

A 47 Sqn Hercules crew delivers vital supplies to a remote Antarctic research station, flying almost 3,000 miles on a mission to support the British Antarctic Survey team.

A Hawk T1 gets a makeover to mark more than a century of service by 100 Sqn. The infamous WWI ‘Blood and Brains’ logo is revived ahead of the squadron’s disbandment.

Air dog Hertz, dubbed the ‘Hero Hound of Helmand,’ is awarded the PDSA Dickin Medal for saving countless British and Allied lives at the height of the war in Afghanistan.

Former armourer Ade Thorne shares his explosive account of the Falklands War on the 40th anniversary of the conflict. The 61-year-old was part of 5131 (Bomb Disposal) Sqn team deployed to clear landing strips for Harriers.

Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson pays an emotional tribute to the Service ahead of his sell-out tour of the US. The singer and airline pilot recalls how he had to fight back tears when flying RAF Gunners back to the UK from Afghanistan.

Wittering chefs win the hunger games at the Inter-Services cookery competition with a trio of top places Among the awardwinning recipes are curry rations and a Great British Pie challenge.

RAF superfan Jacob Newson is put through his paces on Honington’s assault course ahead of his latest fundraising feat for the Benevolent Fund.

RAF Police who helped Afghan families and UK citizens escape the Taliban win a government security award. Among those deployed to Kabul International Airport is Cpl Georgina Young, who says the operation to evacuate more than 15,000 people will stay with her ‘forever.’

Centenarian pilot ‘Crasher’ Jack Hemmings takes to the skies in memory of a friend who founded the world’s largest humanitarian air service. He takes the controls of the vintage Miles Gemini he and pal Stuart King flew across Africa on their first aid missions in 1948.

Gunners test the latest virtual reality kit during simulated close combat drills. QCS personnel take part in synthetic battlefield training alongside traditional weapons training techniques.

A unique statue of a WWII fighter pilot is unveiled at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s RAF Benevolent Fund garden. The sculpture is made from 223 layers of stainless steel, by artist John Everiss.

Afghanistan Harrier veteran Cdr Paul Tremelling lifts the lid on what it takes to be an elite fast jet pilot.

‘Tremors’, who landed Sea Harriers on the pitching deck of an aircraft carrier at night, was Mentioned in Despatches on Op Herrick.

Gunners brave wild bears and wolves on exercise in the frozen wastelands of Alaska. RAF Regt snipers team up with elite US Army Green Berets to simulate recovery missions behind enemy lines in one of the largest and most inhospitable training areas in the world.

C-17 pilot Wg Cdr Kev Latchman is awarded the AFC for dodging disaster when a convoy of trucks and a bus cross the runway as he takes off from Kabul airport, saving the lives of 365 Afghan refugees on board.

RAF musicians go platinum as they perform at events at St Paul’s Cathedral, London’s Guildhall and Buckingham Palace to mark HM The Queen’s 70th year on the throne.

Typhoons perform a ‘70’ formation over London to mark the Platinum Jubilee, followed by the BBMF Spitfires, Hurricanes and Europe’s only airworthy Lancaster, which thunders down The Mall.

RAF crews join forces with Finnish and Swedish combat jets over Lapland on the latest Nato exercises in the High North. 6 Sqn pilots hone their skills alongside pilots from the two countries bidding to join the Alliance.

Eurovision star Sam Ryder teams up with RAF musicians at the Party at the Palace after they both perform on the Buckingham Palace stage during Britain’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.

Three Gunners set out to become the first people ever to paraglide around the entire coastline of the UK. Sqn Ldr Tim Taylor, Flt Lt Mike O’Hara and RAF Police Flt Lt Andrew Whisker take up the challenge to celebrate the RAF Regt’s 80th anniversary.

Battle of Britain pilot Gp Capt John ‘Paddy’ Hemingway is reunited with a Hurricane for his 103rd birthday. The Dublin born DFC winner destroyed two German bombers and was shot down five times during the conflict.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson takes over the controls of a twoseater Typhoon jet and performs a barrel roll during a training sortie ahead of arriving at the Farnborough Air Show in one of his last public appearances before resigning.

The RAF’s first ever pharmacist signs up with Brize Norton-based 4626 Aeromedical Evacuation Sqn. Flt Lt Suki Sira completed her medical degree before taking up the pioneering post, which could take her anywhere in the world to help British Service personnel.

Chinooks deploy to Estonia as Britain backs up Nato’s enhanced forward presence in the Baltic region. The Odiham-based helicopter force arrives to support troops from the 2 Rifles and Royal Welsh Battle Groups.

August

September

Chinook devotee Louise Clark pays tribute to the iconic Bravo November helicopter she says saved her dad’s life during the Falklands War – by having it tattooed on her arm. She joins dad Ian and other RAF Regt veterans of the conflict for a reunion at the RAF Museum, Midlands.

WO Jason Prior is hailed a hero for helping to save a pensioner seriously injured in a motorway crash. The 4626 Sqn reservist medic moved the 67-year-old man to safety and carried out vital checks as paramedics struggled to get to the scene.

An all-female Hercules crew get the Lionesses’ historic Euros finals win off to a roaring start with a flypast over Wembley stadium. The 47 Sqn transporter flies wing to wing with two Typhoons over the venue as the England team take to the pitch.

US space ace Sgt Scotty Streepy receives an award in The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Birthday Honours. The Britain-based American Serviceman says winning a commendation for his role in UK Space Command is ‘out of this world.’

Thousands of military personnel from across Britain take part in the state funeral for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A procession of representatives from all three Services joins the Royal Family to give the late Monarch a final farewell of pomp and pageantry ahead of her burial at St George’s Chapel in Windsor.

Gunners from The Queen’s Colour Squadron form a Royal Guard of Honour as Britain’s most travelled head of state makes her final journey on a 99 Sqn C-17 using her call sign ‘Kittyhawk,’ for the last time from Edinburgh International Airport to RAF Northolt before continuing to the Palace of Westminster.

Service chiefs stand vigil at The Queen’s coffin in Westminster Hall as soldiers from units serving the Royal Household mount a continuous guard around the platform on which Her Late Majesty lays in state.

RAF NCO Sgt Chrissy Heerey becomes the last person in the mileslong queue of mourners stretching from Parliament along the South Bank of the Thames, past Tower Bridge to Southwark Park, that formed to file past HM The Queen’s coffin.

Atlas pilot Sqn Ldr Mark Parker’s exceptional airmanship in landing at Kabul airport under Taliban fire earns him the Air Pilots’ Grand Master’s Award. His bravery flying in 16 Air Assault Brigade despite an abandoned aircraft blocking the runway is described as ‘showing unwavering courage under fire.’

The countdown to the firstever space launch from UK soil begins after an RAF C-17 Globemaster delivers Virgin Orbit’s Launcher One rocket to Spaceport Cornwall. Its arrival follows a flight by a modified Boeing 747 from California to Newquay, flown by test pilot Sqn Ldr Mathew Stannard.

Rocker Barry Mills reveals that his four years as an MT driver put him on the road to stardom. The 47-yearold vet, who fronts Massive Wagons – whose last album House of Noise made the UK top 10 – says joining up was ‘the best thing I ever did.’

Historian Ben MacIntyre exposes the cosy Colditz myth that the infamous WWII Nazi prison camp was a chummy band of brothers, revealing snobbery, class divides and racism were rife among the PoWs.

RAF Regt instructors begin training Ukrainian troops as the UK pledges to prepare up to 10,000 recruits for frontline duty in the war with Russia. Among the combat skills being taught are tactics to evade Iranian Shahed-136 drones used by Putin in the latest terror strikes on civilians.

Strongman Ryan Linley digs so deep towing a 20 tonne Lancaster 100 metres down a runway he temporarily blinds himself. The 32-year-old trucker is the first to complete the challenge at the Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre.

C-130J veteran Sqn Ldr Edward Bindloss-Gibb of 47 Sqn becomes the latest to be rewarded for bravery during the Kabul airlift. He receives the Air Force Cross for his role in the operation.

Mum-of-three Helen Crawford reveals her losing fight against the biggest killer of women under 50 in the UK – secondary breast cancer. She receives the news that her incurable condition has spread but vows to campaign to help others.

UK F-35s join Britain’s flagship aircraft carrier as it hosts top-level talks. 617 Sqn join the crew of HMS Queen Elizabeth for deployment on Operation Achillean to demonstrate Nato’s fifth-generation maritime strike capability.

It’s a Royal knockout as Prince William gets ringside at RAF Coningsby to open the station’s new boxing club and view the new multi-billion-pound air traffic control upgrade.

Britain, Italy, and Japan join forces to develop fighter jets of the future, including development of the sixth-generation Tempest. The three countries form a Global Combat Air Programme.

Britain pays tribute to Johnny Johnson, the last Dambuster, who dies peacefully at a care home in Bristol aged 101. He served as a bomb aimer during the famous WWII raids on the Sorpe, Möhne and Eder dams.

The support squadron an Iron grip on war fighting

Providing forward tactical air command and control on frontline

AS BRITISH Forces ramp up their war-fighting capabilities to face down the growing threat along NATO’s eastern borders and in the Pacific, Air Land Integration at all levels is being rapidly re-orientated from the counter-insurgency focus of the last two decades to major combat operations.

Leading the charge is the UK Air Support Operations Squadron (ASOS), part of Air 11 Gp and under Command of the Global Air Component Commander.

UK ASOS are tasked to coordinate and deliver Air Power into the land environment, as part of a multidomain approach to warfighting. The Boscombe Down-based team recently returned from honing their skills alongside the Army’s Warfighting Division on Exercise Cerberus in Sennelager, Germany, NATO’s largest land-based training exercise involving more than 3,000 troops from across the alliance.

ASOS commander Wg Cdr Daz Haith said: “We are that air and land integration bridge and manage the three-dimensional motorways in the sky to make sure the brigades get what they need. We are the Babel Fish communicators between what the soldiers in the land formations require and we work out how air can support them.”

The concept was forged in the heat and dust of the North Africa campaign in World War II. Adapting it to function with the latest weapons systems and fifthgeneration aircraft requires exceptional organisational ability. The Air Support Integration Group works on a deliberate cycle – planning air effects and supporting clear avenues of fire for stand-off weapons. They also dynamically react to changes on the battlefield in real time, while air liaison officers are deployed and embedded with Army Brigades.

Working across the NATO alliance, they act as air power brokers, bringing together air and land capabilities to achieve the right effects at the right time. Wg Cdr

Haith added: “We are deployed forward in the battlefield. We are in their vehicles and their tents to make sure that as the situation changes everyone understands what that Brigade commander requires and how to translate that plan through our air HQ to make sure their request can be met.

“The purpose of Cerberus was to validate 16 Air Assault Brigade, 12th Armoured Brigade Combat Team (BCT), 1 Aviation BCT, 7 Light Mechanised BCT and 1st Deep Recce Strike (DRS) BCT. We had our air liaison officers embedded into all those Brigade headquarters out in the field while the UK ASOC

was creating that tactical air command and control in the divisional operations

Air Liaison Officers are drawn from across the Service but the job is a natural fit for tactical air traffic controllers and battlespace managers. Sqn Ldr Valentina Klejnow came to the unit from the Air Traffic Control branch. She said: “We work on a set planning cycle. If you are trying to be dynamic, you are planning ahead for something that could change significantly.

WG CDR HAITH

“You try to be pre-emptive at the next level up. You are thinking

about what the brigade might be doing to make sure you have requests in and bidding for air with the JFAC – that is the biggest challenge.

“The art of being an ALO is understanding what is likely to be required in the future plan and getting ahead of the game. We are not just thinking about UK aircraft, these are NATO exercises so there is a real mix of stuff. We have to be cognisant that we are not always going to have access to just Typhoon or British platforms.

to We

squadron with fighting

type or nationality is not our focus, it’s the effect they could deliver that’s important.

“I wouldn’t ask for a Typhoon to be put on the target, I would ask for the target to be prosecuted. The Air Component Commander would then decide and select the best platform whether that was a French or German platform.”

Flt Lt Rob Davis was embedded with 1 Aviation Brigade Combat Team during Exercise Cerberus.

He added: “They relied on air heavily in the past and we made a lot of good progress through collaborative working to integrate better.

“We got so good at counterinsurgency because we did so

much of it. Now we are moving towards a new war-fighting posture and these exercises train Iron Division to become world leaders in war fighting where there is a change of mindset, the future conflict will be in a less permissive air environment.

“This is a complex job with complex challenges. Air Liaison Officers need to be collegiate. You need thinkers and people who are constantly learning. A lot of people in the Service like to stay in their lane. This is not like that.”

Working under the Global Air Component Commander as part of the RAF’s 11 Group, the ASOS team are a critical asset on major operations, maximising the effect of air power across the battlespace.

Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine is a real-world test for NATO’s military mantra of multi-domain integration, where individual components are brought together under a joint commander.

11 Gp Assistant Chief of Staff Operations, Air Cdre Chris Mullen, said: “Operating under a single Air Component Commander enables us to deliver the effects required by the Joint Commander and respond to any threat with agility and at pace. The RAF were operating combat air over NATO territories on our Eastern Flank from day one of the Russian invasion.

complexity and the multi-domain nature of the fight to enable us to integrate our capabilities.

“Whereas previously we have participated in land or air-focused exercises with the other component being represented through simulation or in an unrepresentative manner, we are now looking to generate more effective collective training that enables increased integration and an ability to develop the capability required to deliver on combat operations.”

The next big-ticket event in the Air Support Operations Sqn’s calendar is the multi-national Exercise Warfighter in Texas, next year. The two-week exercise sees the ASOS working with real-world armour and troops on a simulated battlefield to hone their warfighting skills and test commanders’ ability to plan and conduct high-intensity operations.

contested

“Over the last 20 years, our air operations and ability to support the Land component have been shaped by the fact we were operating in a permissive air environment. We now have conflict on the European mainland and the challenge we face is very different. It is vital we prepare our forces to operate in contested and degraded environments.

“Control of the air is critical to the delivery of major combat operations but we won’t necessarily be able to exert our authority in terms of air superiority the way we could in the first and second Gulf wars or in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria.

“Therefore, we need to train as we fight. That is what we are aiming for on exercises like Cerberus, where we progressively increase the

Wg Cdr Haith added: “It is increasingly important in a complex battle space to deliver effect at the pace required to fight through conflict and achieve resolution by outmanoeuvring the thinking of the enemy. The ability to integrate all aspects in the multi-domain is vitally important.

added:

“We support the Joint Force Air Component Commander, providing the aspects of air command and control to bring together air and land effect efficiently and effectively.”

DAVIS

OUT IN THE FIELD: ASOS Air Liaison Officers get some training during crucial war-fighting exercises

AIR POWER:RAF Typhoon and French Mirage

AIR ASSETS: ALOs can call in a whole array of alliance aircraft, including RAF Chinooks and US Blackhawks, as seen here

PHOTO: CPL TIM LAURENCE

Crew View Air Support Operations

AS1 HADEN ROWLEDGE

FLT LT ADAM BELLENGER

“I love the fact we are working with so many coalition partners on large scale exercises like Virtual Flag alongside US, Canadian and Australian teams”

“It is a unique opportunity to train within a multinational environment and to find out how different things work and develop your skills”

FLT LT SIMON WAIN

“There are very few units with the same capabilities in NATO, which gives us the opportunity to be subject matter experts in battle space management”

CPL STEFAN HINTON

“Working with multinational partners as part of a deployable unit is great. Deploying on Exercise Cerberus in Germany was a great opportunity to test our capabilities first-hand”

SQN LDR STEPH BARON

“This is different from my previous role as an air traffic controller and gives me the chance to work closely with the Army and Navy in a totally new environment. We are always in demand”

FLT LT MATTHEW BLAIKIE

“This job is totally focused on a wartime role. The mindset required is very different. There are not many Air Support Operations Controllers in NATO and you are focused on conflict”

George ‘Johnny’ Johnson MBE, DFM

The last Dambuster

GEORGE ‘JOHNNY’ JOHNSON, the last of the surviving Dambusters who attacked the Ruhr Dams in May 1943, has died at the age of 101.

Born in Lincolnshire, he volunteered in 1940 for flying duties in the RAFVR in July 1942 and trained as an air gunner. He joined No. 97 Squadron flying Lancasters and flew on bombing operations with a number of different crews until completing a course as a bomb aimer.

When he returned to No. 97, he joined the crew of American Flight Lieutenant Joe McCarthy DFC, who had joined the RCAF before the USA had entered the war. On December 21, 1942 he flew his first sortie with his new crew when the target was Munich. Night fighters badly damaged their Lancaster and McCarthy had to make an emergency landing on return.

Over the next three months the crew flew 19 operations including attacks on Berlin, Hamburg and industrial cities in the Ruhr. By the end of March Johnson and his colleagues had completed their tour of operations and were due for a rest. However, McCarthy had recently met Guy Gibson who was forming ‘X’ Squadron for a special task. Gibson selected the McCarthy crew and the squadron was soon given the number 617.

Johnson was due to be married and was given four days leave for his wedding before heading for Scampton and six weeks of intense low-flying and bombing training. The pilots and navigators learned of the target the day before the operation but it was not until early the following day that Johnson

and the rest of the aircrew discovered they were to attack the Ruhr Dams.

Nineteen crews of No. 617 Squadron were briefed for Operation Chastise on May 1, 1943. The modified Lancasters were to make a low-level attack to drop Barnes Wallis’s revolutionary ‘bouncing bomb’ on three major dams in the Ruhr. McCarthy’s crew were one of five assigned to attack the Sorpe Dam.

As the engines of their Lancaster were started, McCarthy’s crew discovered a technical fault and had to switch to the reserve aircraft. Taking off from RAF Scampton 35 minutes late, they crossed the Dutch island of Vlieland at very low level just before midnight. One aircraft was forced to return after hitting the sea and losing its bomb, and a second was damaged by German gunners and also had to return. Two more were shot down, leaving the McCarthy crew as the only survivors tasked to attack the Sorpe.

A thick mist in the nearby valleys made navigation at 100 feet difficult, but once the crew had found the target, McCarthy set up an attack along its length. Hills either side of the dam made the bombing run particularly difficult and McCarthy had to dive the heavy bomber to 60 feet and level out for a few seconds before climbing out to avoid hills on the other side of the valley. The responsibility for a successful attack then rested with Johnson, the bomb aimer.

The crew made repeated runs to get the speed and height correct, and it was not until the 10th attempt that Johnson was satisfied and he released the bomb accurately

alongside the dam. The explosion from the direct hit was insufficient to break the huge earth wall of the dam and McCarthy set heading for base. They retraced their steps across Germany and Holland and landed back at base.

The two primary targets, the Möhne and the Eder dams, were breached but eight of the 19 Lancasters failed to return, with the loss of 53 aircrew.

There were many gallantry awards for the crews including the Victoria Cross for the leader Wg Cdr Guy Gibson, a DSO for McCarthy and the DFM for Johnson.

Following the raid, Johnson went on to fly another 19 bombing operations and was commissioned. McCarthy was promoted and became one of the key leaders under the new CO, Wg Cdr Leonard Cheshire, described by Johnson as, ‘the best commander I ever served under’.

No. 617 was issued with a new bombsight in order to drop the 12,000lb blast bomb. During the spring of 1944 the squadron attacked key industrial targets with the huge bomb, many of them in France during the build-up phase to D-Day. Johnson flew his final, and 50th, operation on April 10 before becoming a bombing instructor.

After the war he trained as a navigator and flew with Coastal Command’s No. 120 Squadron, flying the new Shackleton aircraft. In 1957 he left for Singapore to be an operations officer in a maritime air headquarters. After three years he returned to the UK to spend his final tour in the RAF on a Thor ballistic missile site in Lincolnshire.

He decided to leave the RAF in 1962 and train as a teacher.

In 2008 he returned to the Ruhr Dams whilst a documentary film was being made. He recognised that the raid was exciting and valuable at the time, but in later life, once he became aware of the scale of losses (on both sides), he questioned the need for the attack and regretted the heavy loss of life. He was very moved after meeting German locals and survivors. His conduct and manner during the filming received wide acclaim.

By the time of the 70th anniversary of the Dams raid in May 2013 there were few survivors left and it marked the beginning of a period when the quiet and modest Johnson became a celebrity. He made many appearances including the Royal Albert Hall, the Goodwood Festival of Speed and had a 20-minute audience with HM The Queen. In May 2018 he flew in the Lancaster of the RAF’s Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, when he once again occupied the bomb aimer’s position.

In June 2016 he was appointed MBE, ‘for services to Second World War remembrance and the community in Bristol’. When asked his feelings about his award, his reply was, ‘It is the squadron that is being honoured with this, not me’. His pursuit of suitable recognition for the work of Bomber Command never flagged.

Johnson remained a lifelong friend of Joe McCarthy and his family, and he speaks highly of his pilot in his memoirs The Last British Dambuster (2014).

617 HEROES: Johnson, far left, McCarthy, 3rd from right, and crew

AOC and NATO military rep with a love of rugby

AIR CHIEF MARSHAL

Sir Michael Knight died five days after his 90th birthday. During his long RAF career he rose from being a National Service pilot to the UK’s Military Representative at NATO HQ in Brussels.

Sir Michael began flying with Liverpool University Air Squadron and completed his training as a pilot during his National Service. Electing to remain in the RAF, he flew transport aircraft, including being amongst the first crews flying the Comet, with 216 Squadron.

In 1957 he converted to the Canberra bomber, the beginning of a long association with the aircraft, and one in which he would accumulate 2,500 flying hours. He joined 139 Squadron in Lincolnshire before heading to Cyprus in January 1959 to join 249 Squadron, to train crews in special target marking techniques for operations.

He then commanded 32 Squadron, where he developed tactics for the operational use of the recently introduced air-to-ground rockets. For his work in Cyprus, he was awarded the AFC.

After serving in the Air Ministry, he was posted to Tengah, the RAF’s largest operational base in the Far East, to command the Strike Wing. His squadrons included three operating the Canberra, a Hunter ground attack squadron and a Javelin all-weather fighter squadron. As in all his appointments, he took every opportunity to fly and was able to travel widely, usually with his rugby boots in his baggage.

In late December 1970, he was appointed the senior military assistant to the Chairman of Nato’s Military Committee, the former Luftwaffe fighter ace General Johannes Steinhoff, who had been severely burnt in the final weeks of the war when his Messerschmitt 262 jet fighter crashed on take-off. Sir Michael had great admiration for the general.

In December 1973, Knight took command of Laarbruch, the home of two Buccaneer squadrons, a Phantom squadron and a surfaceto-air missile squadron. He flew with his squadrons whenever possible and was a very popular commander who understood and enjoyed the work hard, play hard ethic.

After attendance at the Royal College of Defence Studies, Knight served in MOD responsible for air support operations. During his time, he was closely involved in the operation to send reinforcements to Belize following threats of invasion by Guatemala. Six Harrier jets, supported by the

SIR MICHAEL: Energetic and sociable leader

Hercules transport fleet, were deployed to Belize in July 1977. The presence of this show of force prevented any escalation of trouble.

After two years, Knight became the senior air staff officer at HQ RAF Strike Command responsible for the efficiency and the day-today operations and exercises of the many squadrons and operational ground units – an appointment he described as “very busy”.

In 1980 he was appointed in April as the Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group.

In early 1982 his Vulcan bomber squadrons were due to begin standing down after years of service, and as the new Tornado was beginning to replace them. When the Argentinians invaded the Falkland Islands on April 2, 1982 he was ordered to prepare and support his air-to-air refuelling Victor squadrons and a Vulcan squadron for possible action.

To equip his ageing force for this unexpected commitment 8,000 miles from their bases in England required the aircraft to undergo a series of non-standard modifications, including fitting the Vulcans with an air-to-air

refuelling capability, additional secure communications and the ability to deliver advanced weapons new to the aircraft. In addition, he had to oversee the intensive training of his crews for a role that was very different from that needed for operations in Europe.

On promotion to Air Marshal in January 1983, he was appointed to the Air Force Board as the Air Member for Supply and Organisation, giving him responsibility for all the support, maintenance, supply and organisational aspects of the RAF.

After three years he returned to Brussels in August 1986 to be the United Kingdom’s Military Representative (Milrep), providing a link between the UK government and the organisation. Leading the military team in the UK Delegation, his role of Milrep was to protect British interests and to articulate the UK military input to an ever-developing NATO strategy – at a time when the end of the Cold War was in sight. He utilised his outstanding networking skills to extremely good effect.

Sir Michael retired from the

RAF in August 1989, having been appointed KCB.

In retirement, he was heavily involved in the aerospace industry and supported many charities. He was chairman of the RAF Charitable Trust and served as the president of the Aircrew Association.

Knight was assiduous in promoting aviation amongst the young. After leaving the RAF, he reverted to the rank of Flying Officer in the RAFVR (Training), in which he spent the next eight years giving air experience to young ATC and CCF cadets flying in Chipmunk aircraft. He was chairman and then president of the Air League, which, inter alia, offered flying scholarships to young people. Later he was made a Life Vice-President. Until the end of his life, he gave strong support to a scheme to provide flying scholarships to the disabled.

His two favourite aircraft were the Vulcan and the Buccaneer. As chairman of the Vulcan to the Sky Trust he was heavily involved in the campaign to restore to flight the last Vulcan bomber, XH558. He was the first president of the Buccaneer Aircrew Association,

a position he held for almost 20 years. He never missed an annual reunion, the ‘Buccaneer Blitz’. His post-lunch address was a highlight, enlivened by his wicked humour and irreverent sideswipes at other fast jet communities.

He was passionate about rugby, playing his first game when he was 11 years old and over the following 32 years he played all over the world as a second row forward. His final game, as a Group Captain with the Laarbruch Ancients, resulted in a 41-0 victory in Berlin, when he scored the final try. He was chairman of the RAF Rugby Association and later served as the RAF representative on the Rugby Football Union.

A charismatic, larger-thanlife character, he was immensely energetic and enthusiastic in pursuing his many interests. He enjoyed the camaraderie and banter of the squadron crew room. Always insisting on the need to fly according to the regulations and the aircraft’s limitations, he admired and encouraged those with an aggressive spirit – in and out of aircraft – and he rarely missed a party.

NICKNAMED ‘THE wooden wonder’ by those who flew it, the de Haviland Mosquito was an exceptional aircraft and, it’s claimed, perhaps the most versatile warplane ever built.

It made its maiden flight in November 1940 and was soon outpacing the Spitfire. It contributed to the RAF’s offensive against Nazi Germany as a bomber, pathfinder and night fighter.

David Price, author of Mosquito Men The Elite Pathfinders of 627 Squadron (headofzeus.com) says: “As a subject for a storyteller, the Mosquito does not disappoint. Novel in construction and exceptionally fast, it encouraged feats of audacity and courage on the part of its fliers.

“It is an aircraft that from its earliest development placed new capabilities in the hands of its crew; for the Royal Air Force it became the first true multi-role combat aircraft.”

Price’s latest book draws on family archives of former 627 Sqn members, including previously unseen photographs, and features accounts from navigator Ken Oatley, the last surviving airman to fly with the squadron, who flew a total of 22 operations with them.

The military aviation writer said: “The success of any wartime operation was not solely about the technical prowess of the flying machine, but at heart had to be about the skill and character of the men who controlled it.

“Ken is the last among us to have seen their target grown large in the small windscreen of a Mosquito as it dived to place its markers. He met – and served with – such men as Guy Gibson and Leonard Cheshire.”

He added: “It is notable that the men who excelled at 627 Squadron were in the final stages of their operational careers – for many of them, service on the ‘Mossie’ was

Mossie: wooden wonder

Stories of the Mosquito & the men who flew her

WE HAVE copies of Mosquito Men and Mosquito Intruder Pilot to win. For your chance to own one, tell us: When did the de Haviland Mosquito make its maiden flight?

Email your answer, marked Mosquito books competition, to: competitions@rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by January 13, 2023. Mark on your entry which book you would prefer to win.

their swansong as aircrew.

“I have no qualms in describing the men of 627 Squadron as ‘elite’ –their service record bears witness to their extraordinary achievements. For all the attention we give the ‘Mosquito Men’ however, we must not forget the heavy burden borne by women during this most turbulent of times.

“This was a time in history when women fulfilled many roles

Win!

would strengthen understanding of 627 Squadron, often mentioned in official histories but until now largely overlooked in studies of World War II.

He added: “The considerable risks that its fliers took played a significant part in the overall Allied victory; furthermore, their operational experiences led to improvements in the accuracy of weapons, which would aid the development of the deterrents that maintained peace in Europe for many decades.”

Ben Walsh lied about his age to join the RAF, determined to play his part in World War II.

He volunteered as an intruder pilot, flying low-level operations in the dark. After flying ops in Douglas Boston Intruder IIs, he converted to the Mosquito FB VI.

He flew on ops for three years, initially over Europe with 418 (RCAF) Squadron, then ferrying one of the first Mosquito FB VIs to India before flying in the Burma campaign with 27 Squadron and finally with 45 Squadron. He was still only 21 at the end of the war.

Now his son Jeremy, also an RAF pilot, has written his father’s story – Mosquito Intruder Pilot, A Young Pilot’s WW2 Experiences in Europe and the Far East (pen-and-sword. co.uk).

focusing on a handwritten ‘Roll of Honour’, where Ben had listed the names of his friends and colleagues who had been lost to the war.

traditionally reserved for men, and thereby changed society irrevocably. Although women were not allowed to fly in combat, their work on the manufacture of the Mosquito – together with the main tasks they carried out on the airfields that operated them –proves they made an incalculably large contribution to the winning of the air war.”

Price said he hoped the book

Ben died in October 2008. His son said: “Nearly 66 years before, as a young RAF pilot, he flew his first operational mission as an intruder over occupied Europe. Caught by a searchlight, with anti-aircraft fire bursting around them, by skill and luck he brought his crew and aircraft back safely. Ben returned from many more operations.”

A year after his father passed away, Jeremy looked through Ben’s wartime photograph album,

The author explained: “This Roll of Honour became the mainstay, the foundation to my mission to uncover the true story of my father’s war…I have tried to paint an accurate picture of the highs and lows of combat flying during the 1940s, what it meant to be a young, gifted pilot on operations for three years.

“I know that my father was ‘lucky’. He survived to live a happy, fulfilling life after the war. Tens of thousands of aircrew did not. A few of those are named in Ben’s Roll of Honour.

“All who flew, served and endured are part of a generation whose names should never fade from their own rolls of honour.”

ACTION MEN: 627 Sqn SNCOs Ken Flatt, Doug Garton and Vic Atter in front of Leonard Cheshire’s Mosquito

INTRUDER PILOT: Ben Walsh (third from right) in front of an Oxford aircraft at RAF Kidlington in November 1941. Ben is the subject of son Jeremy’s book

INTRUDER PILOT: Ben Walsh (left) and his navigator ‘Ossie’, 27 Sqn, RAF Agartala, India, December 1943

LAST SURVIVOR: 627 Sqn Nav Ken Oatley and, inset left, in his RAF days

Honda’s city slicker

TIM MORRIS Motoring Correspondent

IF YOU’RE looking for a city car, then Honda’s latest Jazz is nighon perfect. It’s nimble, it’s precise, it’s small enough to fit into tight spaces and it will return 61.4mpg on a combined cycle. It simply does what it says on the tin, and does it well.

Inside, it’s surprisingly spacious too, thanks to some very clever storage compartments and a carefully designed fuel tank.

If you spend a lot of time in town there’s a lot to like. The Jazz is a car that’s perfect for getting you from A to B with no fuss. It’s easy to drive and easy to live with, hard-working, practical, dependable.

Inside

The dash looks clean and uncluttered, with chunky heater knobs that make it super simple to adjust the climate control –refreshing in a world of hidden menus.

It’s surprisingly spacious for a small car and has more legroom in the rear thanks to that welldesigned fuel tank that now sits beneath the front seats. You sit high up, which gives you a good view

of the road ahead. The steering wheel, seat and pedals all line up nicely. There’s also a good range of adjustment on everything, so it’s easy to get comfortable.

The driver’s instrument cluster displays every bit of information that you could possibly need but the order of information has you scratching your head slightly because it’s not laid out in the most logical way. You soon get used to it, but it takes a minute. The central infotainment screen is well designed, with phone mirroring and a host of other useful apps. Our test car had the Garmin-derived satnav too, which was slick to operate with sharp graphics.

There’s plenty of glass so the cabin feels light and airy. The only downside to the massive sloping windscreen is that, in sunny weather, the huge flat dash surface glares back at you.

On The Road

The Jazz is a pleasant car to drive and excels in the city. It’s small enough to thread through heavy traffic and the light steering makes it easy to navigate awkward turns. It’s also incredibly easy to park in tight spaces.

It’s remarkably hushed at low speeds because it spends most of its time running on electric. Even when the engine does cut in, it’s a quiet

little thrum that soon vanishes.

On the open road it’s still a nippy bit of kit but you find yourself avoiding using any power at all because, when you put your boot down, the revs rocket to the stratosphere. It sounds like you’re stuck in second gear until you back off, which isn’t a pleasant experience.

Through the bends, it doesn’t give you a huge amount of grip and it leans a bit more than some rivals. You soon learn to allow for it when you’re in a hurry, but it isn’t overtly noticeable during everyday driving.

The brakes are good and the

cabin is relatively hushed. There’s a bit of wind noise from around the door mirrors at higher speeds but nothing of note.

Downsides

Let me be clear, this is not a car for petrol heads. 0-62mph takes 9.5 seconds and, although you will eventually top 100mph, just, you’ll have aged so much by the time you get there that it won’t matter anymore.

It’s also not cheap, by class standards. At £24,815, on the road, for the e-HEV EX, it sits towards the steep end of the scale. You could buy a Golf for that kind of wedge.

Pros

l An ideal city car, that’s easy to park.

l Well-equipped with lots of standard kit.

l Clever seating that provides lots of interior space.

l Will hold its value well.

Cons

l Pricey for a small car.

l Not much fun on the open road.

l Noisy engine under acceleration.

Verdict

The Honda Jazz is one of the most innovative small cars on the market when it comes to the use of interior space. It’s not massively fun to drive on winding B roads but it is very easy to live with, particularly in the city. Hybrid power makes it cheap to fuel and slow depreciation helps make up for the high price tag. It’s simple, easy motoring and, in my book, the official definition of ‘city car’ should simply read ‘see Honda Jazz’.

Honda Jazz e-HEV

“

They're muddy heroes

A MUDDY and challenging RAF Halton cyclocross course was meat and drink for the Service as they stormed to IS glory in the men’s and women’s events.

RAF Corporals Sarah Toms and Ian Lee took the titles, with great support from team riders to nullify the Army’s challenge.

Toms, who had Sgt Lucy Cotman finish third behind her, and recorded a time of 37 minutes and 16 seconds, said: “It was a great course, a mixture of soggy grass, forests, exposed roots, short steep climbs and a touch of slippery tarmac for good measure.

“It was all made super muddy for the men’s race after a 20-minute downpour, testing their bikehandling skills.

“Both races made for great

watching, with plenty of battles going on between riders.

“Cross is a growing sport, becoming more and more popular, so it was great to win and push the sport forward.”

Staged at Halton for the first time in five years, the women’s race saw five Forces riders competing in dry and bright conditions, around four laps of the 3km track.

In the men’s event drastically changing weather conditions before the start made for an interesting race, but the RAF’s top two – Cpl Ian Lee and AS Tom Whitworth – set off well. Despite Leicester University’s Cai

Davies taking the overall win, Cpl Lee crossed the line in a time of one hour, four minutes to become the IS winner, with Whitworth in second

Lee said: “I am delighted with the win. We had the Army close behind us all the way and the conditions made it very challenging.”

Event organiser Sqn Ldr Kieren

Jarrett said: “Following the success of this year’s event, the RAF Cycling Association is engaged with British Cycling to host one of the coveted National Trophy Events next year.”

Tulsa torment for Haywood in the home of BMX

week before and the layout is changed each year.

IT WAS ride time Stateside for Sgt Matt Haywood, but the RAF BMXers’ close to the season ended in the dirt, despite some battling rides.

Team captain Haywood competed in the USA BMXs Race of Champions (ROC) and the Grand National Finals on both the 20” BMX and 24” Cruiser at the SageNet Expo Centre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

He narrowly missed out on a final place in the 20", coming fourth in the 31+ Open class first qualifier, which meant he had to race again. This time he managed to come second, securing a place in the next round, where he ended up a respectable sixth.

The following day he narrowly missed out on the 24” bikes for the Grand Final, crashing out in the last qualifier.

Haywood said: “The event, which is held each Thanksgiving weekend, attracts more than 3,500 riders from across the globe. With more than 900 motos [races] to get through for each event, it takes two days to complete each, with the action starting at 7am.

“The track is built from mud the

“I had a good start from gate two in the 20” second round, but that was after a six-hour wait. I pushed hard and ended up second, which was enough to put me through to the finals, but my sixth there was not enough.”

Swapping his normal 20” ride for the larger 24” and with a strong gate in the first qualifier, he managed to push through to third, but despite holding a great finish, it was not enough to qualify for the next round.

Following a seven-hour wait Haywood raced one last time, this time from gate eight.

Following a great start, the airman looked good to secure his place into the finals but all that came to an abrupt end on the last jump, as he lost control and crashed out.

He added: “Despite not making the finals, it was still a great experience racing in the USA. I will definitely be back in the future to try to make that elusive main final at the biggest BMX race on earth.”

l Follow the RAF BMX team on Instagram @raf_bmx.

BMX

CHAMPIONS: Cpl Ian Lee, above, and Cpl Sarah Toms, left, led the way for the RAF at Inter-Services

PHOTO: AS1(T) CALLUM HAYWOOD

Daniel Abrahams

ICE HOCKEY

Ice warriors

THERE WAS a 20-year anniversary and five days of hightempo action for the Service ice hockey championships in Cardiff.

RAF Bluewings took the overall crown, beating the Vulcans 3-0 in the final, while the event was closed out by a RAFIHA select team beating Lossie Jets 4-0 to mark the station team’s two decades landmark.

Jets captain Ben Cullen said: “We welcomed back some former players who had either been posted to Lossiemouth or played for us before.

“Even though it wasn’t the outcome the Jets hoped for, the game was played in the right way, with a great battle and determined

effort from both teams.”

The opening day of the championship saw the Bluewings leading Cosford Stars, with three wins and six points to Cosford’s five points after two wins and a draw.

The two traded places after the second day of action with Cosford sitting on nine points and Bluewings on eight going into the group stages.

In group one the Bluewings were back on form

beating Cosford and the Vulcans, firing them straight into the final, with a decider to be played between the Vulcans and Cosford, while Lossie led group two with two wins before playing their match against RAFIHA.

Having beaten Cosford 7-0 the Vulcans turned their sights on the Bluewings, who triumphed to take the championship title for the

southwest of England team.

l Follow RAF ice hockey on Instagram: @raficehockey.

Corporals the best of British

A POWERFUL second half Royal Navy display left the RAF U23s’ Inter-Services dreams hanging in the balance after a 24-7 win for the hosts at Havant.

RAF head coach Flt Lt James Henriet said: “It was tough on the lads, but we spoke about adversity and losing, they were hurt by it, deeply, but they are such a talented bunch of lads, and we know we have two more seasons of development and the players all want more, they have all bought into that, and this championship has lit the fire in them for more.

“I am very proud of that and of what we achieved, but more so for what is to come.”

Henriet had warned his team’s final match of the championships would be difficult, but after a superb start which saw them lead 7-0, he may have thought maybe his charges would lift the cup.

Having held an early Navy try on the line, the

RAF took the lead against the run of play as vicecaptain AS1 K MacDougal, hero of the team’s opening historic 9-7 win over the Army, charged down a Navy kick clearance and collected the ball before slipping over, but not before calmly

offloading to AS1 Joe Thresh. With the Navy in disarray, Thresh led them a merry dance before Collins collected to touch down between the posts.

It was a moment of brilliance, that knocked the hosts back. It took them until after the half-hour to reply. A line-out then produced the Airmen’s undoing, as the Senior Service collected with prop forward Wright touching down.

Unbowed, the RAF then saw seven attempts for the Navy try line repelled with Collins and AS2 Josh Peacock among the players pushed back when inches from glory, before MacDougal spread the ball to the Navy left before it was intercepted.

The second half went the way of the hosts as they stormed in a series of tries, the first a carbon copy of their opener. Losing MacDougal to a head injury was a massive blow for the airmen.

The result leaves the competition wide open; a Navy win or draw means RN victory, while an Army win means points difference decides the championship.

AFTER A season of collecting chequered flags the RAF sidecar duo of Corporals Rob Atkinson and Mark Middleton finally collected their ACU British Formula 2 trophy.

Cpl Atkinson said: “I am immensely proud of what we’ve achieved this year, it’s taken a lot of hard work and perseverance to get to this stage. To see it finally pay off is a dream. To say you’re a British champion in any sport is an amazing feeling.”

In only the team’s third season competing in the British Championship, having finished second and third in previous seasons, the dynamic duo finally got their hands on the F2 Cup at a formal presentation evening at the Raddison Blu Hotel, East Midlands Airport.

The award was presented by former Isle of Man TT and World Sidecar Championship winner Patrick Farrance.

Cpl Middleton said: “It feels like a long time coming, but to achieve a British title in only our third year competing at this level is amazing. Rubbing shoulders with TT winners who I watched on TV as a kid is surreal.

“We have built a real team here with sponsors who have backed us to the hilt, such as The RAF Motorsports Association, Artic Facilities Management and Atlantic Aviation Group Defence Services.

“We would also like to say a big thank you to all our team, not only the people who turn up every week up and down the country but our support base back home. We couldn’t do it without them.

“We’d also like to wish Pat Hamblin, a servant to the sport for 30 years, a happy retirement and thank her for enabling us to go racing.

“Stay tuned for next year’s calendar and see you all next season.”

RUGBY UNION

Daniel Abrahams

GAMES: Fast-paced TRISH THOMPSON PHOTOGRAPHY

CHAMPS: Cpls Atkinson and Middleton

FESTIVAL WINNERS: Bluewings celebrate

ICE SPORTS kicked off the year’s action with the largest contingent of military personnel attending an Olympic Games in Service history. The Beijing Games saw L/Cpl Shanwayne Stephens driving for the Jamaican bobsleigh team, and Chf Tech Stu Benson (former Sochi Olympic bobsleigh bronze medallist), Chf Tech Mark Silva and Flt Lt Gavin Arnold and Sqn Ldr Heather Ratnage-Black as part of the Team GB backroom staff.

The Service’s Alpine sports stars also got the green light for the Inter-Service championships in Meribel (See February).

Cpl Lauren Impey, 31, became the first RAF football referee officiate in the Women’s Super League.

The men’s rugby league stars fell at the first hurdle in the Challenge Cup, 24-6 to Thornhill Trojans.

THE ANNUAL IS Alpine Sports championships, in its 70th year and 15th hosted at Meribel, France, saw the women’s ski and snowboard teams, led by Cpl Rachel Hughes and Wg Cdr Claire Collis respectively, storm to glory. Fielding four members instead of seven, the ski team won all but one of the five races to secure the win, while Collis sealed the team win with gold on her last run, in the final event. The men’s team came runners-up in both disciplines at the event, opened by Sophie, HRH The Countess of Wessex, patron of UK Armed Forces Winter Sports.

SGT DANNY BARTLEY’S U23s team played out a dead rubber (2-2 draw with the Army) in their final match after an Inter-Services dogged by controversy saw the Royal Navy handed the title after the Army fielded an ineligible player in the opening 2-1 win over RN.

The ladies cross-country team ended 34 years of waiting when they stormed to the IS title in style at Halton. The host runners took all the major silverware on offer.

UK Armed Forces Boxing Association held Elite Championships for the first time in 15 years.

AS1 Shona Brownlee produced two top10 finishes in the sit-ski, while guide FS Gary Smith produced medal finishes at the Beijing Paralympics when he combined with visually-impaired skier Menna Fitzpatrick.

THERE WAS double football glory for the Service’s men and ladies’ footballers as the men regained the IS crown with a thumping 4-1 win over the Army, following a 2-0 win over the Navy, while the ladies beat the Army 2-0 for their win.

Service cricket boasted an historic change as the ladies’ team were given the green light to play at the IST20 event at Lord’s.

The RAF downhill mountain bike team started what would prove to be an historic season with the opening rounds of the Pearce Cycles race series.

RAF Boxing celebrated its most successful season in 50 years, as AS1 Arran Devine became the Scottish National Elite Middleweight champion.

OLYMPICS: L/Cpl Shanwayne Stephens

PATRON: HRH The Countess of Wessex (2nd from left

WINNER: Ski team captain Cpl Rachel Hughes (

A DECADE of hurt was ended by RAF squash stars as they stormed to Inter-Service glory at Edgbaston Priory, Birmingham, while there were runners-up berths for the ladies and the Under 23s.

Ultra-running was making a bid to become a recognised sport with the UKAF Sports Board.

There was a President’s Cup rugby league thumping for GB Teachers at the hands of UKAF ladies, 34-10 at Saddleworth.

Swimming, diving and water polo made a welcome return after the Covid pandemic, with the Service championships at RAF Cranwell.

The IS table tennis title remained at home with the RAF A team storming to further glory at RAF Halton.

THE ROYAL Windsor Horse Show saw the Service’s show jumpers strut their stuff, with the extra thrill of riding at the prestigious event in The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee Year. Sqn Ldr Sam Martin, Cpl Nikki Thackray and SAC Rebecca Champion came an impressive 13th out of 22.

There was success for the RAF dressage team in the UKAF Equine Championships.

UKAF men’s footballers regained the Perpetual Friendship Trophy 2-1, with a stunning 93rd minute second goal after the Irish Defence Forces levelled in the 90th. More Euro glory saw the U23s development team beat their Dutch counterparts (Royal Netherlands Air Force) 3-2 to win the President’s Cup in Havant. While UKAF ladies lost their clash against the Dutch on penalties after a 1-1 draw.

THERE WAS a bruising start for women’s ice hockey boss Cpl Andrew Rourke, who saw his Pumas side lose 5-0 to Sheffield Shadows at Ice Sheffield.

A tough 24-5 final defeat to the Army was the culmination for the RAF of the Tri-Services Scotland and Northern Ireland rugby union championship at Edinburgh’s Oriam Centre. The RAF started with a 1910 win over the Royal Navy.

The Service’s first World Championship mountain biker, Sgt Andy Lochhead, secured two top-20 finishes during the opening rounds of MTB action in Scotland.

An impressive third place saw Off Cdt Taylor-Lei Mohan blaze a solo trail for the RAF BMX team at the National stages in Peckham, London, after her BMX teammates were laid low with Covid-19.

THE RAF’S divers got the four-day InterServices swimming championships off to a flying start by retaining their title, while the women’s team produced a solid runnerup spot.

A best ever runner-up finish was the reward for the RAF’s Brazilian Jiu Jitsu stars and a first place for the Taekwondo team at the Inter-Services Martial Arts championships at HMS Nelson, Portsmouth.

Endurance athlete Flt Lt Iain D’Arcy completed 10 Ironman events in 10 days to raise money for the illness that took his father’s life, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. Each day D’Arcy would complete a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and a marathon.

AS1 Luke Pollard’s Commonwealth Games para-triathlon gold as guide for visually-impaired Dave Ellis was won in style, finishing four minutes ahead of the competition in Birmingham.

09

THE SERVICE ladies’ tennis team came one IS doubles-rubber shy of a fantastic triumph at Wimbledon against the Army, while AR Eve Brady took the IS Champion’s crown. The Service men’s masters team won the IS title.

The RAF’S kayakers celebrated the fourth Inter-Service Freestyle competition at Holme Pierrepont’s National White-Water Course in Nottingham, with several individual wins going the way of the Service as well.

The SRT footballers began their season with a win and a draw against Step 5 competition Longlevens AFC in Gloucester (4-2) and Swindon Town Academy (0-0).

A third place for England saw RAF athlete AS1 Chloe Richardson get her IS preparations underway in the Antrim Coast Half Marathon.

10 November 11

A REDEEMING 28-4 win over the Army salvaged the IS championship for the service’s Rugby League stars and sent assistant coach Sgt Martin Wood off in style. Wood oversaw his last RAF game with head coach FS Gary Dunn with the win in Salford.

Seven RAF players were in the UKAF rugby union ladies’ team that won the Plate tournament in the International Defence event in New Zealand, captained by Cpl Sian Williams who would retire after the last game.

RAF Enduro rider Sgt Andy Lochhead (pictured foot of page) won the Service’s first ever UCI World Champion jersey with riders Ian Austermuhle and Scott Edgeworth, at mountain biking’s biggest team competition in Finale Ligure, Italy.

Side car pairing Cpls Rob Atkinson and Mark Middleton won the British Formula 2 Sidecar Series in Knockhill, Scotland.

FG OFF Amy Cokayne suffered Rugby World Cup final heartache in New Zealand as England lost 34-31, even with the RAF star scoring three tries. Fg Offs Carys Williams-Moore (Wales) and Sarah Bonar (Scotland) exited the tournament after the group stages.

Four years after taking up rugby league, Cpl Alex Barnes formed part of Leeds Rhinos Challenge Cup and Grand Final squads. The RAF mover is also a Rugby League Development Officer for the club.

Wakeboard dominance went the way of the RAF after they took five of the six events at the IS championships at Box Park, Bedford.

12

THERE WAS a fabulous Inter-Service cyclocross win for dynamic duo Cpls Sarah Toms and Ian Lee at RAF Halton (see page 27).

At the Home of BMX, America, Sgt Matt Haywood narrowly missed out on a Grand National Finals spot in Oklahoma (see page 27).

Service ice hockey signed off the year with a bumper home Championships at Ice Arena Wales, in Cardiff. The fourday event also featured a match between an RAFIHA Select team and Lossie Jets, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the RAF Lossiemouth club (See page 28).

Actor revisits Jeeves and Wooster creator in Wodehouse tribute

New doors opening for Daws

“RATHER THAN counting sheep at night, I count stage doors,” said actor Robert Daws, reflecting on his happy memories of touring theatres over the years.

He’s about to add a few more to the memory bank, as he embarks on a UK tour of Wodehouse in Wonderland in January, a new one-man play by William Humble about the life of the great Jeeves and Wooster author PG ‘Plum’ Wodehouse.

The actor has history with Wodehouse, having played the eccentric Tuppy Glossop in hit TV series Jeeves and Wooster back in the 1990s, which starred Stephen Fry and Hugh Laurie as the titular valet and his charming but hopeless master.

Daws is a Wodehouse aficionado, and a few years ago phoned Humble, his friend, suggesting that he might write a play about him.

He said: “I realised how big an interest there is in his work, but how little I knew about the man himself… Bill told me he’d just a Broadway lyricist, when he worked with the likes of Jerome Kern, George Gershwin, Cole Porter and Ivor Novello.

“I always think it’s quite strange that this man we now associate with such quintessentially English characters was in those days better known for his work on Broadway,” Daws added.

He’s enjoying the opportunity to sing again, having appeared in musicals when he started out in the profession. He won a musical award at RADA, where his interest in Wodehouse was first piqued when Tom Wilkinson, who was directing at the Academy, gave him a copy of Right Ho, Jeeves

Since then Daws has become a staple of many popular TV dramas, including the murder mystery series Sister Boniface Mysteries, Casualty, The Royal, Poldark, Outside Edge and, of course, Jeeves and Wooster

“I like to think of myself as being that rather old-fashioned term a character actor,” he said. He has also developed a successful career as a crime novelist, including making the podcast series Partners in Crime with Adam Croft.

Daws said these two sides of his work are wholly complementary. “Writing uses a lot of the same creative muscles that you use as an actor,” he explained. “And all the work I’ve done over the years creating characters has been really helpful.”

Now he gets to combine both by playing one of his favourite authors. How has he found researching Wodehouse as a character? “There isn’t actually much footage of him, and people always said that in reality he was a very reticent and

shy figure. So this is very much my take on Wodehouse, rather than an impersonation of him,” he said.

Despite displaying much of the humour and geniality his writing is known for, the play also delves into some of the darker aspects of the author’s life. The title, Wodehouse in Wonderland, is taken from a now lost diary Wodehouse kept when he was sent to a Nazi internment camp during World War II.

“The Germans manipulated him

into making what became known as the ‘Berlin Broadcast’,” Daws explained. “This was then used for propaganda purposes and caused

huge upset back in England. He later referred to it as his great shaming.”

Despite being known for so many screen roles, Daws is also a man of the stage. “I love getting to visit different theatres across the country, and introducing the work to new audiences,” he said. “I try to do a play at least every two years, as long as someone lets me!”

Interview by Theo Bosanquet l Go to: cahootstheatrecompany. com for tour information.

“The Germans manipulated Wodehouse into making the Berlin Broadcast”

CHIN CHIN: Daws raises a glass to Wodehouse and, below, in rehearsals for the new oneman show

Yes, Siam touring…

ELEN GEORGE, known to millions as Trixie in the hit BBC One series Call , will star as Anna Leonowens in a major new UK tour of the beloved Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, starting at Canterbury’s Marlowe Theatre on February 4.

Having trained at the Royal Academy of Music and the Birmingham School of Acting, Helen’s musical theatre credits include Company, Love Never Dies and The Woman In White

The lavish production of the King and I will be brought to the stage under Tony Award-winning director Bartlett Sher (South Pacific, My Fair Lady, To Kill a Mockingbird). It will feature a company of more than 50 and a full-

Following a critically-acclaimed Broadway run, a sold-out season at the London Palladium and a previous record-breaking UK and international tour, this multi-award-winning production returns to venues nationwide next year – also visiting Wimbledon, Liverpool, Birmingham, Llandudno, High Wycombe, Bristol, Dartford, Bradford, Southend, Cardiff, Glasgow and Dublin up to July 1. Further UK cities and details of a major international tour will be announced soon.

Helen said: “Anna is such a strong, passionate and determined character, and I’m going to relish bringing her to life every night, as well as giving audiences all over the UK the chance to see this peerless Broadway and West End musical right is a timeless romance from the golden age of musicals and includes the muchWhistle a Happy Tune, Getting to Shall We Dance

Set in 1860s Bangkok, it tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship between the King of Siam and Anna Leonowens, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist king, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.

Go to: KingandIMusical.co.uk for

Fancy a Caribbean

Death in Paradise special on BBC

THE BBC'S festive shows promise something for everyone and will be available live and on-demand on BBC iPlayer.

There’ a story of kindness, friendship, courage and hope for viewers of all ages in a heartwarming film based on Charlie Mackesy’s best-selling book, The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse

The Call The Midwife Christmas Special sees a talent show and a fresh start for the midwives and over on the Island of Saint Marie, Commissioner Patterson (Don Warrington) is left haunted by memories of the past in a festive, feature-length episode of Death in Paradise

Michael McIntyre will be spinning his enormous yuletide wheel, joined by Gino D’Acampo, Alesha Dixon and Bear Grylls all attempting to win money for their favourite charities, and there are festive specials of Blankety Blank with Bradley Walsh, Romesh Ranganathan’s The Weakest Link and Mo Gilligan debuts TV’s newest and biggest music game show, That’s My Jam

Strictly Come Dancing returns for an all-star Christmas special, plus there are festive episodes of The Hit List, Question of Sport, Pointless, University Challenge, Would I Lie To You and QI. Richard Osman will be back with new episodes of his Festive House of Games and The Graham Norton Show returns for its traditional New Year’s Eve edition.

The King and I

For the first time ever, the Men’s FIFA World Cup Final will be broadcast live on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Sunday, December 18.

Corr, Andrea's been keeping busy

“Every record has a personality. I see this one as a courageous little fighter, incubated by Covid. I hope you enjoy listening to it as much as I have enjoyed making it,” says Andrea Corr about her new Christmas album.

Among the tracks on The Christmas Album are traditional seasonal favourites The Christmas Song, Let It Snow, O Holy Night, In The Bleak Mid-Winter and O Little Town Of Bethlehem.

The album also includes Blue Christmas featuring Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood, Curoo Curoo (Carol Of The Birds) featuring Wood, Donal Lunnay, Máirtín O’Connor and Zoë Conway, and Begin Again written by Andrea, who is an actress as well as a singer, songwriter and musician and came to fame as lead singer of Celtic folk band The Corrs, featuring her three elder siblings Caroline, Sharon, and Jim.

l Go to: roughtrade.com for more details.

CELEB SPECIAL: MasterChef's John Torode and Greg

LEADING ROLE: Helen George plays Anna in The King and I

Caribbean Christmas?

Edited by Tracey Allen

Competition Worzel Gummidge, Series 1-4 (PG)

FIFA on Sunday,

Comedy fans have plenty to look forward to with lots of specials coming up including Motherland, Bad Education, The Cleaner, Ghosts, Mrs Brown’s Boys and Two Doors Down

And Detectorists, the multiaward-winning comedy series about metal detecting enthusiasts Andy (Mackenzie Crook) and Lance (Toby Jones), returns for a feature length special.

For the first time in Gone Fishing’s history, the angling duo leave the riverbanks of Britain behind and Paul takes Bob on a dream fishing trip to Norway.

Dame Mary Berry will be joined by Angela Hartnett, Monica Galetti and Rylan Clark to share her ultimate Christmas feast, packed with tips to plan and get ahead for the big day, whilst Sara Pascoe invites celebrities for a festive Sewing Bee Special Top of the Pops returns for a Christmas special hosted by Radio 1’s Clara Amfo and Jack Saunders and in Cliff at Christmas Sir Cliff Richard

will be joined by special guests, including Andrea Corr, for a festive TV show from Hackney Church in London. His interview with Sara Cox is now on BBC Sounds.

On New Year’s Eve Jools Holland will host his annual Hootenanny whilst Eurovision and breakthrough music artist of 2022, Sam Ryder, is joined by some of music’s biggest stars to put on a spectacular New Year’s Eve party.

In My Life at Christmas, actress and comedian Sally Phillips meets three well-known faces to explore how their memories of Christmas reflect the enormous changes they have gone through in their lives, careers, family and faith and there will be three special episodes of inspiring hymns in Songs of Praise

Winding down Christmas Day to a gentle close, Oti Mabuse reads the story of the first Christmas from the Gospel according to St Luke in On Christmas Night.

Bringing some foodie fun to the festive season, MasterChef judges

John Torode and Gregg Wallace are back for two specials, inviting eight of the most memorable celebrities from past series back into the infamous MasterChef kitchen.

Count Magnus is the latest ghost story for Christmas from Mark Gatiss coming to the BBC and Gatiss also stars as Jacob Marley in a stage production of A Christmas Carol in his own retelling of Dickens’ classic winter ghost story.

There will be a new adaptation of Coppélia which combines enchanting animation and live action dance and Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker offers a distinctive contemporary take on the classic Christmas tale.

One of the world’s leading forensic investigators, Professor Dame Sue Black, will deliver this year’s Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution.

And if all that weren’t enough, there will be hundreds of box sets and classic Christmas specials to stream on BBC iPlayer.

Relive the wonder of Jon Pertwee's Worzel

JON PERTWEE’S loveable scarecrow Worzel Gummidge is getting a new lease of life, with a high-definition restoration of the classic ITV family series. The entire series is available fully restored from the original 16mm negatives.

Worzel Gummidge, The Complete Restored Edition has all 31 episodes and 170 minutes of bonus material, both old and new, including all-new audio commentaries with cast and crew and a doublesided poster of all-new artwork by Graham Humphreys.

The show originally ran for four series from 1979-1981, based on the books by Barbara Euphan Todd published between 1936 and 1963. It was produced by ITV’s Southern Television, shot mainly in Hampshire and starred Jon Pertwee, Una Stubbs (Sherlock) and Geoffrey Bayldon (Catweazle).

Walking, talking scarecrow Worzel Gummidge lives on Scatterbrook Farm, where he stands in Ten Acre field. When children John and Susan move to the countryside, they learn that life is never dull with Worzel around.

The restless scarecrow dreams of a life away from his post in Ten

Acre Field and often wanders off into mischief. Whether getting his heart broken by the creaking fairground doll Aunt Sally (Stubbs) or disobeying his maker, the eccentric old Crowman (Bayldon), Worzel is lucky to have his young friends on hand to help rescue him from trouble.

Pertwee, who famously played the Doctor in Doctor Who from 1970 to 1974, said Worzel Gummidge was his favourite role. He was buried with a Worzel doll on his coffin.

Guest stars include Billy Connolly, Bill Maynard, Barbara Windsor, Connie Booth, Mike Reid, Joan Sims and Lorraine Chase. Jon’s son Sean played an uncredited role in the series four episode The Jumbly Sale

We have copies of the box set (rrp £69.99) on DVD to win. For your chance to own one, tell us:

In which county was Worzel Gummidge mainly filmed?

Email your answer, marked Worzel Gummidge DVD box set competition, to: competitions@ rafnews.co.uk or post it to our usual address (see page 3 of the main paper) to arrive by January 13, 2023.

Greg Wallace DETECTORISTS: Mackenzie Crook and Toby Jones return CASTING NET WIDE: Gone Fishing's Whitehouse & Mortimer

FAVOURITE ROLE: Jon Pertwee as the mischievous scarecrow Worzel Gummidge

Blu-ray and DVD from Dec 26 (Fabulous Films/Fremantle Media)

OFF DUTY: Don Warrington as Commissioner Patterson on Death in Paradise

R'n'R

Your Announcements

You

Seeking

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

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

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

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

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

Reunions

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

How to use our service

2023 at the Delta by Marriott Hotel, Warwick, CV34 6RE?

Please contact our Membership Secretary, Malcolm Flack, on: 01494 728562 or email: memsecchangi@outlook. com or visit: www.rafchangi. com for more details.

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

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

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

Associations

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

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

Animal magic comes to home

A HAIRY spider, bird of prey and four-metre long snake were guests at a care home for veterans in Solihull.

They were among the visitors brought to Royal Star & Garter by the Animals in Hands mobile zoo this month.

The exotic creatures were shown to residents living with dementia by former zookeeper Mo Safeer, who set up Animals in Hands and is known as the Animal Man. Among them was an albino Burmese python, whitefaced scops owl, Chilian rose tarantula, bearded dragon, skunk, tortoise, chinchilla and bullfrog.

Lorraine is part of

the Royal Star & Garter Wellbeing Team which organised the visit. She said: “You could see how much the residents enjoyed it all. I had the snake around my neck and I was terrified!”

Mo said: “The residents were in awe of the animals and there were some lovely interactions. They seemed to really enjoy it, and I enjoyed being at the Home too.”

Royal Star & Garter provides care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia. The charity also has homes in Surbiton and High Wycombe and is welcoming new residents.

Go to: starandgarter.org for more information.

Scholarship winner earns pilot's licence

A 17-YEAR-OLD student from Cambridge has received her Private Pilot’s Licence after being a recipient of the Attagirls Molly Rose Pilot Scholarship.

Georgia Pescod was awarded the £15,000 scholarship after being selected from five finalists in May 2022. Forty-two applications were received from young women aged between 17-24 throughout the UK.

The unique aviation scholarship was created by Aetheris Films as part of the legacy attached to their film Attagirls, the story of the young female pilots of the Air Transport Auxiliary.

Funded by Marshall of Cambridge and in association with the British Women Pilots’ Association (BWPA), the scholarship is the only one of its kind in the UK which entirely funds all elements of attaining a Private Pilot’s Licence (PPL).

Georgia, who is an Air Cadet, and now a BWPA member, undertook her training at the Cambridge Aero Club during the summer holidays. She flew in a Cessna 152, including 10 hours solo, to achieve her PPL.

Free haircuts for Christmas

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VETERAN RESIDENTS at charity Launchpad’s Avondale House in Newcastle-upon-Tyne are all set for Christmas thanks to free haircuts by a local barber.

Lee Bonner visited the house this month to give all residents and staff a free haircut and beard trim.

He qualified as a barber this year – he developed a passion for barbering after cutting his seven-year-old

autistic son’s hair for the last four years. His son, who has sensory issues, found it difficult to allow other people to cut his hair, so Lee decided to learn.

Lee said: “When I grew up, I didn’t have much help and support and I think we could all do with that right now.

“I just wanted to use the new skills I’ve learned and help the residents out.”

CUT ABOVE: Lee gets to work

EXOTIC CREATURES: Far left, resident Mary with a tarantula and left, Peter holds a bearded dragon. Above, Mo from Animals In Hands with Sunshine the Albino Burmese Python and resident Betty. Inset, Betty meets Oreo the skunk

HIGH FLYER: Georgia Pescod, centre, with Paul Olavesen-Stabb, left, from Aetheris Films and Kathy Jenkins, CEO of Marshall of Cambridge

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IWM DUXFORD has two new openings this winter with a celebration of World War II’s most hardworking fighter aircraft, the Hurricane, open to visitors this month, and the Conservation in Action hangar will welcome the public back after eight months of closure.

Spotlight on Hurricane Museum marks Vulcan anniversary

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ON THE weekend of February 11-12, 2023, it will be 40 years since Avro Vulcan XM594 landed on the former wartime runway at Winthorpe Showground to go on display at Newark Air Museum, 2023. It is also the 60th anniversary of its entry into RAF service.

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“To mark the anniversary, the museum trustees will allow members of the museum’s Cockpit Opening Team to provide free cockpit access to the Vulcan that weekend for visitors who pay to come into the museum and who advise the museum in advance of their plan to participate,” said a museum spokesman.

To help the museum formulate the timed ticket schedule they need people who plan to

visit that weekend to email their estimated arrival time, the likely number of people in their group and their approximate ages, by 4pm on February 1, 2023.

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IWM Duxford spokesperson.

Visitors can meet members of IWM’s Conservation Team as they set to work on new restoration projects and get up close to seven airworthy Hurricanes, brought together under one roof for the first time.

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Once this information has been submitted the museum will draw up the timed schedule for visitors to go on board XM594 and notify people of their allocated time.

A series of talks by ex-Vulcan aircrew is planned to take place throughout the weekend – further information will follow, said the spokesman.

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More details will be posted on the News & Information page of the museum’s website.

Go to: newarkairmuseum.org

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The Hawker Hurricane takes centre stage with the opening of Hurricane: Unsung Hero in the Conservation Hall in AirSpace on December 27.

“With only 14 airworthy Hurricanes left in the world, this spotlight exhibition will offer a unique opportunity to see seven of them brought together under one roof to explore the rich history of Fighter Command’s finest enemy destroyer,” said an

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Highlights of the new exhibition include a Hurricane Mk1 veteran from the summer of 1940 and the world’s only two-seater Hurricane.

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Rebecca Harding, Head of Technological Objects at IWM Duxford, said “With its impressive Service history and distinctive appearance, the Hawker Hurricane is a true legend of aviation which revolutionised aerial combat during the Second World War.

“This winter, IWM Duxford will highlight its historical significance and design and give visitors the unique chance to see seven airworthy variations up close to better understand why this famous fighter deserves such a prominent place in history.”

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Hurricane: Unsung Hero is open from December 27, 2022–February 19, 2023 with associated events and activities taking place throughout that time.

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Go to: iwm.org.uk for more details.

COLD WAR Vulcan

Newark Air

The world's only two-seater Hurricane will feature in the exhibition Hurricane: Unsung

Solutions should be sent in a sealed envelope marked 'Su Doku' with the number in the top left-hand corner to RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP14 4UE, to arrive by January 13, 2023.

The winner of Su Doku No: 337 is: Natasha Booker, Aldershot.

DIRECTOR ANDY VALLENTINE’S new short film The Letter Men, based on the real love letters of two soldiers serving in World War II, is vying for a 2023 Academy Award, after winning Best Director and Best Editing at Social World Film Festival, and Best International Short at the Paris Film Festival.

Starring Garrett Clayton (Hairspray Live! King Cobra) and Matthew Postlethwaite (Peaky Blinders), it concerns the letters exchanged between Gordon Bowsher and Gilbert Bradley from 1938 to 1941.

The two men met in Devon in 1938, only to be separated in 1939 when Bradley was drafted into the British Army. He wrote hundreds of letters to his sweetheart – who signed with the initial ‘G’.

The letters were not uncovered until more than 70 years later, in 2017, when Mark Hignett, curator of Oswestry Town Museum in Shropshire discovered that G stood for Gordon, and Gilbert had been in love with a man.

A spokesman for the film said: “Life as a homosexual at that time was incredibly difficult: gay activity was a court-martial offence, jail sentences for so-called ‘gross indecency’ were common, and much of society strongly disapproved of same-sex relationships.

“The two men were taking a tremendous risk by exchanging such intimate letters. Keeping them, and not burning them, was an even greater risk. It’s therefore unusual for letters such as these to have survived. This historical collection of more than 200 letters is the largest collection of LGBTQ+ love letters from that era.”

Vallentine, who co-wrote the film’s script with his

husband, Danny, added: “For so long, the LGBTQ+ community has had to make do with the absolute bare minimum in terms of representation of their lives and experiences within film.

“As a gay director, I feel a strong sense of duty to use whatever platform I have available to me to change this sorry truth and tell stories that have not yet been told.

“We often see very similar stories about LGBTQ+ people, and I think The Letter Men represents a break from the tradition of tragic and tortured LGBTQ+ characters.”

The Oscar shortlist will be announced on December 21.

THE CULT classic Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors stars Peter Cushing, Christopher Lee, Roy Castle and Donald Sutherland, directed by Academy Awardwinner Freddie Francis. It’s described as a fascinating and fastpaced example of portmanteau filmmaking with a deadly twist in the tale... Dr. Terror foretells the future… and five men wish he hadn’t…

This was Amicus Productions’ first of 16 horror films made between 1965 and 1977, seven of which were portmanteau films. The portmanteau style of film helped Amicus (whose small budget meant filming was done in two weeks) get established actors in their films, enabling them to compete with the better-known horror film producer – Hammer Film Productions.

Dr. Terror (Cushing) is a mysterious fortune teller who boards a train to tell fellow passengers (including Lee, Castle and Sutherland) their fortune with

Win!

tarot cards. Five possible futures unfold: an architect returns to his ancestral home to find a werewolf out for revenge; a huge flesh-eating vine takes over a house; a musician gets involved with voodoo; an art critic is pursued by a disembodied hand and a doctor discovers his new wife is a vampire. But they all end in the same result…

We have copies of the film on DVD and Bluray up for grabs. For your chance to own one, tell us:

Who directed Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors?

Email your answer, marked Dr. Terror competition, to: competitions@rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by January 13, 2023. Please mark on your entry if you prefer to win the film on Blu-ray or DVD.

Puzzle prizes are back – the winners of our Prize Crossword and Prize Su Doku puzzles will receive a recent top aviation title – please send your entries to the address printed in the adjacent Su Doku panel, to arrive by January 13, 2023. Prize Crossword No. 327 winner is: PF Green, Romsey, Hants.