RAF News Edition 1568, Sept 22, 2023

by Carly Paoli

Unleashed – the daring dogs of World War II

For The Few

Nation pays tribute to Battle of Britain heroes

l See page 29

A PAIR of Spitfires and a Lancaster performed a flypast over Westminster Abbey to mark the 83rd anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

The conflict – the first decisive air war in history – raged from July 10 to October 31, 1940, claiming the lives of 544 aircrew and 312 personnel on the ground.

Chief of the Air Staff ACM Sir Rich Knighton said: “We pay tribute to the brave men and women who served in the Battle of Britain.

“Their courage and legacy continue to shape today’s Royal Air Force. Their sacrifice and achievements remind us that standing together and staying resolute are key as we protect the United Kingdom.”

Simon Mander

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Civvie Claire Ruston is recognised for her work with RAF Honington’s chaplaincy team

See p13

Assistant Defence

Attaché

See page 29

Singer Carly Paoli, who is releasing a new moviesinspired album

See R’nR p5

Defence targets ‘rogue’ veterans

FORMER RAF pilots training foreign militaries could be prosecuted for sharing military tactics under new offences within the National Security Act.

The news follows a security alert last year that revealed ex-military flyers had been training the Chinese People’s Liberation Army Air Force after being lured by high salaries offered by a private South African company.

The new Act creates the offence of ‘obtaining or disclosing protected information,’ including tactics, techniques and procedures.

It means pilots risk being prosecuted for the activity with the Ministry Of Defence able to pass relevant information to police forces to investigate.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Anyone found to be acting against the UK’s interests by

training our competitors’ militaries can now expect to be pursued and brought to justice.

“The government has acted decisively following the identification of this threat and has made rapid changes to legislation to help shut it down.”

The MOD claims publicity has discouraged personnel from taking part.

But it recognised further measures were needed to disrupt the activity by including it within the Act to allow criminal charges to be pressed.

Security Minister Tom Tugendhat said: “We face growing threats from foreign states.

“In recent years we have seen attempts from countries such as China to solicit national secrets from former Armed Forces personnel.

“This new Act provides new and updated tools to tackle

This Week In History

security challenges and hold those responsible to account.”

The National Security Act became law in July and has brought new measures to modernise counter-espionage laws and

address evolving threats to national security.

Military personnel aware of suspicious activity are encouraged to call the MOD confidential crime line.

TORNADO F3 pilot Sqn Ldr Andy Green sets a new land speed record of 714 mph in the Phantom engine-powered Thrust SSC car in the Nevada Desert. The record still stands.

“This is the best job on the station. I’ve seen 21 padres here”

“I have lovely memories of taking part in performances for the Armed Forces”

“The previous night’s race had been a wake-up call for me

Sgt David Adam goes one better than his 800m silver to win gold in the Tunisian Masters 1500m track event

Simon Mander

WARNING: Secretary of State for Defence Grant Shapps

Vet Colin on a high WWII daredevil,

FEARLESS 102-YEAR-OLD RAF SuperVet Colin Bell has smashed his fundraising target after easily completing a daredevil challenge for charity.

The World War II hero, a former Mosquito pilot, aimed to raise £2,500 for three charities by abseiling 17 storeys down the Royal London Hospital from its helipad – he’s so far raised around £15,000 and donations are still coming in.

Now he’s waiting to hear if his amazing achievement will earn him a place in the Guinness World Records book for the oldest person to abseil.

Back on the ground, Flt Lt Bell said: “I don’t scare easily, when I was at the top, I was thoughtful; it seemed a long way down!”.

And he joked that taking on the challenge was ‘money for old rope.’

Colin, who is fundraising for the London Air Ambulance Service – that organised the abseil – the RAF Benevolent Fund and The Royal College of Nursing Foundation, added after his descent: “I have been much higher than the London Hospital building in my time, it was fairly straightforward and I was surrounded by lots and lots of well-wishers which made me suitably humble.”

He brushed off comparisons to phenomenal fundraiser Capt Tom Moore who, aged 100, raised more than £39 million for NHS Charities Together by walking laps of his garden.

Colin said: “Capt Tom was in a completely different league to me, he was a fantastic man, I’m not trying to compete with him. I can only stand in awe and admiration of him.

He added modestly, ‘the fact that I’m 102 is neither here nor there’ and joked that his secret to staying fit and well is ‘a combination of exercise, alcohol, and the love of good women with the odd bad one thrown in.’

Last month Colin took on a three-day sponsored walk visiting places significant to his wartime role during WWII.

He walked from Churchill College, Cambridge to the American Military Cemetery in Madingley, accompanied by Randolph Churchill, Winston Churchill’s great-grandson, visited RAF Wyton, where Colin underwent his conversion training on Mosquitos then walked to RAF Downham Market, nearby Bexwell Church and the village’s VC memorial.

Born in 1921, he joined the RAF towards the end of 1940. His flying training was carried out in America before their entry into war (before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour) in December 1941. Colin carried out 50 bombing raids over Germany, including 13 over Berlin. He was awarded the DFC.

And he’s vowed to carry on fundraising. He said: “I shall continue on, I go around the country giving talks to various organisations. A talk I gave in Jersey recently raised £12,800.”

102, takes 300ft high-rise stunt in his stride

Salute to The Few

l Continued from front THE SERVICE was the 80th at Westminster Abbey where the commemoration has been held since 1944, the first commemoration was at St Paul’s Cathedral in 1943.

It saw the Battle of Britain Roll of Honour with the names of 1,497 pilots and aircrew killed or mortally wounded, borne through the church, escorted by serving personnel and cadets.

The Central Band of the RAF provided music and Cpl Ben Murray sounded the Last Post and Reveille from the organ loft. This was the final musical engagement of Principal Director of RAF Music Wg Cdr Piers Morrell who is retiring after more than 25 years’ service.

Band aid

A NEW commissioned work, Wings of Freedom, by awardwinning British composer Thomas Hewitt Jones will be premiered by the Central Band of the Royal Air Force at concerts in London and Cambridge.

The concerts, on September 29 in the capital and October 1 in Cambridge, will raise funds for the RAF Music Services Association. l See RnR p7 for more details

ON SONG: Central Band of the RAF will be performing new work in London and Cambridge

SERVICE: Chief of the Air Staff, ACM Sir Rich Knighton led tributes to Battle of Britain crews

SUPER-VET: WWII Mosquito pilot Colin Bell was awarded the DFC . Main, descending the 17-storey building with instructor

New £90m ‘stealth’ rifle set for frontline

Staff Reporter

FRONTLINE TROOPS are getting more fire power under a £90 million contract to deliver a new stealth rifle.

The new L403A1 assault weapon features a new muzzle noise reduction system and improved optical sights and will

Vet’s rumble in TV jungle

Tracey Allen

RAF VETERAN and Paralympic gold medallist Jon-Allan Butterworth is facing one of the toughest challenges of his life when he joins the cast of the new series of Channel 4’s Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins.

Former SAC Butterworth won gold at the Rio Games in 2016 as part of the Paralympic cycling squad and three silver medals at the London 2012 Games.

He lost part of his left arm in 2007 in an insurgent rocket attack while serving in Iraq.

He said: “My military career was cut short, so I wanted to see whether I have what it takes to survive in a world the [series’] Directing Staff think is normal.”

Jon-Allan and 15 other cast members including former Health Secretary Matt Hancock, singer Gareth Gates, ex-Welsh rugby international Gareth Thomas and comedian Zoe Lyons will take on the extreme jungle conditions in Thung Ui, North Vietnam.

A C4 spokesperson said: “They will be tested to their mental and physical limits, through a series of brutal tasks and interrogations.”

operating in complex high-threat environments.

An initial order of more than 1,500 weapons will be delivered by Macclesfield-based company Edgar Brothers under Project Hunter, with production expected to reach 10,000 over the next decade.

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge, said: “This is another example of how we are committed to investing in the most advanced battlefield equipment to back our troops on the battlefield. This advanced rifle’s ability to help soldiers maintain the stealth edge not only protects them but delivers warfighting advantage over our adversaries.”

DAMBUSTERS’ JETS touched down on HMS Queen Elizabeth ahead of an operational deployment to Northern Europe.

Eight 617 Sqn Lightnings joined the Navy’s flagship to train for carrier qualifications ahead of the mission. The Carrier Strike Group will work with Nato and Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF) nations in the Baltic region.

Matt cleans up with ocean row

WORLD RECORD-BREAKING RAF rower

Flt Lt Matt Siely is to pass on his know-how to Air Cadets hoping to become the first group of youngsters to cross the Atlantic.

The Coningsby training officer and two friends recently became the first and the fastest male trio to self-sufficiently row from Monterey Bay, California, to Kauai Island, Hawaii.

Flt Lt Siely (28) said: “This adventure was part of ‘The World’s Toughest Row – Pacific’, a race of 14 teams from all over the world, taking on the extremely vast, erratic, and powerful Pacific Ocean.”

Team HODL (Hold On for Dear Life) of Matt and crewmates, Luca Feser and Cutu Serruys, passed the finishing line in 38 days, 16 hours, and 19 minutes on July 20 in their 23ft long Rannoch 45 boat named Spitfire. Completely isolated at sea, they braved bitterly cold temperatures followed by blazing heat as they neared their destination.

The crew battled 30ft high waves, fighting sleep deprivation as they rowed around-theclock on two-hour shifts and one hour’s rest, surviving on dehydrated ration packs.

“The marine environment, the solitary confinement and the relentless rowing takes you to a very tough place physically and emotionally,” said Flt Lt Siely.

“Once you have mastered a routine and your team is functioning like a well-oiled machine, you begin to enjoy the ocean and its beauty.”

He said adapting to the conditions enabled the team to pull away as leaders of the trio class, beating the current record by 22 days.

The RAF man and his crew mates trained for two years to master rigorous sea survival, navigation and first aid courses.

Matt said: “Having gone through military training I was as prepared as possible despite

the inherent fear I was pushing my body to limits I hadn’t witnessed before.’

Matt and the team raised £15,000 for the Netherlands-based Ocean Clean Up charity that creates systems to remove plastic pollution from the world’s seas.

Flt Lt Siely said: “We were shocked at the amount of plastic pollution. Something passed alongside us every hour or so.

He joins an elite league of RAF rowers including the four Atlantic Flyers’ pilots who completed the Talisker ocean-going challenge, and Wg Cdr Emma Wolstenholme who skippered the all-female Team Ithaca on a 2,000-mile journey around Britain.

And now he hopes to support another generation of intrepid Air Force seafarers.

“I will be supporting a team of three air cadets, aiming to complete an Atlantic crossing in 2025 and will lean on my experience to assist ‘The Three Flying Fish,’ in their training for their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” he said.

SELECTION: (From left), Olympian Perri Shakes-Drayton, RAF veteran Jon-Allan Butterworth and actor Kirsty Leigh-Porter

Write stuff

BEST-SELLING AUTHOR

Shrabani Basu will be presenting a lecture on Noor Inayat Khan, the first female wireless operator agent to operate with the French Resistance, at London’s Imperial War Museum.

Shrabani will discuss her book Spy Princess, a biography of Noor, on IWM London’s exclusive roof terrace. Tickets include afterhours admission to the museum’s new temporary exhibition Spies, Lies and Deception about deception and espionage from World Wars I and II to the present day. The event takes place in November.

Bomb-voyage

Tally-Ho

TALLY THE rare Kemps Ridley sea turtle has been released into the Atlantic in Texas, after an RAF rescue operation.

The rare amphibian was washed up on the beach near RAF Valley and nursed back to health by marine biologists at Anglesey Zoo. She was given a blessing by station Padre Mike Hall before being flown to RAF Northolt and onwards to Houston Zoo in Texas..

Valley Station Commander

Gp Capt Matt Hoar said: “We are delighted to have played a small part in helping save one of the most endangered of all sea turtles in the world’s oceans, with only one in 1,000 making it to Tally’s age.”

Simon Mander

AN RAF officer has become one of the few Britons to fly on board an American stealth bomber. Assistant Chief of Defence Staff

AVM Allan Marshall joined the USAF crew of a B-2 Spirit aircraft for a familiarisation flight at Whiteman Airforce Base, Missouri.

Now more than 30 years old the iconic aircraft, which cost $1.15billion each, still have the capability to penetrate the most sophisticated defences and have seen action in Serbia, Afghanistan and Iraq.

AVM Marshall said: “It was a privilege to experience, firsthand, the impressive capability of the B-2 Bomber and to meet the highly professional US personnel who ensure the readiness of the aircraft and wider Global Strike Command.”

The visit was hosted by the 509th Bomb Wing’s Col Keith Butler and Maj Gen Jason Armagost, commander of the USAF 8th Air Force originally formed in Britain during WWII for the strategic daylight bombing campaign of Germany.

Col Butler said: “It was an honour to host AVM Marshall and demonstrate the capabilities of the world’s premiere stealth bomber.

“The UK and the RAF have been important strategic partners and staunch allies of the US for many years, even hosting Bomber Task Force Missions in the past.

“This visit strengthens our partnership and furthers our mutual goal of strategic deterrence.”

The fleet of 20 B2 Spirit bombers are stationed at Whiteman AFB named after 2nd Lt George Whiteman killed during the attack on Pearl Harbour.

Typhoon nets £40m helmet upgrade

DEFENCE CHIEFS have invested £40 million to develop a cuttingedge fighter jet helmet for the RAF’s Typhoon pilots.

The Striker II is one of the world’s most advanced helmets and displays mission-critical data in colour on a pilot’s visor for enhanced situational awareness.

The helmet boasts an all-digital night vision system, reduced noise, and can be upgraded to meet new battlespace demands, a spokesman said.

Under the £40 million contract with BAE Systems, specialist engineers are developing the helmet’s capabilities at the

company’s combat air site in Warton in Lancashire.

Minister for Defence Procurement, James Cartlidge said: “Striker II helmets boast cuttingedge displays of data and are adaptable to the increasing demands of battlespaces.

“This investment will support the development of state-of-the-art equipment for future aviators, whilst also backing hundreds of highly-skilled jobs.”

The new helmet is the latest in a series of upgrades to Typhoon, including the provision of the ECRS Mk2 radar system.. Air Cdre Nick Lowe said: “Striker II not only meets the UK’s safety

requirements, it also expands the situational awareness of the pilot and would increase Typhoon’s lethality.”

BEST-SELLER: Author Shrabani Basu pays tribute to WWII agent Noor Inayat Khan

STEALTH: AVM Marshall joined USAF crew on board the iconic B-2 stealth bomber, inset left, with the 8th Air Force’s Col Keith Butler

HEADS-UP: The Striker II boasts improved night vision and situational awareness.

Torp-Guns on target

Simon Mander

A POSEIDON maritime reconnaissance aircraft has been conducting torpedo training off the coast of Scotland.

The Lossiemouth-based CXX Sqn P-8 dropped an inert weapon in the Moray Firth to train crews in anti-submarine warfare.

The recoverable ‘Rextorp’ device was then retrieved by weapons specialists on board a support vessel.

Personnel regularly practise dropping torpedoes in the simulator, but live training gives air and ground crews the opportunity to hone their skills in real life.

The squadron’s Wg Cdr Ben Livesey said: “Dropping a torpedo from Poseidon is a complex task which requires support across a large team. As we continue to grow the Poseidon Force, we will routinely undertake such events to improve its lethality.”

Lost its shine Young Brits say NO to National Service

Veterans dig in

VETERANS ATTENDED the first ‘Pain Cafe’ for ex-military personnel to get expert medical help at Cornwall’s Eden Project, organised by the Help for Heroes charity.

The Project’s Vounder Therapy Garden offers practical horticulture skills to help veterans with mental health problems.

The region has one of the largest veterans populations in Britain and a 2022 study found 78 per cent of them struggled with chronic pain.

It is part of the nationwide Defence Gardens Scheme network that delivers nature-based therapy for Armed Forces leavers, veterans and their families.

UK

POLL:

Yes: 10% No: 78%

Park project

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YOUNG BRITONS would fiercely resist the re-introduction of compulsory National Service, even if it was for only for a year, according to a new poll.

Instead, they would prefer a voluntary one-month, community-only scheme says research by YouGov.

National Service ended in the 1960s but has faced occasional calls for its reinstatement ever since. In 2011, David Cameron launched the National Citizen Service, a shorter, voluntary, community projects scheme, which has had limited participation.

Researchers put 12 different schemes to

Britons, compulsory or voluntary, military or civilian or both, lasting between one month to one year.

The results show respondents rejected the option most like the original National Service – a compulsory year of military training – which came bottom of the table with 28 per cent supporting compared to 64 per cent opposed, with a one-month version equally unpopular, at 29 per cent and 62 per cent respectively.

Young Britons, especially those who would have to do it – 18 to 24-year-olds – are

particularly opposed with just 10 per cent backing and 78 per cent opposing (including 67 per cent “strongly” opposed). No compulsory scheme received overall support but voluntary schemes were supported by a majority, with the most popular a monthlong community service at 72 per cent and a year-long equivalent at 69 per cent. A French-style voluntary scheme allowing participants to spend a month or year in either military or community settings would be backed by around 65 per cent.

GARDEN THERAPY: Forces veterans at the Eden Project’s Vounder garden

TRAINING SORTIE: CXX Sqn P-8 Poseidon

Simon Mander

RISE AND SHINE: Army recruits on National Service polish their boots at Ash Vale in Surrey in 1956

PHOTO: ALAMY

54 SQN Protector crews training at the Grand Forks Air Base in Dakota cleared a mountain bike trail in Turtle River state park as part of a community project for local residents.

spokesman

Park Rangers service said: “Many thanks to the incredible group of RAF personnel for helping out.”

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CANADIAN JETS took to the skies of Lincolnshire for the first time in the RAF’s premier air exercise, Cobra Warrior.

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They were joined by an Italian Air Force intelligence aircraft, Nato E-3A Sentry Airborne Early Warning and Control platforms, a USAF F-16CJ Fighting Falcon and four 29 Sqn Typhoons from Coningsby and F-35 Lightning jets from Marham.

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“Having a presence here in Europe demonstrates our commitment to our Allies and to Nato.

“On the tactical level, it is training with our Allies. It’s a continual challenge to maintain our interoperability, to ensure we can function together and to learn from each other. Exercises like Cobra Warrior give us that chance.”

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Air-to-air refuelling from RAF Voyager crews allows pilots to extend combat drills for longer.

Voyager pilot Flt Lt Sam Jones said: “Working with other nations on this exercise is brilliant. We get to learn about each other’s standards, which makes working together on operations much easier.

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“Voyager is key to the exercise to enable the fast jets to stay in the air and in the exercise itself. We can hear on the radios what’s happening in the exercise and know exactly when we are needed to refuel a group of fighters.

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“We make sure we are ready to receive the jets when they need to fuel, to sustain what they are doing.”

Quake SOS

Atlas flies in UK rescue teams as Morocco death toll passes 2,500

Simon Mander

BRITISH SEARCH specialists were flown to Morocco by two RAF transporters after an earthquake killed more than 2,500 people.

Brize-based Air Movements

Sqn personnel scrambled to prepare two A400M Atlas aircraft to take 60 rescuers, medics, search dogs and their lifesaving kit to the epicentre of the disaster in the High Atlas mountains.

Rescuers in Morocco had been using their bare hands to dig for survivors, after a 6.8 magnitude quake struck remote villages and blocked roads, with boulders preventing heavy-lifting equipment getting through.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps said: “This is a devastating time for the people of Morocco, particularly those with loved ones they have lost or are missing.

“The UK has taken a leading role in the international effort to enhance search and rescue operations – moving quickly to deploy our unique strategic airlift capabilities, expert personnel and aid.

“We stand firmly by Morocco as they get through this terrible event.”

The Atlas can carry 37 tonnes of cargo over 2,000 miles and was able to airlift the UK International Search and Rescue team –with seismic listening devices, concrete cutting and breaking equipment, and propping and shoring tools used to reach people under collapsed buildings – to Marrakesh without refuelling

The Moroccan government says it has accepted aid from four countries so far: Britain, Spain, Qatar and the UAE.

Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “I remain in contact with Foreign Minister Bourita and offer my deepest sympathies to the people of Morocco after this tragic event.”

The deadliest earthquake to strike the country since 2004 hit remote rural towns the hardest and destroyed and badly damaged buildings and vehicles in the historic city of Marrakesh.

The country declared three days of mourning to remember the victims while the director of the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre said the nation will continue to be rocked by aftershocks that could last months.

WWII Spitfire sale stalls

A FULLY-RESTORED WWII Spitfire which went on to star in Battle of Britain and The Longest Day has failed to sell at auction.

The 1943 warbird MH415, valued at £4.5 million by auctioneers Bonhams, shot down a Luftwaffe Focke-Wulf 190 over France and featured in the epic 60s war movies before being sold to a private collector in the US.

It was rescued after spending 35 years in a barn in Texas by Vintage Fighter Restorations in New South

Lost airman remembered

THE DEDICATION of a pensioner who tended the unmarked grave of a Battle of Britain hero for years after the war has been recognised.

Caring Jean Liddicoat looked after the plot in the grounds of Staplehurst’s All Saints Church in Kent, originally inscribed ‘An Airman of the 1939-45 war,’ right up to her death.

The anonymous headstone bothered her as she vividly remembered seeing a downed British pilot in his parachute being fired upon by an enemy aircraft during the conflict.

And, after a lengthy period of painstaking research, she discovered the young man buried there was RAF Volunteer Reserve pilot Flt Lt Freddie Rushmer. He was killed in action over Kent on September 5, 1940 flying with 603 (City of Edinburgh) RAuxAF Sqn.

She had the headstone changed and attributed to Flt Lt Rushmer and for many years after the disbandment of 603 Sqn in 1957, and up until her death, tended the plot.

RACE AGAINST TIME: UK rescue crews and equipment arrive in Morocco as death toll continues to rise following earthquake

In 1999, 603 Sqn was reformed and recently obtained permission from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to place a small plaque beside the headstone detailing the role Jean Liddicoat played in recognising his sacrifice.

Caring Claire nets award

Staff Reporter

Honington

HONINGTON CIVVIE Claire Ruston has scooped a commendation for her work with the Suffolk station’s chaplaincy team.

She was presented with the award for her 16 years supporting the spiritual welfare of the personnel by Chaplainin-Chief The Venerable Air Vice-Marshal Dr Giles Legood at an informal dinner.

She said: “I have seen 21 padres here at Honington and this is the best job on the station.

“This award is a reflection of the efforts of everyone who works with the chaplaincy team.”

GOOD WORK: Claire Ruston with Chaplain-in-Chief AVM Legood

Wales, Australia.

The Spitfire returned to the UK and restoration work was completed by vintage aviation specialists in Northampton ahead of returning to the air in 2021.

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WWII Bomber Ron has a blast as he hits 100

Simon Mander

A WARTIME hero who survived being shot down over the Channel and the infamous Nazi ‘Death March,’ from the Stalag Luft IV POW camp has celebrated his centenary.

Ron Tomlin was a 19-year-old Sergeant bomb aimer on 10 Sqn when disaster struck returning from his third raid over Nuremberg in August 1943 when the Halifax bomber he was flying in developed engine trouble.

Losing height over Dieppe, descending to 9,500ft, the aircraft was hit by flak and made a forced landing on the water where the crew struggled with a dinghy damaged by enemy fire.

Ron said: “When we ran out of patches, we had to put our fingers in the holes, we were pumping all the time to keep the boat inflated. We were in the sea for about 17 hours before the Germans

caught us.”

Sick from swallowing salt water and oil Ron was at first relieved to be captured but four days later was sent for Gestapo interrogation – something his RAF training had prepared him for.

He said: “We had been told what to expect, they would move you from hut to hut. Some nights they would put you in the same hut as one of your crew, another they would put you in with a stranger –possibly a collaborator.

“It wasn’t pleasant, but apart from them sometimes waving guns about, there was never any violence from them.”

Ron was then transferred to Poland, finishing at the Stalag Luft IV camp until the Russian advance of February 1945.

As the Red Army closed in the POWs were ordered to March 500 miles on foot back to Germany, but at Fallingbostel in Saxony Ron and his pilot refused to march further until his frostbitten foot was

operated on and their German captors left them behind.

Liberated two days later by the advancing British forces Ron was repatriated to England, treated at RAF Cosford hospital for dysentery and returned to his mother’s house in Birmingham by VE Day.

His 100th birthday was marked with a party in the Droitwich care home where he now lives and family celebrations at his son David’s home where he was saluted by a flypast by a Brize Norton-based 30 Sqn Atlas A400M.

John Mason, Royal Air Forces Association Worcester and District branch president and voluntary welfare officer, who co-ordinated the event said: “As a veteran of Bomber Command myself it has been a great joy and honour for me to be able to be a friend to Ron and to see the RAF of today is able to show its gratitude for the sacrifice he made for us back in WWII.”

Battle of Britain Trust chiefs launch tribute to ‘The Many’

A TRIBUTE to ‘the Many’, those whose vital support role in 1940 helped the men of Fighter Command to victory in the Battle of Britain, has been launched by the Kent trust that honours the memory of the Few.

The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust, which cares for the memorial to the Few at Capel-le-Ferne, will lay memorial tiles along the edges of the three propeller blades that radiate out from the Memorial in memory of those who served.

The Trust’s ‘Blade of Honour’ project will invite members of the public to fund a tile in memory of anyone who played a part in the victory.

“From those who served as ground crew to those whose contributions were less obvious we are looking to mark the commitment of the thousands of people who contributed to the success of ‘the Few’ in 1940,” said Trust Chairman Richard Hunting.

“We don’t have a set list of professions that we feel qualify, but are instead inviting people to nominate the person they think should be commemorated – probably, but not necessarily, a relative – along with

evidence that they played a part in this historic victory. They can be military or civilian, as long as they contributed.”

The tiles will cost £495 each including up to 60 inscribed letters.

The scheme is open to anyone who played an active support role in the Battle of Britain.

The project was formally launched this month on Battle of Britain Day.

Any profits will be used to support

the charity, which receives no public funding and relies on supporters to continue its work.

The Trust says work installing the tiles will start once they have received 270 names. “Given the many thousands of people who contributed to victory in 1940 and the esteem in which they are held, we are confident that we will soon reach our first target,” added Richard.

SPECTATORS WERE treated to patriotic red, white and blue plumes as the Red Arrows took to the skies at the Bournemouth Airshow performing in front of crowds of more than 600,000 who flocked to the four day coastal event.

SET IN STONE: One of the tiles honouring those who supported BoB pilots

Feature K9 companions of WWII

DOGS WAR of

Loyal companions

DOGS have always had a special place in the history of war, and for good reason. From ancient times they have been used in combat, as scouts, sentries, for search and rescue, as messengers, trackers and later first aiders.

And their pawprints are all over the story of the RAF, from Wg Cdr Guy Gibson’s famous black Labrador immortalised in the Dambusters, to bomb dog Buster who saved countless lives from deadly IEDs during five tours of Bosnia, Iraq and Afghanistan.

So, it comes as something of a surprise to learn that at the outbreak of World War Two there was no official British military war dog program.

dog school was set up in Potters Bar in 1942, with another following at the Ministry of Aircraft Production in Gloucestershire.

Favoured breeds for UK military service were German Shepherds (called Alsatians because of antiGerman feeling), Airedales, Boxers, Kerry Blue Terriers, Farm Collies, Bull Terriers, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers and Curly-Coated Retrievers.

By 1944 Britain had 7,000 active-duty dogs not including those serving with units including Air Force squadrons in the Middle East, India and Burma.

AUTHOR: Bulanda

Indeed, with the introduction of rationing in 1940 an estimated 750,000 dogs and cats were destroyed by their owners in panic that they would not be able to feed them.

Despite the success of dogs in WWI and reports that the Nazis had more than 200,000 Airedales, Boxers, German Shepherds, Doberman Pinschers and other breeds combat-ready, British politicians did not think they were needed.

It took two Army officers who trained a few sentry dogs and proved that one canine could do the work of six soldiers guarding airbases and other sites to persuade Whitehall to set up its own K9 Corps.

The first British war

Their value prompted the RAF in May 1944 to ask Britons to donate dogs to guard airfields and secret installations.

Packed with dramatic contemporary imagery of war dogs in action, this book, by an animal behaviour consultant who ran her own K9SAR unit, explains how dogs were trained and used during WWII by both the Allies and

And in between it recounts the amazing stories of individual animals whose service not only saved lives but whose stories sometimes inspired entire nations.

Military Dogs of World War II, by Susan Bulanda, is published by Casemate, priced £24.95.

EVACUATED: German Shepherd Mark was one of 200 dogs rescued at Dunkirk in 1940

BOND: Wg Cdr Johnnie Johnson and Sally

WAR Service hound roll of honour

He managed to convince the drunk camp commandant to register her as an official inmate, which undoubtedly saved her life, while she protected her fellow prisoners by alerting them to snakes, scorpions, alligators and tigers.

Williams smuggled her out of camp in a rice sack after being ordered to leave her behind when the POWs were shipped to Singapore.

Their vessel was torpedoed and sank but Judy was pushed through a porthole and somehow, three days later, appeared at the new camp.

After the war Williams smuggled her back to England, where she lived with him until she was 14 and was awarded the Dickin Gallantry Medal.

SPRINGER SPANIEL FSgt Bungie was owned by FO B W Lecky of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and loved to fly – so much so that ground crews kept an eye on him as he often climbed the rung ladder of RAF aircraft to try to get into the cockpit.

After the war, his owner smuggled him to a new posting in Berlin against regulations listing him as ‘welfare equipment and props’, where the WAAF Mascot toured widely and became as famous in Germany as he was in England

RETRIEVER SMUDGE (inset, below right) had 45 hours flying time on five aircraft types by the time he became a squadron mascot at RAF Pocklington.

Many airmen thought he brought them luck as their unit then held the record of 228 Bomber Command missions over Germany.

But he also had an uncanny way of knowing when his master, mid-upper gunner Flt Lt H L Mackay DFC, was in trouble and once pined at the window where he watched his master leave at precisely the moment his aircraft was hit by flak and caught fire on a raid over Dusseldorf.

AMERICAN JAMES Austin bought world champion Fox Terrier Saddler from an English breeder and donated cash he earned through stud fees, food and soap adverts to buy a Spitfire and to help Blitz victims and the RAF Benevolent Fund.

He then had the idea of selling honorary ranks and commissions for dogs that could

WE HAVE two copies of Military Dogs of World War II to be won.

To enter, just answer the following question:

What was the name of Wg Cdr Johnnie Johnson’s Labrador Retriever?

Email your answer, marked War Dogs competition, to: tracey.allen@rafnews. co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe HP14 4UE, to arrive by October 6.

Reader offer! 30 per cent off when you purchase at: www.pen-and-sword.co.uk using discount code: DOGS30.

not serve in the military, for what he called the War Dog Fund. It was so popular that in a year 25,000 had ‘signed up’ – many of them the pets of soldiers, sailors and Marines on active duty across the world.

GERMAN SHEPHERD

Antis served with Vaclav Robert Bozdech in 311 (Czechoslovak) Sqn, acting as an early warning system for approaching Luftwaffe bombers, and once sniffed out six survivors and a baby from the rubble after a raid on Liverpool.

On one occasion he hid himself on Bozdech’s bomber, forcing the pilot to share his oxygen mask with him on the mission, though

eventually got his own specially designed breathing apparatus despite an official ban on dogs flying sorties.

After the war he returned home with his master but both fled back to Britain following the Communist takeover of Czechoslovakia, with Antis alerting his master to border patrols during their escape.

He was awarded the Dickin Medal in 1949.

GERMAN SHEPHERDCOLLIE cross Bing parachuted into Normandy with the 6th Airborne Division on D-Day, landing in a tree and having to be rescued.

Originally called Brian, he was donated by a Leicestershire family who could not feed him and served in France and Germany, and was once wounded in action, before being returned to his original owners.

ON PARADE: Collie Wimpy and owner Sgt Sylvia Lewis. Wimpy kept rats at bay at RAF Hereford BING: German Shepherd was parachuted into Normandy on D-Day

LOVE OF FLYING: FSgt Bungie was owned by WAAF FO B.W. Lecky JUDY: ‘Adopted’ airman in POW camp

LORD TRENCHARD: Father of the Royal Air Force

POINTER JUDY adopted Aircraftsman

Frank Williams in a Japanese POW camp, where he shared his daily rice ration with her.

By Tracey Allen

ROBERT STANFORD TUCK

was Britain’s highest-scoring fighter ace in January 1942 with an official score of 29 enemy aircraft destroyed. He went on to be awarded three DFCs and the DSO.

Shot down over France, he was taken prisoner of war and incarcerated in the notorious Stalag Luft III prison camp, where he shared a cell with Sqn Ldr Roger Bushell, the man who masterminded the Great Escape.

Tuck worked with Bushell on the escape committee and was going to be his partner in the famous escapade.

But in January 1944, a group of POWs, including Tuck, were taken to new camps. When his camp was moved out on the Long March, Tuck, with Polish officer Zbigniew Kustrzyński, made a risky escape and eventually managed to return to England.

In her biography Stanford Tuck, Hero of the Battle of Britain (grubstreet.co.uk), published on Battle of Britain Day, Helen Doe presents the first full reappraisal of the great fighter ace. She examines the truth behind Tuck’s 1956 biography Fly for Your Life, by Roger Forrester, looking at the evidence behind the myths to reveal the real Stanford Tuck.

Born in 1916 in South London, Robert Tuck – he added Stanford to his surname in 1940 – left school at 16 and served as a cadet on a merchant ship. Doe notes that Forrester wrote that young Bobby Tuck left after two-and-a-half years at sea to join the RAF.

She said: “The big problem with the story is that he didn’t. He stepped off the ship at Liverpool after just two months at sea and never returned.”

After working briefly as a clerk for a manufacturing company and for a city stockbroker, he answered an advert for a short service commission in the RAF. It was 1935.

Doe said: “This was his big opportunity, his escape from boring office jobs beckoned and the reinvention of Bobby Tuck was about to begin.”

Following training he joined 65 Sqn at Hornchurch and spent nearly four years there, developing him, said Doe, from ‘a young inexperienced 20-year-old into a mature fighter pilot ready for combat.’

He then joined 92 Sqn, whose CO was Roger Bushell. Six months later Tuck was promoted to flight commander and the squadron, equipped with Spitfires, moved to Northolt.

In 1940 the squadron was fighting over Dunkirk when Tuck proved himself an expert shot.

Thirty Me 110s were attacking Boulogne harbour and three headed towards Tuck.

Doe explained: “He managed to manoeuvre himself behind one of them and opened up. It dived down to evade Tuck but Tuck stuck to its tail as it flew lower in an attempt to force him into some cables. The German aircraft crashed into a field and as the pilot got out he appeared

Stanford Tuck: dashing Battle of Britain hero with three DFCs

WE HAVE copies of Helen Doe’s fascinating biography of Stanford Tuck to win.

For your chance to own one, tell us:

Who was Tuck’s room-mate at Stalag Luft III?

Win!

Email your answer, marked Stanford Tuck book, to: tracey.allen@rafnews. co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE to arrive by October 6.

He was taken to the Luftwaffe’s interrogation centre, Dulag Luft, at Oberursel before being sent eventually to Stalag Luft III, where he became Bushell’s room-mate.

to wave. Impressed with the pilot’s flying skills Tuck was about to wave back when his windscreen was hit. The pilot was firing at him. Furious, Tuck turned swiftly, flew at the pilot and fired accurately, killing him in a heavily one-sided contest. Now by Tuck’s reckoning he had just six seconds of fire left as he was attacked by another Me 110. Evading him, Tuck got on his tail and used his remaining ammunition. With one engine out of action and the other trailing smoke the Me 100 crashed into a wood about four miles northeast of St Omer. Tuck headed back satisfied with his day’s work.”

During the Battle of Britain Tuck’s legendary expertise grew

and he was posted to command the leaderless and demoralised 257 Sqn, flying Hurricanes.

Doe said: “Tuck was already a legend when he arrived at 257 –described as ‘tall, thin-faced with slicked back hair and a moustache, he looked like a man about town playing roulette on the French Riviera, but there was no mistaking his courage and skill in the air.’”

A sergeant called him ‘a very charismatic leader’ adding, ‘and this, combined with his exceptional combat record, gave one a great deal of confidence in him.’

On January 28, 1942, Tuck’s Spitfire was hit while on a low-level fighter mission and crash-landed.

Doe said: “The last time they had seen each other Tuck was a newly appointed Flight Lieutenant under Bushell but roles were now reversed as Tuck was now his senior in rank, with a string of impressive victories and the medals to go with them.

“Bushell wrote home to his parents in South Africa: ‘I am now sharing a room with Robert Tuck, whom you have no doubt heard of. Used to be one of the flight commanders in the old days but has now beaten me to it and is now a wing commander with the DSO and three DFCs! He is a charming fellow and we have lots of laughs.’”

Tragically, Bushell was shot dead by the Gestapo when he was recaptured after the Great Escape on March 24, 1944.

Tuck and Kustrzyński, with the

help of a Russian family, hid under straw in a barn at Braunsdorf once they had broken away from their fellow POWs who were on the Long March westwards. They made their way east to Russian forces, eventually got to Odessa and sailed home, arriving in England on April 4, 1945.

After the war, Tuck became friends with Luftwaffe ace Adolf Galland and worked with him as a key advisor on the 1969 film Battle of Britain

Tuck and his wife Joyce went into mushroom farming in Kent. But the impact of his war service and his imprisonment took a toll on his health and he died in 1987, aged 70.

Doe said: “We know more today about the impact of war service on individuals and their families, but Tuck’s generation hid their psychological scars and just got on with life, sometimes to their detriment.”

PIONEER: Tuck snaps an early selfie with a box camera on windscreen of an Avro Tutor in 1935 POW: In Stalag Luft III (circled)

ADVISOR: Stanford Tuck with actor Kenneth More on the Battle of Britain film set. Susannah York is seated behind

The WWII sub-hunter who became Air Cdre

Pilot amassed 7,000 hours on 31 aircraft

AIR COMMODORE Cliff Godwin, who has died aged 99, was one of the last surviving World War II pilots to have flown anti-submarine patrols north of the Arctic Circle. He went on to complete a full career in the RAF, which included operations in support of the Berlin Airlift and as a formative influence in air transport.

At the age of 17 he applied to join the RAF, and by October 1942 he had been accepted for pilot training. He trained in Canada under the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan and, afterwards, converted to the Liberator.

In July 1944 he joined Coastal Command’s 86 Squadron, flying the US-built four-engine Liberator bomber. Operating from his base at Tain in northern Scotland on the first of his 24 long-range missions in support of the Russian convoys, he patrolled 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle on a flight that lasted more than 16 hours.

This set the pattern for all his other operations north of Norway, during which time he made a probable periscope sighting. The crew’s determination to attack left them desperately short of fuel for the return to Tain, where they landed “on fumes.”

Following the German surrender, surviving U-boats were ordered to sail on the surface flying a black flag. During a training sortie on May 14, 1945, he was diverted to escort two U-boats surrendering to Loch Eriboll on the north-west coast of Scotland.

In later years he was asked by his family about his (non) swimming ability and thus his suitability for Coastal Command duties, he phlegmatically pointed out the unlikelihood of survival in the

Arctic Ocean whether or not one could swim.

After two years, he returned to CFS to instruct the next generation of instructors. During this time, he flew in two large formations of Harvard aircraft spelling out ‘RAF’ and ‘GR VI’ at RAF Open Days and over London, the latter for the 1950 King’s Birthday Parade. In 1953 he was awarded the Air Force Cross. He subsequently returned to instruct on transport aircraft when he later headed the Transport Command Examination Wing, checking and testing RAF transport crews based worldwide.

After a staff tour, he left for a twoyear exchange tour with the United States Air Force in Washington State, flying the huge C-124 Globemaster.

Godwin took his family with him to the US, travelling by the RMS Queen Mary and returning on the RMS Queen Elizabeth; he was only mildly irritated to discover later that his return passage had been booked in second class, but before his promotion to Wg Cdr had been promulgated, which would have merited a first-class passage.

In a life largely committed to advancing the professionalisation of aviation in the RAF, Godwin managed to fly a wide array of aircraft. His logbook records qualification on some 30 fixed wing aircraft and – finally – on one helicopter. In the late 1940s and early 50s he had added such iconic aircraft as the Spitfire, Mosquito and Lancaster to his tally.

Following tours as a staff college instructor, command of the Transport Command Examining Unit, and Group Captain Plans in HQ 38 Group at Odiham, Godwin was appointed to command RAF Benson in Oxfordshire – the home of two Argosy transport squadrons

– where he took every opportunity to fly with his crews.

From there he moved on promotion to Air Cdre as Commander RAF Hong Kong in November 1970. During this period, he converted to the Whirlwind helicopter. Part of his training was to winch up aircrew who were practising their drills, should they find themselves in

hostile territory. A recently-arrived pilot officer commented: “As the junior pilot, I was ‘volunteered’ to act as a survivor for his winching practice – I carried the scars of being dragged through the undergrowth as he mastered the art. It cannot have been malicious because I hadn’t then met his eldest daughter at the time, and who I later married!”

Following a year at the Royal College of Defence Studies in 1973, he held two director posts in MOD before leaving the RAF in 1979. He relished any opportunity to fly and spent many off-duty weekends as a glider tug pilot flying the Chipmunk. Overall, he amassed some 7,000 hours flight time. He died two weeks before his 100th birthday.

PALACE DATE: Godwin receives the AFC in 1953, accompanied by his wife and mother. Inset left, spelling out GR VI in Harvard formation

FORMER RAF Sqn Ldr

Jack Hemmings, an early pioneer of Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF) – the world’s largest humanitarian air service – celebrated turning 102 at the Eastbourne Airbourne air show last month.

Jack flew Lockheed Hudson aircraft with 353 Sqn during World War II and received the AFC.

It was his first visit to his local air show, despite being from Sussex, and he described the day as ‘thoroughly enjoyable.’

Invited to the Flight Deck tent for a special view of the displays, Jack was personally greeted by Red 10 – Red Arrows Squadron Leader Graeme Muscat – shortly before the Reds made their display above Eastbourne.

During their meeting, Jack shared memories from his extensive flying career, which includes performing the first British humanitarian survey of Central Africa in 1948, where, alongside D-Day landings

RAF engineer Stuart King, he flew a wooden Miles Gemini aircraft from Croydon to Nairobi.

The result of the pair’s pioneering sortie was the launch of

MAF, which has grown to become the world’s largest humanitarian air service. Today, the charity operates 118 aircraft in more than 25 low-income countries to deliver aid, medical care and emergency evacuations in some of the world’s most isolated locations.

Jack said: “When I first joined the RAF in 1940, I thought, ‘If I am going to fight in a war, I may as well do it sitting down!’ Getting into an aeroplane gives a sense of pleasant expectation – I’ve never got into one and regretted it. I love flying because it gives a feeling of detachment from all the problems in the world.

“During wartime, aircraft were used for destruction; but it has always been my desire that they be used for good. That is what MAF does today, it is more than a bright idea that stayed in someone’s head, it has grown exponentially to become the Good Samaritan of the air. Turning 102 doesn’t quite have the allure of 100, but it’s nice to have it behind me.”

Jo Lamb

MAF Publicity Officer, Via email

IN RAF News 1566 (August 11) the photo on page 21[above] was from the original Golden Eagle flight in 1970 and not the refresher course, as you have said, in 1976.

I have the original photo with King Charles’s signature. I am standing behind the pilot. I was the radar guy on the Golden Eagle flight.

Iain Poole Via email

IN RAF News 1564 (July 14), there was an article titled ‘Ade’s last parade’ suggesting I was retiring after regular and reserve service.

The CO was actually kindly marking my combined 40 years of service as at June 21, 2023. Suffice to say I am still happily serving in a FTRS role at RAF Shawbury and the cap is not quite hung up yet.

Flt Lt AP Vine

RAF Shawbury

GUEST

208 GT’s got touch of Gallic flair

THERE ARE certain things that the French do well, very well –Champagne, cheese, kissing and small cars.

Peugeot’s latest 208 GT is therefore a big deal in France. It’s the Alpha of the pack, leading cars like the Renault Clio and the Citroen C3 in sales on its home turf. Here in the UK, it faces a fullon punch up with cars like the Ford Fiesta and the Mini Cooper, but it holds its own here too.

The 208’s been around for a while now, developing a strong fan base, and the latest incarnation builds on the brand with a new face and a new interior.

Outside

The 208 GT looks like a smart bit of kit. The nose is more chiselled than the old 208, while the profile is now simple and clean. It’s a rather pretty car, with tripleLED ‘claw’ lights and 17inch alloy wheels on the GT version. If you prefer retro, classic lines, then a Mini is the better option but if you want smart contemporary looks for the 20s, the 208 GT is a winner.

Inside

The 208’s interior is one of the most carefully-designed cabins that

you’ll find in any small car. It’s right up there with the Germans in terms of soft-touch surfaces and high-end materials. The ambient lighting means that it even looks good in the dark.

Interior space is gargantuan, by Parisian standards. That means that a couple of sixfooters can sit comfortably in the front and two more can squeeze into the back without too much fuss. There’s more room than you’ll get in a Clio, but less than you’ll enjoy in a Polo. GT trim even comes with leather upholstery, heated seats and a massage function.

Peugeot’s iCockpit, the digital instrument cluster, is always a bit ‘Marmite’, in the sense that you’ll either love it or hate it. You view the clocks by looking over the tiny steering wheel, rather than through it, and this will mean that your choice of driving position will play a part. If you love to sit high and close to the wheel then you’re in luck but, if you like to sit on the floor, you’ll find that the steering wheel sits squarely between you and the gauges.

The GT gets a 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system

Pros

l Cheap to run

l Comfortable for a small car

l Smart and high-quality interior

l Punchy petrol engine

Cons

l Not much fun to drive

l Fiddly infotainment system

l Steering wheel design limits driving position

Verdict

The new 208, especially in GT

that comes with sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. It works seamlessly while connected to your phone but the screen could be higher resolution and the menu system is a bit clunky to operate. There’s also a shortage of physical buttons, so you will need to go rooting through menus to find simple functions such as the climate control.

On The Road

Peugeots are traditionally soft, cushy affairs that are designed to waft along uneven French roads with ease, so they don’t tend to lend themselves well to rapid turns. The old GTi was the exception to that

Peugeot 208 GT

trim, is a pretty little car. It’s also surprisingly well-made. The out-there cabin and funky lights are all part of a package that makes this something slightly different. The softness of the ride means that it’s no sporty GTi, but it is stylish and bang-on when it comes to interior quality and hushed cruising.

rule, a surprising master of the hothatch class. Unfortunately, the new GT doesn’t share that sharpness and you’ll experience more body lean than you would get from a Ford Fiesta. Pity really.

Our car came with the 128bhp 3-cylinder 1.2-litre engine, married to an eight-speed auto box. It’s a feisty little combination that will take the 208 from standstill to 62mph in 8.7 seconds, and on to a maximum top speed of 129mph. Not quite a warm-hatch but enough to keep your interest around town. Road noise is well suppressed on a run and the 1.2 engine will return a combined fuel consumption figure of 64mpg.

There’s a noticeable bit of engine noise as you accelerate away but that quickly fades into the background at motorway speeds.

Tim Morris

Peugeot 208 GT (from £20,760 to £27,700)

Funky, chic and functional but not particularly fun to drive

Infrastructure service project - a case study

The Task

A multi-tank decommissioning programme of a BFI (Bulk Fuel Installation)was awarded to LCM from one of our defence customers.

The team carried out fuel uplifts from the various tanks and pipelines ahead of the industry clean, de-gas and certification. Phase two of the work was to remove all useable assets from site, this was completed, and the goods were palletised, wrapped, and transferred to a local site for safe storage.

Scope of Works

On arrival the LCM team collected their security passes which enabled them to travel around the base to the various work locations.

Our welfare unit arrived and was positioned in the designated area, the work area was segregated with heras fencing and safety signage.

Once all paperwork was completed and the toolbox talks received, the engineers began scoping out the area and preparing for:

l Stage 1: The removal and disposal of all fuel from the various vessels and

pipelines. All fuel was taken off site for disposal at a licenced facility.

l Stage 2: The draining and removal of the FWS (Fuel Water Separator) All internal elements were bagged up and removed from site for disposal.

l Stage 3: Flushing and purging of all fuel lines was completed at various points along the pipelines to ensure no fuel remained within the system.

l Stage 4: Main bulk tank (1,250,000L capacity) for man-entry cleaning. The tank was vented, and the lids carefully removed. The cleaning process was carried out with a 7-person confined space entry crew. On completion the tank was dried and certified gas-free.

l Stage 5: Non-man-entry tank clean to the remaining tanks on site. 1 x 30,000L backflush tank, 5,000L slops tank, 7,500L gas oil tank. All tanks were cleaned, andall washing removed from site. On completion of the

The Outcome

cleaning tasks, salvageable assets were identified and removed for possible use across the military estate.

Some of these included Hamworthy pumps, ATEX lighting and switches; the FWS (Fuel Water Separator) all TRVs (Thermal Relief Valves) and DPIs (Differential pressure indicators) were salvageable, as well as two enginedriven generators, dispense meter, slam-shut valve and the entire control panel and tank gauging system.

The client was left happy with LCM’s professional approach and quality work. All health and safety procedures were strictly followed and adhered to; no incidents were reported, and the engineers enjoyed a partial Red Arrows show to top up the experience.

Damian's giant of Rugby League Sqn Ldr's name on sport's prestigious roll of honour

Daniel Abrahams

AFTER A historic 1895 Cup win at Wembley with Halifax Panthers, Sqn Ldr Damian Clayton has become the 51st name on the Rugby Football League’s prestigious Roll of Honour.

The 12-10 win over Batley Bulldogs was the first trophy win for the Betfred Championship side in 36 years – on the club’s 150th anniversary – with RAF RL stalwart Clayton as the team’s performance coach.

Tony Sutton, the RFL’s chief executive, said: “Damian has made such a significant contribution to Rugby League over the last three decades. This addition to the Roll of Honour is richly deserved –and I know it will be welcomed by the many people with whom he has worked throughout the sport.

have made on the sport ever since.

“It’s especially fitting that we do so this year, given his additional role at Wembley with Halifax Panthers in the AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final.”

Clayton became the 51st member on the Roll of Honour, which was introduced in 2003 to ‘recognise individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to the sport across both playing and off-field service.’

The proud Sqn Ldr told RAF News: “To be on the Roll of Honour is the highest accolade you can get without being a professional player –without being an Ellery Hanley or Kevin Sinfield – for my game to induct me is incredible.

“It was an amazing series of days. It’s different being involved at that level. I have worked with the Challenge Cup before but to be involved in the 1895 with a playing side, and to win at Wembley, I cannot describe it – it was my team, and they won, incredible.

“It is easy to forget that Rugby League could not be played in the Armed Forces as recently as the early 1990s.

“Damian was one of a few key figures in the lifting of the ban and has gone on to play a major part in the hugely positive impact which the Forces

“We were also at the Cenotaph the day before to pay tribute to the fallen, which was very moving. We held a pre-meeting in the Palace of Westminster, where Her Majesty The Queen was laid in state.

“To have so many Rugby League people paying their respects was something truly special.”

Would you like to see your sport featured in RAF News? Send a short report (max 300 words) and a couple of photographs (attached jpegs) to:

RUGBY LEAGUE

“It is easy to forget that Rugby League could not be played in the Armed Forces as recently as the early 1990s. Damian was one of a few key figures in the lifting of the ban”

Tough road to the top for Toms

A THUMPING third place was the welcome return for the UKAF women’s road cycling team’s efforts at the National B Regional Championships in Bath.

The gruelling race was contested at a fast pace with some climbs being classed as ‘brutal’.

RAF rider Cpl Sarah Toms and Army duo Sgt Laura Furness and Captain Philippa Inderwick were the Services team’s top finishers – ensuring third overall for UKAF in the 57-rider race.

Also in the military team were Plt Off Sarah Briggs and Army riders WO1 Chanel Mason and Maj Angela Laycock.

They all had their work cut out on a course which involved eight laps of the 10km circuit with 4,500ft of climbing for the Bath CC Road Race – Women’s Nat B (Regional Championships for South, Southwest & Wales).

Every other lap featured a Queen of the Mountain competition, which created a race within the race, blowing the peloton apart and shedding riders, all at speeds often exceeding 50mph.

Toms said: “It was a hard day out of the office, a tough race physically and mentally with riders counting down the laps knowing the climb was coming each time, although it was a fantastic opportunity to race with the Army girls in the same uniform for once. Hopefully this is the first of many races and training sessions we can do together.”

It's the Ivory coast for Ken as he bids to join 100 Club

WITH FIFTEEN marathons lined up for this year and another 15 in 2024, Sgt Ken Ivory is nearing his dream of joining the holy grail for ultramarathon runners – the 100 Marathon Club.

Ivory, who has been running marathons for more than 18 years, faces his biggest challenge as he competes in the Atlantic Coast Challenge next month.

The race, in its 18th year, sees participants run three marathon lengths (78.6 miles) over three days.

Ivory, who has condensed his training schedule from six days a week to four to fit into his busy work schedule, said: “The biggest hurdle to overcome is recovery after each race. I am 54 now so the body will take longer to recover.”

Day one of the race stretches from Padstow to Perranporth,

42.2km, while day two ends in St Ives Holiday Park (42.2km) before the third day starts in Lelant before reaching Land’s End (44.3km).

Ivory, an honorary treasurer for military charity SSAFA, added: “The South Coast course will be rugged, with steep climbs and sharp descents requiring immense concentration and skill.

“I wanted to prove to myself that I could do it, plus to generate more interest in running as a pastime and to raise money for charity.

“I wanted to do something a bit more exciting. You could say doing three marathons in three days is more eyecatching.”

l Ivory will be running for SSAFA, to sponsor him visit justgiving.com and search ‘Ken Ivory’, then select ‘Ken’s fundraiser for SSAFA’.

MARATHON MAN: Ivory training near RAF Halton, and competing on Mont Blanc (left)

Daniel Abrahams

THIGH-BUSTER: Cpl Toms attacks one of the climbs and leads her peloton (above right); and with UKAF teammates before the start (left)

Cpl fighting back to fitness after his horror sled crash

Sarge masters Tunis 1500m

ASSISTANT DEFENCE Attaché

Sgt David Adam won 1500m gold in the Tunisian National Masters Track Championships. He also secured silver in the 800m the day before in a bumper weekend.

The RAF man, who is now Tunisian Cross Country and Track National Masters Champion, said: “With runners of the quality of a World Indoor over-35 Masters champion in my age group of 50 to 59, I knew I had my work cut out.

“The 800m was held on a balmy night in the Stadium Olympique, Tunis, and I was sat with a group of veteran runners at the start. I knew the laps would be fast and, thankfully, I produced the speed of my last track session, but by the second lap my age was beginning to tell, I really had to dig deep to hang on for silver.”

Daniel Abrahams

THE OLYMPIC bobsleigh dream is still alive for Cpl John Stanbridge after 10 months of rehab following a horror European Cup crash in the 2-man event.

GB bobsleigh pilot Stanbridge, who started his own development team with a hope of representing his country in future Games, fractured his neck and ruptured his spine when his sled upturned in Germany last December. Partner Lt Ally Kay escaped with just bruising.

Stanbridge said: “I have been in recovery and rehab ever since.”

But defeat is not a word Stanbridge seems to understand, and along with starting a new role as an Aircraft Engineering Instructor at RAF Cosford, he has been back in full training since July.

He said: “I’ve been very lucky that there was no nerve or spinal cord damage. My recovery and rehab have been going incredibly well and I’ve been able to train fully since late June.

“With support from the Defence rehab centres at Waddington and Cosford, I’ve been able to adapt my training around any physical restrictions and limitations.

“The mobility in my neck is reduced but overall I have very little discomfort and I’m back working full-time now in my new role at RAF Cosford. I have recently had a CT scan, of which I’m awaiting the results.

“If they are positive I hope the consultant will be happy to sign me off to compete again for the upcoming winter season.”

Keeping the dream alive to compete at World Cup and Championships and the ultimate aim of the Olympics in 2026, Stanbridge recorded a

personal best time during his first GB test runs at Bath University.

He said: “The runs and finish times mean I’m more than capable of performing.

“It’s been really challenging, both physically and mentally to battle back to where I want to be, but it’s been incredible to see that the journey is worth it.

“I really can’t wait to get back on the ice and build from where we left off.” And on the four and two-man Stanbridge teams, he said: “I’m looking to raise awareness of the sport and push our need for sponsorship and media support as we ramp up for the upcoming season.”

l Scan the QR code on the right for more details.

Adam – who is planning to hang up his running shoes by the 2024/25 season, with the aim of winning a National Age Championship in trails, cross country, road or track before he does – raced again the following night, this time in the 1500m.

Having produced a laboured start, he gathered himself and found some speed, catching the leading runners going into the last lap.

He then passed everyone before settling in first and taking the top spot.

He said: “My plan was to run the first 700 metres strongly but to keep myself for the last 800 metres but thankfully the previous night’s run had been a wake-up call for the way the race unfolded.”

HEART-IN-MOUTH MOMENT: Brit pair's bobsleigh upturns in European Cup race and Stanbridge back training, inset

MEDALS: Sgt David Adam with track and cross country awards. He is wearing a vest presented to him by the Tunisian National Athletics Federation Photo: Laurence Underhill, British Embassy, Tunis

ADAM: Sgt has struck African gold

TREATMENT: Stanbridge tries to keep smiling in hospital

Daniel Abrahams

RAF RUGBY League will lose a favourite son this month as head coach Chf Tech Garry Dunn oversees his final Inters clash against the Royal Navy at Wakefield.

Having worked with his new assistant coach Sgt James Hutchinson over the last year, the pair have continued the rich vein of form for both senior and A-grade sides, leaving Dunn to purr: “I am very confident this year, and we are so lucky to have so many gifted players to work with, so I feel these are the best two squads for many years.”

He added: “The Inters is for me the best two weeks of the year, so after this it may be in my diary, but it will not be the same, but that’s what happens, time moves on.

“The final game is going to be a funny moment, I have thought about it and how much RAF RL has been a part of my life, if the lads use my final game as leverage that’s up to them, but we did not perform against the Navy last year, which hurt us, so whatever helps is great.”

On Hutchinson, Dunn said: “We have been working together for the last year which has been great, we have had a series of matches, without an established first team to select from, but that has opened the door to new players.

“I picked people who want to stay involved and who want to pass their knowledge on, I looked for people like that, it’s a natural progression and Hutch is the perfect candidate, which is something we have worked on for the last three years.

“Hutch is a consummate professional, and working with him has been a joy, it has come across in the results as well.”

The last result the pair oversaw

MOTORSPORTS

RUGBY LEAGUE

It's over & Dunn

Head coach bows out after Inter-Services

was a solid 42-18 win over King Cross RFL. Having introduced combined A grade and senior training camps, Dunn has looked to reduce any perceived gaps between the two levels,

and he feels that has helped bond the teams and allow players to see across all aspects of RAF Rugby League. He said: “Our core principles are the same from the bottom up, working together helps solidify

these in all the players. We have done it for the last five years, it really sets the big picture and we have been very lucky with some quality A-grade coaches and, of course, this goes for the UKAF side as well.”

The RAF Senior men’s team face the Army on September 23 at St Helen’s RFC’s Totally Wicked Stadium, before playing the Navy at Wakefield’s Be Well Support Stadium on September 29.

A DRAMATIC weekend of sidecar action saw rider and team retirements along with a respectable ninth in the British Formula 2 championship at Knockhill.

The RAF F2 Sidecar team made the 1000-mile round trip from Brize Norton up to the Scottish track and with Sgt Mark Warburton busy on duties, Cpl Rob Atkinson took to the track with Glenn Dawson on the side to get the team through the round.

The northern sidecar festival attracts huge crowds, so the team had aspirations of putting on a good show, but from free practice it was clear that Dawson was struggling with an old wrist injury.

Having battled well during the

opening stages of the race, the team were forced to retire with Dawson’s growing discomfort.

For race two, Atkinson was joined by a second stand-in, Josh Smith. Smith, 19, made an excellent substitute, using his three years’ experience to the full.

Starting from the back of the grid the pair swiftly made their way up to ninthplace and held that position to the finish.

Atkinson said: “The season’s progress has set us up for a full attack on next year’s championship.

“One final round remains at Brands Hatch next month, alongside the British Superbikes, not an event to be missed.”

MASTER AND PUPIL: Chf Tech Dunn (right) with assistant coach Sgt James Hutchinson

ALL WRAPPED UP: Doncaster Tollbar player is tackled by RAF stars PHOTOS: SBS

5 pages of the best of RAF Sports action

Cup semis exit after cliff plunge tragedy

UKAF player found dead following group game against Spain

“AFTER A very tough and emotional week, the lads gave everything in an extremely physical encounter against a skilful Fijian side,” said UKAF Head Coach FS Justin Coleman. He was speaking after his side fell short 41-29 to Fiji in their Defence World Cup semi-final clash, just days after the tragic death of one of the team.

UKAF took to the field in Rennes, at the Stade Commandant Bougouin, having retired the number 12 shirt previously worn by AB Steffan Rees, who died in a cliff

fall after the group game against Spain earlier in the competition.

The Brits were hit by an early Fijian barrage which saw the Pacific islanders run in a try after 10 minutes.

Coleman added: “While the scoreboard didn’t go our way, managing the mental side of things has been a challenge for everyone.

“I’m gutted with the result but immensely proud of how

SOLO EFFORT: UKAF's Cfn Solodrau Radianirova scores against Fiji PHOTOS: AURE AVONDO/ARMÉE DE TERRE/DÉFENSE

the team performed under these extraordinary circumstances.”

The powerful Fijian pack continued to push, with the score 10-3 after 16 minutes, but UKAF were not backing off. AS1(T) James Roberts scored a try after 37 minutes, following a line-out which developed into a rolling maul, to make the score 8-20 at the break.

The second half saw Coleman’s charges lift their game with a series of scores, notably L/Cpl Epeli Kotobalavu’s superb try spinning off a well-executed ruck, with AS1(T) Davies converting.

A series of cards, red and yellow, then allowed the resurgent UKAF to take advantage of a depleted Fijian side to make the score 29-30

Training down to a tee

LINCOLNSHIRE WAS the destination for the RAF’s golfers as they made final preparations for the chase for Inter-Services glory next month.

The pre-IS training camps at Gainsborough Golf Club saw both the men’s and women’s teams get in some excellent team bonding time, highcalibre coaching sessions and a testing match each.

The airmen and women will be gunning to wrestle back the IS crowns from the Royal Navy, who produced a double win at last April’s championships.

Flt Lt Stuart Hardy said: “The camps gave all the squads time

to practise and gel partnerships ahead of the Inter-Services. It was the perfect opportunity.”

The men’s team played a competitive match against UK Police at Woodhall Spa, The National Golf Centre, winning 13-2.

The UKAF Golf-hosted and run IS championships will be held on the Hotchkin course at Woodhall Spa.

The ladies’ team held a day with their civilian coach, Deana Rushworth, at Witney Lakes, before a narrow 4-3 defeat against a Hampshire side at Tylney Park GC, Hook. l Follow RAF Golf on Instagram @raf_golf.

and set up a grandstand finish.

The final push proved too much for UKAF though, who conceded two well-worked tries and a penalty for a heartbreaking finish – with the team now facing a third-place play-off against New Zealand, who lost to France in Rennes. l Follow UKAF rugby union on Instagram @ukafrugby.

GOLF

The Innocent (15)

Competition

Sister Boniface Mysteries Series Two (12)

Out now on Blu-ray, DVD and download (Dazzler Media)

Win!

Witches no match for this Sister

SHE’S THE Vespa-driving, crime-solving Catholic nun and she’s back for the second hit series of the Sister Boniface Mysteries. It’s the 1960s and Sister Boniface (Lorna Watson), with her aptitude for detective work, is an invaluable asset to the Great Slaughter Police in the Cotswolds. Her faith in forensics is only rivalled by her passion for investigation. If there’s evidence to be found, Boniface will find it.

In this second series, the sister

forces a murderer into checkmate at a chess tournament, takes a spin at a pirate radio station, confronts a coven of witches and defends her own reputation as the conviction of her greatest adversary, ‘The Good Samaritan’, comes into question.

Series 3 of the popular show – from the makers of Father Brown and Shakespeare & Hathaway –Private Investigators – started filming in the summer and the guest cast includes Rupert Vansittart (Game of Thrones), Siobhan Redmond (Two Doors

There's something fishy about Abel's Mum's new chap

AYOUNG widower can’t shake his suspicion about his mother’s new husband, a recently released convict who appears genuinely in love, but may have kept some ties to the criminal underworld, in this fun French crime caper.

announce their business plan of opening a flower shop, thanks to some considerable help from a shady connection of Michel (Roschdy Zem), we share Abel’s wariness whilst hoping for him to be proved wrong.

Down) and Timothy West (Last Tango in Halifax).

The new series is expected to premiere on BritBox and UKTV in 2024 with a Christmas Special this December.

We have copies of the 3-disc set of Series 2 to add to your collection. For a chance to win one, tell us: Who stars as Sister Boniface in the series?

Email your answer, marked Sister Boniface Mysteries competition, to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe HP14 4UE, to arrive by October 6.

Abel (Louis Garrel) has a close bond with his mother (Anouk Grinberg), and has been with her through past relationships with excons, a result of working in prison as part of a theatre group.

Protective and still reeling from his own loss, he spends the rest of his time working as a marine biologist at an aquarium, or hanging out with his late wife’s best friend Clémence (Noémie Merlant).

This band of personalities are all incredibly watchable: charming in their own way but certainly not without flaws. This is often brought out with humour or to heighten the drama. When the newlyweds

In his quest for answers, Abel becomes a hapless amateur sleuth, employing the help of similarly naive Clémence, sharing a great chemistry on screen that can be dramatically loaded one second and hilarious the next.

It is a very simple story (cowritten and directed by Garrel himself) that allows the characters to bring surprising depth in the more intimate scenes.

At times the tone feels messy, unsure of its direction, but ultimately The Innocent does well to balance the tone of drama and comedy, helped by its brilliant central performances.

4 out of 5 roundels

Review by Sam

Cooney

Celebrating 50 years of the US guitar genius Carlos Santana

FANS OF legendary guitar hero Carlos Santana have a treat in store this month – 70 UK cinemas are hosting a special premiere on September 23 and 27 of the film Carlos: The Santana Journey

Directed by the Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Rudy Valdez, (The Sentence, We Are: The Brooklyn Saints), the documentary celebrates the life of one of music’s greatest icons. The two premieres feature exclusive filmed introductions with Santana and Valdez. Carlos combines new interviews with Santana and his family; never-beforeseen archival footage, including home videos recorded by Santana himself; concert footage; behind-the-scenes moments and interviews with music industry luminaries and collaborators.

Kymberli Frueh from Trafalgar

Releasing said: “Carlos Santana is among the elite musicians who have transcended decades and

generations. From his performance at Woodstock to his 90s epic album Supernatural – this documentary delves into his journey of becoming one of our greatest guitar legends. We are thrilled to be a part of this global moment in cinemas where fans can experience his life story and music together.”

The film goes on general release on

A music industry veteran of 50 years, and a 10-time Grammy winner, Carlos Santana was cited by Rolling Stone as number 15 on their list of greatest guitarists of all time and Santana have joined the Rolling Stones as one of only two bands to have an album reach the Top 10 in every decade since the 1960s.

Go to: santana.com for more information and carlosfilm.com to see the film venues and book tickets.

IN TOO DEEP: Marine biologist Abel and pal Clémence turn sleuth when his mother marries an ex-con. Right, Clémence at Abel's aquarium

LEGEND: Carlos Santana

The authors putting the world at your fingertips

Meet singer Pope Francis says has voice of an angel...

(And he should know)

THIS YEAR’S Cheltenham

Literature Festival boasts more than 500 different events encompassing art and design, classic literature, current affairs, faith and philosophy, fiction, poetry and spoken word, history, memoir, food and drink and more.

Big names including Bernard Cornwell, Chris Packham, Clive Myrie, Justin Webb, Kate Mosse, Michael Palin (pictured below) and Zadie Smith will be appearing at the Festival, which runs from October 6 to 15 at various venues in the vibrant spa town.

A spokesman said: “The Festival will offer visitors the opportunity to take the pulse of contemporary culture, hosting thought-provoking discussions and exploration of emerging trends across politics, culture and lifestyle. World-class novelists, incisive global thinkers, bright new voices, bold explorers and conversation-starting creators all await them this October.”

The world’s long-running literature festival was established in 1949 and is considered one of the most prestigious worldwide.

The spokesman added: “Returning for 2023 is the festival’s Read the World theme, which has been spotlighting international literature at Cheltenham since 2021, offering visitors a passport to global voices and ideas. Influences from Ghana, Ireland, Japan, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Spain, Taiwan and more will be present in Cheltenham this year. The festival is also continuing its celebration of Ukrainian literature, hearing from its most celebrated authors and young minds.”

Leading literary names appearing include Ian McEwan, Rose Tremain, Sebastian Faulks, Rachel Joyce, Anne

Enright and Karl Ove Knausgaard.

Astronaut Chris Hadfield will be in conversation with Robin

Ince to discuss his new thriller and varied career, Allan Mallinson will talk about his Matthew Hervey series chronicling the life of a British officer serving from the late Napoleonic Wars and historian Andrew Roberts and Gen David Petraeus will discuss how war has changed since 1945.

TV’s Andi Oliver chats with her daughter Miquita about their Caribbean travels and reconnecting with their Antiguan roots and comedy writer and actor Nick Frost delves into his skills as a selftaught cook.

Succession actor Brian Cox discusses his rags to riches story from a difficult childhood in Dundee to international fame in his Putting The Rabbit in The Hat. Elton John’s lyricist Bernie Taupin will talk

about the dramas and accolades of his musical career. Famed for his collaborations with Morecambe and Wise, Kenny Everett, David Frost and the I’m Sorry, I Haven’t A Clue team, legendary comedian Barry Cryer is celebrated by his son Bob Cryer with Jack Dee, Arthur Smith and Helen Atkinson-Wood. And Richard E. Grant talks to Emma Freud about his memoir A Pocketful of Happiness, the majority of which was written in the last year of his wife Joan Washington’s life. Supervet Noel Fitzpatrick, Strictly judge Shirley Ballas and comic and actor Adrian Edmondson will also be appearing.

As usual, there will be a packed programme for families with popular author Jacqueline Wilson talking about her writing career, comedian and actor Matt Lucas discussing his new book with a reading by his erstwhile comedy partner David Walliams. l Go to: cheltenhamfestivals.com for details.

POPE FRANCIS said she had ‘the voice of an angel’ when British/Italian singer Carly Paoli opened and closed his concert for Humanitarian Efforts at St Peter’s Church in the Vatican. It had a global audience of 55 million.

The stunning soprano, whose vocals encompass opera, classical and crossover genres, has performed at the legendary Carnegie Hall in New York, the Royal Albert Hall for the Royal Variety Performance, Windsor Castle and St James’ Palace for the then Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall.

She’s also sung with stars such as Andrea Bocelli and José Carreras.

A fluent Italian speaker, Carly became the first singer to perform God Save the King at an international football match when she was invited to sing at the Italy vs England UEFA Nations league fixture at the San Siro stadium in Rome last September.

She’s also sung at the Formula One Grand Prix Ball at The Hurlingham Club in London and is soon to perform the Italian national anthem at the opening ceremony of The Ryder Cup near Rome at the end of this month – the first time the top golf event has been held in Italy in its long history.

She said: “It’s quite special, and exciting. It’s always lovely to go back and perform in Rome.”

Carly, whose last album, the best-seller Carly Paoli & Friends, featured Tony Hadley, Elaine Page, Paul Carrack and Aled Jones, has just released her latest record, Carly Paoli – The Movie Collection. Its 13 tracks, including Pure Imagination, Moon River and What A Wonderful World, are her choice of much-loved songs from some of her favourite films, and there’s an added bonus track – her version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s Evermore Without You from the musical The Woman In White Carly worked on the new album with eminent producer Nigel Wright who has worked with stars such as Madonna, Barbra Streisand, Take That and Michael Ball.

Speaking from her family home in Puglia, she said: “You think so long and hard about what you are going to put on an album. Nigel and I came up with a whole list of songs together to try out that conjure up such nostalgic memories. It could easily have been a double album.

“I grew up watching all the Hollywood musicals from its golden age, I love singing that kind of repertoire and it works really well for me vocally. And it was good fun to try some different things.”

The album has a few surprises, like The Beatles’

Golden Slumbers (from the animated Coldplay’s Fix You (from You, a jazz waltz interpretation of an accordion and small band Carly explained: “That’s a and something I really enjoy of time, particularly with the singing classical music, which challenge and how immersive

“Recording this album was intimate way of singing –telling, you get to use different I loved the whole process of She added: “These are songs whole life and you want to do they are great songs, special something different to a lot of One of the album’s highlights with American actor and singer See The Light from the Disney She said: “Eric has been a and his voice has such an amazing felt this song would be perfect Eric’s young daughters love song. He recorded his part out sent it over.”

ANTIGUAN ROOTS: Chef Andi Oliver and daughter Miquita will talk about their travels

MILITARY EXPERT: Gen David Petraeus

PERFORMER: Paoli sings with Andrea

singer Francis voice angel...

know)

animated movie Sing), You, Me and Dupree) and of La Vie en Rose with band accompaniment a very new era for me enjoy doing. I spend a lot the work I do in Italy, which I love, its whole immersive it is. was a very different, you are really storydifferent tones in your voice. doing that.” songs I have loved my do them justice because special songs, that mean of people.”

highlights is Carly’s duet singer Eric Benét for I Disney film Tangled friend for a long time amazing range. We both perfect for our duet – and love the movie and the out in Los Angeles and

Win!

After performing at various festivals in Italy throughout the summer, Carly doesn’t have any concert dates planned yet for the UK, but keep a look-out for announcements on her website – there could well be a live performance for Christmas.

It’s not surprising to hear that Carly leads a healthy lifestyle to keep up with the demands of her profession – she doesn’t drink or smoke, loves exercise, especially dancing, running and, when she’s in Italy, swimming, and always travels with Manuka honey, lauded for its antibacterial properties.

She’s a strong Armed Forces supporter and last year gave special performances to mark 100 years at The Poppy Factory in Richmond.

She said: “That was really special, and I got the chance to look around the museum there, which was fascinating. I’ve also done quite a lot with the Soldiering On awards. Taking

Win!

part in performances for the Armed Forces has led to some lovely memories.”

l Go to: carlypaoli.com for more information.

Interview by Tracey Allen

Win new Movies album

YOU COULD win a copy of Carly Paoli’s new album – just answer this question correctly for a chance of winning: Who does Carly duet with on the track I See The Light?

Email your answer, marked Carly Paoli CD competition, to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room

HQ Air Command, High Wycombe

LIAM NEESON (Silence, Taken), Jessica Lange (The Gambler, Cape Fear) and Diane Kruger (The 355, Inglourious Basterds) star in crime thriller Marlowe, set in late 1930s Bay City.

When private detective Philip Marlowe (Neeson) is hired to find the ex-lover of a glamorous heiress, it looks like an open and shut case, but Marlowe soon finds himself in the underbelly of Hollywood’s film industry and unwittingly drawn into the crossfire of a legendary Hollywood actress, Dorothy Quincannon (Lange), and her subversive, ambitious daughter Clare (Kruger).

Based on John Banville’s novel,

The Black-Eyed Blonde, Marlowe is directed by Oscar-winning filmmaker Neil Jordan (The Crying Game, Interview with the Vampire). We have copies on DVD up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning one, simply send us the correct answer to this question:

Who plays Clare in Marlowe?

Email your answer, marked Marlowe DVDs competition, to: tracey. allen@rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by October 6. Please include your full postal address with your entry.

SIX YEARS after the release of their critically-acclaimed, Top 4-charting The Punishment Of Luxury, synth pioneers Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD) return with their new studio album Bauhaus Staircase –out on October 27

The album’s first single, out now, is the title track, which serves as a nod both to Andy McCluskey’s love of the Bauhaus era and the power of protest art.

Andy said: “I am a huge lover of visual arts, especially mid-20th century movements. The song is a metaphor for strength and artist passion in the face of criticism and adversity.

“When times are hard there is a tendency for governments to look at cutting funding for creativity, just at the moment when the arts are most needed to nourish our souls. It seems appropriate that the song and its eponymous album were created during covid lockdown.”

Predominantly written, recorded, and mixed by both

McCluskey and Paul Humphreys, Bauhaus Staircase’s other main external influence was David Watts, mainly known as a rock producer who helmed Sheffield band The Reytons’ recent No. 1 album and mixed two tracks on the new OMD record.

OMD, who had massive hits with Enola Gay and Maid of Orleans in the early 1980s, have sold an astonishing 25 million singles and 15 million albums, establishing them as electronic synthesiser pioneers.

It’s hard to believe that it is 45 years since their first gig at legendary Liverpool club Eric’s. Andy added: “I’m very happy with what we’ve done on this record. I’m comfortable if this is OMD’s last statement.”

l Go to: omd.uk.com for further details.

ITALIAN CHIC: Carly's ready to paint the town red, above, and meeting the then Prince Charles left

HONOUR: Carly with Pope Francis

Bauhaus Staircase

NEESON: Private eye Philip Marlowe

Andrea Bocelli, above

Your Announcements

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

Deaths

CATTERMOLE Anthony

John (Tony) Flight Sergeant, passed away peacefully on September 2 at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle, aged 85. Passionately proud of his RAF service, Tony was a loving husband to Irene, father to Tony, Tina and Andrew and devoted grandfather and great-grandfather, and will be sadly missed by friends and family.

Tony joined as a Boy Entrant in 1953, his career taking him across the world, including Goch, Prestwick, Kuching, Muharraq, Binbrook, Changi, Bahrain and Rheindahlen, to name a few, serving until 1978.

A funeral service will be held in Tony’s adopted Northumberland home village at St. George's Church, Wall, NE46 4DX, at 11am on September 25, all welcome, followed by a private cremation for immediate family. No flowers please, donations to the RAF Benevolent Fund (www.rafbf.org/donate).

Equipment Trade. After he completed his three years of National Service from 1952-55, he chose to rejoin in 1969. He was proud to receive a Commendation for Meritorious Service in conjunction with The Queen’s Birthday Honours List of 1972.

He was stationed at various RAF bases around the UK and spent time on detachment to the US and Cyprus. He rose through the ranks from LAC to Sergeant. After retiring from the RAF in 1991, he continued to work as a civilian in his trade at RAF Finningley and Linton-on-Ouse until 2005. A much-loved and greatly missed husband, father, and grandfather. The collection at his funeral raised £150 for the RAF Benevolent Fund.

PATTON Michael Charles (Mick/Mike). Sergeant Air Loadmaster with 7 Squadron (S.F Flight) at Odiham.

Died September 22, 1996, aged 29, near Castlemartin, Pembrokeshire – during a night tasking.

“His laughter was better than birds in the morning, His smile turned the edge of the wind...”

In loving memory of a very dear and much-missed son, brother, husband and father.

Seeking

SEEKING Tony Sanders re: Flt Lt GB Thornalley. In a previous RAF News Tony made an appeal for information about Flt Lt Thornalley’s family and the proposed erection of a memorial to him. I have tried to trace Tony as I am the daughter of GB Thornalley but I have had no success. I would be grateful if Tony could get in touch with me at: paddymoir@aol.com.

Reunions

St Leonards, Gloucester GL4 8DE. If interested in joining the Association please contact Membership Secretary, Harry Player, on: chrisarry714@gmail.com.

THE RAF and Defence Fire Service reunion will take place from Friday, November 3 to Sunday, November 5 at the Sketchley Grange Hotel and Spa, Sketchley Lane, Hinkley, Leicestershire, LE10 3HU. Visit: rafanddfsa.co.uk/ reunions or email Don Pape: donaldpape252@yahoo.com or Mike Clapton, email: fire. bucket@btinternet.com We welcome new members.

Associations

Help Craig to break record

FS Anthony Cattermole

CHAPMAN Harold died quietly at home on August 10, after a short period of decline.

Harold (known as Harry at work) had a long career serving under the RAF ensign in the Safety

How to use our service

In Memoriam

THE Association of RAF Women Officers (ARAFWO) Annual Reunion Lunch will take place on Saturday, October 28 at the RAF Club from 11am. Our speaker is Flt Lt Colin Bell DFC AE FRIC IRRV RAF Ret’d who is 102 years old. A most amusing and engaging speaker, he will talk about his experiences as a Mosquito Bomber Pilot. For tickets, please contact Hilary Davidson on: hdavidson399@gmail. com. All will be made very welcome. For further information about the Reunion and ARAFWO visit: arafwo.co.uk.

THE RAF Masirah and RAF Salalah Veterans Association Reunion Gala Dinner is to be held on Saturday, October 7 at the Hatton Court Hotel, Upton

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

Important Notice

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

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

THE Association of RAF Women Officers (ARAFWO) was formed in 1955 to provide a medium through which serving and former serving women officers could maintain contact with the Royal Air Force and with each other. Your Association is a lively, friendly, worldwide networking group. Membership is exclusive to all serving and former serving women officers of the RAF, RAuxAF, RAFVR(T), WRAF, PMRAFNS, WAAF, WRAuxAF and WRAFVR who hold a Queens’ or King’s Commission. Visit our website: arafwo. co.uk and discover the benefits of membership, plus see what activities and events we offer all over the world.

RAF Armourers past and present. Do you know that the RAF Association has an Armourers Branch? Its aim is to provide welfare support and comradeship for all who have served or currently serve as an RAF Armourer. See: rafaarmourers.co.uk or contact the committee via: plumbersrest@outlook.com.

For sale

For sale: Sergeants’ Mess Dress uniform. The uniform jacket was purchased from and tailored by ‘Supplyline’ to fit a 28” (63.5 cm) chest, and the trousers a 30” (76 cm) waist, inside leg 31” (78.5 cm). I no longer have the associated cummerbund, however.

The recipient would have to collect the uniform from me in Tadley, Hampshire and make an appropriate monetary donation to the RAF Benevolent Fund in lieu of my taking payment.

If interested please contact: dave.e.wright227@gmail. com or tel: 0118 9812580.

A KEEN collector is appealing to RAF News readers to help him to get into the Guinness World Records book.

Craig Pennels, who has autism, said: “I am a lanyard collector and challenge coin collector and I have an ambition to get into the Guinness World Records book for the largest collection of lanyards.

“My lanyard collection is currently 909. I need more

than 3,260 lanyards to break the 2014 lanyards world record title for the largest collection.

“I would be delighted and honoured if I could have lanyards and challenger coins from all the RAF units for my collection.”

l Please contact Craig on: lanyard. challengercoincollector@ gmail.com if you can help him achieve his ambition.

Bear necessity

THIS CUDDLY creature is a new addition to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight collection of merchandise from the RAF Association to mark the historic event.

Battle of Britain Day was on September 15. It commemorates the brave men and women who took part in the battle both in the air and on the ground.

The charming nine-inch bear (rrp £20) sports his very own removable BBMF Display Team flight suit, complete with BBMF crest,

Union Jack and RAF Wings logo badges.

The BBMF flight suit is one of four in the range, with additional suits including the Red Arrows, Blues and the Typhoon Display Team, each sold separately, so your teddy can have the whole set, said a RAFA spokesperson.

The merchandise range includes a BBMF watch, pin badges, mugs, coasters and signs.

l Go to: rafatrad.co.uk to view the selection.

AVID COLLECTOR: Craig Pennels

SGT Harold Chapman

SGT Michael Patton

Your Announcements

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

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Central Band premieres new work

THE CENTRAL Band of the Royal Air Force will premiere Wings of Freedom, a new commissioned piece by award-winning composer Thomas Hewitt Jones, at concerts in London and Cambridge.

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an amazing pedigree.” The fourmovement work is inspired by the RAF’s core values with each movement taking its title and theme from those values – respect, integrity, service and excellence. Both concerts will raise funds for the RAF Music Services Association.

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THE BRITISH Motor Museum’s new exhibition Transitions: The Impact of Innovation, exploring the technologies that are bringing cars into the future and considering their effects, will run until summer 2024.

A spokeswoman said: “The exhibition uses a combination of cars and interactive stations to illustrate areas of future development, such as how cars will be powered, their impact, the materials they use and alternative methods of control. ”

said:“Theexhibitionusesaco reas e a llustrat o i s t tation e s ctiv he , t owered e p ashowcarswillb useandalternativemethodsofc he t t s a ollection f C ad o He eriodofradicalchangean a p us s, p eypad bs, k ke hifting.Fo ft es h g t eplacin y r teadil en s e e b av hav

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Stephen Laing, Head of Collections at the museum, added: “We are in a period of radical change and can see how quickly cars are shifting. Fobs, keypads, push buttons, and smartphones have been steadily replacing the familiar key turn. Transitions looks at what the car will become in the future and how the industry will take us there”.

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Crossword No. 347

Solve the crossword, then rearrange the seven letters in yellow squares to find an RAF aircraft

7. A team’s comments (6)

8. How a violinist will finish her career? (3,3)

10. Artist with novel code? (2,5)

11. Kelly embraces Alaska bear? No, bare! (5)

12. Originally operatic, Verdi’s ‘Ernani’ requires six balls (4)

13. Some India spices found in jelly (5)

17. Sustenance snake finds en route (5)

18. Scotsman first has indication of speed (4)

22. Regularity of decimation? (5)

23. Branagh embraces urge in scullery (7)

24. Wok two upset during worship (6)

25. What was worn when Kardashian met Yoko (6)

Down

1. Balloon has change of heart to find old RAF station (7)

2. Violet’s vice affects what pilots wear on leave (7)

3. Dennis the Menace’s party? (5)

4. And 14 Down. Sounds like Wilkinson and Boris join RAF legend (7,7)

5. And 19 Down. A Chinook, by the sound of it (5,5)

6. Southern duty compromised in place of work (5)

9. Sierra kit destroyed in attack (3,6)

14. See 4 Down

15. Has info about Vogue (7)

16. Cotton fabric acceptable on RAF aircraft (7)

19. See 5 Down

20. Worries over dishes (5)

21. Bearing slip to shed (5)

The winners of our Prize Crossword and Prize Su Doku puzzles will receive a recent top aviation title – please send your entries to the address printed in the adjacent Su Doku panel, to arrive by October 6.

Prize Crossword No. 345 winner is: K Pentecost, Co. Durham.

Prize Su Doku No. 357

Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, each column and each 3x3 square contains all the digits from 1 to 9. Solutions should be sent in a sealed envelope marked 'Su Doku' with the number in the top left-hand corner to RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP14 4UE, to arrive by October 6.

The winner of Su Doku No: 355 is: Alison Foreshaw from Solihull.

Film Review And Then Come The Nightjars (15)

Epidemic saga jars slightly

NIGHTJARS are bad luck; birds that symbolise death. Their appearance at the beginning of And Then Come the Nightjars serves as an omen of the incoming epidemic that will deeply impact an elderly farmer and his only companion, affecting their lives irrevocably.

Adapted from Bea Roberts’ award-winning stage play, the story begins in Devon 2001, centred around grouchy dairy farmer Michael (David Fielder) and his veterinarian friend Jeff (Nigel Hastings), observing how they are impacted by the encroaching foot and mouth crisis.

Michael, a widower, is comfortably miserable, always finding a reason to grumble. That’s not to say his gripes are unfounded, as the push for tourism in this part of the country is contributing to the decline of agriculture. Jeff, a little younger with a very different attitude, does his best to make conversation over the odd cup of tea, but will ultimately become the target of some derisive comment or

Another string to his Boe

joke. This, we understand, is their dynamic. And they take a great comfort in it.

When a neighbouring farm is instructed to have its livestock slaughtered and incinerated as per the latest government guidelines, Jeff is the one called upon to carry out the orders on Michael’s cows –if he can convince him to put down his shotgun.

Consisting primarily of conversations between these two fellas out and around the farm, just in different points of time throughout this ordeal, you can certainly feel the roots in theatre. Sadly, the dialogue feels unnatural, and the performances unconvincing.

Over the course of the film a tenderness does reveals itself, but it doesn’t feel as though the play has successfully been adapted and scaled up for the screen. What remains is a nice idea for a story that quickly fades from memory.

out of 5 roundels

Review by Sam Cooney

LEADING BRITISH tenor Alfie

Boe releases his new album Open Arms – The Symphonic Songbook, on October 27 and is currently on a national tour.

The new record is described as a homage to rock, with the singer reworking versions of tracks such as Bon Jovi’s Livin’ On A Prayer, Metallica’s Nothing Else Matters, Bryan Adams’ Summer of ’69 and more.

The foundations of the album go back more than 20 years when Alfie was on Broadway, appearing in Oscar-winning film director Baz Luhrmann’s 2002 revival of La Bohème

“Baz was opening up this vast world for me to venture into,” the singer remembered. “And I found that the love of music for me had broadened, from classical to rock and contemporary. I’d always been into my rock music, but I thought: this is a great opportunity for me to show people the similarity between classic rock and classical music, and the structure of them, and how the two worlds are so close.”

With a decorated career that’s lasted 30 years, Alfie is considered one of the bestloved vocalists of his generation and is a hugely successful, multi-platinum selling

artist. He has appeared on theatre stages and in concert halls around the world and has two recent UK No.1 albums under his belt in Together and Together Again, made with his great friend Michael Ball. The duo also won two Classic BRIT Awards earlier this year for Best Album and Group of the Year.

The public saw another side to Alfie when he appeared on BBC1’s Freeze the Fear with Wim Hof, which involved taking on various challenges

in sub-zero temperatures. Alfie then made a surprise cameo appearance on ITV’s dating series Love Island, serenading two contestants. He released his memoir, Face The Music: My Story, earlier this month.

Alfie’s live show travels around the country, including a special show at the London Palladium on September 25, culminating at the Waterfront Hall, Belfast on October 16. l Go to: alfie-boe.com for more information.

ALFIE: Takes a ride on the wild side with rock anthems