HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022 The Royal Air Force pays tribute to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II Friday September 23 2022 No. 1544 70p Farewell, Ma'am
Royal Air Force personnel and Guardsmen from the Household Division in the funeral procession near Buckingham Palace and, opposite, the RAF bands
Wycombe, who led the RAF Guard of Honour at Parliament Square. The first procession carried The Queen’s coffin to Westminster Abbey for the funeral, a second took her to Wellington Arch, where the coffin was transferred to the State Hearse for the drive to Windsor and her final journey to St George’s Chapel in the castle’s grounds (pictured inset).
Simon Mander
One of the first to appear to millions of TV viewers watching worldwide was Parade Marshal Flt Lt Andrew Claesens, from High
THOUSANDS OF members of the Armed Forces from across Britain took part in the state funeral of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. A procession all three Services joined the Royal Family to give the late Monarch a final farewell of pomp and pageantry ahead of her burial in St George’s Chapel in Windsor. Military personnel from the UK and ForcesmemberswereRAFceremonialorguardsroute,othersLondonmarchedCommonwealththethroughwhilelinedtheformedofhonour,undertookotherduties.Around600personnelamong4,000oftheArmedgatheredtosay a final farewell to their former Commander-in-Chief.
RAF contingent outside the Palace were among 600 members of Service taking part
Guard of Honour
Through central London the cortege, led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, was made up of seven groups, each with its own band.The Queen’s coffin, topped with the Royal Standard, the Imperial State Crown and the Sovereign’s Orb and Sceptre, was at the centre of the procession carried on the State Gun Carriage of the Royal Navy.Her Late Majesty was accompanied by the bearer party of the Grenadier Guards, the King’s Body Guard of the Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms, the Yeomen of the Guard, and the Royal Company of Archers.
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Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P2
Director of Music
Bearer Party carries Her Late Majesty’s coffin into St George’s Chapel in Windsor
There were 112 Air Force musicians marching in the procession, coming from the Central Band, the Band of the RAF College, the Band of the RAF Regiment, the Band of the RAuxAF, and the RAF Salon
Royal Honorary Air Commodore.
Wg Cdr Piers Morrell led the Combined Bands with senior Drum Major WO Paul Phelan in front holding a mace and wearing a sash from the left shoulder to the right hip.
Armed Forces pay their respects in State Funeral
Musicians
The Chief
These were the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and the RAF Regiment of which the Queen was Air Commodore-inChief, RAF College Cranwell where she was Commandant-in-Chief, and RAF Marham and 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron RAuxAF, of which she was
Then, among the marchers, came detachments of 26 personnel from each RAF unit with whom the late monarch had a special relationship.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P3 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
Senior members of the Royal Family, including the new King and his sons Prince William and Prince Harry, followed behind. Camilla, the Queen Consort, the Princess of Wales, the Countess of Wessex and the Duchess of Sussex followed the procession in cars. Behind them were Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie, the daughters of Prince Andrew.
Rookes from Northolt played the tuba in the procession. Another 126 personnel from Cosford lined the route in London including the multidecorated engineer Flt Lt Georgina Dempsey, a veteran of two tours of Afghanistan and Iraq, and recruit CT technician Connor Greave, who has served for just one year.
More than 100 RAF personnel lined the procession route along the Long Walk leading to Windsor Castle, where huge crowds gathered to catch a last glimpse of their late Monarch before her burial in the St George’s Chapel vault.
The State Crown, Orb and Sceptre atop Her Late Majesty’s coffin
Recruit Specialist Class 1 Connor
Among them were RAF Police personnel Cpl Gemma Cooper, of 603 Sqn, and F/Sgt Penny Jordan, from Cranwell, a mother of two who has been on The Queen’s honours list five times.
Air Specialist Freddie Stringer marched with the Band of RAFC Cranwell in Windsor before assuming a street lining role outside the gates of the castle. His father, Barry Stringer MBE, was Band Sergeant of the Central Band and is now a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London.
RAFOrchestra.Principal
Others bowed, sobbed, clapped and tossed the occasional rose into her path and traffic on the A40 ground to a halt as commuters abandoned their cars to climb the central reservation and salute.
RECEPTION: The Prime Minister and the Defence Secretary at RAF Northolt
The Final flight
HOME: Crowds watch hearse approach Buckingham Palace
On board this flight was The Princess Royal, the Honorary Air Commodore of the unit’s home station, Brize Norton, accompanying the coffin with her husband ViceAdmiral Sir Tim Laurence, and the Earl Marshal.
GUNNERS FORMED a Royal Guard of Honour for Britain’s most travelled monarch as Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II made her final journey across the United Kingdom.
Before the coffin was carried by a bearer party to the waiting state hearse, the Princess Royal and her husband disembarked and stood with the Chief of the Air Staff, with Prime Minister Liz Truss and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace nearby.
Ben Wallace
99 Sqn C-17s became sadly familiar to the public for their role in repatriating military personnel killed overseas, most notably in the Iraq and Afghanistan campaigns.
The draped King’s Colour for the Royal Air Force was lowered in Outsidesalute.thebase as the coffin began its journey to Buckingham Palace to lie at rest overnight in the Bow Room, people stood silently by the road with some recording a piece of history on their camera phones.
The giant transporter that recently flew vital military aid to war-torn Ukraine and rescued thousands of Afghan refugees from the Taliban was tasked to carry out the mission using The Queen’s call sign ‘Kittyhawk’ for the last time.
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Pallbearers from The Queen’s Colour Squadron, 63 Sqn RAF Regiment, carried her coffin in front of the Royal Regiment of Scotland as they gave a Royal Salute as the coffin was taken from the hearse at Edinburgh International Airport.From there the coffin was taken on board an awaiting 99 Sqn C-17 Globemaster III aircraft, its destination RAF Northolt in north London – the station with the longest continuous operational flying service – before continuing onwards to the Palace of Westminster.Astheaircraft taxied away for the scheduled 60-minute flight, the Guard of Honour gave a final royal salute and the band played one verse of the National Anthem.
“Witnessing the love and respect shown by so many on these journeys has been both humbling and uplifting. We will all share unique memories. I offer my thanks to each one who shares our sense of loss.”
“And, since then, it’s been involved in airlifting humanitarian aid and lethal aid nodes to support Ukraine.”
The Guard of Honour from The Queen’s Colour Sqn which included officers, WOs and SNCOs, presented arms as the hearse carrying Her Majesty arrived.
JOURNEY: The Princess Royal and Vice-Admiral Tim Laurence accompanied Her Majesty
Simon Mander
On arrival she paid tribute to her mother. She said she was ‘fortunate’ to be able to share ‘the last 24 hours of my dearest mother’s life’, adding: “It has been an honour and a privilege to accompany her on her final journeys’.
Gunners carry Her Majesty’s coffin on to 99 Sqn C-17 at Edinburgh for flight to RAF Northolt
Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston told assembled media: “The C-17 Globemaster is our strategic airlifter. But on this very sad occasion it will be carrying Her Majesty’s coffin down from Edinburgh to RAF“It’sNortholt.aheavily used aircraft – it carried the majority of the 15,000 people that we evacuated from Kabul last summer.
“Taking part is a massive honour – we’re paying our final respects to The Queen and our first respects to The King. It’s very important that we go out and do the best job.”
Bandsus.”was the Thehistory.”Queen for in euphoniumnice.”
A further 231 from RAF Cosford practised their role lining the streets of London andTheWindsor.route replicating the funeral procession for the marching contingents, including the Combined Bands, comprising more than 300 RAF musicians, was marked out with plastic cones on the Halton parade square.
Her fellow Central Band member, AS1 Tom Maddison, 31, had a crucial role: playing the bass drum and marking time to ensure that all personnel marched at the sameHetempo.added: “I am very proud to be taking part. It is a privilege and an honour.”
Speaking during the rehearsals, one of the marching training,been“PreparationCranwell,commanders,contingentFltLtAndrewNorth,anAirOperationsControllerfromsaid:hasalittlebitlikebasicgoingbackto bulling [polishing shoes] and ironing your uniform every night.
Flt
FS Andrew Taylor, Drum Major for the Band of the RAF Regiment, also based at Northolt, said: “As the Drum Major I’m the person who leads the whole band drillwise, giving all the instructions and orders – you end up finding your shouting voice. We have been doing constant rehearsals.
FLT LT NORTH FLT LT DEMPSEY SGT BAXTER CPL BUTCHER AS1FSMADDISONTAYLOR
THE SOUND of RAF personnel marching in strict time accompanied by solemn music from the Combined Bands of the Royal Air Force rang out from the parade square at RAF Halton while final preparations and rehearsals were carried out ahead of HM The Queen’s funeral.
Drilled to perfection for role of a lifetime
“I and my team are humbled to have had this honour bestowed uponTheus.” Combined Bands was made up of personnel from all four of the RAF’s bands: The Central Band, The Band of the RAF Regiment, the Band of the RAF College and the Band of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.
be Heacknowledged.”alsometPrince Charles in 2018 during celebrations for the RAF centenary. Sgt Baxter added: “After the parade we were given the opportunity to go to Buckingham Palace to have some champagne. It was unexpected, so it was really nice.”Cpl Bethany Butcher, 30, a euphonium player in the Central Band based at Northolt, said: “It’s a huge privilege to be involved and to be part of such a historic occasion that means so much to so many people. It makes me very proud of the Services.
Also from Cosford, aircraft technician Sgt Richie Baxter, 38, commanding troops as a senior street liner, said: “It is important to make sure everything goes perfectly. It’s all centred around a huge moment in history.”SgtBaxter met The Queen when he was given the role of holding an umbrella for her to shield her from the rain when she visited RAF Marham in 2010.
Around 600 personnel from Her Majesty’s special relationship units – the RAF Regiment, RAF College Cranwell, RAF Marham, the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and 603 (City of Edinburgh) Sqn –took part in rigorous rehearsals every day at the Buckinghamshire station in the week before the funeral.
Taylor, part
He said: “Her Majesty thanked me before she got back into her car. I wasn’t expecting a thank you but it was lovely to
“I have so much respect and love for our Queen. To take part in this feels like I am honouring her in the last way I can.”
Tracey Allen RAF Halton
say how important this is, to do this on behalf of ourselves as individuals, on behalf of our country and our Queen.
“It’s natural to be nervous to a certain degree for such a momentous event so we told ourselves just to play as we normally would.”
Wg Cdr Piers Morrell, the RAF’s Principal Director of Music, said taking part in such a highly significant event “means everything” to the musicians involved.
Lt Gina Dempsey, 42, from Cosford, commanding 19 personnel on street lining duties on Constitution Hill, said: “To be involved in the state funeral means a huge amount because The Queen has been our Commander-in-Chief for my whole 22 years in the Air Force.
CALL OF DUTY: Personnel from across the RAF gather at Halton to rehearse ahead of state funeral
Hundreds of Servicemen and women from across the Air Force practised their ceremonial roles for the most important day in their careers watched by millions in the capital and an estimated TV audience of more than four billion across the world.
“Everybody has felt the emotion as
The music chosen featured funeral marches by Beethoven, Chopin, Mendelssohn and Charles Panne.
Wg Cdr Paul Crook, head of RAF Ceremonial, said: “There are no words to
He added: “As much as we are used to this, there is always a sense of occasion, but I think for all of us there is going to be the solemnity of the event.”
we’ve watched the TV news, seeing how the nation has responded to the sad passing of The Queen.“Westarted by refreshing our basic drill then built on that very quickly, perfecting our AerospacegetintomaximumEveryonetechniques.hasputeffortmakingsuretheyitabsolutelyperfect.”engineer
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P5 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
HRH Princess Elizabeth inspects graduating officer cadets of No 53 Entry at the RAF College Cranwell on August 1, 1951. It was the first time the future Queen had reviewed a graduation parade at the Lincolnshire station
Her Majesty views aircraft of the RAF College Cranwell following the presentation of a new Queen’s Colour during the annual Royal Review held on July 25, 1960
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P6
Her Majesty inspects the RAF Regiment at RAF Catterick, June 23, 1967
Her Majesty with members of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force at RAF Benson in June 1989
As part of a tour of the Mediterranean and Middle East, HM Queen Elizabeth visits the RAF station at Aden on April 27, 1954. A small investiture ceremony was held where Her Majesty, accompanied by HRH the Duke of Edinburgh, knighted Air Marshal CBR Pelly, Commander-in-Chief Middle East Air
Watching a demonstration of an operational turnaround under nuclear, biological and chemical (NBC) conditions by members of 228 Operational Conversion Unit on a Phantom FGR.2 at Coningsby on June 30, 1976. Note that the various tradesmen, while dressed in the NBC kit, are still wearing their standard issue shoes
BRANCHHISTORICALAIR(RAF)
30, 1997
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P7 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
PHOTOS:
Her Majesty smiles broadly as she meets with personnel and staff from 32 (The Royal) Squadron at Northolt on May
was joined by The Prince of Wales, The Duke of Cambridge and Prince George in 2019 to launch the RBL’s ‘Together at Christmas’ initiative. During the launch at Buckingham Palace, as she continuously did throughout her reign, she took the time to meet and talk with Servicemen and women of all ranks, and their families. Her kindness, grace, humanity and genuine interest in their experiences meant a great deal to all who encountered her on that day as it has on the many occasions when she has met with veterans, serving members of the Armed Forces and their families.
In a letter to the Association in her Platinum Jubilee year she commended the charitable works we undertake. She wrote of the enormous number of people who rely on the Association and expressed her admiration for the significant impact the charity and our members have on the RAF community. Her sense of service to the nation and
As Head of the Armed Forces, she was steadfastly committed to honouring the service and sacrifice of the entire Armed Forces community and leading the nation in moments of Remembrance each year during the RBL’s Festival of Remembrance and National Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph.
Royal Star & Garter provides care to veterans and their partners living with disability or dementia, with homes in High Wycombe, Solihull and Surbiton. The charity was established in 1916 to care for severely disabled young men returning from World War I battlegrounds, and was based in Richmond until
“I had the honour to meet Her Majesty both as a Grenadier (seven of my many years in the Regiment spent in The Queen’s Company) and with Help for Heroes. The coming days and months will be very difficult, filled with emotion, but the one thing I’m certain of is that Her Majesty (The Boss) would have absolutely told us to ‘get on with your work’. And so brace up, whisper ‘Thank you Ma’am’ and with shoulders pulled back, that’s what we must do.”
PATRONAGE: Charity’s July 1952 newsletter
REMEMBRANCE:
FROM Lieutenant-General Sir Andrew Gregory, CEO:
“Her Majesty knew only too well the sacrifices of a lifetime of service, in her own service to the throne, but also in her close relationship with all of her Armed Forces.
SSAFA HQ: Opening Queen Elizabeth House in 2013
and indeed supporting Her Government, her wisdom and her support for those serving her in many different roles was quite exceptional and we will miss that terribly.”
“She was steadfast in her commitment to the Royal Air Force, and we were honoured
Royal Star & Garter Queen Elizabeth II became the charity’s Patron 69 years ago, and according to its Chair, Major General Tim Tyler, Her Majesty’s support for Royal Star & Garter never wavered during that time.
“I cannot describe how honoured I feel to have met HM The Queen personally throughout her quite remarkable life.
The RAF Association was immensely honoured when Her Majesty followed in her father King George VI’s footsteps to become the Association’s royal patron in 1952. Her patronage over seven decades has helped to shine a spotlight on the vital work of the Association, aiding us in our mission to provide life-changing support to members of the RAF community, enabling them to lead the lives they deserve.
“It was an honour because Her Majesty had fulfilled those roles supporting those two organisations for longer than I have been alive and she was wise and insightful and gave comment and perception that was an honour to hear and very helpful.
Queen Mary, and made several visits to its Richmond home.
strength of character have been an inspiration to us all. We are immensely thankful for her lifetime of faithful service and we mourn her passing deeply.
SSAFA
“I’m a reasonably competent person and the night before I went to brief Her Majesty I didn’t sleep a wink; because you run through in your mind the sort of things you would like to talk about, both related to the Royal Regiment of Artillery and about SSAFA, the Armed Forces charity.
The2013.Queen became Royal Star & Garter’s Patron in 1953, following the death of her grandmother
“And I think across all her organisations
Her Majesty has been an inspiration to us all. Her enduring dedication to the Armed Forces will be deeply missed and never forgotten.
MEETING VETERANS: Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh at Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park RAF Benevolent Fund
PARIS 2014: Help For Heroes event
1958: Her Majesty’s first visit to the Richmond home as Queen and Patron
lives. Each and every Serviceman, Servicewoman and veteran will have their own very special memories of a remarkable lady.
Her Majesty chose to become our Patron back in Chairman1952.” of the Fund Richard Daniel added: “Her Majesty The Queen demonstrated during her reign the true spirit of public service and integrity, and the significance of the military service. A tireless supporter of our work, Her Majesty was an example to us all and her legacy will live on for generations to come.”
Help for Heroes
Maj Gen Tyler said: “Her Majesty The Queen’s role as our Patron was just one aspect of a reign characterised by support for good causes and devotion to public service.”Hesaid The Queen’s visits to Royal Star & Garter demonstrated “genuine support and enthusiasm for the veteran community and our important work.”
An ardent supporter of our work, The Queen played a special role within our organisation and was unwavering in her position as advocate for those who serve, and have served, in the Royal Air Force.
He added: “As a veteran herself, Her Majesty had a natural affinity with our residents. It was an honour and privilege to have had her patronage.”
Charities mourn HM The Queen
AVM Chris Elliot, Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “As our beloved Patron, Her Majesty inspired our work daily.
The RAF Association
Royal British Legion
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P8 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
We have been hugely privileged to have Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth serve as Patron of the Royal British Legion since her ascension to the throne in 1952. We are immensely thankful for her lifetime of faithful service.
At The Cenotaph
“The sense of loss at the death of Her Majesty The Queen, Head of our Armed Forces and a veteran, will be received with deeply felt sadness, particularly amongst our Armed Forces Community.“With very few exceptions, most veterans and their families will never have served under another Sovereign. Her Majesty has been the one constant in our lives. Her leadership, her standards and her example have been a shining light through wars, conflicts, operations; indeed, our everyday
Her Majesty has offered years of dedicated support to the RBL on many occasions, attending numerous events on our behalf. She
Mark Elliott, Chief Advocacy Ambassador for Help For Heroes:
Throughout this time Her Majesty’s commitment to the Armed Forces has never wavered. As a figurehead, The Queen was a constant in all our lives. A source of
On the global stage The Queen was the most magnificent ambassador for our country and for the universal values of respect, tolerance and generosity.
“She ascended the throne just after the Second World War. She championed the development of the Commonwealth – from a small group of seven countries to a family of 56 nations spanning every continent of the world. We are now a modern, thriving, dynamic nation.“Through thick and thin, Queen Elizabeth II provided us with the stability and the strength that we needed. She was the very spirit of Great Britain – and that spirit will endure.
“We will come together with our friends across the United Kingdom, the Commonwealth and the world to celebrate her extraordinary lifetime of service. It is a great loss, but Queen Elizabeth II leaves a great“Todaylegacy.the Crown passes – as it has done for more than a thousand years – to our new monarch, our new head of state: His Majesty King Charles
MEMBERS OF the Armed Forces and police have paid personal homage to The Queen following her death at the age of 96.
During her long and glorious reign, she has been the embodiment of a life dedicated to the service of the nation and the Commonwealth and for that has been admired by many millions around the world.Her Late Majesty, as head of the Armed Forces, has been a constant source of inspiration and a pillar of strength for all who have been privileged to serveThoseher.who had the honour of meeting Her Majesty will never forget their interaction and the deep sense of pride they felt in that moment.
The Queen’s lifetime was a living embodiment of that.
“And with the passing of the second Elizabethan age, we usher in a new era in the magnificent history of our great country. Exactly as Her Majesty would have wished, by saying the words: God save the King.
was deeply personal. The Queen was a daughter, wife and mother of Naval officers. Her grandchildren served with the British Army and the Royal Air Force.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P9
Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin
IT IS with overwhelming sadness that the Royal Air Force and Royal Auxiliary Air Force mourn the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II.
At home we’ve enjoyed seven relatively peaceful decades. And yet there were only a small number of years when a British Serviceman or woman was not lost on operations.
But in the stillness and the silence, we will bow our heads and remember The Queen’s own vow of her service on the occasion of her 21st birthday. A promise fulfilled with ‘unwavering faith, high courage and a quiet heart’.
She recounted that her father, George VI, was the first member of the Royal Family to qualify as a Royal Air Force pilot and she proudly remarked that her father’s legacy echoes through the generations, with her son, His Majesty The King and her grandson, The Prince of Wales, both having earned their Royal Air Force Wings.
“At 96 she remained determined to carry out her duties as she appointed me her 15th prime minister.“Throughout her life she has visited more than 100 countries
Ben Wallace
Personal relationship with Armed Forces
THE DEATH of Her Late Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, is a time of profound sorrow for the British Armed Forces, as it is for people everywhere. But it is also a moment to express our admiration and gratitude for an exemplary life of service.Thelast 70 years have witnessed astonishing technological and social changes. And few institutions have experienced this more than the Armed Forces.
“She has been a personal inspiration to me and to many Britons. Her devotion to duty is an example to us all.
Tributes have poured in across the United Kingdom from Service personnel, including the country’s highest-ranking members of the Army, Navy, RAF and police force.
As the Commanderin-Chief of Britain’s Armed Forces and a veteran herself, the Queen had a ‘deeply relationship’personalwiththeArmedForces,
Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace
Her family’s record of wartime service stretches from Jutland to Afghanistan. And she too served in uniform during the Second World War.The Queen was one of our last links to that extraordinary wartime generation. She understood better than most the burdens and the glory of a life of service. And the sacrifices the nation asks of men and women in uniform, and their families.There were moments of solemn duty. None more so than each November at The Cenotaph when Her Majesty led the nation in Remembrance, but there were moments of great warmth and informality too.
It was often said that The Queen’s
reassurance in times of uncertainty, and a unifying force at the heart of national life. But for all the pageantry and tradition, Her Majesty’s relationship with the Armed Forces
Her Majesty enjoyed the company of her Armed Forces. There was an instant rapport and a mutual respect. Often accompanied by a flash of gentle humour.
CAS, ACM
Her historic visits to Germany and Japan and to the Republic of Ireland helped to heal the wounds of conflict. Her Majesty brought together the very different nations of the Commonwealth in a spirit of fellowship.Shewas admired by our allies, revered by our adversaries, and Her Majesty inspired the loyalty of all who served in her name. His Majesty’s forces are now readying for their most solemn duty.
Sir WigstonMike
HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
and she has touched the lives of millions around the world.
Duty, loyalty, commitment and – above all else – service to the nation. This is the legacy of an extraordinary life. And let it continue to be the inspiration for the British Armed Forces for generations to come.
In 2018, on the occasion of the Royal Air Force Centenary, Her Late Majesty spoke warmly of her enduring affection for the Royal Air Force.
We cherish Her Late Majesty’s deep connections to our Service with the utmost respect and affection. On behalf of everyone in the Royal Air Force, serving, retired and our families, I offer our deepest condolences to The King and The Royal Family. God save The King.
military leaders have said. The sad passing of Her Majesty The Queen will be felt by every member of her Armed Forces. Her Majesty was more than the Commander-in-Chief, she was theirSheguardian.wasdeeply involved in championing their welfare and supporting them before, during and after operations. She dedicated her life to serving her nation. The motto of the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is ‘Serve to Lead’.
ADDRESS: Prime Minister Liz Truss
She vividly described her recollections of the Battle of Britain being fought and won in the skies above London.
Speaking from Downing Street the Prime Minister expressed her personal sorrow and described Her Majesty’s 70-year reign as the foundation of modern Britain.
Ms Truss said: “Queen Elizabeth II was the rock on which modern Britain was built. Our country has grown and flourished under her reign. Britain is the great country it is today because of her.
“She has been our longestever reigning monarch. It is an extraordinary achievement to have presided with such dignity and grace for 70 years. Her life of service stretched beyond most of our living memories. In return, she was loved and admired by the people in the United Kingdom and all around the world.
“WithIII.the King’s family, we mourn the loss of his mother. And as we mourn, we must come together as a people to support him. To help him bear the awesome responsibility that he now carries for us
“Weall.offer him our loyalty and devotion just as his mother devoted so much to so many for so long.
happiest days were with the Duke of Edinburgh in Malta in the late 1940s, living among Naval families.
It is our privilege to lead the nation in commemorating the life of a much-loved sovereign. We will do so with the military precision and bearing that is to be expected.
God save The King.
Leaders pay tribute
PRIME MINISTER Liz Truss led the tributes following the announcement from Buckingham Palace that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had died at the age of 96.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P10
The Coronation Review of the Royal Air Force by HM Queen Elizabeth II at RAF Odiham on July 1953 The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh visit RAF Leuchars, Fife, June 4, 1957. Her Majesty leaves the married quarter of Sergeant and Mrs Smith, followed by Group Captain DF Beardon, the Station Commander
Inspecting the guard of honour mounted by 77 Entry during the presentation of a new Queen's Colour to the Royal Air Force College Cranwell during the annual Royal Review on July 25, 1960
Her Majesty The Queen visits RAF Marham on February 3, 2020, in her capacity as Honorary Air Commodore of the station
The Queen and Prince Philip leave the Officers' Mess after taking lunch during the 50th anniversary of the RAF event held at Abingdon, Oxfordshire, on June 14, 1968. They are accompanied by Gp Capt NE Hoad, the Station Commander (right) with Air Chief Marshal Sir John Grandy, Chief of the Air Staff behind
Gp Capt Neil Buckland, Station Commander RAF Laarbruch, joins The Queen during a walkabout among Service families, November 23, 1990
The Queen arrives by air and takes the Royal salute from the Honour Guard before being shown around C Flight, 22 Squadron, where her grandson works as a search and rescue copilot on Sea King helicopters
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P11 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
Her Majesty The Queen visits RAF Valley in April 2011 to see Flt Lt Wales (Prince William) and be shown the new UK Military Flying Training School.
Her Majesty at RAF Marham in 2016 in her capacity as Honorary Air Commodore, a position she first took up in 1977
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P12 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
Her Majesty with Air Cadets at RAF College Cranwell in 2009 (above left) and being presented with a posy of flowers at the station in 1970 (above)
MEETING PERSONNEL AND FAMILIES: The Royal Party at RAF Lossiemouth last year (above), with 603 (City of Edinburgh) Squadron personnel in 2018 (right) and undertaking an inspection at RAF Marham in 2004 (below)
HM QUEEN Elizabeth had a close personal relationship with her Armed Forces. She was the first female member of the Royal Family to join the military as a full-time active member when she joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service in 1945 and held more than 50 honorary positions across the British military.
Ben Wallace
Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said: “She understood better than most the burdens and the glory of a life of service, and the sacrifices the nation asks of men and women in uniform, and their families.The Queen was a daughter, wife and mother of Naval officers and her grandchildren served with the British Army and the Royal Air AmongForce.”herspecial links with the RAF were her positions as a Royal Honorary Air Cdre at Marham, Air Cdre-in-Chief of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, the RAF Regiment and 603 Sqn Royal Auxiliary Air Force and Commandant-in-Chief of RAF College Cranwell.
Princess Elizabeth at RAF Cranwell in 1951
Special bond with the Armed Forces
The first time was at Marham as a part-time reservist on 504 Sqn when it received new colours from Her“IMajesty.wasin the line-up, and it was really windy, and we were terrified that our hats wouldn’t stay on.
An estimated 250,000 people queued for up to 30 hours to pay their respects to HM The Queen as she lay in state in
queue became famous, drawing in celebrities like David Beckham.
The Queen’s coffin attracted tens of thousands of people who waited in line, some for up to 24 hours, over four days inside Westminster Hall. The
Forces chiefs stand vigil Westminsterin
Her Majesty’s death has caused many to think about their own mortality and of those they have loved and lost.
Simon Mander
Sgt Heerey, who has run five marathons, didn’t believe the helpers along the route who tried to keep spirits up, by saying ‘it’s not much further,’ but appreciated the encouragement for people less used to standing around for long periods than the military.
SERVICE CHIEFS led by Chief of the Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, stood vigil at The Queen’s coffin at London’s Westminster Hall.
He was joined by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston, The First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Sir Ben Key, and Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders.
Royal Air Force Chaplain in Chief, The Venerable Dr (AVM) Giles Legood
It was an extraordinary duty to be asked to attend Her Majesty’s funeral and march in the procession ahead of the coffin, as it was carried though the streets of London.
A RAF NCO became the last person in the miles-long queue to view Queen Elizabeth II’s coffin.
But by late Sunday the last person was given a wristband to join as disappointed mourners were turned away.
Wherever I looked, I saw women and men of the Royal Air Force: in the parade, lining the route and acting as marshals. They should all be proud of the part they played in honouring our Monarch and Head of the Armed Forces. May she rest in peace. ”
At the reception The Queen came over to us and said it was amazing they had, as unlike the men we didn’t have chin straps.
ACM SIR MIKE WIGSTON
“
IN HER Christmas Messages and elsewhere, Her Late Majesty The Queen frequently spoke of her deep Christian faith and how prayer upheld her in her duties.
WORTH THE WAIT: Sgt Heerey pays her respects in Westminster Hall
To be last in line was an honour
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P13 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
Each corner of the platform was guarded in a continuous vigil by soldiers from units that serve the Royal Household.
And the experience was so moving for Sgt Chrissy Heerey that she did it twice. After waiting in line on Sunday to enter Westminster Palace at 1:15 am, on Monday she did it
Sgt Heerey, whose role in 11 Group included deploying personnel on Operation London Bridge – the name for the preparations for the death of a Monarch – met The Queen a few times on RAF duties and described her as a very special person.
“It showed her wit, good humour and amazing knowledge that she even knew that detail.”
Park.BridgeThamestheParliamentstretchedHall.WestminsterThelinefromalongsouthbankoftheandpastTowertoSouthwark
Sgt Heerey saw Her Majesty while taking part in parades to mark the Battle of Britain and RAF 100 and was invited to one of her famous Buckingham Palace garden parties with her daughter.“Isaw her in person in October when we were formed up behind Westminster Abbey for the 100th anniversary of the Royal British Legion – that was the last time I saw her not on TV,” she said.
The line stretched from Parliament along the south bank of the Thames and past Tower Bridge to Southwark
RAF chaplains have the privilege of living and working alongside aviators and their families delivering pastoral care in time of loss and in times of joy.
“Theagain.first time I went through there were lots of people and I didn’t feel as though I could take my time, it was so surreal it was just a blur,” she said. “I didn’t feel I’d done myself justice, so I decided to try to do it again to have a few minutes of reflection and pay my respects properly, which is what I did.”Her two trips took 14 hours but were worth it.
Her Coronation and her funeral were Christian services, and the prayers, hymns and music of these services seem to touch us and speak to and for us. Her Majesty’s funeral was a fine example of this.
As well as being Head of the UK Armed Forces, the Sovereign is also Supreme Governor of the Church of England, the Established Church in England.
HRH Princess Elizabeth presents the King’s Colour for the RAF in the UK during a ceremony in Hyde Park on May 26, 1951. The Colour had been due to be presented by HM King George VI, who was ill
The Queen’s Flight
It was a fitting recognition of a lifetime of duty by a Service mourning its Queen and bidding a fitting farewell to its Commander-in-Chief.
HM Queen Elizabeth and HRH Princess Elizabeth with crews from Nos 15 and 622 Squadrons during a visit to Mildenhall, Suffolk, on July 5, 1944
Significantly, although the King agreed to the award of Standards for RAF squadrons in 1943, the 25th anniversary of the Service, it was Princess Elizabeth who presented the King’s Colour of the RAF at Hyde Park in May 1951 standing in for her father, who was unwell, with the grace and aplomb which were a familiar hallmark of her reign. That same year, Princess Elizabeth reviewed a Cranwell graduation parade for the first time.
Jubilees
Commander
Queen’s last public engagement with the RAF was as
Honorary Air Commodore, visiting Marham in February 2020.
The RAF remained integral to the daily lives of The Queen and the Royal Family. She was the first monarch to routinely fly rather than sail. In August 1952, The King’s Flight was renamed The Queen’s Flight.
The Coronation Review at
Indeed, throughout her long reign, The Queen was a regular and welcome visitor to RAF stations at home and overseas, from Lossiemouth to Gan. As the RAF celebrated momentous anniversaries and events she proved a staunch supporter, notably attending the Service’s Golden Jubilee Air Show at Abingdon in 1968 and opening the RAF Museum at Hendon in 1972.
The RAF celebrated The Queen’s Silver Jubilee in July 1977 – with a review at Finningley, where a new RAF Colour was consecrated, and new Tornados flew. In her Silver Jubilee year, The Queen accepted the appointment of Honorary Air Commodore of RAF Marham and approved similar appointments for other members of the Royal Family.
The RAF was there when The Queen celebrated her Golden, Diamond and unprecedented Platinum Jubilee. RAF flypasts provided impressive finales to national occasions as The Queen and the Royal Family looked up from the Buckingham Palace balcony and huge crowds watched on in awe.
Last flight
Her Majesty’s association with the RAF preceded her accession.
On a personal level, Prince Philip was taught to fly by the RAF, soon piloting Royal aircraft.
It was also a summer of memorable flypasts. The Coronation flypast on June 2 featured 168 aircraft: 144 RAF Meteors and 24 Royal Canadian Air Force Sabres, drawn from Fighter Command. An even larger flypast followed on July 15.
The Queen was central to the RAF’s 100th birthday celebrations in June 2018, involving a flypast over London with more than 100 aircraft.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P14
It continues to provide air transport to the Royal Family, amalgamating with 32 Sqn in 1995, becoming 32 (The Royal) Sqn.
A more sombre occasion occurred in October. The Queen unveiled the Runnymede Memorial commemorating World War II RAF personnel with no known grave.
The 50th anniversary of the Battle of Britain in 1990 and the RAF’s 75th birthday in 1993 were celebrated with Her Majesty in attendance. This reassuring pattern of committed support from the monarch stretched into the new century.
Coronation
The Diamond Jubilee flypast over Windsor involved an array of
HER MAJESTY The Queen’s close relationship with the Royal Air Force spanned her glorious 70year reign. Its beginning marked by post-war propeller aircraft and its ending by the remote technologies of today.
Her father, King George VI, had served in the RAF following its establishment in 1918 and was the first member of the Royal Family to become a qualified pilot.
Odiham was the greatest display of military airpower ever seen in the UK in peacetime – with more than 330 aircraft on the ground and some 641 in the flypast, which took nearly half an hour.
The Statement of RAF Royal and Honorary Appointments in September 2005 showed The Queen as Air Commodore-inChief of the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, RAF Regiment, Air Reserve of Canada, Royal Australian Air Force Reserve, Territorial Air Force (of New Zealand); Commandantin-Chief of RAF College Cranwell;
Royal Honorary Air Commodore of Marham and 603 (City of Edinburgh) Sqn Royal Auxiliary Air Force. She was then in her 80th year.
Princess Princess Elizabeth embraced honorary and ceremonial duties relating to the Service.
A symbolic feature was the presentation by Her Majesty of a new Queen’s Colour to the RAF at a spectacular parade and consecration ceremony on the forecourt of Buckingham Palace ending with the parade reforming to mark out the figure
Finally, it was the RAF which conveyed the late Queen from Edinburgh to Northolt. Members of The Queen’s Colour Squadron carried the coffin from the vast hold of the C-17 Globemaster, provided a Guard of Honour on the tarmac, presented arms and the King’s Colour for the RAF was lowered in salute.
A series of wartime visits introduced her to the RAF –starting aged 14, in January 1941, when the Royal Family visited Bircham Newton. Other visits followed, notably in 1944 when Princess Elizabeth accompanied her mother Queen Elizabeth to Netheravon and Mildenhall to meet air and groundcrews.
The Royal Family visit the Coastal Command station at Bircham Newton, Norfolk, on January 26, 1941. HM King George VI and Queen Elizabeth speak with the Station Commander, Gp Capt WH Primrose, while the two Princesses, Elizabeth and Margaret, wait to view the inside of a Hudson aircraft of 206 Sqn
aircraft. In June, the Platinum Jubilee celebrations included a 70-aircraft flypast over Buckingham Palace.
Her Majesty presents a new Royal Air Force Colour during
Air Historical Branch (RAF)
Following the death of the King in February 1952, a new and longer chapter commenced. The young Queen was at the dawn of what Prime Minister Winston Churchill christened the ‘new Elizabethan age’.The first Queen’s Birthday Flypast in June 1952 was followed in July by her first engagement with the RAF as Queen – the presentation of The Queen’s Colour to No. 1 School of Technical Training, Halton.
Her Majesty The Queen
Prince Charles passed out from Cranwell, where The Queen was Commandant-in-Chief. More recently, Prince William flew Search and Rescue operations, his grandmother visiting Valley during his training in 2011.
The100.
Anniversaries
During decades of great change and fresh challenges, one quality remained strong and constant; The Queen was always its muchadmired Commander-in-Chief.
The Coronation year of 1953 was unsurprisingly busy for The Queen and the RAF. In March 1953, she presented The Queen’s Colour to the RAF Regiment.
Marking
On June 30, 1976, Her Majesty and the Duke of visited
RAF’s 100th with a flypast over The Mall on July 10, 2018 Diamond Jubilee Parade at Windsor Castle, May 19, 2012 Visit EdinburghHerHonington,toSuffolk,byMajestyandHRHTheDukeofonJune6,1979
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P15 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022
during ceremony at Palace
Edinburgh
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on July 3, 1964 Queen and the Royal Air Force PHOTOS: BRANCHHISTORICAAIRL(RAF)
Her Majesty visits the RAF College Cranwell on June 12, 1970
Lieutenant Colonel Stefan Köllner said: “This is a very important exercise for our crews, we want to prepare with our allies and be able to stand together with the same procedures and thinking.
Gp Capt Andrew Burton, Deputy Commandant of Waddington’s Air Space Warfare Centre, which controls the event, said: “Things in the military never happen by accident and we train as we may need to fight in the future.
“AddingProgramme.bothlow-level and high-altitude parachuting capabilities to the range of other tactical capabilities that are already in service –such as the ability to air-drop supplies, air-toair refuelling, and landing on natural surfaces –puts the Atlas in a good position to take over from the Hercules in 2023.”
AIRCRAFT:FAMILIAR
seasideBournemouthspecial
The exercise was routinely undertaken twice a year until the pandemic and the latest three-week programme throughout September –the first in several years – will pave the way for larger training events in future.
Cobra Warrior takes off Atlas Force jump starts things
“The Atlas has a key role to play in our future, offering a significant boost to our capabilities through its ability to carry more paratroopers over a greater Bombardierdistance.”Daniel Murray of the 7th Parachute Regiment Royal Horse Artillery said: “It’s a great experience to get some jumps in and help develop the A400M. There’s more space in the A400M, which makes it easier with all the kit we jump with.”
16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team Airborne Plans Officer Major Aden Philpott said: “The speed and reach of deploying by air are the defining characteristics of air manoeuvre forces, and vital to 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team’s role as part of UK Defence’s Rapid Reaction Force.
The trials were planned and delivered by No. 206 Squadron, the RAF’s Heavy Aircraft Test and Evaluation specialists, and the Joint Air Delivery Test and Evaluation Unit.
position to win the first battle when, where and how we want to fight it.
and checking their equipment and recovered their static lines after jumping.
Air Festival director Jon Weaver said: “We’ve also had some new formations which have gone well: the Typhoon with the Spitfire, the Chinook flying with the Blades.
“We’ve been really fortunate to have the Red Arrows come down for all four days once again, as well as the Typhoon and the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight.”
COMBAT PILOTS from four nations have been practising highintensity large force missions over Scotland and northern England in the first large-scale tactical training event since the Covid pandemic.
Italian Eurofighter detachment
UK, Italian, German and American jets took to the skies on Exercise Cobra Warrior allowing the Nato allies to fine tune their tactics, techniques, and procedures.
A NATO E-3A Sentry and Italian G550 command and control aircraft took part along with British and Italian refuelling aircraft.
“The exercise is very realistic
leader Major Marco Setini said: “This is one of the best exercises not just in Europe, but in the world.
ATLAS MILESTONE: Troops carry out the first low-level jumps from the A400M over Salisbury Plain
And Air Force Parachute Test Team despatchers assisted the troops in safely fitting
They were joined by members of the Typhoon, Chinook and Blades display teams at the event –billed as Britain’s biggest air show with more than 600,000 people attending.Thisyear’s extravaganza saw new displays by a B-52 bomber and a race between a Sunseeker power boat and a Muscle bi-plane.
INTEROPERABILITY: Allied air crew
Organisers have announced that the four-day 2023 show is likely to take place from Thursday, August 31 until Sunday, September 3.
Simon Mander
REDS: Displayed on all four days of show
operating from RAF Lakenheath alongside the Suffolk air base’s 48th Fighter Wing F-15s and F-35As and the 56th Rescue Squadron HH60Gs Pave Hawk helicopters flying out of Leeming.
Soldiers from 16 Air Assault Brigade Combat Team and 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines were brought in for trials over Salisbury Plain.
Atlas Programme Senior Responsible Owner Air Cdre Andy Martin said: “Successful mass low-level parachuting trials on the A400M represent a major milestone for the Atlas Capability
United States Air Force F-16s, normally based in Italy, joined in
“We can take off from the UK to deliver troops by parachute to where they are needed rapidly, out-manoeuvring the enemy and putting us in
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P17 News
RED ARROWS aces took time out to sign autographs for some of their youngest fans before staging a spectacular display over Bournemouth’s beaches.
“This exercise brings lots of different capabilities together, in turn ensuring that by working together we can be more than the sum of our parts.”
for us, planning together, working together, flying together. It also gives our people a focus, they know what they’re working for, and we want to be ready for any situation that may come up.”
TornadoGerman
ELITE PARATROOPERS made their first low-level jumps from an Atlas transporter as it prepares to take over from the legendary Hercules battlefield workhorse next year.
“It’s an opportunity to integrate with partner nations just to be ready and so we know each other in the best way possible. It’s a very challenging exercise and we are maximising the potential of our jets.”Six German ECR Tornados brought their special suppression of enemy air defence skills to the exercise.Detachment Commander
Japanese bombers during World War II were remembered by currently serving RAF personnel training in Australia.
FRENCH AIR and Space Force chief Général de Brigade Aérienne Foissey is the new Deputy Director of the seven-nation European Air Group at RAF High Wycombe. He took over the post from the RAF’s outgoing post-holder Air Cdre Hugh Smith at a formal change of command ceremony, where he was presented with the EAG badges of office.
SPITFIRE HEROES killed repelling
Organised into 1 Fighter
RAAF led by Australia’s top wartime air ace Wg Cdr Clive ‘Killer’ Caldwell, the small group of pilots fought a bitter battle despite
accounting for more enemy aircraft than they lost.A painting by Australian artist Steven Heyen was given by Air ViceMarshal Alastair Smith to Air Marshal Robert Chipman, Chief of Air Force of the RAAF, to mark the enduring relationship between the two forces.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P19 News
Sqn.SqnsAustralianFightertransferredsquadronscountry,inAustralianintensivetheWhenSquadrons.JapanlaunchedonlysustainedandassaultonthemainlandthehistoryofthethreeSpitfirewerefromRAFCommand,two–452and457–andtheBritish54(F)Organisedinto1Fighter
SHOW TIME:: Young visitor hits the Typhoon display team tent at Old Buckenham
FALCONS FREEFALL parachutists and the RAF’s Typhoon display aces wowed crowds of up to 10,000 at East Anglia’s largest air display.
The RAF daredevils landed right by the spectator line at the Old Buckenham Air Show before raising the Union Flag and Stars and Stripes to commemorate the former wartime base’s heritage.
AM Chipman told RAF personnel on Exercise Pitch Black at RAAF Darwin: “It’s great to see the RAF down here, a phenomenal demonstration of air power.
Buck-le up for action
Wing
Staff Reporter
Euro move
Two miles southeast of Attleborough, Norfolk, it was used by the USAAF’s 453rd Bomb Group for the strategic bombing campaign against Germany and was where Hollywood actors Jimmy Stewart and Walter Matthau were based.
It shows Spitfire Vc BS165 flown by 54 Sqn Commanding Officer Sqn Ldr Eric Gibbs, in which he shot down five enemy aircraft, and a modern Typhoon flying together over the Northern Territory.
Highlights of the air show included an appearance by the RAF’s Typhoon Display aircraft, flown by Flt Lt Adam O’Hare, and a world first display by a Zenith CH705 electric-powered aircraft.
HANDOVER: Général de Brigade Aérienne Foissey, left, with Air Cdre Smith
ADELAIDE WAR CEMETERY
Falcons’ Flt Lt Mike Reeve said: “The team thoroughly enjoyed jumping in, for a hugely welcoming crowd and, on a personal level, displaying in Norfolk is somewhat special as I am from the region.”
AUSTRALIAN HEROES: RAF and RAAF crews repelled Japanese assault. Below left, Wg Cdr Caldwell
Oz-Ace Caldwell’s Few are honoured
When Japan launched Australian – 452 and 457 Sqns – and the British 54(F)
PACIFIC CAMPAIGN: 54 Sqn posebeside a Spitfire at a RAAF base in 1943
heavy losses and a shortage of spares. And with Japanese bombers able to fly 10,000ft higher than their German and Italian counterparts, the Spitfire Vc (Tropical) variant’s performance proved vital,
Off-duty members of the detachment on Exercise Pitch Black visited Adelaide River War Cemetery, south of Darwin, to pay tribute to 435 comrades buried there –including 14 Britons from 54, 548 and 549
“Pitch Black is all about building relationships and demonstrating interoperability, and the exercise has been a great success in this regard.”
PLOTTER: Vera Saies was working in the bunker at RAF Uxbridge on Battle of Britain Day and witnessed visit by the King and Churchill. Inset above right, teenage ATA engineer Ena Botting was doused in aircraft fuel while underneath a Wellington bomber
Email your answer, marked: Remarkable Women book competition, to: competitions@ rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by October 7.
“Some idiot drained the fuel from a Wellington all over me. I was sore for days and had bad blisters on my face”
“Later… when it became clear that the RAF had won the day over the Luftwaffe, my mother described a wonderful moment when the Prime Minister and his wife Clementine congratulated all the team in the bunker. She said he was in an exceptionally good mood, smiling and waving at everyone. All the time he was puffing away on his cigar, which he wasn’t allowed to do, but no one minded.”
from her civilian job, working in a dress shop in Maidenhead – the ATA’s HQ was nearby at White Waltham airfield. Her father, already working at the airfield, mainly as a fireman, told her the ATA was looking for volunteers.
Ena and her young female colleagues worked alongside male engineers, mostly older men who weren’t on active service due to health reasons.
She also served in Brussels where, in December 1944, she was left shocked when a V2 rocket fell on to a block of flats next to the hospital where she was dressing a wound – but Clarice and the other nurses just had to keep going.
Ena’s starts with her recollection of how, aged 17, she was checking and cleaning the petrol filters in a Wellington when the fuel was accidentally released all over her.
She remembered: “It was normal after an aircraft had returned to the hangar to drain out the petrol, but on this occasion some idiot came along to get the fuel, not knowing I was underneath it… petrol came whooshing out, all over me – it stung everywhere… the next thing I remember is one of the male engineers scooping me up and carrying me into the ladies’ bathroom and flooding cold water over me.
defeatwhothe
The WAAF girl Luftwaffedefeathelpedwhothe
Win!
TEENAGE Air Transport Auxiliary engineer, a WAAF plotter on duty during Battle of Britain Day and an RAF nurse who served in France and Brussels are among the 12 women featured in a new book by Victoria Panton Bacon, Remarkable Women of the Second World War (thehistorypress. co.uk) tells the story of Ena Botting, one of the ATA’s 2,500 ground staff, Battle of Britain plotter Vera Saies and medic Clarice Jacques.
Subtitled A Collection of Untold Stories, the women’s tales are based on their personal memories of their wartime roles.
Vera Saies was 27 when, on September 15, 1940, she walked down the steps to the bunker in the Ops Room at RAF VictoriaUxbridge.said: “The Battle of Britain was reaching its height, but Vera had no idea as she entered the bunker that morning what a hugely important day it was to Verabecome.”diedin 2001, aged 89, but before she
“I was really sore for at least a few days after that, all over… I had horrid blisters on my face too. But gradually I think I stopped stinking of an old petrol can and the soreness gotEna’sbetter.”wartime role was a far cry
She said: “Shortly after she fell ill with gastritis and sick leave forced her to retire from service before the end of the war.
And other Remarkable Women
“The slaughter in the Falaise Gap had left thousands of dead bodies of men and animals, creating a fertile breeding ground for the flies.”
WE HAVE copies of Remarkable Women of the Second World War to win. For your chance to own one, tell us:
RAF NURSE: Clarice Jacques
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P21 Feature
By Tracey Allen
A
She revealed her favourite aircraft were the Anson and the Wellington ‘because they had so much character’, adding “I didn’t like the Hurricane much, I don’t know why. It deserves a lot more credit because it brought down a lot of enemy aircraft – more than the Spitfire. But everyone loved the Spitfire – they still do – because it was so beautiful.”
passed away her daughter Laurette recorded her mother’s memories of being on duty on what became known as Battle of Britain Day. Vera was one of the first to find out just how many German bombers were heading to London then.
Laurette said: “She told me she started work straightaway, ‘plotting’ with other girls, not even thinking of stopping at midday when her shift should have ended. Mother also recalled that both King George VI and Winston Churchill, with Mrs Churchill, visited the Operations Room that day.
She said: “I really wanted to do it from the moment he suggested I try. I wouldn’t have minded what I did but I definitely wanted to feel more useful than I felt I was selling dresses. I had always been interested in aeroplanes too.”
Victoria explained that Clarice’s overseas posting ended in January the following year.
right for young women to do this’… eventually they got used to us, and had to help us get on because there weren’t enough of them to look after all the planes themselves.”
creating the wards and temporary ‘operating theatres’, they also had to make their own accommodation. Everything had to be established from scratch wherever they were needed.”After helping to pitch the main wards and theatre marquees, the mess tents, then the sleeping tents went up. Clarice remembered: “Having helped unload the hospital equipment, we had to then erect our own ridge tents – two camp beds to each tent…. the weather was hot – flies and mosquitoes bit viciously – and soon we were coping with outbreaks of diarrhoea among men from the airfields, and some of our staff.
Where was the ATA’s HQ in WWII?
Clarice Jacques joined Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service in 1942 and served in France in the summer of 1944, aged 33, after applying to join a Mobile Field Hospital (MFH) unit.Victoria said: “Joining an MFH unit meant that as well as literally
She said: “It wasn’t easy when the men said things like ‘it isn’t
“She was one of just under 500 nurses who served in the PMRAFNS throughout the war, not only in European countries, but further afield in Africa, the Middle East and India.”
Once on the ground we had to work quickly as the crew would depart to loiter nearby and only had a limited amount of fuel to get us to all the sites and then back to Medicina Lines.
Even as an experienced crewman, my eyes were out on stalks approaching some of these LPs. Some clearings were just about large enough to fit the rotor diameter of the Bell and the ridge lines were just large enough to put skids on to. Stepping off a helicopter in dense primary jungle with a canopy up to 200ft tall in cases,severalandoffrontyouina
itself; everything in it is designed to get you. The insects and creepy crawlies are bigger, the flora is all pointy and sharp and there is the noise of larger but thankfully more scarce beasts around.
With a combination of the 667 Sqn crews flying us and our own self-drive adventures, we managed to complete the whole task in just under four weeks.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P23 Feature
One of the specialist roles of Mobile Air Operations Team Leaders is to complete recces for helicopter landing sites (HLS) across the globe. This can be anything from a simple patch of ground to a complex multi-landing
667 Sqn Army Air Corps operate three Bell 212 helicopters (often referred to as Hueys) and are currently commanded by a name familiar to many ex-Merlin people at Benson, Major Luke Hoare. They provide helicopter lift for
The
Benson-based Mobile Air Operations Team Leader Master Aircrew Gaz Attridge braved 100 per cent humidity and saltwater crocodiles in Brunei ahead of a Puma Force mission there later this year and told RAF News what he found:
A battalion of 1,500 Royal Gurkha Rifles is garrisoned at Seria in the south west, centred around the large Shell Oil and Petroleum industry hub. Close by is the small heliport and camp known as Medicina Lines – home to the Jungle Warfare Division, part of the Infantry Battle School and 667 Sqn Army Air Corps.The Sqn (formerly 7 Flt AAC) currently fly the ubiquitous Bell 212 helicopter and have supported jungle training since 1994.
We did manage to get some downtime at the weekends due to no flying. A real bucket list tick for was taking a wooden longboat trip deep upriver into the Ulu Temburong jungle and then climbing up a hillside to a 40-storey scaffold tower which took us to the roof of the canopy 300ft further up. back down to the river valley we found a natural waterfall and plunge pool for a refreshing dip before white water rafting back to base camp.
All in all an amazing experience, which no doubt those Puma Force personnel who take over from 667 Sqn later this year will hopefully be able to fully embrace especially when there are no longer any Covid restrictions.
Certainly, prior to the announcement of the Puma Force deployment to the tiny nation on the island of Borneo later this year, the only real connection with anyone at Benson had been through our unit, Joint Helicopter Support Squadron.Manypeople are unaware of the continued permanent presence of British Army units who first arrived in 1962 and remained at the invitation of the current Sultan, after the country gained independence in 1984.
sheer drop of several hundred feet right behind you certainly focuses the mind. And that was just the arrival.
TESTING CONDITIONS: Seeking out helicopter landing sites among the thick Brunei jungle
SAFE LANDING: Army chopper
M
On our first day, Alex casually pointed out the three-metre-long saltwater crocodile that was gliding around in the river below next to one of the HLS we were due to visit. No skinny dipping for us.
heliport, with everything inbetween.Ourjob was to visit, revalidate and update a Jungle HLS Directory with close to 70 landing points across hundreds of square kilometres of the tiny oil and gasrichThisstate.is not a quick job and required careful planning and execution, not least while strict Covid travel restrictions were in place.
I set off for the airport with fellow MAOT Leader AAC Captain Alex Brogan and began the 12-14
The first thing that hits you is the heat. The humidity is often at 100 per cent with temperatures in the 30s and low 40s at times. You become soaked in sweat within minutes. Then there is the jungle
TEAM LEADER: MACr Gaz Attridge (right)
territories. This means most of the area is only accessible by air without long cross-country drives through inhospitable terrain. This was where 667 Sqn were able to assist by flying us deep into the jungle direct to the landing points (LPs) they used.
Jungle Book
OST people in the RAF had hardly heard about Brunei, a small sovereign nation 8,000 miles away in South East Asia.
The was ‘interesting’ to say the least. the Jungle Warfare Division and andborders2,200whereforneeddeeptoconcretesitestraining.coverMedevac/CasevacvitalduringjungleThelandingtheyusevaryfrompurpose-builtpadstinyridgelinesandclearingsinthejungle.Allofthemtobesurveyedandassuredsafetyeverythreeyears.ThatisAlexandIcomein.AlthoughBruneionlycoverssquaremiles,itsinternalareveryspreadoutsurroundedbyMalaysian
Moreton added: “RAF Archery
An Austrian adventure for Air Force orienteers
BOW:STRINGSTOHER ShepherdEmiliaAS1
ON TARGET: Chairman Chf Tech Jason Moreton PHOTOS: ANDREW WHEELER
is working harder to reflect the growing popularity of the sport by increasing its status within the Service.“Going forward, I would like to see the association grow and see additional training for both shooting, coaching and, hopefully, service judges. I would also like to increase the number of matches, with eventual plans for an InterStation archery league.”
THE SERVICE’S orienteers have praised its annual six-day overseas visit as ‘fantastic’ after a team of 10 were tested fully in the Austrian mountains, forests and
“The first day was located on a university hospital campus, with complex multi-level navigation as well as a woodland along the edge of the site. The second was in a residential area and the third in the city centre of Graz.”
THE SERVICE’S archers will be rubbing shoulders with the great and the good of the sport after being nominated for the prestigious Toxophilus Trophy.
Thetowns.week saw two RAF athletes secure podium finishes out of six events and stage training camps and running and swimming cooldown sessions alongside theAS1competitions.ThomasJarvis said: “The first three days were hosted in urban areas around Graz and tested the competitors on a small scale, with detailed navigation to get around the course as quickly as possible.
There is a third beginners’ tournament planned for next January; the first tournament winner, Sgt Eleanor Spinks, now has a UK ranking of 45.
The association held open days as part of this year’s RIAT and RAF Cosford air shows, and has clubs at 11 stations from Akrotiri to Wyton.
The start of the Graz race was located on a steep scarp up to the citadel towering over the city, while later in the race, competitors had to navigate their way across the historic city centre avoiding tourists and trams alike, making for an extremely challenging and original race.
Chf Tech Jason Moreton said: “As chair I’m thrilled that the association has been nominated. After taking over in August 2019 the challenges during the pandemic gave the committee time to start planning ways to increase archery participation.“Oneofthe first things was obtaining full county status within Archery GB, the next was increasing the number of centralised events at RAF Cranwell from two to five per year.”The association has obtained more equipment and hosted beginners’ tournaments and training weekends – which have increased from four in 2021 to six this year.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P25Follow us @rafnewssport SportEmail: sports@rafnews.co.uk Would you like to see your sport featured in RAF News? Send a short report (max 300 words) & two or three photographs (attached jpegs) to: Sports@rafnews.co.uk ORIENTEERING
The Archery GB awards ceremony will be held at Lilleshall National Sports Centre, Newport, with members of the association present, with a live feed enabling all Service archers to watch.
He added: “Our group featured experienced orienteers and this year several novices, so before the first event we
The final three days of events were hosted in the countryside where orienteers had to use obscure features such as boulders and land formations to navigate their way around the forests and mountain area, with the first day beginning on a ski slope, with orienteers having to utilise a chairlift to kick things off.
held training sessions to improve and understand the maps better for the racing and to pass on other crucial training“Duringtips.the week the weather was fantastic, so we took full advantage of the outdoor swimming pools at three of the events.”
l Find out more about RAF Orienteering on Instagram @raforienteering.
l Email: archery.detailsrafsportsfederation.ukarchery.sec@formoreabouttakingpartinRAF
The nomination is part of the Archery GB Recognition Awards, that highlight clubs, counties or regions that have: ‘shown exemplary support to archers, seeking to influence change and good practice through exceptional member engagement’ and will be announced later this month.
UPHILLGOING: AustrianToughcourse
RAF's archers to take a bow Award for promoting sport within Service
“I loved taking part in this year’s challenge from a RAF Snowboarding perspective and I had the privilege of working with such a great team, but it is fair to say things are already underway to make sure it will be bigger next year.
QUALIFIERS: Off Cdt Taylor-Lei Mohan (above) and Sgt Matt Haywood (left)
RAF SNOWBOARD chairman Wg Cdr Nicola Duncan has announced that planning is already underway for the RAFA Virtual 50 2023 following this year’s hugely successful event.
The team once again produced the goods with Sgt Matt Haywood and Off Cdt Taylor-Lei Mohan both securing World Championship racing status for 2023, while new rider Flt Lt Chris Leary snaffled British Championship status.
In Bournemouth Leary posted two second place finishes and a sixth in this first-ever Brits outing but holding fourth in the final he
“The initial plans are very exciting, and I am confident they will mean more money being raised for a very worthwhile charity.”
l Follow the team on Instagram @RAFCABMXRacing, Facebook: @Royal Air Force BMX Race Team and Twitter @RAF BMX Racing.
Taking to the track in Nantes, Haywood and Mohan secured knockout stage places, but a poor start cost Haywood, and he finished 38th out of the 69-rider field.
improve on his overall standing of 19th to ensure world’s status, and having finished fourth in the opening day’s racing, a third on the final day saw him bump himself up to ninth and a ticket to Glasgow.
fitness training to RAF Snowboarding.
After good opening rides Haywood went off the track in his final, while Mohan secured second in her final and took runner-up in the British rankings overall. On the Sunday in the veterans ride Haywood ended up fifth in the quarter finals.
National Series saw Mohan needing a win to secure the Cruiser women’s class national title. She could only manage a third and sixth place, ending third overall, but securing the vital world’s slot for next year in
HEAT Flt Lt Marc Speed, one of this year’s top fundraisers, ran his 50 miles in Akrotiri
Duncan said: “I fell into helping RAFA 50 through a work colleague, Flt Lt Paul Armstrong, as he has been involved now for a number of years.
They were present on the world stage under the GB banner in France and in Bournemouth, Birmingham and Kent on the British and National race circuits.
Duncan added: “It was great to be able to offer this year’s event to Fortis Functional Fitness, who have provided very successful online and bespoke
DOGGED DETERMINATION: Wg Cdr Nicola Duncan and pet
Mohan collected a second, fourth and first in the opening rides, but she was undercut by a French rider on the second berm of her first knockout race and crashed, ending 25th out of 58 riders.
IS ON:
Glasgow.Haywood was looking to
did well to avoid crashing following a puncture, to finish eighth.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P26 Follow us @rafnewssport Sport Email: sports@rafnews.co.uk
Riders set for BMXGlasgowChampsWorldin Charity Virtual 50 going to 'get bigger and even better'
Donning their RAF colours once again the team hit the road
THE RAF BMX team battled hard on three fronts for success as the 2022 season roared towards completion.
It saw 280 RAF personnel take up the sporting challenge to run, cycle, walk, horse ride, canoe (or anything else without motor power) 50 miles in a week, clocking up 14,000 miles in total.
“In linking the two it enabled the opportunity for anyone who had signed up to the RAFA 50 challenge to take advantage of some bespoke online fitness sessions, as undertaking 50 miles is not easy, and the online training offered the ability to train prior to the event.”
A very hot and dusty Birmingham track for the British Glasgow
battling it out in the South Regional series in Broomfield, Kent before the final rounds of the British Championships in Bournemouth. In his first season with the team, Flt Lt Leary took the 30+ Cruiser race in his debut bow on the bike, while Haywood took a third in the veterans BMX race, coming sixth in the Cruiser, meaning all three of the team had booked their 2023 British slots.
This year’s event saw participants based in the UK, Cyprus, the Falklands, USA, Romania, Oman and the United Arab Emirates raise £12,000 for RAFA, bringing the total since 2020 to £80,000.
eight placed in descending order, receiving 11 points down to four for last spot.
It took only three overs for the RAF to strike with veteran bowler Cpl Guy Watts taking the first wicket with only seven runs on the board.This was quickly followed by AS1 Jack Harrison dismissing the other opening batsman.
Other contributions came from the hosts including 48 from
Smith said: “As the season draws to a close, the team can be extremely pleased with how it has unfolded. With contributions from all players the future is looking bright for RAF cricket.”
Hosting the Anglesey event, the team in light blue produced two days of topflight angling to win comfortably by more than 30 points on the first day and more than 50 on the second.
l To find out more about the RAF Cricket Association email: RAFCricket@gmail.com. Follow on Twitter @RAFCricket and @ RAFLadiesCC or on Instagram @royalairforcecricket and @ rafwomenscricket.
With 114 required from the remaining 17 overs, the big-hitting AS1 Luke Cockburn arrived at the crease. A barrage of boundaries duly followed, coupled with some smart running, which guided the Service side over the finishing line.
He added: “The Royal Family have all served and they understand the values and qualities of the Service family and I believe they understand the value of sport“Thewithin.minute’s silence
FREE-SCORING: Batsmen were able to put on plenty of runs at Tynemouth Cricket Club
Sqn Ldr Gareth Pickard, Head of RAF Sea Angling, said: “In my 14 years of running RAF Sea Angling we have gone through many changes in personnel and governance, but it is testament to the skill of our anglers that we keep ahead of the competition.”Thefieldof 27 Navy, Army and RAF anglers held two days
at our sports events is apt, the traditional act of remembrance and respect; be it for the fallen, on Remembrance Sunday, or be it in this case on the occasion of the death of Her Majesty The Queen, it is what we do. We do it proudly and it is appropriate.”wholly
A LONG journey to Newcastle proved fruitful for the RAFCA Development XI for their penultimate game of 2022 with a four-wicket win over the National FireSkipperService.
The teams would spend two hours at each of three set marks, with each winning angler receiving 12 points, and the next
HER MAJESTY: Mourned
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P27Follow us @rafnewssport SportEmail: sports@rafnews.co.uk
HISTORY-MAKERS: The RAF's Sea Anglers have stretched their Inter-Services winning record to an astonishing 16 years
Fogden (pictured below) said: “We had a few situations where personnel were already in situ when the announcement came, such as the RAF Side Car Team of AS1 Rob Atkinson and AS1 Mark Middleton who won the British F2 Sidecar Championship in Knockhill, Scotland. For them to be denied that would have been tough and they proudly hold the RAF’s name and have won it in their Service colours.”
STICKY WICKET: Bowlers had a tough day
Big-hitter Cockburn's a safe port in a storm
The hosts rallied and the partnership of the next two batsmen, Daynes and Poynter, ended up being worth 135, as they posted half centuries in quick time.
Shepperson, leaving the Fire Service finishing on an impressive 256-5.The RAF’s innings didn’t get off to the greatest of starts with AS1 Chris Morris being dismissed for five.
This brought Flt Lt Smith to the crease alongside AS1(T) Jack Fuller and the two dug deep with a partnership of 63. During their knock Fuller brought up his 50 in just 62 balls. He continued the charge, but with wickets falling around him, was eventually dismissed on 78.
Cockburn ended it 79 not out from just 52 deliveries.
Laying the foundations for a big score Daynes continued to push on, rotating the strike well. Bringing up a well-made 100, he finished on 104 notHarrisonout. struck back though,
SEA
Daniel Abrahams
On day one the RAF team led by captain Chf Tech Darren Paul secured a clear lead: with the RAF scoring 94.5 points, the Army 62 and the Royal Navy 59.5.
AMLWCH, NORTH Wales was the setting for another RAF boat sea angling Inter-Service victory as the association stretched its run to 16 years.
CUP JOY: Chf Tech Darren Paul (far left) and FS Scott Rennie
anchor and drift fishing.
Flt Lt Rob Smith, looking to rally the troops for an end of season charge, won the toss and opted to bowl in overcast conditions with a slight drizzle in the air at Tynemouth CC.
Navy second on 129 and the Army on Chf120.5.Tech Paul said: “I am proud to announce that the RAF have won for a 16th year, a growing record in RAF Sports history as the longest ever consecutive retention of an Inter-Service Trophy.
Sport pays its respects
daysfirstbeforepracticeoftheoftwoof
Inters victors for 16 times in a row
Day two, which was fished in identical marks to the first, saw the RAF record 192.5 points, with the
producing a fine spell with the ball that allowed him to finish with figures of 3-26 from his eight overs, to be the pick of the bowlers.
CRICKETANGLING
“We are looking forward to being hosted by the Royal Navy for IS 2023 out of Plymouth.”
A 48-HOUR cessation of Service sport followed the passing of her Majesty The Queen.Director RAF Sport Rich Fogden had initially ordered that all sport be cancelled for the duration of the mourning period, but that was relaxed after further guidance from the chain of command.Instead Service sport was stopped on the day of the Queen’s death and for her funeral itself.
At other times Her Majesty’s passing was marked on the fields of play with a minute’s silence.
Royal Air Force News Friday, September 23, 2022 P28 HM Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022 Thank you Ma'am 38> 9770035861037 66pISSN0035-8614
