The Forcesit' e favourer pap
Jamaica vets medal joy after 77 years l See page 9
True tale of heroic Ukraine sniper Win
l See R'n'R p5
!
Friday November 4 2022 No. 1547 70p
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Mum's battle against one of UK's biggest killers
l See p19
Rugby
Plate win for UKAF
Fight against Putin's terror Simon Mander
l See page 27
On water
IS glory
l See page 29
The Sports Awards '22
Best of RAF
l See page 31
SIX-YEAR-OLD MAYA Reynard hands D-Day veteran 98-year-old Bernard Morgan a poppy as the Royal British Legion launches this year's appeal. The Forces charity paid for veteran airman Bernard to return to Normandy to pay tribute to his fallen comrades and for Maya to join mum, former RAF Corporal Sally, at the Invictus Games.
AIR FORCE instructors are teaching Ukrainian recruits lifesaving skills to counter Vladimir Putin’s latest terror weapons. And a civilian translator, who escaped the massacre at Bucha carried out by the Russian Army, told RAF News that nowhere in her country is safe from kamikaze drones. The news comes as Britain imposed new sanctions on Iran for supplying the Kremlin with the Shahed-136 weapons being used against civilians in Ukrainian cities. II Sqn RAF Regiment's Flt Lt Liam Power – whose instructors are teaching Ukrainian soldiers to 'fight, survive and win' at Catterick – said tactical training had changed to counter the latest threat. “We have updated the camouflage and concealment training to include how to conceal oneself from hostile unmanned air systems used to direct mortars and artillery and ‘kamikaze drones’ currently used to attack both soldiers and infrastructure," he said. “We have incorporated thermal sheeting, camouflage nets placed in trees, and teach how to minimise physical and thermal signatures." l Continued pp3 and 16-17
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P2
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I will continue to shout about secondary breast cancer and to campaign”
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I’m probably nuts to try my first stage show aged 82”
Bake Off legend Prue Leith prepares to embark on a tour of the UK See R’n’R page 5
Mum-of-three Flt Sgt Helen Crawford, who has the terminal disease See p19
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There is Service pride in everything I do here”
Cpl Alex Barnes, who is making a name for herself at Leeds Rhinos: See p28
Defence housing pledge Simon Mander
RAF News Room 68 Lancaster Building HQ Air Command High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP14 4UE Editor: Simon Williams Email: editor@rafnews.co.uk Features Editor: Tracey Allen Email: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk News Editor: Simon Mander
MILITARY PERSONNEL in long-term relationships are to get the same rights to service accommodation as people who are married or in civil partnerships. And housing is to be allocated based on family need, rather than rank, while minimum standards will be set for single-living quarters under a shake-up of the system. It’s hoped the moves will promote fairness, ensure better value for money and increase environmental sustainability. Minister for Defence People, Veterans and Service Families Sarah Atherton said: “Our Armed Forces dedicate their lives to our nation and deserve a decent standard of accommodation. “The changes I have announced will ensure we maximise the support we provide. “Serving personnel and their families make sacrifices to adapt to the demands of service life. We must do all we can to give them the accommodation that meets their needs.” Under the changes all Single Living Accommodation will have to offer private, quiet, secure, dry,
of our people and their families have changed with it. This strategy makes a commitment that in the future accommodation need will be based on the individual family and that all established long-term
relationships are treated equally. “A modern offer for a modern military providing access to highquality, affordable accommodation for those who help protect the nation.”
This Week In History
Sports reporter Daniel Abrahams Email: sports@rafnews.co.uk
1957
Valiant nuke test
All advertising: Edwin Rodrigues Tel: 07482 571535 Email: edwin.rodrigues@ rafnews.co.uk Subscriptions and distribution: RAF News Subscriptions c/o Intermedia, Unit 6 The Enterprise Centre, Kelvin Lane, Crawley RH10 9PE Tel: 01293 312191 Email: rafnewssubs@ subscriptionhelpline.co.uk
appropriately ventilated and heated space, with access to hot water. Chief of Defence People Lt Gen James Swift said: “The world has changed over the past few decades and the accommodation needs
A 49 SQN Valiant captained by Sqn Ldr Millett begins the UK’s second series of thermo-nuclear weapons tests at Christmas Island, dropping a bomb which explodes with a force of 1.8 Megatons. 1944
Tirpitz sunk A STRIKE force of 30 Lancasters from 9 and 617 Sqns operating from Northern Scotland sink the German battleship Tirpitz in Tromso Fjord using 12,000lb Tallboy bombs.
1976
Hawk enters service THE BAE Hawk enters service with the Central Flying School at RAF Valley, replacing the Hawker Siddeley Gnat
Extracts from The Royal Air Force Day By Day by Air Cdre Graham Pitchfork (The History Press)
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P3
News
Training combats Putin terror drones l Continued from front A CIVILIAN Ukrainian interpreter working with the RAF Regiment said Russia was using drones across the country to cow the civilian population and cut people off from energy, heating, and water as winter approaches. Speaking under anonymity she said: “No part of Ukraine is safe, despite what some people say, that’s the worst thing about it. “There are attacks by missiles and drones everywhere. They want to give people the feeling that there is no safe place. They are being successful, not in making us scared but in destroying everything that matters to us – our lives, our futures, everything we have been working for.”
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These cowardly drone strikes are an act of desperation
Mum’s the word for Poppy Day INJURED RAF veteran Cpl Sally Reynard and her daughters Maya and Daisy joined military veterans who fought in WWII, the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan in front of a 10ft wall of poppies to launch this year’s appeal. Sally, who was supported by the RBL after she suffered a serious knee injury serving in Afghanistan, went on to compete in the Invictus Games. She said: “It’s been the most amazing
experience to be a part of this year’s Poppy Appeal Launch. “Without the Royal British Legion, my family wouldn’t have been able to experience the Invictus Games while I competed. “You never know when you might need support from the RBL so days like today are so important to spread awareness that the charity is there for whenever we need it.”
Baghdad team take the plunge A UK MILITARY team based at the British Embassy in Baghdad dived in to raise funds for Combat Stress. RAF swimmers FS Pauline Daniels and Sgt Andy Easson joined Army volunteers Brig Ed Sandry, Capt Roland Peterson and Capt Matt Hankin in the pool, raising £2,500 for the Forces mental health charity.
MILITARY TEAM: Pooling resources
”
Britain has accused Tehran of actively warmongering and profiting from Putin’s abhorrent attacks on citizens, in violation of UN Security Council Resolutions. Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “Iran’s support for Putin’s brutal and illegal war is deplorable. We are sanctioning those who have supplied the drones used by Russia to target Ukrainian civilians. This is clear evidence of Iran’s destabilising role in global security. “These cowardly drone strikes are an act of desperation. By enabling these strikes, these individuals and a manufacturer have caused the people of Ukraine untold suffering.” The UK has imposed asset freezes and travel bans on individuals and businesses including Army chief Major General Mohammad Hossein Bagheri, drone deal negotiator Brigadier General Seyed, and Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Brigadier General Saeed Aghajani, whose troops have been in temporarily controlled territories of Ukraine advising Russian forces on how to use the weapons.
FRONTLINE FIGHT: RAF Regt instructors are training Ukrainian recruits
Drone maker Shahed Aviation Industries has also had its assets frozen. Russia’s own drone producer, Kronshtadt, has struggled to maintain production since it was sanctioned, with fridges and dishwashers being cannibalised to create military equipment, and
Soviet-era tanks being sent to the frontline. Iran has one of the largest and most diverse drone and missile arsenals in the Middle East and has a long-standing track record of proliferating the weapons, including to non-state actors. l More on pp16-17
UK sends hundreds of air defence missiles BRITAIN is to give hundreds of air defence missiles to help Ukraine defend against rockets, including the first AMRAAM rockets capable of shooting down cruise missiles. Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said the equipment would be provided in the coming weeks after President Zelensky’s call for more kit. 90 SU OC: Capt The AMRAAMs willGpbe used with the NASAMS Ola Fashade air defence systems pledged by the US to protect
Ukraine’s critical national infrastructure. Aerial drones to support Ukraine’s information gathering and logistics capabilities, a further 18 howitzer artillery guns and Stormer vehicles fitted with Starstreak launchers will also be handed over. The UK has also given £10 million to Nato’s Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine to provide warm clothes, shelters, generators, fuel trucks and ambulances ahead of winter.
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P5
News
Blinded by the might
e r o s r o f t h g i s a ’s Ryan eyes after Lanc stunt
: Ryan BACK IN VISION
ON THE PULL: Trucker Ryan Linley feels the pressure as he sets off on epic bid to haul the vintage WII bomber down the runway. Below, the strongman takes a breather at the finish line PHOTOS: MKS PHOTOGRAPHY
Simon Mander STRONGMAN RYAN Linley dug so deep in his bid to haul a 20 tonne Lancaster bomber 100m down a runway he blinded himself. Despite the setback the 32-year-old lorry driver kept on motoring and crossed the finish line to become the first person to complete the challenge at Lincolnshire Aviation Heritage Centre in East Kirkby.
“
I did have a wonky eye for a bit and the wife wasn’t too impressed
”
He said: “Three steps in I lost all vision. I believe it was because of the effect of the effort on my blood pressure. But my legs didn’t buckle, and I carried on going. “Luckily all of my sight came back, though I did have a wonky eye for a day or two and the wife wasn’t too impressed when I told her.
“I’ve done trucks, trains and now a Lancaster so I’ve now set my sights on a series of historic bombers – hopefully a Vulcan because of its amazing mission in the Falklands war and a Nimrod because they’ve just massive.” The NX611 bomber nicknamed ‘Just Jane,’ after a wartime comic strip, weighed in at 19,600kgs but also had a tractor attached behind it. His exertions have so far raised nearly £2,000 on the ‘Just Giving,’ website to be split between the Centre’s Lancaster restoration project and St Barnabas’ Hospice in Boston. The father-of-one puts his fascination with aviation down to a childhood spent watching the Battle of Britain Flight bomber fly over his childhood home in Eastbourne. “Every year after the air show the Lancaster would pass over my house and I’d jump up and down on the roof waving at it before the pilot waggled its wings and turned to fly home,” he said. One of Ryan’s ambitions is to drag five Red Arrows Hawk jets in a relay to raise money for RAF-related good causes.
ENGINEERING AWARD: Sgt Gary Wathan
Tech That
A TOP TECH from Marham is celebrating scooping a prestigious national title. Sgt Gary Wathan has been named the Institution of Engineering and Technology’s Armed Forces Technician Award winner. The 37-year-old joined the RAF as an Aircraft Airframe Technician in 2003 and in 2008 became a Mechanical Aircraft Technician (Airframe/Propulsion). In his current role in Engineering Standards and Evaluation he mentors more than 450 maintainers across the Air Force and Royal Navy. He said: “It is wonderful to have my achievements recognised by other engineering professionals and to have been a finalist alongside people who are experts in their fields. “I am very grateful to the opportunities I have been given during my time with the RAF and hope that I am able to inspire others to take up a rewarding career in engineering.” The Awards recognise individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of engineering, technology and science through research and development or their leadership of an enterprise. IET President Professor Bob Cryan said: “Sgt Wathan has shown enthusiasm and determination towards everything he puts his mind to and it’s great to see that he is also a mentor.”
Up in arms
l If you have a challenge for Ryan contact him at: ryanlinleyats2011@gmail.com.
DEFENCE MANUFACTURERS in Britain and India have teamed up on a series of combat air related arms programmes on the subcontinent. A new Defence Industry Joint Working Group of two British firms has been formed for more effective cooperation after a recent visit by UK Typhoon, Voyager and Atlas aircraft to New Delhi for joint-flying exercises with the Indian Air Force. Signed deals include agreements by MBDA to build the Advanced Short Range Airto-Air Missile in partnership and by Thales UK to produce the next generation of VSHORAD missiles in India.
Royal R oyal Air F Force o ce N or News ews Fr Friday, iday, N November ovember 4, 4 2022 P7
News Ne ews
Honour for WWII crew
ON O N SID SIDE: E T E: The he new new memorial memorial am marks arks tthe he Wellington Welling e ton bbomber omber crash crash site site on on what what is now now a ffootball ootball p pitch itch near near SSale. ale. B Below, elow, the ill-fated ill-fated RAAF RA AAF and and RAF RAF crew crew
Jane J ane S Shepherd hepherrd SOUTHPORT-BASED SO UTHPORT-BASED 611 S Sqn qn jo joined ined fforces orcces w with itth civic civic leaders leaders in the N North orth W West eest ffor or the un unveiling veilling o off a ne new w wa warr me memorial, morial, honouring ho nouring ssix ix WW WWII WII aallied llied Airmen Airmen ffrom rro om R AF Bomber Bomber C omma m nd. RAF Command. IIn nA ugust 1943 3 aW 3, ellington m ediumum August 1943, Wellington mediumra nge b omb ber w ith a cr ew o ive R oyal range bomber with crew off ffive Royal A ustralian Air Air Force Force aand nd o ne R oyal Air Air Australian one Royal F orce V olunteer Reserve Reserve personnel personnel on on Force Volunteer b oard cra shed o n tto ow hat iiss n ow a ffootball ootball board crashed on what now p itch in W alton Park, Park, Sa le. pitch Walton Sale. T wo o he Australian Australian servicemen servicemen died died Two off tthe in the the crash. crash. The The remainder remainder of of the the crew crew w ere aalso lso killed killed in later later WWII bombing bombing were mi ssions aapart part ffrom rom o ne, w ho wa o bbadly adly missions one, who wass sso in njured in tthe he incident inciident aatt Sa le that that he he n ever injured Sale never fflew llew o perationally again. again. operationally L ocal historian historian G eorge Cogswell Cogswell Local George rresearched esearched the the crash craash in the the early early 1990s aand nd sstarted tarted tthe he p rocesss tto o ra ise a m emorial at at process raise memorial W alton Park Park tto oh onour tthe he six m en. Walton honour men. Th emorial wa veiled by by WO WO Thee m memorial wass un unveiled R odney W allace of of the the Royal Royal Australian Australian Rodney Wallace A ir Force, Force, supported supported b dr Stephen Stephen Air byy Wg C Cdr C haskin, o q rrepresenting qn, epresenting tthe he R oyal Chaskin, off 611 SSqn, Royal A ir Force. Force. Air M ogswell said: said: “I “I am am glad glad we we now now Mrr C Cogswell h ave tthe he p ermanent m emorial in Sa le. have permanent memorial Sale. ““With With ffive ive of of the the six men men o n tthe he fflight llight on coming co ming ffrom rom A Australia, ustralia, we we were were very very
honoured tto honoured oh have ave a rrepresentative epresentative ffrom rom tthe he R A in Sa AAF le ffor or tthe he un veeiling.” RAAF Sale unveiling. Fl Flying ying with with the the Australian Australian personnel personnel on o n tthe he night night of of the the crash crash wa wass Sgt JJohn ohn (Tich) (T Tich) McCarthy, McCarthy, who who was was b born orn in i C County ounty Waterford, W aterford, Ireland. Ireland. H Hee wa wass sserving erving w with ith tthe he R RAF’s AF’s V Volunteer olunteer Reserve, R e erve, after es after o originally riginally going going to to South South W ales in 1941 to to help help b uild aairfields. irfie i ld l s. Wales build Wg C dr C haskiin adde d: “The “The m en w ere Cdr Chaskin added: men were aall ll a long long way waay from from home home that that night nigght and and h a tto ad o de al w ith tthe he fa ilure o oth o heir had deal with failure off b both off ttheir aaircraft’s irrcraft’s engines. engines. ““Thanks Thanks tto o ggreat reat skill skiill and and quick quick thinking thinking tthey hey managed managed tto o aavoid void cra shing in to lo ca l crashing into local h ouses, b ut unf fortunately in the the process process houses, but unfortunately ttwo wo o he cr ew w ere kkilled. illed. off tthe crew were ““Their Their ac tions tto o ttry ry tto o ssave ave o thers w ill actions others will bee lo b long ng rremembered. emembered.”
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P9
Jamaican vets’ joy after 77 yrs
News In Brief
Simon Mander A PAIR of Caribbean veterans returned to Marham to receive their campaign medals 77 years after the end of WWII. Ralph Ottey (98), and Alford Gardner (96), who returned to Jamaica at the end of the conflict without receiving their honours, were finally awarded the 19391945 War Medal with the latter also presented with the Defence Medal. The ceremony followed the unveiling of a plaque on the Norfolk station’s Aviation Heritage Centre memorial wall in memory of the late Sqn Ldr Ulric Cross DFC, DSO – the most decorated Caribbean airman of WWII – by one of his daughters, Lady Hollick. The 139 (Jamaica) Sqn navigator from Trinidad survived 80 RAF missions and won his decorations with the Pathfinder Force, braving enemy flak to mark targets for bombing raids. On one mission Cross managed to fly his crew home over occupied territory on one engine after the other of his Mosquito was shot out, for which he was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for his ‘fine example of keenness and devotion to duty’. He died in 2013 aged 96. The unveiling was accompanied by the Kohima Epitaph, read out by students from Cherry Tree
SIGNING ON: Dr Emma Egging with CAS Sir Mike Wigston at Cranwell College
JET joins up THE JON Egging Trust returned to Cranwell a decade after it was founded at the famous RAF training college to sign the Armed Forces Covenant. Set up by Dr Emma Egging in honour of her husband, Red Arrows pilot Flt Lt Jon Egging killed during a display, the charity runs the Blue Skies programme to get disadvantaged youngsters involved in technology and aviation projects. Dr Egging joined the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston and graduates of the programme to sign up. She said: “The RAF and its ethos have sat at the heart of all we do. “Cranwell hosted our very first 10 students in 2012, and we have since worked with 25 military bases and 35,000 young people across the UK.” HONOURED: Veterans Ralph Ottey and Alford Gardner finally receive their wartime medals during a ceremony at Marham. Inset left, Alford with Station Commander Gp Capt Fred Wigglesworth
Academy Marham and the Last Post and Reveille played on steel pan drums. Marham Station Commander, Gp Capt Fred Wigglesworth said: “This touching event captured our
UK Hercules C-130J fleet hits the market Simon Mander THE RAF’S veteran C-130J Super Hercules fleet is to be sold next year, Defence chiefs have confirmed. The legendary battlefield workhorse used by air forces across the globe is renowned for its tactical airlift capability and ability to operate from rough landing strips. The withdrawal of the Royal Air Force’s 14 Brize Norton-based aircraft from 2023 and disposal by the Defence Equipment Sales Authority comes as the A400M Atlas fleet recently grew to 21. British firm Marshall Aerospace will support the sale as the C-130J
comes out of service between 2023 and 2025, providing necessary capability enhancements for potential buyers, the MoD said. The decision to cut the Hercules, flown by the RAF for more than 20 years, was made in the 2021 Defence Command Paper. Meanwhile the Atlas A400M continues to take over many of the veteran transporter’s roles, including dropping freight and paratroopers and delivering humanitarian aid worldwide. Earlier this month an A400M teamed up with a Poseidon P-8 sub-hunter to rescue a civilian yachtsman who issued an SOS in stormy seas, 700 nautical miles west of Ireland.
hearts and imagination, bringing to life the memories of inspirational Marham veterans. “I was bursting with pride to award Ralph and Alford their WWII medals and unveil the plaque in
memory of Sqn Ldr Ulric Cross.” After the service a meeting room in the Lightning Operations Centre was named after Sqn Ldr Cross, where a display, including replicas of his medals, was unveiled.
Going for Gold THE RAF Museum Cosford has scooped a top tourism award after becoming one of the region’s best-loved attractions. The venue is one of just 30 attractions issued with a Gold Award by the VisitEngland organisation for achieving high levels of visitor satisfaction. LOVE HERCS: The veteran transporter will leave service in 2023 after more than 20 years supporting operations worldwide PHOTO: CPL LEE MATTHEWS
Royal R oya al Air F Force orce N News ews Fr Friday, iday, N November ovember 4, 2022 P10 0
News
6 SQN SQN TYPHOONS TYPHOONS took took to to thee skies skie ies alo alongside ongside an an IIndian ndiaan A Air ir F Force orce R Rafale afale EH aand nd dS Su30 u30 MKI flanker fla lanker d during urin u g a ttraining raaining ssortie. orrtiee. T UK cr The crews rews jo joined ined the their ir IIndian ndian ccounterparts oun u terpartts as the they ey re returned etu urneed tto o Lossiemouth L osssieemoutth aafter ftter ta taking kin i g part part in high-intensity higgh-in h tensity ttraining raaining in Australia A usstraalia on u on Exercise Exercis c e P Pitch itch Black. Black. PHOTOS: P HOTOS: IAF IAF
Forces ffitness Forces itness e drive drivve improves health imp roves e vvets’ ets’ h ealtth Staff S tafff Reporter Reporrterr ARMED FORCES FORCE ES health healtth ccampaigns ampaigns aimed aatt ccutting aimed utting aalcohol lcohol cconsumption onsumption aand nd ssmoking moking in the military milita it ryy are he lping ke ep veterans veterans fitter fit it helping keep in rretirement, etirement, ac according cord rding tto o a su rvveey. survey. A According ccording to to the the study study byy G b Glasgow lasgow U University n niversity aand nd the the Forces Forces in n Mind Mind Trust, T rust, tthose hose w who ho sserve e ve ffor er or lo nger en njoy b etter h ealth longer enjoy better health tthan han tthose hose w ho q u t aafter ui fter who quit a ffew ew years. years. R esearchers co mpared Researchers compared tthe he m edical records reco ords o medical off 78,000 vveterans eterans in n Scotland Scotlan w ith more more than than 250,000 2550,000 nonn with vveterans, eterans, lo oking at at trends trends iin their looking lo ng-term h ealth over over nearly nearly 400 yyears. long-term health IItt ffound ound cclear lear evidence evidence that that more more recent recent ggenerations enerations of of veterans vetera e ns had had b eneffited ffrom rom benefited in-s ervice health health promotion promotion and and improved improved in-service ssupport. upport.
But been B ut while while there there has has b een an an improvement improvement in cardiac-related cardiac-related problems, problems, the the survey survey highlights higghligghts the the growing growing mental mental health health issues issues among community among tthe he vveteran eteran co mmunity aand nd rrevealed evealed that women ssuffer more men. ufffeer m ore tthan han m en. Theree has been has b een a marked markeed deterioration oration in the the mental mental health lth of of middle-aged miiddle-aged veterans terans born born in the the 1970s 970s in comparison co omparison with non-veterans, with non-v n eterans, which bee which cannot cann n ot b completely explained completely exp lained by by operational operational service, service, researchers esearchers said. said. Trust Tom Trust cchief h hief T om McBarnet cBarnet said: said: “This “This study has provided dy h as p rovid ded useful usefful insights hts into into the the impact impact changingg attitudes attitudes towards towards smoking, g, aalcohol lcohol and and fitness fitness has had has h ad in tthe he Armed Armed Forces, Forces, and and dispels dispels harmful myths military harmfful my yths aabout bout mi litary service service negatively neggatively impacting impacting health. health. In In fact, facct, it it shows shows positive tthat hat often often iitt ccan an have have a p ositive effect. efff ffect.”
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P13
News
Typhoon targets invaders “For the RAF and Swedish Air Force to be able to deliver munitions safely and TYPHOONS UNLEASHED inert accurately on target together requires a Paveway IV laser guided bombs to repel a very high level of interoperability. simulated enemy landing on the Swedish “It was a pleasure to work with the coast during recent exercises. pilots of the Swedish Air Force’s Two 6 Sqn jets attacked 172 Fighter Squadron, the ease targets on the ground and of integration was a testament at sea, up to two km from to their professionalism and the coastline, with dummy capability.” munitions while a pair of The manoeuvres were Swedish JAS-39 Gripens coordinated by Swedish provided air defence. Joint Terminal Attack The intensive warfighting Controllers who identified training in the vicinity of targets and marked them Ravlunda Range, codenamed using smoke grenades. Exercise Baltic Striker, The JEF is a British-led 39 Gripen SJA E: NC FE DE gave pilots from both Joint AIR force comprising 10 partner Expeditionary Force nations nations set up to act as a rapid response the chance to practise fighting side by side. force in times of crisis together or with One of the RAF pilots taking part said: Nato.
Simon Mander
NATO DRILL: Typhoons joined Swedish Gripen fighters for latest Alliance training exercise in the Baltic region
Herc airlift heroes honoured
HERCULES HEROES who played a pivotal role in saving hundreds of civilian and military lives in the evacuation of Kabul have been honoured at Cranwell. Six 47 Sqn aircrew who deployed from Brize at eight hours’ notice to fly multiple missions extracting UK forces from the Afghan capital as the Taliban closed in received the Arthur Barratt Memorial Prize for displaying outstanding skill and proficiency. Pilot Flt Lt Robert Manson said: “It was a truly humbling experience to be involved in such an operation. The demands placed on all those involved were extremely high during the evacuation, but everyone faced it with first-rate perseverance and tenacity. “I am confident that the evacuation would not have run as smoothly if not for the excellent support from 16 Air Assault Brigade, successfully securing Kabul airfield, and a special mention to all those based in the Gulf who worked tirelessly to support the aircraft and personnel conducting the evacuation. “I am pleased to say that the money which accompanies this prize has been donated to the Afghan Aid charity.”
In Brief
QRA: Typhoon
AIR POLICE: Typhoons scrambled to intercept jet2 passenger aircraft
Passenger jet alert
KABUL CALL: 47 Sqn aircrew receive the coveted Arthur Barratt Memorial Prize from Air Mshl Harv Smyth at Cranwell
Flt Lt Manson, Flt Lt Robert Hanson, Sgt Jason Roy, Sgt Timothy Gilbert, CT Gareth Spain and CT Michael Lake received the prize from RAF Deputy Commander Operations Air Marshal Harvey Smyth. OC 47 Sqn Wg Cdr James Sjoberg said: “A great team of
Hercules aircrew and engineers from 47 Sqn were involved in the operation, along with colleagues from across the RAF Air Mobility Force and 16 Air Assault Brigade. “Around 20 years after a 47 Sqn Hercules was the first RAF aircraft to land in Afghanistan, it was very
fitting that Flt Lt Manson’s Hercules was the last UK aircraft to fly out of Kabul. “It is clear that the skill, experience and compassion of Flt Lt Manson’s crew saved many lives, and 47 Sqn is very proud of what they achieved.”
A PAIR of Typhoons were scrambled from Coningsby to escort a civilian airliner to land after a security alert. The RAF swing role fighters intercepted a Jet2 airliner travelling from Turkey to Manchester, which was diverted to Stansted airport after reports of a security threat caused concern. The aircraft landed safely and was met by police, who later confirmed there was no threat on board.
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Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P15
News In Brief
Photo of the week
SPACE ACES: Duke of Kent at High Wycombe
Royal reward for Space team HRH THE Duke of Kent presented honours and awards from the late Queen’s last Birthday Honours to UK Space Command personnel at RAF High Wycombe. Following the awards ceremony the Duke was given a tour of the new facility, established last year as part of the government’s Space strategy.
A USAF Osprey lights up the night sky at Brize Norton during a visit to the Oxfordshire station. PHOTO: CPL LEE MATTHEWS
P-8 tracks stricken vessel in Atlantic rescue drama Simon Mander
BUILDING CAPABILITY: CXX Sqn’s Flt Lt Sarah Blunn with Navy’s Cdr Burgess
Sub standards
AIR FORCE sub-hunters briefed workers building the Navy’s nextgeneration warships to secure the UK’s seas from hostile threats. CXX Sqn personnel, who fly the Poseidon P8-A maritime patrol aircraft, are affiliated with HMS Glasgow – the first of eight Type 26 frigates being built to work hand-in-hand with the Lossiemouth jets. The ship is due to be ‘floated off ’ onto a giant barge at BAE Systems’ Govan yard and lowered into the Clyde for final fitting out and testing later this year. Around 200 BAE workers heard from the P-8 fliers how the Poseidons operate. Speaking at the event, Flt Lt Sarah Blunn said: “It’s a great opportunity for the RAF and Royal Navy to better understand each other, and it’s very interesting to see first-hand the challenges of building a warship. “The work in these yards is vital. The quieter the Type 26 is, the better we can both counter enemy vessels.”
TWO RAF aircraft saved a sailor adrift in the Atlantic Ocean after a storm ripped off the mast of his yacht 700 nautical miles west of Ireland. A Lossiemouth-based Poseidon sub-hunter and an Atlas A400M transporter from Brize Norton were scrambled as the mariner battled six-metre-high waves, midway between the UK and Greenland. After the CXX Sqn P8 located the stricken vessel using its advanced surface search capabilities and made radio contact with the sailor confirming that he was uninjured, the LXX Sqn Atlas dropped its Air Sea Rescue kit from the rear ramp by parachute. It was the first-ever A400M of a life raft rescue pack, which was retrieved by the stranded yachtsman, watched by the Poseidon that directed a rescue ship to the location. Atlas captain Flt Lt Robert Mainwaring said: “There was a sense of purpose as we prepared to release the rescue equipment because you only get one chance to get it right. “Seeing the yachtsman recover the equipment we dropped was a huge relief.” The Poseidon was scrambled a second time for an overnight mission to assist merchant vessels which travelled 120 miles off their planned route to recover the sailor,
LIFE-SAVERS: Atlas crew release life raft rescue pack close to stricken vessel
who is now being treated for minor injuries. Wg Cdr Benjamin Livesey said: “The power of the weather once again highlighted the importance
of a meaningful Search and Rescue capability. “It was excellent having Poseidon working together with Atlas dropping stores to the stricken
sailor. As a result, their efforts helped save a life; they should all be immensely proud of the contribution they make to keeping this nation and its people safe.”
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P16
Feature Operation Interflex
recruits for frontline ON TARGET: Training in urban warfare prepares
G
UNNERS ARE training Ukrainian forces fighting on the frontline against the illegal Russian invasion of their country. The nationwide training mission, codenamed Operation Interflex, has so far turned 27,000 recruits into soldiers since 2015 at a rate of 10,000 troops every 120 days. Among the instructors are II Sqn RAF Regt personnel from Brize Norton – the lead Air Force unit in the UK military effort – who deployed to Catterick in June to pass on their combat skills. “Our mission is absolutely focussed on training the Ukrainian Armed Forces to survive, fight and win. It’s an objective that weighs heavily on us as these soldiers have, and will, put into practice what we are teaching them. It’s also somewhat humbling as we haven’t fought a conventional war for some time,” said II Sqn Ops Officer Flt Lt Liam Power.
DANGER ZONES: Pointing out potential firing spots that could be used by enemy troops and snipers
“As it has progressed, we have brought in new elements to reflect the changing conflict, such as the use of commercial off-the-shelf drones for surveillance and recce so trainees can deploy them as they would in Ukraine. “We’ve also increased the realism of the training by working with amputee actors on battlefield first aid scenarios to simulate the same sort of injuries currently being sustained on the frontline, so they can learn how to treat them and save lives.” Embedded within the Army’s 11 Brigade, the programme has grown from a British tri-Service effort across four locations to a multi-national programme including instructors from Danish, Dutch, and Norwegian NATO partners. And apart from a handful of veterans on the early courses, who had been fighting Russia since its illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, most trainees are raw recruits.
MODERN WARFARE: How to utilise off-the-shelf, commercially-available drones PHOTOS: AS1 Britney Leather, AS1 Benjamin Drake and AS1 Jamie Ledger
C
MINISTER’S VISIT: Showing Defence Secretary
lose quarter battle and urban warfare specialist L/Cpl Jordan Tranter said: “Many of the Ukrainians have little to no previous military experience, a lot have just left civilian jobs so it’s quite an intense experience for them, but they’re always happy to learn and extremely receptive to the lessons we give them. “I have massive respect for them, especially those who volunteered to defend their homeland.” The course was developed in discussions between UK and Ukrainian military leaders and builds on training agreements first enacted in 2015. It teaches weapons handling, camouflage and concealment, marksmanship, first aid, fieldcraft, patrol tactics, vehicle-mounted operations, trench and urban warfare – all techniques designed to give recruits a battle-winning edge. Training scenarios include avoiding and setting ambushes, clearing buildings, trench warfare, fighting in the open countryside and section and platoon level attacks It’s part of Britain’s £2.3bn package of military aid to Ukraine – the second largest contribution outside the USA – and one the government has pledged to meet or exceed next year. But the millions of rounds of ammunition, hundreds of rockets, air defence systems, armoured vehicles and 200,000 pieces of non-lethal military equipment so far supplied – much of it by Brizebased RAF transporters – are useless without people able to use them. Originally three weeks long, the course was recently expanded to five, and, while trainees are mainly conscripted men, a group of college-educated female Ukrainian officer cadets fluent in English have proved invaluable to the RAF Regiment team. Afghanistan veteran Sgt Adam Jones said: “The main difficulty we have is the language barrier, as of the 200 Ukrainians on each course only 10 will speak English. “The officer cadets are extremely useful as they speak
Ben Wallace around
English and understand the military terminology which civilian linguists struggle with. “But we’ve still had to stop using acronyms and really go plain English and change some of the things we say so recruits can understand us. “Also, we’re dealing with conscripts and while they all want to fight for their country, some just don’t have that genetic aggression mode, so we’re trying to extract that.” He said the first trainees were military veterans with at least two years’ service, but by the third course they were all conscripts who had been civilians in IT or retail jobs. “Once they passed out there was a massive change in standards and we were very proud with what we achieved with them,” said Sgt Jones.
T
hree RAF Regiment instructor teams are assisted by specialist Army trainers from the 3rd Battalion Rangers Regiment attached to them who are experts in training forces worldwide and a civilian Ukrainian linguist as an interpreter. It’s an experience not seen by the UK military since the abolition of National Service in 1960 and one they are unlikely to repeat on such a scale. RAF Regiment instructors also have at their disposal state-of-theart training facilities offered by Catterick – the largest British Army garrison in the world, covering more than 2,400 acres. But it’s helping people fighting for their homes and families that makes the job rewarding and affects even the most hardened combat instructor, according to Cpl James Phipps. “You form a relationship, spending time with them day in, day out over five weeks, it’s hard not too, particularly as we’re broken down into sections in which each instructor has 16 recruits,” he said. “They’re your trainees, essentially, and you learn a lot about their life back home. I’ve met dentists, a lot of builders, mechanics, and a lot of their families have been split up with
GUNNER: Instructor
RAF prep Ukr rec for
Troops are muscles in
relatives living in the UK while they train to fight and go back to the frontline in Ukraine. “We heard that one of the trainees from the first course has since been killed in action, but they’ve now stopped feeding the information back and we’re not allowed to pass on personal phone numbers because of the threat from the Russian intelligence services if they get our details.” Recruits train on British SA80 weapons on exercises using blanks and
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P17
By Simon Mander
F Regt paring rainian cruits battle
e taught to flex their n fight for homeland
Translator escapes butchery in Bucha A
CIVILIAN interpreter who narrowly escaped the massacre of hundreds of Ukrainians in Bucha, near Kyiv, is now working with RAF Regiment instructors teaching her compatriots to fight back. When Russian troops retreated at the end of March, they left behind more than 1,200 bodies lying in streets, buildings, gardens, cellars, and makeshift graves. A month earlier, on the advice of her employer, the 23-yearold college educated tax lawyer, now translating for Ukrainian recruits, had fled the country for Poland. RAF News interviewed her anonymously to protect her 52-year-old mother who stayed behind and brother currently fighting on the frontline. “At the beginning of the foreign invasion they found the graves of 900 people who couldn’t leave the town, the women were raped and killed in the street, I had left there just before the war started so I consider myself a lucky person,” she said. “When the University was destroyed the Russians occupied the house I was sharing and stole almost everything, even the shower and mirrors. While the girls were sheltering in the city to save their lives they lost a lot of stuff like tops, books and jewellery. When they came back in the summer it was awful as the invaders had soiled the house and even taken their underwear.” The scale of the killings sparked international condemnation and war crimes investigators flew in to assist in identifying the culprits while the Kremlin claimed the story was ‘a set-up and a fake’.
F KHARKIV: Devastation after another Russian missile attack on civilians
with the type of AK47s they will be issued with back home during live firing training against static and moving targets due to a shortage of magazines and blank firing attachments for the 600 Russian training rifles. The Regt instructs them on using the latest NLAW and Javelin anti-tank missile systems shipped to Ukraine by C-17s, Atlas A400M and Hercules transports – but on the anti-armour
exercises they only use drill ammo, so they learn to deploy but not fire them. And while some of the instructors have fired the ubiquitous Kalashnikovs during demonstrations, that’s as far as the kit swapping goes. “All their stuff is Soviet-era, so the grenades they use require the fuse to be manually screwed into the body, which are totally different to ours and we definitely don’t do that,” said Cpl Phipps.
rom exile, the interpreter, who like all Ukrainian schoolchildren had studied English from first grade aged six, and at University, volunteered as a linguist to help train recruits who flocked to defend their homeland. “I’ve been working with the RAF Regiment for four months and before I had no experience of working with the military, but now I can say those months have been the best in my life,” she said. “I was so amazed at the teamwork, standards and behaviour the instructors show. I was extremely grateful to them as a woman and Ukrainian for all their patience and understanding.” She was impressed by the
INVALUABLE WORK: Female Ukrainian translators bridge the language gap for Regt
care and hard work RAF Regiment personnel put into teaching vital military skills, their cool response even when raw recruits made the same mistakes repeatedly, and by many RAF Regt Gunners who said they wished they could fight alongside their charges. “The relationships between the RAF training team members and the values the instructors were showing to our people says a lot about them,” she said.
“Ukraine, despite the fact it has deep roots and is an Asian country, is very young – only 32 years old – so we don’t have much experience. “All our philosophies were destroyed by the Soviets and now we’re building our own and our own country and it is very important to look how people can work together in the Army. “The British military is a shining example, as here relationships are built on trust and respect, this is what I hope our boys can bring back home. “These months have been unforgettable. I can only say thank-you for being professionals.” She said even today no part of Ukraine was safe as Vladimir
Putin’s forces rain missiles on the country’s infrastructure in a bid to cow the civilian population.
B
ut despite not being allowed home – apart from a few brief days in September to prepare to graduate with her Masters degree next December – she’s confident Ukraine will win the war. “Ukrainian people are creative, hard-working, talented, very young, they had plans, dreams but now they’re all wearing uniform and it doesn’t matter how many villages the Russians burn, they are all united,” she said. “It’s a pleasure to work with the RAF and be part of something big, it is a small thing that I can do to make sure of victory. The instructors tell me I am a very important part of this training because without linguists it could not happen. “Working with them makes me proud, because anything I can do for the children who lost their parents, the women who lost their husbands, those mothers who lost their sons, brings peace closer and closer.” And one day she hopes to be reunited with her 31-year-old architect brother who, despite enlisting in the Ukrainian forces, is yet to be selected for training in the UK. “My brother is so clever and talented, he’s a very good architect and after the war we will need people like him to rebuild the country. “He is new to the Army and now I joke with him that I know more about the weapon he has than he does. It’s a shame he cannot come to England,” she said.
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P19
Feature
CARING PROFESSION: Flt Sgt Helen Crawford is an RAF medic
NEW TWIN
S: Helen with
Robyn and Sc
arlett
SPECIAL DAY: With wedding to Flt Sgt Ph the twins and older daughter Lily at her il Crawford.
RAF MUM Helen Crawford has revealed details of her emotional fight against the deadly disease she knows she will lose to help to raise awareness of secondary breast cancer – the biggest killer of women under 50 in the UK. The 40-year-old Air Force nurse was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 2014, while she was pregnant with twin girls. She went through years of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy in a bid to halt the spread of the disease while carrying out her Service duties and raising her three children, Lily, now aged eight, and twins Robyn and Scarlett, now seven. This year she received the devastating diagnosis that she had incurable secondary breast cancer and that the disease had spread to other parts of her body. It is a condition that claims the lives of more than 10,000 women a year and average life expectancy for those with the disease is between two and three years. Helen said: “The anxieties of living with an incurable cancer diagnosis are constant and at times overwhelming. “I try to live in the present, but it’s terrifying, there is barely an hour of the day I don’t think about cancer, barely a day goes by I don’t think about dying. “My beautiful girls, I cuddle them so close, I climb in beside them when they sleep, watch them breathing, dreaming, marvel
RAF nurse suffering from incurable cancer battles to raise awareness of disease
DRESSED TO THE NINES: Crawfords
at them, my girls, so perfect, so beautiful, so innocent. I tell them how much I love them, how much I always will. “I watch them play and laugh, the mischievous twinkles in their eyes, and my heart breaks, they have no idea of the pain the future is likely to hold for them. “The biggest pain of all is thinking of a time where I am not in this world with them anymore.” Always committed to her career, the Flt Sgt received a Commendation in the Queen’s Birthday honours – the last awards issued by the late Monarch. Earlier this year she also launched a fundraising drive, Hearts and Hope 4 Helen, which has netted more than £85,000. The money will help cover
the cost of alternative treatment to ease her symptoms and she is donating 25 per cent to the support group METUP – the biggest patient advocate group for Secondary Breast Cancer in the UK.
“
I haven’t told the girls about the cancer yet, I just can’t
”
Helen added: “I will continue to shout about SBC, work with charities and campaign for more research, advocate for myself and others, fight for more treatment options; my life literally depends on it.
“Life is not how I ever imagined, there is so much pain, so much fear, but no matter how hard it may be, I must still live my life, especially for my little girls. “As a serving member of the RAF throughout my diagnoses, I have been in a more fortunate position than civilians. “My husband Phil who also serves in the RAF, and I have had access to other charities that nonserving persons have no claim to. Such charities have at times been able to provide us with funding to support childcare or help with household chores whilst I underwent treatment. “I know my children will be loved; they will be so cared for by so many people, but it should be me there with them. I haven’t yet told them about the cancer, I just can’t, not yet.”
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P21
Feature
By Tracey Allen
TURKISH WINGS: Noel (centre) and making front page in Ankara, right
YOUNG AIRMAN: Noel Dennis, aged 20
A
CHANCE meeting with pioneering aviator Pauline Gower in the 1930s when he was just seven years old gave Noel Dennis a life-long love for flying that has continued into his mid-90s. The former Spitfire pilot, who flew the aircraft in Palestine on 32 Squadron after World War II, went on to lead the first jet formation aerobatic team in the Middle East and displayed all round the Eastern Mediterranean. Noel, 96, next month and the oldest surviving member of 32 Sqn, said: “Pauline and her engineer, Dorothy Spicer, had a small airstrip behind the holiday bungalows at Hunstanton in Norfolk and I spent many hours with them. Pauline took me up for my first flight, which led to me volunteering for the RAF in 1944, when I was 17. I was very keen to get started.” He added: “I didn’t obtain my wings and commission until December 1946, so had no active war service. I was put on a ‘long course’ at Cambridge University to study agriculture in the morning and RAF subjects in the afternoon, which was a quick way to get to the flying part of my career. “I was given a four-year short service commission and then offered a permanent commission and training as a test pilot due to my flying assessment of exceptional. I sadly had to refuse these as I had agreed to go into partnership with my brother, David, who had also been in the RAF and trained to fly the Liberator.” Noel spent the rest of his working life running the family farm in Norfolk with David but often thought about the flying career he might have pursued if he had opted to stay in the Air Force.
LIFELONG CONNECTION: Noel with Spitfire in 1948 and aged 92
The Spitfire pilot inspired by childhood friendship with pioneer of ATA Gower
P
auline Gower (inset in headline) led the inaugural women’s section of the Air Transport Auxiliary, the WWII civilian organisation that took over the task from Service pilots of ferrying RAF and Royal Navy aircraft between factories, maintenance units and frontline squadrons. Her story is told in a new book, Pauline Gower Pioneering Leader of The Spitfire Women, by Alison Hill (thehistorypress.co.uk). Noel remembered: “Pauline and Dorothy set up a little business taking people for flights. When
32 SQUADRON: Noel, seated far left, front row, with fellow pilots in Palestine
I was taken up, that started my enthusiasm for flying.” Noel’s father, Roland, served in the Royal Flying Corps in WWI and joined the Home Guard in WWII. He was made a Major and put in charge of the local district where the Dennis family had their farm. Noel said: “His village headquarters were in pubs for some strange reason and I spent many hours sitting in the car while he went on his rounds.” In September 1945, young Noel was called up for initial training at RAF Bridgnorth. He remembered: “My arrival there was rather comical. My uncle Reg said we could borrow his huge, black American Terraplane Hudson
car and, as David was on leave he came too, in his RAF officer’s uniform. We arrived at the main gate and the Sergeant, thinking it must be some high-ranking officer in such a car, turned out the guard!” Noel was posted to 32 Sqn at RAF Ein Shemer, Palestine, on November 4, 1947. The squadron aircraft was the Spitfire FR XVIII, later changed to the Vampire. He said: “It was a privilege and pleasure to have the chance to fly the Spitfire, a wonderful and evocative aircraft, my favourite. Everybody wanted to fly them in those days and it was a gift to suddenly find that’s what you’re going to do. “When I was 92 I flew a Spitfire again, at Duxford. It was marvellous to be at the controls once more.”
A
fter Palestine, Noel was posted to RAF Nicosia, Cyprus. In February 1949 he was asked to experiment with formation aerobatics to develop a Middle East aerobatics team. Noel and his team put on displays for the public in Cyprus, flew to Egypt for a display for the Egyptian forces and displayed in Ankara, Turkey in front of around 25,000 people, as part of a goodwill tour. He said: “Afterwards I was presented with a pair of Turkish Air Force wings, of which I am very proud. The Ambassador said that British prestige had soared by 100 per cent in Turkey as a result of our visit.” Noel’s last flight on 32 Sqn was on April 13, 1950 after which he returned to England. He said: “My Middle East tour of duty was a wonderful experience and perhaps the highlight of my working life. I was in the Air Force at the perfect time, things were more relaxed after the war and we had a lot of wonderful times.” He served as a display pilot for 10 years, including three in the RAF Reserves, leaving full-time service in 1951 as a Flt Lt after reluctantly choosing not to take up a permanent commission. He also had to turn down a job offer as a test pilot for the English Electric Lightning. He said: “Undoubtedly I would have stayed in the Air Force if I hadn’t got committed to running the farm. I had a marvellous career in the RAF and I wouldn’t have missed that for anything.”
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Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P23
AVM John Brownlow CB, OBE, AFC Obituary
A
FORMER Commandant at the RAF College Cranwell, and also the Commandant at Boscombe Down, Air ViceMarshal John Brownlow, has died aged 93. Initially, he trained as a navigator and served on bombers. In 1950, he was selected to be the lead navigator of 12 Lincolns heading the formation for The King’s Birthday Flypast over Buckingham Palace. His pilot was the famous wartime Pathfinder leader Wg Cdr ‘Hamish’ Mahaddie. In mid-1950 Mahaddie chose Brownlow as his navigator when they became the first squadron crew to convert to the new Canberra jet bomber. Early in 1952 he was appointed ADC to Air Vice-Marshal Dermot Boyle, who was the Air Officer Commanding No 1 (Bomber) Group. Boyle converted to the Canberra and, with Brownlow as his navigator, established an unofficial record flight to Malta and back in 6 hours 10 minutes. In mid-1952 a goodwill trip of South America was planned. The tour covered 24,000 miles and was flown by four Canberras, led by Boyle. Brownlow was his navigator as well as his ADC. The flight departed on October 20. Flying at 40,000 feet, at a time when jet streams were little understood, the crossing of the South Atlantic from Dakar to Recife in Brazil presented Brownlow with his most demanding test of navigation. Using sun sightings obtained with a sextant, the four aircraft arrived safely to complete the first jet crossing of the South Atlantic. In March 1953 Brownlow commenced training as a pilot. He also started a long love affair with gliding. He served in Germany on two Canberra squadrons and in 1958 joined No 17 Course of the Empire Test Pilots’ School. After graduating, he took command of a flight in the experimental flying department at the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, where he flew a wide variety of aircraft. In addition to test flying aircraft to assess fatigue life, he carried out tests to identify more efficient systems for aircraft braking using parachutes. Other experiments involved testing various engines, including the Rolls Royce turbofan Conway used in some V-Bombers and the VC 10.
I
n January 1962 he left Farnborough having been awarded the AFC for his test flying duties. In mid-1964 he was appointed OC Operations Wing at RAF Lyneham, the RAF’s strategic transport base, housing two Britannia squadrons and a Comet squadron. His main responsibility was the planning and coordination of worldwide tasks. He flew as a Britannia captain on most of the routes used by the fleet. On one occasion he flew the new British ambassador to take up his appointment in Moscow. The Soviets insisted a Russian navigator and a wireless operator accompany the flight to give advice – neither spoke English!
Nav, test pilot and Cranwell Commandant
AIR VICE-MARSHAL: John Brownlow
During his time at Lyneham his Britannia squadrons were tasked to fly oil from Nairobi into Zambia (previously Northern Rhodesia) after UN sanctions closed the pipeline through Southern Rhodesia following its Unilateral Declaration of Independence on November 11, 1965. He set up the initial deployment for the oil airlift and flew a Britannia to RAF El Adem, in Libya, at the end of November to await instructions. A forward operating base was required and the following day he flew on to Embakasi airfield at Nairobi to establish the necessary support and communications facilities. Twelve Britannias had been positioned at RAF airfields in the Middle East to provide transport for other RAF units heading for Nairobi. On December 1 the first aircraft headed for Ndola and Lusaka with equipment and personnel for a detachment of Javelin fighters en route from Cyprus. Shortly after, the oil airlift began. When the positioning phase of
PILOT: Brownlow preparing to fly a Lightning
the operation was complete by midDecember, Brownlow returned to Lyneham. He was later appointed OBE. In August 1971 he became the Head of Experimental Flying at Farnborough. Some of the flying under way during his tenure included structural investigation of the Lightning fin; trials leading to the development and use of night vision goggles in a two-seat Hunter; and a great many radio and navigation equipment experimental programmes in a Comet 4. In July 1973 he was appointed to the RAF College at Cranwell as Assistant Commandant before returning to the administration and control of test flying when he became Director of Flying (Research and Development). After 18 months he returned to Boscombe Down to be the Commandant of the Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE). A high priority was the issue of the Controller Aircraft (CA) release to extend the capability of the
weapons delivery methods of the Harrier, Jaguar, Buccaneer, Sea King and Nimrod. The establishment’s Britannia and Comet supported radio and navigation testing and evaluation. CA release of the Hawk was well under way and early work on the Tornado was in progress. In all this work, Brownlow took every opportunity to fly. In January 1980 he returned to Cranwell as Commandant at a time when major changes in the training of future officers were being implemented. He was also responsible for the training given by the 16 University Air Squadrons, an aspect that gave him great satisfaction. In July, he hosted HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh on the occasion of The Queen’s Review. He was also able to continue his gliding, having taken over the chairmanship of the RAF Gliding and Soaring Association. Together with his wife, the Brownlows were very popular and highly respected at the College and in the local community. In 1982 he was appointed CB.
F
or his final appointment before retiring from the RAF in January 1984 he was appointed Director General of Training. He visited many training establishments and this allowed him to remain in current flying practice. He joined Marshall of Cambridge as the airport director and flight test operations manager. The company had been made the delegated engineering authority for the RAF Hercules fleet. It also modified Tri-Star 500 aircraft for RAF use in the tanker/passenger/ freighter role. After retiring, Brownlow maintained his many aviation connections including positions with the Popular Flying Association and the British Gliding Association. He retained a close interest in the Air Training Corps and was chairman of the civilian committee of 104 (City of Cambridge) Squadron. He received numerous prestigious aviation awards and gave up flying when he was 87 years old.
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P24
Feature
ELITE TROOPS with 16 Air Assault Brigade hone their frontline warfighting skills during a low level training sortie over Sennybridge with a 47 Sqn Hercules crew. The specially trained unit is held at high readiness to deploy on humanitarian and combat missions worldwide. PHOTOS CPL LEE MATTHEWS
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Boris Defence bonanza fuels UK space race MAY THE FORCES BE WITH YOU: Boris Johnson has pledged extra funding for military space defence technology
£16.5bn to combat Russia & China 'Star Wars' threat Simon Mander DEFENCE IS set for the biggest funding lift since the end of the Cold War government budget boost of £16.5 with a to transform the Armed Forces. billion PM Boris Johnson announced the spending spree to counter the growing threat Russia and China in space and the cyber from realm. Among the projects to receive extra funding are a national Cyber Force and RAF Space Command, to safeguard military and commercial satellites from attack by adversaries. Senior Air chiefs this week warned the next major conflict could be won or lost in space and that a move away from traditional military war fighting is vital to protect the UK and its allies.
Mr Johnson said: “I have taken this decision in the teeth of the pandemic because the defence of the realm must come first. “The international situation is more perilous and intensely competitive than at any time since the Cold War and Britain must be true to our history and stand alongside our allies. To achieve this, we need to upgrade our capabilities across the board. “This is our chance to end the era of retreat, transform our Armed Forces, bolster our global influence, unite and level up our country, pioneer new technology and defend our people and way of life.” l Conti
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Motoring
Volvo V90 T6 PHEV AWD, £68,525 otr
TIM MORRIS Motoring Correspondent ONE NAME dominated the ‘safe estate’ car market in the 70s and has continued to reign ever since, Volvo. History is littered with stories of people who have had horrendous accidents in Volvos and walked away without a scratch. There’s even a ‘Volvo Saved My Life Club’, which is a great testament to the brand’s reputation. Time has moved on but, in a world dominated by crossovers and faux-SUVs, the Volvo estate is, surprisingly, as popular as ever. Volvo’s latest big boy, the V90, is a proper estate with widespread appeal. Viewing its crisp chrome styling and massive alloy wheels, it is a very modern-looking bit of kit and certainly no throwback to the 1970s. Inside The V90 is a stupendously comfortable car. Front seat passengers have plenty of space thanks to a broad interior with loads of head and leg room. There’s just as much space in the back, with class-leading knee room. The back seat is wider than the one in the Audi A6 Avant, nuff said. The interior quality is excellent, featuring plenty of materials that are soft to the touch and sharply-styled chrome effect inserts. The pedals are well aligned and the steering wheel has masses of adjustment, so it’s pretty hard to fault the driving position. The seats are traditionally comfortable and the driver’s seat holds you in place nicely through corners. All-in-all, the cabin is a very nice place to be. The climate controls are a bit fiddly to operate on the move but the same could be said of many modern rivals. The infotainment system is tried and tested from previous models and is as efficient as ever, although Volvo plans to replace it shortly with the same Android-based system found in the Polestar 2. Surprisingly, the boot isn’t quite as big as the one you’ll find in a
Volvo’s still a safe bet
Mercedes E-Class but it still has more than 1,500-litres of space, so it’s pretty cavernous. All V90s get a power-operated, hands-free tailgate too. On The Road It’s a calm, soothing way to travel that inspires you to waft sedately around. That’s not to say that our
350 HP T6 Plug-in hybrid test car wasn’t rapid off the mark, but it didn’t inspire you to race at all. In a V90 you tend to arrive feeling relaxed and composed, rather than thrilled. On the stats, it will go from 0-62mph in 5.9 seconds, reach a top speed of 112mph and return up to 134.5mpg. During our time with
the car we achieved an average closer to 52mpg, but I’m sure that a less enthusiastic driver could have done a bit better than that. In pure electric mode it will hit 70mph and cover up to 53 miles, which is further than a BMW 530e. In EV mode it’s almost silent and the petrol engine kicks in subtly. There’s no 6 cylinder option in the V90 so the engines aren’t silky smooth like some German rivals but you’d have to be really paying attention to notice. The eight-speed automatic gearbox changes smoothly and wind/ road noise are minimal at higher speeds. Ride comfort is great too, with uneven surfaces smoothed out by the well damped suspension. The adaptive system fitted in our test car sharpened up the V90’s handling well on B roads. It’s still not as precise as a Jaguar XF Sportbrake in my book but it’s better through the bends than a BMW 5 Series Tourer.
Volvo V90 PHEV Pros l A slick, modern estate l Premium quality interior l Masses of space inside l Lots of standard kit Cons l Heavy and bulky l Lazy auto box l Resale values could be better Verdict Volvo has brought the estate car firmly into the 2020s with the V90. It’s a classy, big, motor car that handles well and wafts effortlessly along in serene grace. It has plenty of power on tap and is surprisingly cheap to run in PHEV form, especially considering its size. It isn’t cheap to buy of course and will depreciate faster than some of its German rivals. Then again, some good deals are available and, to the best of my knowledge, there is no ‘BMW Saved My Life Club’. Just saying.
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Sport
Email: sports@rafnews.co.uk SWIMMING
Dive right in and try pool sports
A SERIES of try-it swimming, diving and water polo events across the Service from November 25-26 are looking to future-proof the sport. The association is quick to point out the events are not trials, with selection for this year’s IS squads not being part of the November event, designed to introduce the sport, association, its members and coaches to a new audience. Sqn Ldr Steve Brassington, RAF Swimming Association Chief of Staff, said: “The target for the events is to get between five and 10 new recruits for each discipline. The event will see a mixture of pool-based and landbased sessions to give a flavour of RAFSA. “We are looking to encourage personnel of all standards to try it. Ideally, they would have previous experience, but this is not a pre-requisite, especially for diving. We want to encourage participation in aquatics – with the overall aim of winning the Inter-Services but RAFSA also has a role in supporting the wider fitness and morale across the RAF. “It goes without saying that anyone with club, county or higher-level experience will be warmly welcomed to bolster the representative squad.” For details and to enrol scan the QR code below. For further details on the association visit: RAF Swimming Association on Facebook.
RUGBY UNION
Williams signs off in style with Defence plate victory A DREAM finish to her Service UKAF 44 rugby union career saw Cpl Sian Tonga 11 Williams lead UKAF women to a solid 44-11 win over Tonga in the IDRC plate final. “The UKAF squad played with The victory meant UKAF heart and passion for all of our returned home clutching some fixtures and that was proven with silverware after an electric our performance in the plate close to the international final. defence tournament “There has for the team coached been personal by WO John development both Wilding, where on and off the pitch. they scored 135 We leave here points in two with a lot of great games, conceding memories, as do I, just 16. finally hanging up Speaking after my boots.” the final whistle, For Williams, Williams said: “The rightly recognised as PRIZE: Plate tournament has been a one of the building blocks resounding success. The inaugural of women’s service rugby union, competition’s standards have it was the perfect close to a stellar been set very high for when the career which has seen her star for competition comes to the UK. her country (Wales), Service and
TRY TIME: UKAF make their mark against Tonga
UKAF across the globe. Having exited the main tournament following defeats at the hands of Fiji and Australia in the group stages, UKAF wasted no time in staking a claim to the plate tournament, producing a crushing 91-5 semi-final win over Vanuatu & Papua New Guinea, to set up their final clash against Tonga. Having blitzed their opponents to lead 20-0 at the break, fellow
PHOTO: ALLIGN
RAF star SAC Kathryn Robinson ran in the fifth try of the match to make the score 27-6 and quash a mini-Tongan revival following two successful penalties. The try gave Robertson an impressive record of scoring in the first and last matches of the tournament. Fg Off Sarah Graham kicked the extras, adding two more points in the closing minutes to complete the score line after two late tries.
Cokayne is throwing it all at World Cup bid Daniel Abrahams
THERE WAS heartache and joy for the Service’s rugby union stars as the women’s World Cup reached the quarter-final stages. It was joy for England’s Fg Off Amy Cokayne as the Red Roses trounced Australia 41-5 at the Waitakere Stadium, while Fg Offs Carys Williams-Morris and Sarah Bonar suffered defeats as Wales lost 55-3 to New Zealand at the same stage, and Bonar’s Scotland lost their last group stage match 57-0, also to the Black Ferns, to exit the tournament. Having seen her side
RED ROSE: Amy training in New Zealand PHOTO: RFU
lose out in the narrowest of fashion in their opening two Pool A matches, the last hopes for Bonar faded in Whangarei. She said: “I am unbelievably proud to have represented Scotland at the World Cup. I am heartbroken not to be advancing through to the quarters after two very close games. We are growing as a squad and can leave with our heads held high.” Bonar, who starred for 69 minutes, produced powerful and telling play in and around the ruck, pitching in with 14 tackles as they tried to stem the Kiwi tide. Having been selected as a replacement in England’s final group game, Fg Off Cokayne was involved in all things as the powerful Red Roses played the torrential downpours well to
wash away any Australian cup dreams. The Red Roses line-out driven by Cokayne proved a powerful weapon in the win, with Cokayne pitching in with a 52nd-minute try. Leading the Wallaroos 24-5, Cokayne, having sent in another inch perfect line-out, followed up, collecting the ball from Sarah Parker before touching down. Fg Off Williams-Morris, who finally made her tournament debut in the vital final group stage match versus Australia, produced a solid display to run a stuttering Australian side close, losing 13-7. She and her Welsh teammates could do nothing similar against the runaway train of the New Zealand side, who touched down seven tries in their quarter-final win. England will now face Canada, who overcame USA 3211 in the final game of the round in Auckland.
FERN-TASTIC: Fg Off Sarah Bonar makes a last-ditch attempt to stop New Zealand's Liana Mikaele-Tu’u touching down a 16thminute try PHOTO: WORLD RUGBY COMMUNICATIONS
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RUGBY LEAGUE
RISING STAR: Leeds and RAF player Cpl Alex Barnes on the attack for Rhinos against Wigan (main picture) and making progress against Huddersfield (top left) and St Helens (bottom left) PHOTOS: LEEDS RHINOS
RAF league player's on the charge with Rhinos Cpl Alex Barnes only took up the sport four years ago Daniel Abrahams “IT IS still really weird, even saying that I play for Leeds Rhinos.” It might be understandable for Cpl Alex Barnes, speaking to RAF News about her stellar rise in the sport of rugby league, to underplay her amazing sporting career in the RAF and now Super League, it has been such a whirlwind. Barnes, who closed out her 2022 season by starring in the Inter-Services for the RAF women’s team and the Grand Final and Challenge Cup Final for Leeds, only picked up a league ball four years ago. She said: “In 2018 I was asked if I fancied making up the numbers for RAF RL. I had never heard of the sport, yet I ended up playing in the IS championship.” A role she repeated in 2019, before things really started to hot up for the Brize Norton Logistics Mover. She said: “After the 2021 IS there was talk about trials for league clubs. “I missed the trials due to deployment, but
Sqn Ldr Damian Clayton, UKAF Chief Supporting Officer, sent a highlight reel to Leeds and I got a trial and was signed.” Barnes, who tasted IS glory with the Service rugby union women’s team in 2018, has used her role of Rugby League Development Officer at Leeds to champion league and the RAF. “You must be a role model, I am always introduced by Leeds as a Service person, there is Service pride in everything I do, without the Air Force I wouldn’t have been given this opportunity,” she said. “This year I have gained my Level Two coaching badge and have been involved with teaching kids how to play league, and given them a different vision of the military.” Wearing a RAF top whenever she can during
the visits, Barnes is also working alongside Cpl Dan Tonkin, coach of the RAF women’s team. She said: “I just found that I enjoyed the sport and being with Leeds meant I was learning at speed. I always play with a smile on my face and that’s something that the RAF team has. Sure, I have found myself in situations where I think ‘What on earth is going on?’, but I just smile and enjoy it.” It is the moments of real transition that spark Barnes. She said: “I gave my Grand Final T-shirt to a truly special little girl, Paige, who is going through her own personal battles. I received a letter from her this weekend, it said ‘you are my best friend’, and you look at that and think that’s why I cannot give up. “After the IS the RAF girls all got
LEGACY: Encouraging the next generation of players
speaking, they all said they want to be stronger, faster and, most importantly, back next year. How fantastic is that?”
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Sport
FOOTBALL
Coningsby go one better this time to take 5-a-side cup
IT WAS back-to-back Service five-a-side football at Shrewsbury Town FC’s Hub recently as the hugely competitive men’s and women’s events were held. In its second year, the women’s competition saw last year’s finalists Coningsby take the crown. Coningsby, who won all five of their group games, triumphed by a solitary goal over a combined RAF Brize Norton/Benson team in a closely-contested final with some great defending keeping the scoreline tight. The sun shone throughout the tournament, which saw all the cup competition’s final stage teams come from the Group B pool. RAF Cosford thumped RAF Shawbury B 4-1 in the plate final, having beaten Shawbury A in the semi-final. The men’s event saw 21 teams representing 18 stations do battle, with RAF Wittering taking the cup event, while Northolt were crowned plate champions. Brize Norton dominated Group A in the pool stages, winning all four matches and
CUP WINNERS: RAF Coningsby women and RAF Wittering men. Right, action from RAF Wyton A v RAF Odiham B at Shrewsbury FC's Hub
scoring 25 goals, while Wittering won two games, scoring 23 goals, to come runners-up. Northolt, who finished bottom of the group, really turned the event on its head to take the Plate title, having won only one game in the group stages, with a 5-2 win for Northolt over Digby A. Marham stormed through Group B,
winning all their games, with Lossiemouth coming second, losing one of their four matches. Honington and Odiham completed the group stage table leaders. Odiham B produced the shock of the first knock-out matches beating Honington 3-2. Brize, seemingly unstoppable, beat Leeming 7-3 in the quarter-finals, before
disposing of Odiham A 5-2 in the semifinals, while Wittering, winning well, were not conceding as many goals. Having beaten Odiham B 3-1 in their semi-final, they turned the taps on in the final, netting four times in the opening 10 minutes. Brize then staged a fightback scoring three goals but fell short.
WATERSPORTS
Daniel Abrahams SUCCESS ACROSS the board saw the Service waterskiers and wakeboarders storm to IS glory at Box Park, Bedford, winning five of the six individual events. Along with the individual titles, the three main disciplines fell to the 24-person Service team. In the men’s waterski slalom, the RAF took all three podium spots, with Flt Lt David Jenkins (1), Flt
PHOTOS: STEVE LYMPANY
SLALOM GOLD: Flt Lt David Jenkins
Lt John King (2) and Sgt Gavin Harrison third. Jenkins said: “I’m absolutely over the moon with the win for this year. Taking the win at the Inter-Services is a great way to close the season off. ” A closer-fought women’s event saw Flt Lt Olivia Henderson placed first in the Slalom, while Sgt Carly Geneapril took bronze and secured the overall crown. In the boat wakeboard competition, Sgt Ross Phillips secured the top spot with women’s team captain Sgt Sarah Partridge matching his success in the women’s event. Cpl Matt McCreadie and Fg Off Aran McGuckin then produced the goods to complete the podium cleansweep. In the women’s cable wakeboard, team captain Partridge equalled her top
RAF Box clever at Inter-Services spot in the boat discipline, while Sgt Geneapril took the bronze medal, for another five out of six individual haul. There was also a bronze for Flt Lt Lewis Jobbling against high-class competitors. Waterski captain Sgt Gav Harrison said: “It’s been really rewarding to watch my team go out
and perform after a season of hard work. I’m really excited to see what we can deliver next year.” Sgt Partridge added: “This year we had a relatively new team. There were debuts for Sgt Carly Geneapril, Sgt Hanna Pringle and Fg Off Francesca Kennard-Kettle, who all performed superbly. “Sgt Pringle put down a solid
run, while Fg Off Carri Sharp – who only tried wakeboarding for the first time last year – narrowly missed out on the podium spot. “Flt Lt Emma Phillips then dug deep for valuable points, despite her lack of experience. I was delighted to be able to produce two wins in boat and cable and to see us win by a huge margin.”
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Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 P30
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Email: sports@rafnews.co.uk TABLE TENNIS
Cullen leads the way at table tennis festival Daniel Abrahams
Early taste of winter
RAF WINTER Sports Alpine Association (RAFWSAA) provided some early season heat when it held its Indoor Winter Alpine Festival at the Milton Keynes Snozone. It proved a massive success with more than 200 attendees from RAF stations UK-wide. Gp Capt Martin Cunningham, RAFWSAA chair, said: “I was delighted with the attendance, with all those present making full use of the grassroots coaching and practice sessions, as well as producing some exciting races. “As always, I’m massively grateful to the RAFWSAA committee for organising the event. We’re now looking forward to Alpine Challenge 23 in Austria in January.” Head of Snowboard Discipline Sqn Ldr Nicola Duncan added: “The festival symbolises the start of the season. “It allows the management to review and test the talent coming through and enables the coaches to start thinking about the training methods for the forthcoming winter camp. “This will give us a general awareness of a rider’s skill set, who is likely to do well at the RAF Championships and the InterServices.” Alpine Challenge 23 (RAF Ski Championships) will be held between January 7 and 21. All abilities are catered for in Skiing, Snowboarding and Telemark. l For more information, visit Facebook: rafalpine.
TABLE TOPPER: Festival champ Sgt Andrew Cullen and, left, Cpl Sam Evans, who came third overall
NOVICE AND experienced table tennis players alike rubbed shoulders at the association’s festival at RAF Halton. The five-day event featured two days of academy training under the watchful eyes of Welsh international coach Matt Porter and former RAF table tennis star Ian Denton. The following three days focused on matches, which pitted all levels against each other. In addition to the standard festival running order there was an opportunity to play a singles and doubles in Hard Bat competition. Chf Tech Craig Walton said: “This is a great leveller as it’s less technical given the style of play and lack of spin you can achieve. “The festival also provides a great opportunity for novices to learn from matches with very experienced players.” Sgt Andrew Cullen took the overall Festival title for 2022, with Sgt Chris Bache runner-up, while Denton rolled back the years to win the Hard Bat singles title. The next event for the association will be the RAF Table Tennis Championships at RAF Halton from March 29-31 2023 (open to all standards). l For details follow RAF Table Tennis on Instagram @ raftabletennis.
Festival champs 1st: Sgt Andrew Cullen 2nd: Sgt Chris Bache 3rd: Cpl Sam Evans Newcomer: As1 Alex Flynn Hard Bat: Ian Denton Hard Bat Doubles: Chf Tech Darren Williams and Sgt Chris Bache
CYCLING
WO conquers cross-Britain ride for Combat Stress charity THERE WOULD be rain, roads, fundraising and a finishing medal for WO Simon Waldock after he took on the nineday Ride Across Britain challenge. The 48-year-old Warrant Officer said: “My aim was simple, depart Land’s End and arrive at John O’Groats. In the end it became about so much more than that. It has been an incredible experience. One amazing adventure.” Waldock, accompanied on the ride by his cousin Gary Watts, entered the biennial event alongside 750 other riders from 50 countries and raised almost £2,500 for the Combat Stress charity. He said: “Combat Stress provide specialist treatment and support for veterans from every Service and conflict,
focusing on those with complex mental health issues. I have friends and colleagues who currently suffer from mental health problems and, sadly, I have known those who found mental health problems too difficult and tragically have taken their own lives.” On the opening day’s ride from Land’s End to Okehampton, Waldock would complete 105 miles with 9,000 feet of climbing, taking in such exquisite views as St Michael’s Mount, while calculating the right pace to enable the pair to complete the stages. Despite settling into the routine of around 100 miles riding a day, sleep deprivation and a turn in the weather were beginning to hit the duo. Waldock said: “The lack of sleep was
really starting to take effect, plus we started to feel the weather bite and we encountered heavier traffic coming into towns such as Carlisle.” With three days left a tyre blow-out for Waldock just inside Scotland would see the pair struggle to find a replacement and only complete the day one hour inside the cut-off time. The WO added: “That day can only be described as brutal. The weather was cruel and if you include the tyre blow-out it was certainly my worst day in the saddle ever. “We soldiered on towards John O’Groats with morale very low. I began to get choked up as we could see the finish line, and I was exhausted, but delighted once we finished.”
JOB DONE: WO Waldock (centre), with cousin Gary Watts (right)
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e g a t s d l r o w e h t n o s r e n n Wi
SPORTS AWARDS
Honouring shining stars of RAF sport
WORLD CUP ADVENTURE: Sportswoman of the Year Fg Off Sarah Bonar stars for Scotland
TOP SPORTSMAN: RAF and
Daniel Abrahams
5
AWARDS: Winners of the RAF Sports Awards 2022 at Halton House
IT SAYS something when the winners of this year’s RAF Sports Awards are no strangers to competing on the world stage. Winter Olympian and Service bobsledder L/Cpl Shanwayne Stephens took the sportsman of the year title, while Scottish World Cup rugby union star Fg Off Sarah Bonar, currently mid-tournament for her country in New Zealand, won the sportswoman of the year award. L/Cpl Stephens, who said he was shocked by the award, added: “This proves that hard work and determination pay off, and it also shows how far the full support of the RAF got me within my sport.” Speaking from New Zealand, Fg Off Bonar said: “This is amazing news. I am really grateful for all the support I receive from the RAF and will be doing my absolute best to make everyone proud during my time here at the World Cup.” Halton House once again hosted the annual celebration of sporting achievements, with awards for individuals, teams, officials and administrators, all presented by Air
Jamaica bobsleigh driver L/Cpl Shanwayne Stephens
Marshal Sir Richard Knighton. The team award went to the ladies’ cross country runners, who wrestled back the InterServices championship title for the first time since 1988. Cpl Chloe Richardson ((pictured left) said: “We just wanted to win the IS, we have a really great team and work really well together, so it just motivated us to get there.”
“
I am really grateful for all the support I receive from the RAF
”
Sports Official of the Year went to RAF Football’s Cpl Lauren Impey, while rugby union’s Sgt Robert Phair won the Sports Administrator gong. gong The Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to: Wg Cdr Roy Brunnin of RAF triathlon, Air Cdre Chris Egan of RAF and UKAF badminton, Flt Lt Liam Perry of RAF karting and WO Tony Stead of RAF table tennis. RAF Coningsby won the inaugural RAF Central Fund Station Sports Award, which recognises the best unit initiative to encourage and enable serving personnel to get physically active.
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Olly's weddy for more number 1s MARRY ME: New album from Olly Murs
OLLY MURS – X Factor alumnus, chart topper, ITV’s Starstruck presenter and The Voice UK coach – is releasing his first new studio album in more than four years next month. Marry Me, his seventh album to date, is out on December 2 and its opener, Die of a Broken Heart, is its first single. Olly said: “It has that steel drum at the intro, which just gets in your head straightaway. It has a very Gotye Somebody I Used to Know feel to it, with a touch of The Police – and just a coolness to it. That really excited me.” He wrote and recorded the album with David Stewart and Jessica Agombar, who between
them have had huge success writing for South Korean boy band BTS, securing a Billboard number one – the top slot in more than 100 countries. The singer-songwriter, who has also carved out a successful career as a TV host, has scored four number one singles and four number one albums after releasing his doubleplatinum self-titled debut album in 2010. His 2023 11-date UK arena tour kicks off at Glasgow’s OVO Hydron on April 21 and culminates on May 6 at Liverpool’s M&S Bank Arena. l Go to: ollymurs.com for full details.
Film Review Living (12A) Selected cinemas now
The clock is ticking for our Mr Williams A
SUCCESSFUL and respected businessman is given one year to live following a stomach cancer diagnosis, and so must try to do something meaningful and live a little, except he doesn’t know how to. Living is an Oliver Hermanus remake of 1953 Japanese classic Ikiru, reworked by Nobel Prize-winning writer Kazuo Ishiguro and set in 50s London, about a certain type of ‘Englishness’ – embodied
TIME WASTER: Senior civil servant is adept at dodging anything meaningful
perfectly by the ever-charming Bill Nighy. Adapted with Nighy in mind, the character of Mr Williams is floating through life in a senior position as a civil servant: studiously filing paperwork but avoiding any strenuous work by burying town planning forms in cartoonish towers of unanswered admin, or sent to a different floor where it will be perpetually rerouted until no longer relevant.
NEW PAL: Williams (Nighy) befriends ambitious young woman Margaret (Aimee Lou Wood)
Mr Wakening (Alex Sharp) is the fresh face just starting with the department, yet to learn the habits and social etiquette of the office. His first assignment is to personally guide a petition requesting a children’s playground, put together by a tenacious group of young mothers, until it finds someone willing to take on the responsibility – and so Mr Wakeling and the women are ping-ponged between offices, showing us the corporate diffusion of responsibility that abounds in this building. We switch perspective from Mr Wakeling to Mr Williams however as he receives his terminal diagnosis, and decides to pursue the construction of this playground, becoming a symbolic gesture more than anything else. Although it sets out as tragedy and is deeply sad, the film possesses a wry, gentle-humoured spirit – and who better to deliver such a tone than Bill Nighy. Often framed at the centrebottom of the screen with a godly bright light around him, his destiny is foretold, serving as a reminder to not go gently. Review by Sam Cooney 4 out of 5 roundels
Film Review
My Policeman (15) In cinemas now
Styles' policeman fails to arrest T
HREE LIVES are entwined in Brighton in the which kills all chemistry that could have been. 1950s, a love triangle forming against a backdrop of In the present, Tom and Marion (now played by Linus criminalised homosexuality. Roache and Gina McKee) are in a loveless marriage that My Policeman, based on the book by Bethan Roberts, has become a stilted and depressing affair, highlighted jumps between the meeting of a young couple and their by the arrival of old friend Patrick (Rupert Everett). lives together decades later, As dull as it is bleak, these retired in a coastal humdrum performances sadly don’t draw town. This is disturbed however any more interest than the cast by the presence of an old friend, of characters in the past. now disabled and in need of The subdued love story is care, unravelling dark secrets rather ordinary until some from their past. information is uncovered that Tom (Harry Styles) is the sheds new light on this group, titular copper, unusually explaining why their lives are innocent and curious as noted so fraught and joyless now. by museum curator and amateur LIDO DATE: Tom and Marion in the early days However, this isn’t enough to artist Patrick (David Dawson), make the story interesting or who offers to draw his portrait after a chance meeting, the characters sympathetic. marking the beginnings of a peculiar friendship. As the excitement fades for the new lovers, it does It is not long after this that Tom meets Marion (Emma for the film also, as we trudge through the sad reality of Corrin) a plain but excitable teacher who is smitten but unexciting compromise and emptiness. fears that the feeling isn’t reciprocated. This is part of the Review by Sam Cooney story mind, and not simply because of Styles’ acting – 2 roundels out of 5
ART LOVERS: Patrick (David Dawson), Marion (Emma Corrin) and Tom (Harry Styles)
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 R'n'R 4
R'n'R Music
Marti Pellow: Pellow Talk UK tour
Step forward the real Marti Pellow F
ORMER WET Wet Wet frontman Marti Pellow has carved out a successful solo career that’s seen him transition from the Glasgow band’s heyday – notching up massive hits such as Love is All Around and Sweet Little Mystery – to treading the boards on Broadway and in the West End. He’s currently on his sell-out Pellow Talk nationwide tour, that culminates this year at Coventry’s Albany Theatre on November 22, with more dates scheduled for the spring and summer of 2023. Pellow revealed he was inspired by his beloved mother who would sing Bacharach and David songs from the kitchen sink. By the time he’d reached his late teens he was on his way to achieving his dreams of being a pop star. He said: “Singing came naturally. It was as easy as breathing. It was just something I did. I associated it with happiness. Our house was tiny, with two rooms. We had a living room with a little fireplace and a sink in the corner, as well as a wee geyser which shot out hot water. Then there was a bedroom. “My Ma would often stand at the Belfast sink listening to music and singing. I remember seeing how happy it made her. I got happy in just the same way. I copied her and started singing. I saw that made Ma happy so I sang whatever tune she was singing and felt just the same.” The Wet Wet Wet years were a phenomenon, as the group enjoyed hit after hit, including Wishing I Was Lucky, Angel Eyes, Sweet Surrender and Goodnight Girl. After a year at the top, the band imploded and Pellow took time to straighten himself out, finding a cleaner way to live after a decade of high living. His solo career followed
and his memoir, also called Pellow Talk, reflects on that journey. He said: “As a young man, I played to 100,000 people in my own hometown. When it all crashed down, I painstakingly rebuilt the life I’d always wanted just as my father, a master craftsman, fashioned beautiful buildings. “I spent a lifetime on TV programmes but the guy on the box was never real. Those shows were a vehicle to entertain; a conveyor belt of flat-pack soundbites. They commodified the pop star in the charts, gift-wrapping him neatly and tying him with a bow. People might have watched and thought: ‘I know you.’ But my inner monologue would have said: ‘Aye. You don’t. It’s a coat. An essence. A character.’ “Pellow Talk is the one time where I go beyond. I’ve stepped out of character, breaking down the fourth wall and finally stopped playing a role.” He added: “I’m grateful for the opportunities and rewards that hard work has brought. But my creative life is about more than just music. It’s about art and fashion, acting and writing, performance and production. Those are the things that make me tick.” Pellow has a new album out, Dante’s Prayer, that accompanies the Pellow Talk memoir. He said: “I wanted to make a Celtic record. Scotland informs everything I do. There’s so much history and heritage. I’d always looked across the pond, to the USA, after growing up listening to Al Green and sounds from Memphis. But Scottish music was everything and I wanted to pay homage.” l Go to: martipellowofficial. co.uk for more information.
P
LACEBO ARE back – and out on the road again. After nearly a decade since their last album, the band released the acclaimed Never Let Me Go in April, their eighth studio album and first as a duo after drummer Steve Forrest left in 2015. Never Let Me Go became their highest charting album, debuting at No.3 in the UK and No.1 across multiple countries worldwide. Now Brian Molko and Stefan Olsdal are looking forward to a 14-date UK and Ireland tour, with almost every date in November and December sold out. Frontman Brian said: “The record’s out and it’s time to go again, I’m starting to get excited. I feel that we had the time to make the record we really wanted to make this time around, considering it’s been eight years plus since the last record. Coming out of this whole strange period was a bit of a shock to the system, but now it feels like we have some beautiful songs we can take on the road. That’s what I’m starting to feel now. I’m in a good place.” He said the bulk of the new album was written before the coronavirus pandemic – it’s very much not a lockdown album. “How does this record kind of reflect what’s happening in the world today? I think the insecurity, the paranoia, the tragedy, the inequality, you know, that we started to see everywhere – all that pain and desperation kind of influenced the record in terms of atmosphere,” he explained.
“
Placebo still pow 3 decad
85 per cent of the lyrics were written before Covid hit
”
“But about 85 per cent of the lyrics were written before Covid hit. Lyrically, it was important for me not to make a record about the plague. I think it would just have dated everything phenomenally from the start. He added: “Sometimes it’s just about making records and, whatever you do, don’t try to be fashionable, because by the time you’ve finished your record, fashion will have changed and you’ll be unfashionable. You’ll have a longer career if you just stick to what you do and accept the fact that you’re going to be unfashionable for most of it. That’s how most of us have managed to achieve longevity; from Depeche Mode to The Cure to us, it’s kind of sticking to a kind of a singular vision.” Stefan said: “This record’s served us well, because albeit the stop/start was a bit frustrating in terms of planning, at the same time it gave me and Brian time
to digest what we’d done and also to work on ideas individually, take stuff away and work on it, make it evolve lyrically and musically so when we came back together we’d had a chance to really explore which compositions and which songs felt right for this period in our lives.” The return of Placebo was always going to be welcomed by their huge and fiercely loyal fanbase, but during lockdown Brian had his doubts – it also gave him time to really consider his position as an artist and what that means. He said: “We’re extremely fortunate because after 27, 28 years, we still have fans, we still have an
audience and, for me, that was one of the things I got so insecure about during lockdown, because for the first time in my life, the possibility of there not being an audience there and even the possibility of us not playing concerts again seemed real. “That was something I always depended on, as no matter how messed up your life gets, or how many disasters happen in a row, there’ll always be an audience for you to go and do a show, but that was taken away during lockdown. “I started asking myself questions I’ve never asked myself before in my career, like, ‘do I have a future?’ It was evident to me before lockdown
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 R'n'R 5
Edited by Tracey Allen
o effect werful des on BACK ON THE ROAD: Stefan (left) and Brian
Theatre
Prue Leith: Nothing in Moderation Tour of UK & Ireland
Prue on poisoning her clients!
T
HE GREAT British Bake Off legend Prue Leith embarks on her first-ever live tour, Nothing in Moderation, in 2023, kicking off on February 1 in Shrewsbury. The 34-date tour will travel across the UK and Ireland before culminating at the London Palladium on April 6. Prue promises to share lots of fascinating anecdotes about her life in what’s been hailed as a ‘frank, revealing and very funny all-new show’ where nothing is off the menu. She’ll take audiences through the ups and downs of being a successful restaurateur, novelist, businesswoman and Bake Off judge; feeding the rich and famous, cooking for royalty and even poisoning her clients – all told for the very first time. In the show’s second half she will be joined on stage by Clive Tulloh, who will put questions to Prue from the audience that they’ve always wanted to ask. She said: “I’ve never done a stage show before and at 82 I’m probably nuts to try it, but it’s huge fun, makes the audience laugh and lets me rant away about the restaurant trade, publishers, TV and writing, and sing the praises of food, love and life.” Prue joined Bake Off as a judge alongside Paul Hollywood in 2017. Before starring on the popular Channel 4 TV series she enjoyed huge success in her career as a restaurateur, chef, writer and journalist. In the 1960s and 70s she ran her own catering business then set up Leith’s Food and Wine – which trains professional cooks and amateur chefs. Prue has
PRUE LEITH: First tour, aged 82
written multiple cookery books and features about food for various publications. She has appeared on many TV shows including Great
Film
Sniper: The White Raven (15)
British Menu and My Kitchen Rules. l Go to: mickperrin.com for tour details (recommended for age 12-plus).
Win!
Out now on DVD and download (Dazzler Media)
Story of heroic Ukrainian sniper A
that, of course, we’d always have a future. Look, we’re still around. So many bands that started at the same time as us, they aren’t still around, as they quit or the audience went away. So we’re in an extremely privileged position, I think. “But I’m not about to pretend that just because we’ve achieved some kind of longevity we are superior artistically. I never know if what I do is of artistic value because I question it continuously.” Brian revealed he couldn’t wait to get back on tour, but the anticipation came with some trepidation. He said: “I desperately want to go out and do what I’m best at, but
also because we’ve had such a break I’m nervous about it. I don’t think I would have been nervous if we hadn’t had this enforced two-year break, but because we had this pause and we lost momentum, it’s become less automatic. “I didn’t think about shows before. Now I think about every aspect of it. I’m excited, but I think it’s going to be a major culture shock even though we’ve got 25 years of playing live behind us. It’s like slipping into an old shoe that doesn’t feel the same, but you will get used to it again.” l Go to: placeboworld.co.uk for tour details.
FTER SUFFERING a senseless tragedy at the hands of invading soldiers in the Donbas region in 2014, a former Ukrainian teacher renounces his peaceful way of life and seeks revenge in this timely, gripping war film. Joining the military and earning a coveted spot as a sniper, Mykola (Aldoshyn Pavlo) sets his sights on an elite Russian sniper whose elimination could change the tide of the conflict. Inspired by the true story of Ukrainian sniper Mykola Voronin, Sniper: The White Raven is directed by Marian Bushan, who co-wrote the screenplay with Voronin. We have copies of the film on DVD up for grabs. For your chance to own one, tell us: Who directed Sniper: The White Raven? Email your answer, marked
REAL-LIFE HERO: Ukrainian sniper Mykola Voronin is played by Aldoshyn Pavlo
Sniper DVD competition, to: c omp e t it i ons @ r af ne w s . c o. u k or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air
Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by November 18. Please include your full postal address with your entry.
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 R'n'R 6
R'n'R Your Announcements
You can email photos for announcements on this page to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk
In Memoriam MUTTITT In loving memory of my dear wife Pamela who died September 15, 1981. So sadly missed, Mick (MAeOp) retired and family.
Seeking I am trying to trace my brother Flight Sergeant RE Lee, born in Sleights, North Yorkshire, March 1943 or 44, last known to be living in the Oxford area. He was in the signals section of the RAF. I would be grateful if he would contact me by the email address or phone number below which is in Australia, because I have an important family message for him. Please email: argemtis71@gmail.com or phone: +61266452512. SEEKING S.J.E Adams. Number 680159, 78th Entry Halton. Call Reg Butchers: 07702 238509 or email: reg. butchers@btinternet.com I was stationed at Stanmore Park from 1968 to October 1969 and was known as SAC Christine Warrington. I moved to RAF St Mawgan in October 1969, where I was employed as a civilian at the camp. I am seeking news of JT Roger (Ginge ) Summerfield/Somerfield who was on detachment at Stanmore Park where we met. He was training on the Nimrod Simulator at Borehamwood. I am also trying to locate Bob Somerville, who was on detachment from Marham to Binbrook between 1967 and 1971. I attended Bob’s wedding in Belfast. Please contact: christineacaley@ gmail.com. LOOKING for any members of the 47th entry TG19 Hereford 62-64. Any still about? Please contact Jim Cummins via email on:
Carol_cummins@aol.com or call: 01302 532865, 07517 416702.
Reunions THE 60th anniversary reunion of the 49th Entry 2 Sqn Clerks Boy Entrants at RAF Hereford is to be held from May 15-17, 2023 at Thoresby Hall, Ollerton, Notts. If interested in attending please contact Dave Beaumont on: 07538651712 or email beaumont.d@sky.com or Bob Cuss, email: rbc324@ john-lewis.com. RAF Bawdsey Reunion Association. Did you ever serve at RAF Bawdsey? If so, why not join us at our next annual reunion which will take place at Bawdsey Manor on June 3, 2023. For details please contact Doreen at doreen.bawdseyreunion@ btinternet.com or phone: 07513 301723.
Associations THE RAF & Defence Fire Services Association was formed in 1995 and would like to attract new members of all ranks, serving and retired. The annualsubscription fee is £16 and for that you receive three Association magazines a year called The Flashpoint, to which members are invited to contribute their stories. We meet for a reunion and AGM once a year. For more information and how to join please visit the website: rafanddfsa. co.uk. The RAF & DFS Association also has close links with the Museum of RAF Firefighting, visit: fire museum.uk. IF you trained as an RAF Administrative Apprentice (or are related to one) we’d be delighted to welcome you to the RAFAA Association. Our aim is to promote
friendship and general wellbeing among our veterans, via social gatherings and assorted activities, as devised by an elected committee, and a regular newsletter. Please see the website: rafadappassn.org; or you can contact the Membership Secretary on: 07866 085834 or the Chairman on: 01933 443673. RAF Catering WOs’ and Seniors’ Association (RAF CWO & SA): all serving or retired TG19 Warrant Officers or Flight Sergeants and all former Catering Branch Officers are invited to join the RAF CWO & SA. We meet twice yearly. For more information please get in touch with Dave Scott via email: davescott10@hotmail.co.uk.
SSAFA Xmas catalogue AMONG the eye-catching seasonal items in SSAFA’s Christmas 2022 catalogue is a set of gingerbread RAF, Royal Navy, Army, and Royal Marines personnel. Crafted from felt and with SSAFA branding on the reverse, they cost £7.99 each. And Sherin Aminossehe, the MOD’s Director of Infrastructure and a trained architect, has designed Christmas cards, a calendar and a 750-piece jigsaw of the Red Arrows performing a flypast over Buckingham Palace for the catalogue. Go to: ssafa.org. uk for more details.
Trev braves the shave RAF COSFORD colleagues came together to support Sqn Ldr Trevor Down when he ‘braved the shave’ recently, raising an impressive £532 for charity. Trev, who is OC Force Development Training Squadron at the Midlands station, opted to have his head shaved to raise funds for MacMillan Cancer Support. He said: “I decided to brave the shave as I lost my Dad to cancer and have recently lost a number of colleagues to the disease. I also have a number of friends with ongoing cancer issues.” FDTS colleagues Vicky Dodson, Brooke Thomas, Lorraine Chatterton and Kerry Bannister baked cupcakes and sold them at the fundraising event. Kerry said: “We are very proud of Sqn Ldr Down.”
HAIR-RAISING: Newly-shorn Trev, above and, inset, just before the charity event
New aircraft at museum
RECENT ACQUISITIONS: The Reid and Sigrist aircraft at NAM
PHOTO: Howard Heeley Down To Earth Promotions
CHRISTMAS CHARMER: The felt gingerbread RAF figure
How to use our service 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.
NEWARK AIR Museum (NAM) has taken delivery of the Reid and Sigrist (RS) Desford aircraft onto its site in north eastern Nottinghamshire. A museum spokesman said: “This was the culmination of months of organisation with Leicestershire County Council, which has transferred ownership of the unique aircraft to the museum, and with Windmill Aviation,
who restored the aircraft. The delivery flight, completed on to part of the former RAF Winthorpe site, was made possible thanks to the generous support and co-operation of the Newark and Nottinghamshire Agricultural Society and the Newark Motor Auction company.” l Go to: newarkairmuseum.org for more information.
Important Notice
Squadron marks landmark anniversary
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.
2620 SQUADRON (County of Norfolk) RAF Regiment marks 40 years since its formation and 20 years since its deployment on Op Telic. The Squadron intends to hold an event at RAF Marham in the form of a family day and evening function, and a visit to the RAF Regiment Heritage Centre is
also planned. The event will be held at 2620 Sqn on March 31, 2023. If you wish to attend, please email the ProjO: philip. lister513@mod.gov.uk. This is unique for 2620 Sqn and for all other personnel who have served with or alongside the Squadron in the UK and on operations all over the world.
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 R'n'R 7
R'n'R Your Announcements
You can email photos for announcements on this page to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk
Tribute to the fallen
Service holds stamps sale THE BRITISH Forces Philatelic Service (BFPS) is holding a final sale following the announcement that it is closing 10 years after it was formed. Its two volunteer directors, Graham Meacher and Darrell Drury, are retiring. Mr Drury said: “We have some great bargains, with many items at half price.” They include stamp sheets, First Day Covers and Commemorative Covers, and a cover commissioned to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the last flight of the
Berlin Airlift by 30 Sqn (pictured above). The cover was flown in a 30 Sqn Hercules XV191 from RAF Lyneham to RAF Gatow. It has been signed by the captain, Wg Cdr DM Guest, and a RAF Gatow Circular Date Stamp for September 22, 1989, is on the back. BFPS has collaborated with many civilian and military organisations to produce philatelic covers commemorating more than 100 anniversaries and special events. O Go to the online shop bfps.org.uk. for the sale.
A NEW war memorial has been unveiled in Walton Park, Sale, Greater Manchester, to honour six World War II Allied Airmen from Bomber Command whose aircraft crashed on the site in 1943. “The memorial honours the five Australian and one Irish airmen who were all far from home when the aircraft they were travelling in unexpectedly crashed in Sale,” said local historian George Cogswell, who first researched the tragic incident in 1993. “There is also a public interpretation board [inset, above], explaining the incident to visitors to the popular public park – many of whom are unaware of the crash.” On the night of August 3, 1943, a twin-engine Wellington bomber, with a crew of five Royal Australian Air Force personnel and one RAF airman, crashed onto what is now the football pitch in Walton Park. While flying over
Manchester the bomber’s port engine cut out and had to be shut down. The starboard engine then started losing power. The pilot managed to lift the aircraft in its final moments over the top of two houses in Walton Road, clipping just the chimneys and damaging the roof,” Mr Cogswell explained.
He added: “Two of the Australians died in the crash and are buried at the Blacon Military Cemetery, Chester. Apart from one, who was so badly injured that he never flew operationally again, the remainder of the crew were also killed in later WWII bombing missions.” The memorial was unveiled by WO Rodney Wallace RAAF (pictured inset), supported by Wg Cdr Stephen Chaskin, RAF.
Royal Air Force News Friday, November 4, 2022 R'n'R 8
R'n'R Prize Crossword No. 326
Solve the crossword, then rearrange the 10 letters in yellow squares to find an RAF missile
Across 7. Modest bottle, even for dog (6) 8. French love has right protection (6) 10. Win one endlessly elegant First Lady (7) 11. Junior pupil’s present for miser (5) 12. 100 argue with bird (4) 13. A profit once more (5) 17. During his nadir, Tyler became vulgar (5) 18. See 15 Down 22. Birds on board (5) 23. Downier, maybe: who knows! (1,6) 24. See 15 Down 25. Revolutionary points to Monterey Jack (6) Down 1. Excellent golfer’s score (7) 2. Plane startles hot pony (7) 3. Doing badly on board (2,3) 4. Riffing around chopper (7) 5. Wow! Heartless Gemini has dog (5) 6. Kind of aircraft dives recklessly over northern Estonia, at first (5) 9. Jam bottom of RAF aircraft (9) 14. RAF enterprise finds young lady swallowed by lions (7) 15. And 18 Across, 24 Across. Changed a top livery on this bomber (7,4,6) 16. Left breadwinner to new recruit (7) 19. Support voluntary organisation: well done (5) 20. Pocket penny that hurts! (5) 21. Type of coffee that starts moving towards tea (5)
Name ...................................................................................................................... Address .................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................. ................................................................................................................................. RAF missile ....................................................................... Crossword No. 326
Puzzle prizes are back – the winners of our Prize Crossword and Prize Su Doku puzzles will receive a recent top aviation title, so please send in your entries, to arrive by November 18. Send entries to the address printed in the adjacent Su Doku panel.
Prize Su Doku No. 336 Fill in all the squares in the grid so that each row, each column and each 3x3 square contains all the digits from 1 to 9. Solutions should be sent in a sealed envelope marked 'Su Doku' with the number in the top left-hand corner to RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP14 4UE, to arrive by November 18, 2022.
Name ...................................................................... ................................................................................. Address .................................................................. ................................................................................. ....................................................Su Doku No. 336
Solution to Su Doku No: 335
Solution to Crossword No 325: Across – 6. Cleaver 7. Go Big 9. Scrap 10. Defence 12. Eurofighter 14. Battlefield 18. Bravado 19. Pitch 21. Cobra 22. Dilemma Down – 1. Black 2. Xanadu 3. Ben 4. Joseph 5. Aircrew 8. Deficit 11. Dog-ends 13. Warrior 15. Tavern 16. Loiter 17. Scamp 20. Big RAF word – Gunners
Music
Barbra Streisand Live at the Bon Soir
'Forgotten' Streisand live masterpiece marks her 60th anniversary T
HE LONG-AWAITED digital and CD versions of Barbra Streisand – Live At The Bon Soir have just been released. With new mixes supervised by Barbra and Grammy Award-winning engineer Jochem van der Saag, listeners can experience what it was like to witness 20-yearold Streisand at the dawn of her stellar career. Recorded in a tiny Greenwich Village nightclub from November 4-6, 1962, just weeks after Streisand struck her first record deal with Columbia on October 1, Live At The Bon Soir was originally intended to be Barbra’s debut album for the label. The tapes for the live album were eventually shelved in favour of 1963’s The Barbra Streisand Album, which offered studio versions of 11 songs from her nightclub repertoire. With the release of Barbra Streisand – Live At The Bon Soir, her first album since 2021’s Release Me 2 (a careerspanning compilation of rare and previously unreleased recordings), Columbia Records celebrates Streisand’s 60th anniversary with the label. She is the only artist to have achieved No.1 albums across six consecutive decades (the 60s to the 2010s).
2022 marks the 60th anniversary of her legendary appearances at the famed Greenwich Village haunt, The Bon Soir. For the first time, Barbra Streisand – Live At The Bon Soir includes 24 tracks produced, mixed and approved by the star and released in their entirety as an album. All the original master tapes are from Streisand’s personal vault. She said: “I had never even been in a nightclub until I sang in one. I sang two songs in a talent contest at a little club called The Lion and won, which led to being hired at a more sophisticated supper club around the corner called the Bon Soir, with an actual stage and a spotlight. “The buzz that began at the Bon Soir led to a contract with Columbia Records in 1962, the start of a long association that continues to this day. The initial plan for my first album was to record it at the club, and these early tapes have been sleeping in my vault for six decades. I’m delighted to finally bring them out into the light and share what could have been my debut album, Live At The Bon Soir.” l Go to: barbrastreisand.com for more information.
YOUNG TALENT: Streisand began her career singing in clubs
PHOTO: DON HUNSTEIN