Faewell Mac

Mac’s Farewell

RAF Honington said a very sad farewell to the Station Warrant Officer on Monday 21 February.

Warrant Officer Mac Macdonald lowered the Royal Air Force Ensign on Station for the last time as he retires following 39 years of exemplary Service. The Station Warrant Officer is the Station Commander’s righthand man and Mac has exceptionally fulfilled this role for the last 3 years. Station Commander Group Captain Dutch Holland said: “Today we say farewell to a giant of the RAF and RAF Regiment; WO Mac MacDonald leaves us after 39 years of stellar and selfless Service and has been each and every day the epitome of the career professional and the bastion of standards and professionalism. He will be missed by everyone and we wish him well for the next chapter of his life. Per ardua – through adversity.”

The grey clouds parted to blue sky and the sun made an appearance especially for the occasion as the Honington Voluntary Band played ‘The Great Escape’ and Station personnel lined the streets to wave him off as Mac was driven to the Main Gate in a Foxhound. of projects including Spring Cleans and not forgetting his well-known ‘Womble’ Litter Pick with wife Sue.

As far as his career goes it didn’t start smoothly for Mac. Having joined the RAF in 1983 as an RAF Regiment Gunner he was re-mustered after 4 years due to an eye injury. He retrained as a Chef and served 6 years in the trade before finding that his eyesight had improved enough to allow a re-trade back to Gunner; although this meant completing another Basic Gunner course at RAF Catterick! Life as a Chef came with the opportunity to meet an RAF Stewardess whom he married in the Falkland Islands in 1989; the first forces couple to do so. They had a civil ceremony in the bar of the Upland Goose Hotel and everything was borrowed from suit to rings. His diverse career includes ceremonial duties on The Queen’s Colour Squadron; a tour in Northern Ireland, Stabilisation work in Nad-e-Ali province with the Gurkhas, Liaison Officer at the Queen Elizabeth hospital and a myriad of training roles. Mac will be known most recently at Honington for his roles on 2623 Sqn RAuxAF Regt, 1 Sqn RAF Regt, Recruit Training Squadron (Basics) and the Armoured Vehicle (Wheeled) Training Team.

Belize 1984

Mac said: “Believe it or not 39 years goes by in a flash! There are highs and lows to any job but I have loved it, every minute and would do it all again in a heartbeat.”

He added: “The camaraderie and esprit de corps is something we are very privileged to have in the RAF Regiment and I hope to continue that theme with the veteran community and the wider regiment family in the future.”

Mac is exceptionally highly regarded within our local communities and in particular our freedom towns of Bury St. Edmunds and Thetford where he has donated many extra hours, days and probably months of his personal time not just to ensure that events run smoothly, but also to support the communities with all sorts Mac said: “Achieving a final tour as the Station Warrant Officer at RAF Honington has been the icing on the cake and I wish everyone the very best in the Station’s 85th and of course the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year.

Per Ardua & Pro Anglia Valens.”

Above: Berlin 1988