Armed Forces Day 24 June 2023

On Monday 19 June, 6 personnel from RAF Northolt attended the Houses of Parliament for a flag-raising ceremony in support of Armed Forces Day 2023.

L/Cpl L. Quinn, KCS, raised the flag on behalf of the RAF, whilst accompanying music was provided by the Band of the Coldstream Guards. The Military Wives Choir featured throughout the event and guests heard deployment stories from each service, the RAF narrative being read by WO Ben Moore, OC Accounts.

The Chief of Defence Staff, Admiral Sir Tony Radakin KCB ADC, gave thanks to all members of the Armed Forces for their sacrifice and service all-year round. These sentiments were echoed by Speaker of the House of Commons, Rt Hon Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, who added his particular thanks to those involved in this last year’s events of HM Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee, the repatriation and funeral of the late Monarch, and the subsequent Coronation of HM King Charles III.

Guests were then invited to a reception held in the Speaker’s State Rooms within the Palace of Westminster – the Crimson Drawing Room. Here, they had the opportunity to speak with officials involved in the ceremony and enjoy some light refreshment inspired by the Speaker’s Lancashire roots.

600 Sqn

Rabbi Samuel

Last month, 42 recruits graduated from the Basic Recruit Training Course for RAF Reserves at RAF Halton, including the first practising Rabbi since the 1940s. Officer Cadet (OCdt) Samuel de Beck Spitzer is the leader of the Hove Hebrew Congregation in Sussex, an Orthodox Synagogue of Ashkenazi rite, formed in the 1930s by immigrants from Eastern Europe.

All those who visited felt immensely proud to have been chosen to represent the members of the Royal Air Force at this prestigious event, which was an immense privilege and a memory they would carry with them for the rest of their careers.

“Alongside my work within the Jewish Community I wished to join the RAF Reserves out of a sense of service and gratitude to my country. The initial training was quite a culture shock, but I found the Corporals of the RAF Regiment to be wholly invested and dedicated to our instruction. There existed a genuine camaraderie among the flight, and I am grateful for how personnel catered to the needs of a Rabbinical candidate with no apparent precedent. I look forward to my Specialist Officer Training at RAF Cranwell in the Spring.”

Over the 15 day course recruits cover a multitude of activity including advanced first aid training, weapons handling, range live firing and fieldcraft exercise. The course welcomes recruits from all professions, faiths and backgrounds and is a particularly impressive achievement for individuals with already demanding civilian lives. In addition to his pastoral work and RAF commitments, OCdt de Beck Spitzer is also an Opera soloist!

“I still sing at a professional level and as a Baritone aged 50, currently feel at the top of my ‘game’. I look forward to making high level music with RAF ensembles, perhaps outside of their typical instrumental repertoire.”