Three Long Serving Warrant Officers Retire

Three Warrant Officers from 600 (City of London) Squadron retire this year having amassed nearly 140 years of service between them.

WARRANT OFFICER DON MEECHAN retires after 50 Years of Regular and Reserve Service

Warrant Officer Meechan joined the RAF in October 1972 as an RAF Locking Apprentice. As a junior rank he served at units across the UK and worldwide including Henlow, Gan (Google it!), Leuchars, Belize, Valley and Gutersloh. As well as tours in his main trade of Ground Radio technician he also served as a firefighter during national strikes and at Medical Rehabilitation Units assisting the rehabilitation of injured veterans of the Falklands War and service in Northern Ireland. Don was promoted to Sergeant in 1986 and as a SNCO went on to serve at Wildenrath, Leuchars, High Wycombe, Coltishall, Falkland Islands, Henlow, Honington and Coningsby. He remembers his years as a SNCO very fondly, and the highlights included an exchange tour for 4 months with the Royal Australian Air Force and several years as the deputy engineering officer on an RAF Regiment Rapier Squadron. During this period of his career Don was again deployed as a firefighter and undertook 4 detachments to the Falkland Islands including a four-month period as detachment commander at Mount Kent.

Promoted to Warrant Officer in 2003, he was posted to the Tactical Communications Wing at RAF Leeming as a Squadron Warrant Officer. In 2009 he was deployed on Operation HERRICK to Kandahar where he led 600 Squadron Reservists for the first time and was clearly impressed! He was also deployed as part of the team that ran Post Operational Stress

On retiring from Regular service Don transferred to the Reserve and became part of 600 (City of London) Squadron where he immediately made an impact working with the A6 Force Headquarters to improve the way Trade Group 4 Reserves were used in support of the Regular force in the UK and overseas. In his years as a Reserve Warrant Officer, he has been a regular contributor to the Operational Training Centre, as a mentor on multiple AGILE EAGLE Exercises and a NATO TACEVAL Evaluator. Never one to stand still, Don volunteered for Operation RESCRIPT as a Military Liaison Officer, supporting the NHS and local authorities during the COVID pandemic.

During Warrant Officer Meechan’s career of over 50 years in the Royal air force he received three Commander in Chief’s Commendations (1993, 2002, 2006), the Long Service and Good Conduct Medal (1988) with Clasp (2003) and the Meritorious Service Medal (2011), also finding the time to achieve Membership of the Institute of Leadership Management.

Warrant Officer Meechan said of his career: “There have been many, many highlights of my career but the exchange tour with the Royal Australian Air Force was a particularly memorable period. I will miss the camaraderie of service life; there is nothing like working in a team of service people to achieve what seems like impossible objectives. However, I am still inspired by being part of an organisation that strives to do good for everyone we serve and the opportunities that I have had to train the current generation for the challenges that lie ahead.”

Don will retire to his home in Norwich with his wife Rosemary. He has two children that have two grandchildren and he plans to spend time with family, walk, cycle and maybe even go skiing!

WARRANT OFFICER MAL CAMPBELL retires after 48 Years of Regular and Reserve Service.

Warrant Officer Campbell joined the Royal Air Force in November 1974 as an RAF Regiment Gunner. After completing his Regiment Gunner training at RAF Catterick (BG2-75) he went on to Pre-Para training at RAF Colerne and then Jump training at RAF Abingdon obtaining his Parachute Wings in 1975.

He joined No 2 Squadron RAF Regiment and was deployed to Hong Kong on border and refugee camp duties. He also supported the Squadron’s Internal Security role in Northern Ireland and Ground Defence Support to the Harrier Force in Germany. He was posted to 34 Squadron at RAF Akrotiri in 1979 and was promoted to Corporal in 1982; then posted to RAF Swinderby as a Recruit Ground Defence Training instructor.

After postings to the Support Helicopter Force at Odiham and the Harrier Force at Gutersloh, deployments to Norway, Denmark and Turkey, he was promoted to Sergeant and continued to deploy on NATO TACEVALS in Italy, Turkey and around Germany.

In 1990 he was posted to RAF Leeming to Station Regiment Flight and was rapidly deployed to the Gulf War (Operation GRANBY) in an NBC (CBRN) lead role. In 1996, he was posted to the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) to manage and advise service people under sentence.

On promotion to Flight Sergeant in 1999, he was posted to No 1 Squadron RAF Regiment at St Mawgan as FS Support Weapons and deployed regularly to Kuwait. He then went on to serve as Flight Sergeant Regiment Flight at RAF Bruggen and completed his last tour at RAF Northolt as Flight Sergeant Discipline. Joining the Reserves as a member of 600 (City of London) Squadron allowed Mal to retain his strong ties with the Service but also to pursue a civilian career training British Transport Police in self-defence and fitness. At 600 Squadron, he attained the role of Squadron Warrant Officer in 2013 and he has been an ever-present character shaping the Squadron’s reputation for ceremonial duties and operational effectiveness.

During his long career amongst many great achievements Warrant Officer Campbell has represented his station at Athletics (400m PB of 51 Secs) and Rugby (also playing Rugby for Bishop Auckland), learned freefall parachuting and horse riding, completed an AS Level Electronics, ONC Electronics and BTEC in Conflict Management and Physical Intervention, and qualified as a Pool Lifeguard and First Aid Trainer and Personal Fitness Trainer.

About his career in the Royal Air Force, Warrant Officer Campbell said: “There are many highlights of my career but I will certainly remember the pride of passing Pre-Para and becoming a member of 2 Squadron after joining at just 17. My time as a Flight Sergeant Support Weapons was also a great highlight but I think the most memorable achievements for me have been imparting my knowledge and experience to Reserves and seeing them put it into action on exercises and deployments; they never let me down!

I will miss the people when I leave, you cannot find friends and colleagues like these anywhere else; they are all special, Regulars and Reserves. The RAF has always been the most proactive and progressive of the three services in my opinion but they must maintain what I call the military template and I’d be happy to talk about that more if you ever see me.”

Mal recently achieved a lifetime ambition of attaining his Rotary Private Pilots License and he described it as his “moon shot” in terms of achievements. He plans to enjoy his retirement, exploring airfields and landing sites in his helicopter, and volunteering to deliver fitness training to civilians.

WARRANT OFFICER CHRIS COPELAND retires after 38 Years of Service in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force.

Warrant Officer Copeland joined the RAuxAF in October 1983 as a Regiment Gunner on 2620 (County of Norfolk) Squadron at RAF Marham. After completing his Gunner course in 1984 he relished the role of providing ground defence to the airfield and was promoted to Corporal in 1988.

As a Corporal he was deployed to Ascension Island and Cyprus. He took part in extreme cross country races and volunteered to support his old school in Cyprus with arduous orienteering competitions. He passed his Platoon Sergeants and Range Managers courses and was promoted to Sergeant in 1991, also managing to complete the Welsh 1000m Peaks race in under 7 hours.

Chris was promoted to Flight Sergeant in 1995 and served as Second in Command on all four flights of 2620 Squadron and as the Squadron restructured he became Flight Commander of the Regiment Flight. He provided expert advice to the Marham Station Executives on Survive to Operate procedures and participated in multiple TACEVALS across the region.

In 2001 Chris was promoted to Warrant Officer and completed the Vulnerable Area STO Tactical Controllers Course and was subsequently deployed on Operation TELIC in 2003 to Ali Al Salem airbase. He thrived in this operational environment and was instrumental in developing a collaborative defensive posture between the Force Protection, flying elements and US ground defence forces across the deployed operating base. He received the highest praise from the Detachment Commander for his efforts at the base improving operational effectiveness and living conditions for all.

On return to his role as Squadron Warrant Officer at Marham, Chris devoted much of his time to the welfare of families and returning Squadron members from Operations. He continued to ensure that the work of the Squadron integrated with the regular units, truly capturing the Whole Force concept, and he was a regular contributor to Station management.

Deployed to Fort Drum, USA in 2004 commanding a detachment of Chefs, he received a Commander’s Coin for providing unrivalled support to the National Guard on their major Exercise. In 2008 he completed the Drill and Ceremonial Instructors Course and in 2010 he was the first Part-Time Volunteer Reserve to complete the Joint Service Warrant Officers Course at the Defence Academy.

After 10 years as Squadron Warrant Officer on 2620 Squadron, Chris transferred to 2623 Squadron at RAF Honington as the Squadron Warrant Officer there in 2012. But in 2015 an opportunity came up to take a role as Training Warrant Officer for 600 (City of London) Squadron. Chris seized the opportunity and has been instrumental in delivering Phase 1 recruit Training, Continuous Development, Continuous Improvement and Force Protection skills training on the Squadron.

During Chris’s long career with the RAuxAF he has also juggled a successful civilian career as a Quality Manager and more recently in his local Borough Council. He has been married to Jane for 39 years and has two grown up children. Among his many RAuxAF achievements he lists the most enjoyable as his expeditions in the mountains, taking junior colleagues on challenging adventures, and extreme mountain orienteering. He has also been pivotal in many high profile ceremonial events over the years, including escort duties for the Sovereign’s Colour and Squadron Standard presentations. He was awarded a Lord Lieutenant’s Certificate at RAF Marham for his services to the Reserves and the Queen's Volunteer Reserve Medal with 3 clasps!

About his career in the Royal Auxiliary Air Force, Warrant Officer Copeland said:

“I am constantly inspired by the Part-Time Volunteer Reserves who endure the challenges of juggling two careers with a family life and simply want to serve and do everything to their best ability. They fundamentally want to work alongside their regular counterparts without prejudice and contribute to the whole force. I will miss being able to plan and deliver vital resilience training to our Volunteer Reserves. Our Service People do not meet the challenges in their daily lives that prepare them for austere operational environments. So it gives me great pride to know that I have been able to contribute to individuals personal development, preparing them for the rigours of operations but also allowing them to achieve something positive with a smile on their face.

I am humbled by the professionals I have worked alongside over the years but particularly those I have worked closely with in the last few years on 600 Squadron (you know who you are!).

Work hard, play hard – train hard, fight easy.”