RAF News 20 March 2020 by RAF News

The Forcest'e favourir pape

West Enders Tamsin Greig on moving to Belgravia

Win, win, Gritty top cop thriller

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Friday March 20 2020 No 1487 70p

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Legend of Lascaris WWII showgirl who helped save Malta from the Nazi blitzkrieg Boxing Island bouts lift I-S bid

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Rugby Academy doubles up

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Nato issues new Putin warning UK Defence chiefs face down Russia threat with triple Typhoon scramble

INTERCEPTOR: RAF Typhoon closes in on a Russian Bear bomber skirting Nato airspace over the UK. PHOTO: MoD. Inset right, Russian President Vladimir Putin

Simon Mander PUTIN’S BOMBERS have been warned to stay OUT of Britain’s airspace after RAF Typhoons scrambled THREE times in less than a week to intercept them. And Nato chiefs say the co-ordinated response demonstrates the Alliance’s determination to defend its airspace at a time of heightened tensions with Russia. Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston said: “These Russian bombers do not comply with international air traffic rules, are a hazard to airliners and are not welcome in our airspace.” He said the Air Force’s reaction ‘ensured Russian aircraft posed no hazard’. In the latest incident RAF jets launched as two Tupolev Tu-160 Blackjack strategic bombers approached the Scottish coast before flying down the west coast of Ireland and returning to Russia. They were monitored by the National Air and Space Operations Centre at High Wycombe and the Air Surveillance and Control System at Boulmer with Nato allies kept informed through the Combined Air Operations Centre at Uedem in Germany. ● Continued on p5

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Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P3

“

It is a cut-throat sport where even the best in the world can get knocked out

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It was hard – especially when you are not used to being constricted in that way

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RAF bowman Flt Lt Tom Barber on his Tokyo Olympics bid p5

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Tamsin Greig on wearing period costume for the new drama Belgravia RnR p3

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After what we have achieved it would be devastating to end here

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Bloodhound boss Ian Warhurst on the rocket car project’s latest cash crisis p17

C17 flies in aid as Syria refugee crisis escalates Simon Mander RAF News Room 68 Lancaster Building HQ Air Command High Wycombe Buckinghamshire HP14 4UE Editor: Simon Williams Email: editor@rafnews.co.uk Tel: 01494 497412 Sports Editor: Daniel Abrahams Email: sports@rafnews.co.uk Tel: 01494 497563 Features Editor: Tracey Allen Email: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk Tel: 01494 497622 News Editor: Simon Mander All advertising: Edwin Rodrigues Tel: 07482 571535 Email: edwin.rodrigues@rafnews. co.uk Subscriptions and distribution: JPIMedia Print Holdings Ltd 26 Whitehall Road Leeds LS12 1BE Tel: 020 7855 7574 Email: rafnews@jpress.co.uk

AN RAF C-17 has delivered vital aid to the Turkey-Syria border amid the worsening humanitarian crisis in Idlib. The transporter landed in Hayat carrying 37 tonnes of supplies for around 300 families forced to flee their homes as schools, nurseries and hospitals are targeted by Syrian regime bombing. The aid flight is in addition to £89 million of UK aid for Syria including tents, thermal blankets, clothing, food, clean water and medical supplies distributed with the cooperation of the Turkish Red Crescent. It comes as Defence Secretary Ben Wallace was due to visit Ankara to hold talks with his Turkish counterpart, Hulusi Akar. Mr Wallace said: “The people of Idlib have suffered enormously during this conflict and these crucial supplies delivered by our military

will provide shelter for hundreds of families in desperate need. “We stand in solidarity with Turkey after the losses they have suffered, and the UK will do what we can to offer support. “The ceasefire in Idlib must continue to be respected.” The UK is one of the largest donors to the Syria crisis, providing more than £3.1 billion since 2011 including more than 28 million food rations, 19 million medical checkups and 12 million vaccines. Britain has helped more than 140,000 people get clean drinking water and provided psychosocial support to 28,000 people, including 1,000 children. Turkey is the largest refugee host in the world and the UK supports the education of 635,000 Syrian children there and has provided more than 8 million primary healthcare consultations for the most vulnerable.

MERCY MISSION: Brize Norton team loads up lifesaving supplies on to C17 which flew into crisis-hit Idlib on the Turkish border with Syria. PHOTO: SAC TOM CANN

This Week In History ‘

1944

Stalag Breakout

2003

Telic shots fired

Precision attacks begin against several hundred land targets in Iraq by Tornado and Harrier GR7s as the second Gulf War starts.

RAF prisoners in Stalag Luft III PoW camp stage a mass breakout which later became known as the Great Escape. Seventy-six prisoners escape through a tunnel codenamed ‘Harry’. Most are recaptured and 50 executed on Hitler’s orders.

1942

Bomber raids begin Bomber Command mounts its first concentrated raids against a German city as 234 aircraft, mainly Wellingtons, attack Lübeck with a large number of incendiaries. The intensity of the attack led to the Germans coining the phrase ‘Terrorangriff ’ (Terror Raids). Extracts from The Royal Air Force Day By Day by Air Cdre Graham Pitchfork (The History Press).

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P5

News

On target for Tokyo

News bulletin

Benson bowman Barbs bidding for 2020 Games glory Simon Mander ARCHER FLT Lt Tom ‘Barbs,’ Barber has his sights set on Tokyo as he bids to become the RAF’s latest Olympian. He will battle it out with three other hopefuls in the final selection trials for one of three coveted places in the Team GB Men’s squad. “It’s looking good as I’m shooting quite well at the moment,” said the Benson-based Air Operations Systems Office. “But it can be a very cut throat, brutal sport where even the best in the world can get knocked out

in as little as nine to 15 arrows if things go wrong.” Despite being an outsider, the RAF bow ace has high hopes. He said: “In the Rio games the Korean favourite was expected to set an Olympic record in the early stages, but came nowhere in the critical second round shoot-off.” It’s the third time Flt Lt Barber has competed for selection to the national team. In 2008, he settled for a reserve spot and watched his rivals battle it out in Beijing from the subs bench –

Chef serves up a winner

something he is determined not to repeat. He said: “I started shooting aged 10 and carried on until I joined the RAF at 21 because, I realised, I needed a career and archery is not a professional sport, you can’t really make a living from it. “I know my family were disappointed that I stopped but they’re pleased that I’ve come back to it over the past three years and if I make the Olympic team, they’ll be very proud.” Flt Lt Barber trains six days a week firing between 200 and 400 arrows at a target the size of a dinner plate from 70 metres at the Oxfordshire base. And he supplements that with

three gym sessions a week to build his upper body strength. “I shoot outside in summer like other archers but I’m really grateful to the boss for letting me use a disused aircraft hangar to practice especially in the winter months,” he added.

A TOP CHEF has been named Air and Ground Steward of the Year for feeding 380 people a day on operations and preparing the next generation of Air Force caterers. Sgt Steve Harland led a 14-strong Mobile Catering Squadron team on Nato Air Policing duties in Estonia. Back at Wittering, he teaches trainee RAF chefs field kitchen cooking and delivered a record number of courses earning him the station’s Silver Sword in 2018. He joined the Service in 1994 and while serving more than 25 years in the military is also a part-time firefighter with Leicestershire Fire and Rescue Service. Sgt Harland said: “Really, I just like to get on with my job and make sure other people are able to get on with theirs.” He was promoted to Flight Sergeant and takes up a new post in RAF Wittering’s Catering Flight this month.

Triple Typhoon scramble ● Continued from front Air Officer Commanding 11 Group Air Vice Marshal Duguid said: “The interception by RAF Typhoons and other Nato fighters of the Russian bombers for the third time in a week demonstrates our continuing resolve to defend our airspace 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.” The incident follows two other scrambles within six days. Lossiemouth and Coningsby Typhoons launched to shadow a Midas tanker escorted by two fighters followed by two Russian Tu-142 Bear-F strategic bombers to the west of Shetland – in a second alert in four days. The bombers were tracked towards the Bay of Biscay where they were met by French jets. In a previous alert Nato scrambled Norwegian jets to intercept and monitor a Tu-142 Bear F maritime patrol aircraft and a Tu-142 Bear J airborne communications relay

aircraft, before handing over to Typhoons from Lossiemouth and Coningsby. Nato tracked the Russian aircraft as they headed south off the west coast of Ireland. Coningsby-based Typhoons handed over to French Rafale fighters as the Russian aircraft continued into the Bay of Biscay and eventually turned for home off the Portuguese coast. Lossiemouth-based Typhoons were scrambled once more as the Russian aircraft reversed their course, monitoring the Bears until they exited the UK Flight Information Region. Nato Air Command Deputy Chief of Staff Brigadier General Andrew Hansen added: “This was a coordinated, professional and effective effort at all levels. We are ready and determined to safeguard and protect our Alliance airspace.” Brize-based Voyager air to air refuelling aircraft took part in all three missions.

TYPHOONS FROM 6 Sqn have returned to Lossiemouth to police the UK’s northern skies after a tour supporting allied forces hunting on-the-run Daesh terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Wg Cdr Matthew D’Aubyn said: “The multi-

role capabilities of the Typhoon have come to show their worth. We can patrol the skies using our radar and air-to-air missiles while providing overwatch to ground forces.” PHOTO: CPL PHIL DYE

SUPPORTING SERVING AND FORMER MEMBERS OF THE RAF AND THEIR FAMILIES

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FREE CALL 0300 102 1919 rafbf.org/holidays The RAF Benevolent Fund is a registered charity in England and Wales (1081009) and Scotland (SC038109)

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Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P7

News

Tributes to tragic RAF dad Staff Reporter TRIBUTES HAVE been paid to a 34-year-old Wittering airman whose body was found in a river after a two-day search. Air Force bosses and Lincolnshire police launched a hunt for SAC David Kenright (pictured) after he failed to return to the RAF station after a night out in Stamford. His body was pulled from the River Welland, a short walk from the Golden Fleece pub where he was last seen drinking, two days earlier. An inquest has been opened to establish the cause of death. Air Force logistician and fatherof-three SAC Kenwright was known for his professionalism and strong sense of comradeship, according to

station pals. He was an enthusiastic Liverpool FC supporter and his love of the game led him to get involved with the Wittering village football team. Station Commander Gp Capt Jo Lincoln said: “The thoughts of everyone at Wittering are with SAC Kenwright’s family and friends. “It is an absolute tragedy that a life with such promise has been taken so soon. “He was an exceptionally popular member of the station and coming to terms with this terrible loss will not be easy for his loved ones or friends.” In an emotional tribute, colleague and close friend FS Lee Tippett said: “Nobody will forget Dave and his personality, his walk and his

Sophie’s gym bid is worth the weight Simon Mander

infectious laugh. Dave’s departure has left so many hearts broken. “At work, and on the football field, proudly wearing his No 12 jersey for the local village team, he will be sadly missed. “All our thoughts are with his loving family, Tanya and the girls. We have lost a remarkable man, rest in peace mate.” Sqn Ldr Tony O’Neill, Officer Commanding No 1 Expeditionary Logistics Sqn where he worked, said: “We knew him as Dave or Kennie, and he had an infectious and endearing enthusiasm for life that extended into the local community. He was a vital part of our squadron family and he will be missed by all of us.”

AIR FORCE supermum Sophie Bole is celebrating after completing 100,000 reps for charity. The 24-year-old RAF wife, who broke her spine 18 months ago, took on a gruelling marathon at the Waddington gym just four months after giving birth to son Bailey. She had planned to complete the routine over 200 days with an average 500 reps per day. But the mum-of-two revealed: “It was really tiring, I was a bit behind schedule and had to complete 1500 reps in the last session.” Speaking after completing her last set of reps she added: “I am definitely a lot fitter than I was when I started. “Right now I’m really looking forward to having a sofa day.”

REP IT UP: Fundraiser Sophie completes her challenge at the Waddington gym. PHOTO: SAC JAMES SKERRETT

So who gets your pension if the worst happens? Prior to an operational tour you may be reminded to complete a nomination form specifying who, if the worst happened, should receive your death-in-service lump sum; but once completed the nomination is often forgotten with potentially disastrous unintended consequences. In this short article Mary Petley of the Forces Pension Society examines the AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 provisions for nominating who should receive any pension lump sums in the event of your death, and sounds a note of caution.

AFPS 75 specifies exactly who is eligible to receive any death-inservice lump sum or preserved/deferred pension lump sum in the event of the member’s death - so there is no ability to nominate. The newer schemes, AFPS 05 and AFPS 15, allow the member to nominate one or more people or organisations as recipients. Nominations must be made on an AFPS Form 2 and, if more than one person or organisation is nominated, the member must specify how the sum is to be divided. The sums are significant. Whereas the AFPS 75 death-in-service lump sum is three times representative pay for the deceased’s rank, the AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 death in service lump sum is four times pensionable pay. Thus, the AFPS 05 or AFPS 15 deathin-service lump sum for a corporal

would be over £120,000 – a serious amount of money for anyone. Nominations are intended to make the member’s wishes clear and, where one exists, a nomination means that Veterans UK can arrange swift payment to the nominee(s). Completion of an AFPS Form 2 is particularly useful in the case of unmarried partners, where Veterans UK will be looking for evidence of financial dependence or interdependence in order for the partner to qualify for a pension. A nomination provides some evidence of the member’s intention to provide for his or her partner’s financial wellbeing and, as such, could help Veterans UK reach a speedy conclusion. If there is no nomination, the lump sum will go to the spouse or civil partner, or unmarried partner or, failing that, to the estate. The existence of an AFPS Form 2 speeds things up and, at a time when the family have wor-

ries aplenty, means that immediate money problems do not add to the mix. Once you leave the Armed Forces, there may still be pension lump sums due. For example, AFPS 05 awards the member a pension and pension lump sum (worth three times the pension). If he or she leaves at age 55 or over, the lump sum is paid to the member but, if he or she leaves before that age with a preserved pension, and dies before drawing it, the pension lump sum is payable to the nominee(s). There is no automatic lump sum for AFPS 15 members but if they leave before age 60 the pension is deferred. If the member dies before claiming his or her pension, a lump sum of three times the pension is paid to the nominee(s).

form unless: G The nominee dies before the member; G The nominee is the member’s exspouse or civil partner and the relationship has been legally dissolved *; G The member marries or enters into a civil partnership after 1 December 2018. G The nominee is convicted of the murder or manslaughter of the member (and potentially any other offences relating to the nominee killing or wounding of a member, depending on circumstances). (* Although the nomination of a spouse or civil partner lapses on divorce or dissolution of the partnership, there is nothing to prevent re-nomination after the final decree.)

AFPS Form 2 is available on the internet. It is simple to complete and there is nothing to prevent you from replacing an old nomination form with a new one at any time.

The message from this article is that it is may be a good idea for you to express your wishes on an AFPS Form 2 – this will depend on your own circumstances and intentions - but it is not mandatory and, if you do nominate, you must, must keep it under review or a hefty lump sum might be paid to the wrong person!

Whilst in principle it is good that AFPS 05 and AFPS 15 members have a vehicle for making their wishes known regarding who should receive what can be significant sums of money, these wishes must be kept under review. Veterans UK will comply with the wishes expressed on the nomination

If you are a Member of the Forces Pension Society and have questions on this or any other pension issue, contact us at pensionenquiries@forpen.co.uk If you are not a Member but would like to know more about us, visit www.forcespensionsociety.org

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Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P10

In brief

HOT SEAT: Gp Capt Massie (left) hands over to Gp Capt Taylor in the Gulf

Super Dad is on keep daughter

Gulf job lot

PEDAL POWER: Clocking up the miles during an the extreme Ultraman event

COMBAT CHIEFS conducting RAF operations in the Middle East have handed over to their successors after demanding sixmonth tours. At 906 Expeditionary Air Wing Wg Cdr Kev Brookes transferred command to Wg Cdr Roger Flynn while 83 Expeditionary Air Group Deputy Air Component Commander Gp Capt Andy Massie was replaced by Gp Capt Keith Taylor.

HOT TO TROT: Phil hits the road in the blazing Florida heat

Simon Mander

GUIDANCE: SSAFA mentoring team reaching out to Service leavers

Mentors target Service leavers SERVICE LEAVERS will soon be able to join a mentoring service after research into a pilot project showed it reduced isolation by more than a third. The programme, run by the military charity SSAFA, has so far helped 560 wounded, injured or sick individuals and their family Now the one-to-one support it provides for up to two years post Service has been rolled out across the UK. Vets who took part in a mentoring trial experienced a 31 per cent increase in feelings of happiness with themselves, a 35 per cent reduction in social isolation and more than 20 per cent improvement in their financial and housing stability, the charity said. ● Go to: ssafa.org.uk or email mentoring@ssafa.org.uk.

Booked up BENSON has opened a mini-library specialising in titles on diversity. The new facility is described as a ‘safe space’ where personnel can catch up on the latest releases on minority issues including gender politics and ethnicity.

AN ENDURANCE sports addict has teamed up with other RAF pilots for an epic ocean-going challenge to mark his daughter’s recovery from leukaemia. The trans-Atlantic rowing challenge is the FIFTH time in as many years Wg Cdr Phil Holdcroft has set himself a seemingly impossible fitness goal and to raise cash for cancer charities. The RAF Exchange Officer, currently based in America, said: “The reason for my annual self-flagellation in endurance sport stems from a cruel twist of fate which saw my youngest daughter suffer with leukaemia. “Now a beautiful, happy and healthy seven-year-old, Isla is in her fourth year of remission. “After five years she will be considered cured by medics. “I pledged to mark each year with an endurance challenge designed to raise awareness for the incredible charities which support childhood cancer. “The only rule is that the challenge needs to get tougher each year.” The first year he completed a gruelling three-day triple marathon to raise money for the Starlight Foundation which grants tailormade wishes for children with lifethreatening illnesses. The second year was the UK’s largest 100km trek – along the Ridgeway, Britain’s oldest path, in

support of CLIC Sargent Cancer Care for Children.

“

The only rule I have is that the challenge has to get harder every year

”

Year three was an epic 100-mile foot race raising awareness for Delete Blood Cancer which campaigns to increase the number of stem cell donors in the UK. Last year Wg Cdr Holdcroft, who earned a coveted Green Beret by completing the All Arms Commando course in 2005 while awaiting helicopter flying training, then returned to running. He said: “Year four took me back to my triathlon roots, only super-sized, with the Ultraman Florida – a brutal three-day invitation-only event. “The race covers a total distance of 321.6 miles and required each participant complete a 6.2-mile open water swim, a 263-mile bike ride, and a 52.4-mile ultramarathon run. “Next year will be the fifth year and the Grand Finale. “Here, I’ll be joined by three RAF pilot colleagues, as we take on this enormous trans-Atlantic rowing challenge, again raising money for the Starlight Foundation,” he added. The team, currently

Wg Cdr Holdcroft, Typhoon Flight Commander Sqn Ldr Sonny Roe, helicopter pilot and fellow Green Beret Flt Lt Chris CarringtonSmith, with one more member to be confirmed, will tackle the 3000 -mile Talisker Whiskey Atlantic Challenge. The last RAF team to attempt the event were dramatically rescued at the halfway point after a storm destroyed the rudder on their 22ft boat Clear Run leaving them drifting for days at the mercy of the waves.

FAMILY FORTUNES: Phil and wife Beth with battling daughter Isla

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P11

a mission to cancer free lantic Challenge

Talisker Whiskey At

Start: Finish:

San Sebastian, Canary Islands

English Harbour, Antigua 3,000 nautical miles 40-90 days

SEA SORE: The RAF crew of the Clear Run who drifted for days after storm wrecked rudder, inset below RAF News covers the story in 2016

Spit hero Alec marks century Simon Mander

A SPITFIRE pilot who won the DFC and flew many types of aircraft during WWII has celebrated his 100th birthday. Alec George Bowman was one of four brothers from the same family to join up to fight. Enlisting in the RAF in 1940 he trained on Harvards, Miles Masters and Hurricanes before being posted to the Far East. But the fall of Singapore forced him to stop in South Africa and catch a troop ship to the Suez Canal on which, unknown to him, was his oldest brother Bert who was in the Army. They met up later in Cairo and Major Albert David Bowman went on to win the MC and bar and was wounded twice.

Joining a large salvage unit based in North Africa Alec flew a Magister locating crashed aircraft in the Libyan desert and piloted recovered Seafire, Lysander, Fiesler Storch, Messerschmitt 108 and Mustang aircraft. In January 1944, he joined 249 Sqn in Italy flying Spitfire V armed with machine guns, cannon and 50 pound bombs. His heroics destroying enemy aircraft, shipping, rolling stock and vehicles earned him a DFC and a commission. In October, Alec joined the Mediterranean/Middle East Communication Squadron initially as a Pilot Officer and then a Flying Officer. After the war he commanded 578 ATC Squadron from 1958 to 1970 and became a Flight Lieutenant.

BROTHERS IN ARMS: Alec (right) with his older brother Bert who signed up to serve with the Army at the outbreak of World War II

We are excellent. We are QE.

The Independent Schools Inspectorate (ISI) has found Queen Ethelburga’s Collegiate to be ‘Excellent’ across all schools, praising our pupils’ outstanding academic achievements and personal development.

Queen Ethelburga’s has a long-standing relationship with the British Forces, welcoming students from military families for over 100 years. We currently have over 300 such students living as part of the QE family. We welcome day students from 3 months to 19 years and boarders from 6 years to 19 years. We are CEA accredited and in recognition of our commitment to Forces families, we offer a significant reduction in fees. In 2017/18 this meant that our Forces families paid just 10% of fees. In 2018/19 Forces families will pay just £955 per term, per child (with the benefits of Childcare Vouchers this figure can be as low as £614 per term). We pride ourselves on our wrap-around specialist pastoral care for our students, providing a secure and supportive home from home. We are focused on creating the right learning and living environment so that every one of them can thrive. For further information or to arrange a visit contact our admissions team on: Tel: 01423 33 33 30 Email: admissions@qe.org

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P13

News

Dan’s pumped by charity bid

A GUNNER officer is training to flip a 100kg tyre for more than 20km in 24 hours to raise cash to fight cancer. Flt Lt Dan Garner, 38, will attempt the feat at the Victoria Embankment near Trent Bridge, Nottingham, next month. The Honington-based airman has been in training for five months and has so far flipped a 138kg tyre the 4km length of Donington Park race circuit in 6.5 hours and the 3.6km Cadwell Park in 4.5 hours. Originally from West Bridgford, Nottingham, his chosen charity is close to home. He said: “Nottingham hospitals are stretched. They need our help and cancer touches almost everyone in the city.”

Medics net Sudan award MEDICS WHO treated 1800 people on a UN peacekeeping mission to trouble-stricken South Sudan have been honoured. A team of 25 RAF and four Army healthcare personnel set up a field hospital in the civil wartorn country in 2018. In recognition of their achievement the Brize Norton-based Tactical Medical Wing have been awarded the Firmin Sword of Peace by Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Mike Wigston – the only one given to an RAF unit. Officer Commanding TMW Wing Commander Jo Bland said: “The UK facility was able to stabilise ill or injured UN personnel and conduct damage control surgery in the event of traumatic injuries prior to Aeromedical Evacuation if required. I am enormously proud of their achievements.”

HONOUR: CAS ACM Mike Wigston presents the Firmin Sword to Brize-based Tactical Medical Wing

Do you know someone whoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s made an impact? Nominate them for the IET Achievement Awards. theiet.org/achievement The Institution of Engineering and Technology is registered as a Charity in England and Wales (No. 211014) and Scotland (No. SC038698). The Institution of Engineering and Technology, Michael Faraday House, Six Hills Way, Stevenage, Hertfordshire, SG1 2AY, United Kingdom.

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P15

News

Game on as Forces face Fortnite challenge Simon Mander

A NEW virtual reality training system based on the popular Fortnite game is being trialled by the British Armed Forces. The new platform will use the latest virtual reality tech to make military training more realistic, intuitive and immersive, while lowering the costs, the MOD said. Veteran-run software company SimCentric has been awarded £300,000 by the Defence and Security Accelerator programme to develop the simulator. After initial trials with the Army, tests with RAF and Royal Marines will take place later this year. The simulator, which can be used by more than 30 personnel at the same time, uses intuitive gesture control designed to match real actions on the battlefield, high definition surround sound and highly realistic visuals. Rather than clicking a mouse while sitting at a desk, personnel will be able to hold a ‘gun’ and crouch and crawl when necessary, just as they would on a real-life exercise. SimCentric Director of

GLOBAL HIT: Fortnite characters, inset, training with VR headset

Online lift for vets

Innovation and former Army Air Corps Officer Tom Constable said: “I joined the British Army in 2006 and later served in Afghanistan. This gave

me a passion for building technology that will reduce the risk to our armed forces and improve training, with the aim of saving lives.”

EX-SERVICE PERSONNEL and their families will find it easier to get help with bereavement, leaving the military and compensation claims after an overhaul of a defence website. The Veterans UK revamp is party of a range of measures launched by Defence Minister Johnny Mercer (above) to help ex-Forces fighters get the help and support they need. The new site provides advice on compensation claims, finance, welfare groups, benefits, mental health support and treatment offered by

government, the NHS and military charities and welfare groups. As part of the digital makeover the MoD plans to launch an online system which allows veterans to verify their military service to take advantage of job schemes, discounts and subsidised travel. Defence Minister Johnny Mercer said: “We want the UK to be the best place in the world to be a vet. “The experience of being a vet varies widely in different parts of the Country. Our veterans need to know where to turn to find help.”

Search for Bonnie lad Petrolhead Mike launches bid to trace classic MG’s original airman owner Tracey Allen

WORKING MILITARY Dog Tommy takes a breather with handler Cpl Hannah Smith after performing at Crufts. The duo were part of a 10-strong team from across the Royal Air Force who showcased their skills in front of thousands of spectators at Birmingham’s NEC. PHOTOS: SAC HAZEL READER

THE PROUD owner of a rare classic sports car is on a mission – to find the UK airman who originally registered it. Michael Jaffé has owned his 1971 MGB-GT, nicknamed ‘Bonnie’ – because of her registration number BON 344K – since 1982 and is looking for the airman who first owned the car, back in 1972. Michael believes the original owner was probably stationed in Germany and bought the car under a military export scheme to avoid costly car purchase tax. He said: “I recall finding the owner through an appeal in RAF News a long time ago, but we lost touch. “It would be great to let the owner know – if they or their family are still around – that the MG is much loved and alive and well. “She sounds like a Spifire and would probably fly like one if she had wings.” Michael, who lives in north London, reckons he has spent around £27,000 restoring his beloved car over the years. He said: “I often get offers for her but

I’d never part with her, she’s not for sale. She’s my pride and joy. I keep her in the garage and take her out at weekends and only usually in fair weather. I do about 3,000 miles a year in her and enjoy taking her to airshows.” Of the 1,656 RHD MGB-GTs made

in 1971 for the 1972 model year, only around 0.13 per cent are estimated to be currently registered in use on UK roads. ● If you are Bonnie’s original owner and would like to contact Michael, please email: tracey.allen@rafnews. co.uk

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE

Who do you know who deserves recognition?

ACH year we seek out nominations for the world’s top engineering and technology talent, honouring them with medals and trophies for their services to the industry at a glamorous and inspiring ceremony in London. Last year’s IET Armed Forces Technician of the Year Award was won by Warrant Officer Class 2 (WO2) Kay Howells, an Army Ammunition Technician with over 15 years’ experience in all aspects of ammunition, surveillance, repair and disposal. She is one of the British Army’s most highly skilled bomb disposal experts and has conducted bomb disposal operations in hostile environments; most notably in Afghanistan and during a recent Weapons Intelligence role in Iraq. She leads the Advanced Counter IED team at the Defence’s Explosives, Munitions and Search School. A keen promoter of Science Technology Engineering and Maths in the workplace, Kay actively seeks to inspire future generations into STEM trades within the military. On winning, she said: “Promoting the ammunition technician trade means a great deal to me and I am thankful to the IET for inviting us to these awards. It is great to receive recognition for my work.”

So, who do you think should win this year? Nominations are now open, so hop online to view the various award criteria and nominate someone exceptional at:

theiet.org/achievement The IET Achievement Awards exist to recognise individuals from all over the world who have made exceptional contributions to the advancement of engineering, technology and science in any sector, and therefore made demonstrable impact to society. This can be through research and development in their respective technical field or through their leadership of an enterprise. The calibre of nominees for these awards are always exceptionally high, with each year’s nominees surpassing the last, making it a very difficult award for the judging panel to award! IET President Dr Peter Bonfield OBE said: “All the IET Armed Forces Technician Award finalists demonstrated skills and knowledge through their work that went far beyond their roles. They have taken on challenging tasks and through innovation and determination to succeed have brought real benefits to those they

work for and with.” 2018’s IET Armed Forces Technician of the Year was awarded to Sergeant (Sgt) Dan Hardwick, a Mechanical Aircraft Technician in the RAF and proactive STEM ambassador. He was chosen for his contributions to the development of aircraft tools and for his dedication to promoting STEM throughout the Norfolk region. He said: “It felt great to be nominated for the awards and to be recognised in my own workplace, [and] then to be shortlisted was amazing, I did not expect it at all. Looking at previous winners citations I didn’t think I

would make the mark at all. Then when I won the award I didn’t really have words for how I felt. To be recognised for my efforts in engineering and STEM by an organisation like the IET is incredible. It really made me feel proud. “Winning the award has helped me to raise my profile as a STEM ambassador, [and] it has also gained me higher respect in my wider organisation. Seeing what a great organisation the IET is has spurred me on to enhance my professional registration and gain Incorporated Engineer status. I have had time to reflect on my career achievements and this will undoubtably help me find a rewarding engineering career when my time in the RAF has come to an end.” The IET Awards programme provides recognition and support in awards, prizes, scholarships and bursaries to celebrate excellence and research in the sector and encourage the next generation of engineers and technicians. All IET Awards seek to inspire and reward engineering excellence,

including apprentices at the start of their careers through to reputable, established professional engineers and technicians.

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P17

News News bulletin

Forces face calls to clean up their act Simon Mander London

PATHFINDERS: Honington team

Gunners pave the way for families TRAINEE GUNNERS paved the way for station personnel, families and friends of loved ones visiting Honington’s Memorial Garden. A total of 45 Regiment rookies gave up their spare time to build a path and clean and maintain the plaques which pay tribute to Service personnel fallen in battle. The Memorial Garden was originally built from the rubble of the station’s former War Operations Centre and is kept up by donations.

GET SHIRTY: Shawbury fundraisers

Nepal nets kit CHARITY CRUSADERS from Shawbury are hitting new heights – with a mission to deliver sports kit to youngsters in Nepal. A team from the station’s Taking Football to Africa and Beyond appeal will be joining a charity expedition to the mountainous country – and delivering sports clothing to youngsters living in the Gurkha community.

Falklands tribute AIR FORCE teams stationed in the Falklands took part in a ceremony to remember WWI German seamen who died when the Scharnhorst battleship went down in ther South Atlantic. RAF Atlas A400M crews joined Lady Alexandra Norton, the great-great-grandniece, of German Admiral Maximilian Graf Von Spee for the event.

A REVIEW has been launched to spearhead UK Defence initiatives to cut down the military’s carbon footprint as the Armed Forces come under fire from environmentalists. With more frequent deployments to the Arctic circle as ice sheets recede and Russian submarine activity increases the military could be heading for a showdown over climate change. While defence chiefs battle to limit their own environmental

impact, military rescue teams are also facing a rise in the number of humanitarian missions caused by flooding and extreme weather events, such as the recent spate of record breaking hurricanes to devestate the Caribbean. The Ministry of Defence is also one of the largest central government contributors to greenhouse gas emissions from the operation of its aircraft, ships, vehicles and large estate of bases and housing. Former Chief of Defence People Lt Gen Richard Nugee (right) has been appointed to lead the review

which will focus on the military contribution to the Government’s commitment to reach net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. Lt Gen Nugee said: “We need to act now to understand and prepare for the changes that have to be made. “At the same time, we must reduce our own emissions. “I will be looking at all elements of defence, from equipment to infrastructure, our processes, functions and behaviours. We must ensure that we develop a response that is built on much of the good work that we are already doing.”

Bloodhound cash crisis Team issues £8 million plea to save world speed record bid Staff Reporter

AIRMAN ANDY Green’s bid to set a new world land speed record in the rocket-powered Bloodhound car has been thrown into doubt after the team hit a £8 million funding crisis. Bosses say unless they raise the cash fast the project to reach more than 1000mph across a dry river bed in South Africa will be axed. Bloodhound chief Ian Warhurst said: “The clock is ticking. If we miss our cool weather window in July and August temperatures in the Kalahari will make running a rocket untenable next year.” Team bosses have confirmed that work on Bloodhound has been halted and warn the project may fold if they cannot raise the funds ‘within weeks’. Warhurst added: “The project is dormant while we try to secure funding but with costs running at tens of thousands per month of overheads we can’t remain dormant for long. “After all we have achieved to prove its viability in the last year it would be devastating to end here when we are so close.” Warhurst stepped in to save the the project from bankruptcy when it was plunged into financial chaos

POWER FAILURE: Bloodhound on the pace during recent testing in South Africa but project could stall over funding crisis. Right and inset above, driver and RAF airman Andy Green

with more than £25 million of debts. RAF pilot Andy Green looked to be on target to smash this own existing land speed record when he hit 628mph during the first high speed tests on the Hakskeen Pan earlier this year. The Bloodhound team will use a hydrogen peroxide powered rocket developed for the European Space Agency alongside the EJ200 Typhoon jet engine for the record bid. Technical chiefs warn the volatile chemicals will become unstable in

high temperatures and have ruled out running the car during the hot season when heat levels can soar to more than 40˚C. A spokesman said: “The rocket’s oxidiser has to be stored at cool temperatures. It is inert in typical winter temperatures of about 20˚C during July and August in the Northern Cape. “It becomes volatile if temperatures rise above 50˚C and the team experienced 44˚C during testing last year in October.”

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Feature War art

Draw, draw is better than war, war VISITORS to the RAF Museum in London later this month will get a rare insight into how artists interpreted the WWII battle in the air through the people and aircraft that fought it. Here curator Julia Beaumont-Jones (pictured) gives RAF News readers a preview of the In Air and Fire: War Artists, the Battle of Britain and the Blitz exhibition which opens at Hendon on March 27

S SKY battles unfolded across the South and East of England in the summer of 1940, seeing off enemy invasion, artists produced a pictorial record of the war, many of their works commissioned and purchased by Sir Kenneth Clark’s War Artists’ Advisory Committee (WAAC). Modernist artists and designers, including Paul and John Nash, Graham Sunderland, Raymond McGrath and CRW Nevinson, imaginatively drew inspiration from the formidable forms of fighter and bomber aircraft. As the ‘personalities’ of modern warfare, aeroplanes became artists’ new portrait subjects. For the Surrealist painter and printmaker Paul Nash aeroplanes were ‘Aerial Creatures’, each with their own identities. For him the Wellington bomber was ‘very human in one way’, a ‘baleful creature’ with ‘a look of purpose, of unswerving concentration... heroic’, and resembling ‘the whale’. Artists were also excited by other new wartime apparatus. Anthony Gross, Robert Austin and Laura Knight depicted barrage balloons, visible across the countryside and urban areas. The balloon’s ungainly structure gave it an ‘other-worldly’ identity as an extraordinary voluminous behemoth. Demanding the strength and agility of its operators who grappled with rigging and tethering, the balloon was an alluring subject for figurative artists. But the human presence was not overlooked. In their commissioned works, Austin and Knight impressed upon audiences the vital role of the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force within RAF Balloon Command, as from 1941 women replaced male operators. Furthermore, practising artists who became WAAFs, including Elva Blacker and Lilian Buchanan, documented the people and spaces of the RAF stations in which they served. Their drawings

and paintings of the operations rooms of Biggin Hill and Kenley describe women’s contribution to the Dowding System – plotting enemy and squadron coordinates on tables before scrambling fighters. Drawing these classified activities was monitored and works were subjected to censorship; with many only being shared publicly after the war.

he pilots and crew of RAF Fighter and Bomber Commands were brought to public attention in portraits by Cuthbert Orde, William Rothenstein and Eric Kennington, a selection of which appear at the end of the exhibition. For war artist commissions, the Air Ministry sought portraiture of heroes to reinforce internal morale and promote the achievements of the RAF. Conversely, the WAAC preferred more allusive propaganda and reportage that could chime with the wider public’s experiences of the war and fire the imaginations of people abroad. Exhibitions in London and Manhattan enhanced public interest in British art and shaped a national identity. Whereas in World War I painters were mostly messengers from the distant battlefields of the Western Front, World War II artists were confronted with the wreckage of a war played out on the home front, in which the nation was physically and emotionally embroiled. Since the beginning of raids on Britain’s cities in August 1940, artists were moved to represent people’s daily routines of shelter and civil defence. Subjects such as Air Raid Precaution and fire services, ambulance and rescue work, and communal refuge were now common to the commissioned works of well-established painters. While the theme of public sheltering was encouraged as a propagandist motif of cohesive

OFF MESSAGE: Carel Weight’s It Happened to Us of a trolley-bus being chased by bombers

OPS ROOM KENLEY: Painted by Lilian Buchanan

spirit, Rachel Reckitt, who undertook relief work in London’s East End, found herself disillusioned with the local authority’s lack of support for homeless families and refugees. Not content to perpetuate a ‘myth of the Blitz’, in letters home to her family in Somerset she wrote: [19 September 1940] ‘The LCC [London County Council] officials all need shooting; they kept hundreds of homeless people waiting from 8:30am to dusk today for buses to evacuate them, which never came and which in the end they admitted they had known would never come.’ [2 October 1940] ‘Lorry loads of clothes keep coming from America now and it is left to the ARP [Air Raid Precautions] Wardens to distribute them. This means they give them to their friends and sell them to anyone else who looks in, a very profitable occupation for them, but not, I feel, what the donors intended. They hinted that I could have my pick of a new pile of 1000

pairs of new and nearly-new smart American shoes.’

y far the most common propagandist subject of the period was the Blitzed landscape. The WAAC encouraged representations of blasted city landmarks as expressions of Britain’s plight and fortitude when it was hoped that the still neutral United States of America could be stirred into military support. With a starker visual language, modern representations of urban chaos reworked an old tradition in British art – the ruin scene suggestive of the country’s Romantic past, whereby artists enshrined the memory and persistence of British culture. Eve Kirk’s St Paul’s Cathedral appears as a dystopian view of a much-loved cultural heritage.

oon after fleeing Nazi Germany for England in 1937, Walter Nessler painted his most famous work, Premonition, foretelling a London Blitz. The devastation wrought in the Spanish Civil War had been on

his mind and was famously depicted in Picasso’s famous Guernica, which lamented the Nazi and Fascist bombing of the Basque Country. Nessler’s imagined London after a German raid is an uncanny vision. St Paul’s Cathedral rises from an inferno of twisted steel girders, shattered buildings and scattered buses, while a gas mask looms as a grim ‘mementomori’, portending human tragedy. A camouflage-patterned horizon surrenders to a menacing veil of blood-red light, the scarred built environment symbolising a wounded civilisation. The Blitz claimed 44,000 lives and 60,000 serious casualties, yet surprisingly few contemporary paintings portrayed scenes of death and fear – imposing a stoic dignity on war art subjects; violence could only be tacitly communicated through distressed landscapes, while human activities denoted perseverance over panic. When Carel Weight’s dramatically absurd scene of a bomber-pursued trolley-bus, It Happened to Us,

BIG BIRD: Wellington bomber by Paul Nash

STRIKING: Barrage balloons made a big impression on artist Laura Knight

THE WOMEN’S WAR: Elsie Gledstanes’ Driver on Duty features a female Civil Defence worker snatching a quick break from duties

strayed from a brief to record suburban ruins, the WAAC declined it, issuing him with a clear statement of priorities: ‘to show how the ordinary affairs of life were being carried on in spite of the effects of the Blitz.’

HORROR: Walter Nessler’s Premonition foretold the London Blitz.

DOWN THE TUBE: LT Underground station, by Olga Lehmann

SPANISH REFUGEES: By Rachel Reckitt

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Top cop thriller ● p8

Secrets and scandals – Belgravia ● p3

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R'n'R TV

Belgravia ITV

The other Trenchards

WELL CONNECTED: (L-R) Alice Eve as Susan Trenchard, Ella Purnell as Lady Maria Grey, Jack Bardoe as Charles Pope, Harriet Walter as Lady Brockenhurst, Philip Glenister as James Tranchard, Tamsin Greig as Anne Trenchard and Tom Wilkinson as Earl of Brockenhurst PHOTOS: ITV

ELGRAVIA, the highlyanticipated new series from Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, has just hit our screens in the Sunday night primetime slot. Like Downton, Belgravia – tantalisingly described as a story of secrets and scandals amongst the upper echelons of 19th century London – boasts a stellar cast, including Harriet Walter (The Crown), Philip Glenister (Life on Mars), Tamsin Greig (Episodes), Tara Fitzgerald (Game of Thrones), Tom Wilkinson (Michael Clayton), Paul Ritter (Chernobyl) and Alice Eve (She’s Out of My League). Fellowes has adapted his bestselling novel for the six-part drama. When the Trenchards accept an invitation to the now legendary ball hosted by the Duchess of Richmond on the fateful eve of the Battle of Waterloo, it sets in motion a series of events that will have consequences for decades to come as secrets unravel behind the porticoed doors of London’s grandest neighbourhood. Greig plays Anne Trenchard, the daughter of a country teacher and wife of the self-made James Trenchard (Glenister). She enjoys her husband’s success without sharing his social ambitions. Greig said: “There is a line in Julian’s novel that says Anne was unintentionally well bred because she wasn’t interested in being well bred. That is such a wonderful clue to her character. She is happy with who she is. Titles are not interesting to her. That’s really intriguing. She

New drama is NOT just another Downton

UK Box Office Top 10 1 Onward 2

The Invisible Man (below)

3 Military Wives 4 Sonic the Hedgehog

is completely at peace with who she is. Then she suffers a terrible tragedy. That is where the drama lies.” She added: “Belgravia is about the rise of the middle classes and the nouveaux riches overtaking the entitled aristocracy. “It’s not just a story about upstairs and downstairs. It’s much more complex, there is no vertical divide between masters and servants. The characters are much more threedimensional.” Greig has previously starred with Ritter (who plays Turton the butler) in the hilarious Channel 4 comedy Friday Night Dinner – due to return later this month for a sixth series. She said: “Paul is one of those actors who can literally do anything. It’s thrilling to be on set with him. I did love the irony that in Belgravia he’s playing Anne’s butler, but he wields a certain power over her.” Greig admitted that she struggled with wearing period costume for her role. She revealed: “It was hard, especially when you’re not used to being constricted in that way. “In 1841 the crinoline was not

5 Parasite 6 Dark Waters 7 SERVICE: Staff looking after the Trenchards, led by Paul Ritter as Turton the butler, centre

invented so women had to wear four or five heavy petticoats under their dress. Obviously, we had to wear that because it’s such an incredibly authentic production. “Anything you do in those costumes takes a mental and biological reorganisation. There is no way to prepare for that, unless you spend your time before filming wearing a corset!”

alter describes her character, Lady Brockenhurst, as ‘quite an old-school aristocrat.’ She said: “She is very conscious of her place in society, as was everyone during that epoch. But she’s experienced a tragedy which has made her more vulnerable. She is facing a bleak future, until

she meets Anne and everything changes…” Walter, who played Lady Shackleton in Downton, said of Fellowes’ work: “His lines trip off the tongue very easily. There is a lot going on between the lines. There is a delicacy and ambiguity about it, but it makes it very easy to act.” She added: “People will probably compare Belgravia with Downton Abbey but this is very different from that series. Where it is similar is in the fact that Julian creates characters on every level of the social order and has an equal amount of interest in all of them. That aspect always appeals.” Belgravia continues on ITV at 9pm on Sundays.

Blumhouse's Fantasy Island

8 Dolittle 9

Riverdance 25th Anniversary Show

10 Emma

Source: BFI

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Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 R'n'R 4

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R'n'R The Big Interview

Edited by Tracey Allen

Win!

Joe Pasquale

Music

Rufus Wainwright

To be Frank, Joe's been beret silly Making peace with middle-age New album and tour dates

TANK TOP CHIC: Joe as the hapless Frank Spencer, and with Sarah Earshaw as Betty, far right

ADAM LILLEY: As Giles Ralston

Music

ELSH NATIONAL Opera is at Milton Keynes Theatre this spring with a trio of offerings that promise revenge, temptation and suspense. There are two performances (April 1 and April 3) of Georges Bizet’s best-known work Carmen, with productions of Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro on April 2 and Verdi’s Les Vêpres Siciliennes on April 4. Carmen has everything you could want from an opera – passion, drama and a stand-out score, including the famous Toreador Song and Carmen’s provocative Habanera. Award-winning director Jo Davies provides a refreshing perspective on

INGER-SONGWRITER Rufus Wainwright has announced the release of his new album, Unfollow The Rules, out on April 24. He will play two intimate shows at Islington’s Assembly Hall in London on April 27 – one starting at 6pm and the second at 8.45pm. Details of a UK tour will be announced soon. His new single Damsel In Distress is out now, with an official companion video created by awardwinning animator Josh Shaffner. Wainwright said: “Damsel In Distress is an homage to Joni Mitchell in some ways, particularly the structure. “My husband and I now live in Laurel Canyon. I wasn’t that familiar with Joni’s music but Jörn became obsessed and took me on a journey into her music. We ended up hanging out with her and I get now why she’s one of the greats. So it’s part Laurel Canyon, part a song about a personal relationship that I’m trying to come to terms with.” Unfollow The Rules, Wainwright’s ninth studio LP and first new pop album since 2012, was produced by Mitchell Froom (Crowded House, Paul McCartney, Richard Thompson, Suzanne Vega, Randy Newman) at a variety of legendary

Ooh Betty, you've got a right one there alright

F YOU’RE up for a big slice of nostalgia, the stage version of classic 70s comedy Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em could be just what you’re looking for. King of the Celebrity Jungle Joe Pasquale (The Producers, Spamalot) reprises his role as the lovable, accident-prone Frank Spencer (famously played by Michael Crawford in the original TV series) for a new UK tour that runs until July. Joe previously starred in a 2018 tour of the show. He is joined by Susie Blake (Coronation Street, The Victoria Wood Show) as Frank’s disapproving mother-in-law, Mrs Fisher, and Sarah Earnshaw (Spamalot) as his longsuffering wife Betty. She has exciting news for Frank, but he’s preoccupied by possible newfound fame as a magician. With guests arriving for dinner and crossed wires all round, priceless misunderstandings are on the menu. Director Guy Unsworth, who didn’t see the original TV series, said: “I saw re-runs and I love it; the slapstick, the situations and the character of Frank, who is one of the great British underdogs. “We sort of want him to fail because it is funny when he does, but we root for him to succeed too. Frank has the energy and loyalty of a Labrador puppy combined with the morals of his late overprotective mother.” Crawford was well-known for performing death-defying stunts as the hapless Frank and Joe isn’t shying away from the challenge for the stage show. He said: “I do it all – hanging

Welsh National Opera UK shows

by my ankles and all sorts. During rehearsals the bloke choreographing the stunts fell down the stairs [of the set] and caught his knackers on the bannister. All he could suggest by way of reassurance was that I’d better wear a box. I mean, he was a professional stunt man and I had to do it every night.” He stressed: “I don’t do it as Michael’s Frank Spencer; that would be an insult to Michael. I’m putting my personality into it.” Joe added: “Frank isn’t childish, he believes in what he’s doing. The relationship between him and Betty is a love story. He might always mess up, but she loves him anyway. For it to work she has to; otherwise he’d just be an idiot.” Based on an original story about Frank trying to get on a TV talent show – “it’s still set in the 70s, so you get the mustard wallpaper, tank tops and all the trimmings” said Joe – he loves the fact Some Mothers is a family- friendly show. He added: “It’s two hours of surgically tight performance. It is a show without malice or aggression and is sweet, touching and very funny. It has real heart.”

he comedian, actor and television presenter, who found fame on the TV talent show New Faces in 1987, believes that now is a good time for the show to tour again: “People want comedy during times of uncertainty,” he said. “Every single day [of the first tour] was a joy and a blessing. To get the audience laughing as much as they did was just wonderful.” He confessed that, never having trained as an actor, he needed Guy’s help. “He told me to do it as an absolutely proper role; no asides or ad‐libbing. Putting me with really good actors also makes me raise my game. Sarah is a linchpin and the relationship we have on and off stage is built on trust and affection,” Joe explained. The effervescent Pasquale waves aside any suggestion that the general schlepping of a long tour might be tiring.

“Touring in Some Mothers is a lot easier than my stand‐up show. Then I usually do 40 one-nighters. A week in one place is a holiday. I like to get out and about when I’m touring. I don’t just sit there watching the telly; I get the local pamphlets from the hotel and go see whatever there is to see.” As for playing Frank, Joe knows he’s likely to collect a few bumps and bruises along the way. But he’s used to ‘industrial injuries,’ having previously got himself stuck inside a bingo machine, broken his toe while tap dancing and dislocated a shoulder in panto. “It’s got danger written all over it for me. I wouldn’t want to be my understudy,” he laughed. By Vicky Edwards

What is the name of the character Joe Pasquale plays in Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em? Email your answer, marked Some Mothers competition, to:

comp etitions@rafne ws.co.u k or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by April 3. The show is at the Waterside from April 28 to May 2 and also visits venues including Windsor, Stoke, Blackpool, Stevenage, Newcastle, Leeds and Portsmouth. Go to: somemothersdoaveem. com for more information.

Carmen have a go with WNO

this well-known opera, setting it in Central America in the 1970s. The period-set Marriage of Figaro, directed by David Pountney, is described as one of the greatest comic operas, featuring a series of crazy twists and turns. Based around true events which took place in Sicily in 1282, Verdi’s grand opera Les Vêpres Siciliennes features wonderful choruses and breathtaking arias but beware the sound of wedding bells – they signal the start of a terrible tragedy… The WNO tour also visits Plymouth’s Theatre Royal, Theatre Royal Norwich and Birmingham Hippodrome. Go to: wno.org.uk for details.

PASSION: Virginie Verrez as Carmen (also far left) and Dimitri Pittas as Don José PHOTOS: BILL COOPER

Los Angeles studios including Sound City Studios and United Recording. Inspired by middle-age, married life, fatherhood, friends, loss, London and Laurel Canyon, songs like Only The People That Love and the spirited, symphonic Hatred find Wainwright ready to tackle new challenges. "What I would like this album to symbolise is a coming together of all the aspects of my life which have made me a seasoned artist,” he said. "My aim is to emulate the greats of yore whose second acts

produced their finest work – Leonard Cohen when he made The Future, when Sinatra became Sinatra in his 40s, when Paul Simon put out Graceland. Pop music isn’t always about your waistline. Many songwriters improve with age. I’m flying the flag for staying alive.” Rufus also plays live dates at Kelvingrove Park, Glasgow on August 1 and All Together Now, County Waterford, Ireland, on August 2.

STICK IN MUD: Darren Day plays Rev Moore

CAN'T DANCE: Gates is cowboy Willard

later I’d be playing the ‘cowboy that can’t dance’ on stages up and down the country. I’m a terrible dancer, so it’s pretty much life imitating art.” The show’s classic songs include Holding Out for a Hero, Almost Paradise, Let’s Hear It For the Boy and, of course, the unforgettable title track. City boy Ren thinks life is bad enough when he’s forced to move from Chicago to a rural backwater in America. But his world comes to a standstill when he arrives in the small Midwestern town of Bomont to find dancing and rock music are illegal. Taking matters into his own hands, soon Ren – with help from his new friend Willard and defiant teen Ariel Moore – has all hell breaking loose and the whole town on its feet. But Ariel’s influential father Rev Shaw Moore

(Darren Day) stands in the way. Day’s extensive West End career includes productions of Summer Holiday, Copacabana and Grease and tours include Alfie, Carousel, Great Expectations, Godspell, The Rocky Horror Show, We Will Rock You and many more. He’s had TV roles in Hollyoaks, Holby City and Sky’s Stella. He said: “I was a teenager in the 80s, which is such an impressionable age for movies and music. “This is one of the most iconic films and soundtracks from my teenage years. I can remember hearing Footloose on the radio for the first time and thinking 'what a tune'.” The tour starts next month and visits venues including Wimbledon, Birmingham, Sunderland, Milton Keynes, Glasgow and Oxford. Go to: atgtickets.com for details.

Go to: rufuswainwright.com for more details.

Theatre

Win tickets to see the show WE HAVE a pair of tickets to win to see Some Mothers Do 'Ave 'Em at the Waterside Theatre, Aylesbury, on April 28 at 7.30pm. For your chance to win, send us the correct answer to this question:

GIRD(ER) YOUR LOINS: Wainwright means business

Footloose UK tour

Rev rues Day Ren moved in

ARETH GATES and Darren Day star in a new touring production of the hit musical Footloose, based on the 1980s big screen sensation with a cast led by Kevin Bacon and featuring Sarah Jessica Parker (Sex and the City) and John Lithgow (3rd Rock From the Sun). Gates rose to fame through the inaugural series of Pop Idol in 2002, going on to sell more than five million records worldwide. He has gone on to enjoy a successful stage career, with credits including Les Misérables, Legally Blonde and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. He said: “I’m thrilled to be back playing Willard in the 2020 UK tour of Footloose. I had so much fun the first time around [on the 2017 tour] that I jumped at the chance to play such an exciting role again. "I was born in 1984, the year Footloose the movie was first released; I used to watch the movie lots as a kid not knowing some years

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 R'n'R 6

R'n'R Your Announcements

You can email photos for announcements on this page to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk

Deaths BISHOP Peter, died suddenly at home on Sunday, March 8, aged 82. His funeral will be held at Woodstock Church, Oxfordshire, at 11am on March 26. Pete joined the RAF as a Boy Entrant at RAF Cosford at the same time as me, John Billinton, on December 18, 1953, in the 18th Entry. As far as I know he was posted to an RAF base that operated Canberra bombers for a time before being posted to RAF Weeton where he was on an airframe fitters course. I met Pete there again as I was on the same course. On completion he was promoted to Junior Technician and was then posted to RAF Bicester 71 MU. He was promoted to Corporal during his time at Bicester working on Repair and Salvage on various RAF stations’ aircraft until he was demobbed in 1965. Pete then applied for a job at Oxford Airport, which later became CSE Aviation. We met there again after all those years, what a coincidence. Pete worked there until his retirement. He will be sadly

missed by all of us, and also his wife Margaret.

Frank Viner on his wedding day

VINER Francis Christopher (Frank). Born April 18, 1933, died February 15. Frank served as a Steward and later in Air Traffic Control. He was stationed at RAF St Mawgan after initial training but was demobbed in 1954. After re-enlisting in 1955, he completed his training at RAF Cardington and his postings included HMU Southampton, RAF Fassberg and RAF Wahn in Germany and Bawtry. Frank then transferred to ATC and completed training at Shawbury, before heading

on to RAF Little Rissington, Fairford, North Luffenham, and overseas to HQ FEAF in RAF Changi, Singapore, RAF Khormaksar in Aden and finally 229 OCU at RAF Chivenor. Leaving the RAF as a Corporal after 22 years, Frank moved back to Manchester before spending his later years in Bardney, Lincolnshire, tending to the IX Sqn memorial there. His wife Irene sadly passed away in 1972. Frank is survived by his five children, Christopher, Yana, Jennifer, Ian and Margaret and many grandchildren, greatgrandchildren and greatgreat-grandchildren. WILLIAMS Frank ex WO Admin passed away March 8, aged 89. Served for 37 years. Now resting with wife Diana. Sadly missed by daughter Jane and son Richard along with their families.

Seeking IS YOUR surname Mortimer, Dale, Keen or Jones? I'm hoping to make contact with any relatives of those who died with my uncle Edward McLaughlin on August 22,

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. Help us to avoid errors by typing your announcement or using block capitals. We cannot, under any circumstances, take announcements over the telephone. They can be sent by post to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, RAF High Wycombe, Naphill, Buckinghamshire, HP14 4UE or by email to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk

Important Notice 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.

Use the coupon for RAF News announcements Name .......................................................................................................................................................... Address ...................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................... ..................................................................................................................................................................... Please send to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, RAF High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, HP14 4UE.

1941 while serving with 37 Squadron in Egypt and are buried in the Suez war cemetery. Please contact Elaine Kelly at: ehkl1965@gmail.com. I am looking to reconnect with Stuart Taylor who was based at RAF Brize Norton approx 1998-2002 as a member of the ground crew, possibly 216 Squadron. Stuart will be 49-50 now and lived in Blackpool in the 80s working at the Tower briefly in 1987. He may be working as an RAF Avionics Instructor. Please email Marie at: whiskymac73@ gmail.com with any info.

Reunions 318TH Entry – 3 S of TT RAF Hereford. Admin/Craft Apprentices are organising a reunion to celebrate our 50th Anniversary on May 1, 2020. Any ex Apprentices who are interested in attending should contact Paul Leggott at: pleggott53@gmail.com. BOY Entrants 41st Entry all trades get together to celebrate 60 years. Midlands venue. At Leamington Spa May 15-17. Please contact Peter Johnson by email at: peterjohnson645@ btinternet.com. CALLING all 308 Entry Admin Apprentices. A 53rd Anniversary Reunion is being held at the National Memorial Arboretum on June 3 at Alrewas in Staffordshire. For further information, please contact Nick Nicholson on: 01691 682174 or email: www. nich33@btinternet.com. RAF Bawdsey Reunion Association. The annual reunion lunch will be held on Saturday, June 6 at Bawdsey Manor. Anyone who has served at RAF Bawdsey is invited to join our Association and attend the reunion. For details please contact: doreen. bawdseyreunion@btinternet. com or call: 0751 3301 723. 237 OCU. This year sees the eighth annual 237 OCU Groundcrew Reunion, to be held on Saturday, June 13 from 1200 at The Compleat Angler, 120 Prince of Wales Road, Norwich NR1 1NS. Ex-237 OCU members of all trades and any era welcome. Just turn up and join in. For more information, search for 237 OCU on Facebook, email me at: 237OCU@gmail.com or contact Si Roberts at 1 Manor Gardens, Carnoustie, Angus DD7 6HY or you can call: 07546 400085.

RAFBD and Kebar joint reunion June 19 to 21. Open to RAF Armourers and any ex RAF Bomb Disposal personnel. Phone: 07909 820322 for details.

is also available to people closely connected to the team. Email: secretary@ redarrowsassociation.co.uk or visit: redarrowsassociation. co.uk.

RAF Boy Entrants 45th Ground Wireless. A Reunion will be held in York on September 26. Further details: suddesr@aol.com or call: 07840 125396. ASSOCIATION RAF Women Officers Annual Reunion. All RAF Women Officers are invited to attend the Annual Reunion Lunch at the RAF Club on Saturday, October 10. We meet for prelunch drinks from 11.30am followed by lunch. All will be made very welcome, especially new members of the Association. If you would like further details about the Annual Reunion Lunch or the Association of RAF Women Officers, please contact Sue Arnold on: 07740 865685 or email: suearnold474@gmail.com. COASTAL Command Officers’ Reunion, October 10, 2020. Please contact Ray Curtis, call: 01264 735349 or email: hjn3@btinternet.com. THE RAF Locking 119/219/404 Apprentice Entries 50th Anniversary Reunion will be held on October 23 and 24. An informal evening on October 23 will allow ex-apprentices to gather before the formal dinner on October 24. The formal event will take place in the ballroom of the Weston-super-Mare Winter Gardens BS23 1AJ, for all RAF Locking 119/219/404 Entry Apprentices and wives/ partners. For further details please contact Barry Cox at: barrycox124@hotmail.com. 158 Squadron Bomber Command. The 158 Association is very active and we want to contact any veteran or relative of a veteran. We are planning a Reunion and Memorial Service for autumn 2020. Please contact: KevB@ silenicus.com. THE Red Arrows Association is calling for new members. It organises various events, has a Facebook page and biannual newsletter and holds a popular annual reunion. Membership is £5 a year and is conditional on having served on the Red Arrows (including the Yellowjacks) as either aircrew, ground crew or civilian support staff at any time since its formation in 1964. Associate membership

Night with the RAF THE London Palladium hosts a glittering Night With The Royal Air Force on April 1, two days after its inaugural performance at Birmingham’s Symphony Hall on March 30. Showcasing the Bands of the RAF and the Queen's Colour Squadron the concerts will feature a youth choir and guest rapper and are in support of the RAF Charitable Trust. For more details go to: thsh.co.uk/ boxoffice/ticket/882736 (for Birmingham); 1wtheatres. co.uk/whats-on/a-nightwith-the-royal-air-forceand-friends/ (for London Palladium).

5131 Sqn event APRIL 1 will see the formal disbandment of 5131 (Bomb Disposal) Squadron, the last remaining bomb disposal unit in the RAF. To mark the event, the squadron will be taking part in a final parade followed by an evening of celebration at RAF Wittering. Anyone who has served on the squadron or undertaken EOD duties is invited to express an interest in attending. Final date to be confirmed but will be held in April, 2020. For further details please email: 5131bd75@gmail. com including name, rank held, and phone number and whether still serving or not. Once numbers of attendees are known, formal invitations will be sent.

VE Day 75 WITH LESS than 100 days until VE 75 Day begins, the sell-out SSAFA Royal Albert Hall concert is set to be screened at more than 400 cinemas nationwide. SSAFA, the UK’s oldest national tri-service military charity, will hold the concert on May 8. Audiences will enjoy the Royal Albert Hall experience with stunning cinematic surround sound.

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 R'n'R 7

R'n'R Your Announcements

You can email photos for announcements on this page to: tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk

Free family breaks in Devon

The concert will feature stirring and emotional music from some of Britainâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s greatest composers â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Elgarâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Nimrod and Pomp and Circumstance (Land of Hope and Glory) to Ron Goodwinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Battle Of Britain Theme, a Dame Vera Lynn classic and many more. This event is in support of SSAFA. The Armed Forces charity offers support to those currently serving, regulars and Reservists. To search and find your local cinema screening of VE Day 75 visit: veday75.co.uk.

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Catering Association

Memories of Cranwell

MEMBERSHIP is open to those who are serving or have served as a WO or FS in Trade Group 19 and former RAF Catering Officers. Pleas email Eddie Jones: janedjones6@tiscali.co.uk or call: 01487 823480 for more information.

THIS YEAR is the centenary of the RAF College Cranwell and we are in the process of collecting memories from people who may have lived or worked at RAF College Cranwell, in any capacity â&#x20AC;&#x201C; we would love to hear your story and learn about your memories, writes Judith Cross, the College's Deputy Media Communications Officer. If you would like to share your memories with us please email: crn-sce-generalenquiries@mod.gov.uk or write to us at: Media and Communications Office, RAF College Cranwell, Sleaford, Lincs, NG34 8HB.

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SSAFA'S FAMILY Break on Exmoor â&#x20AC;&#x201C; four-night holidays for military families with additional needs children â&#x20AC;&#x201C; is now taking applications. This is a free, mid-week residential, open exclusively to military families with children who have additional needs and disabilities â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and siblings are welcome too. It runs from Monday October 26 to Friday October 30 at The Calvert Trust, with 60 spaces available on a firstcome, first-served basis. The Calvert Trust is a fully accessible centre which enables people with physical, learning, behaviour and sensory disabilities to experience exciting, challenging and enjoyable outdoor activities. The aim is to give military families the opportunity to spend quality time together whilst challenging themselves through outdoor activities and seeing each other achieve. A previous attendee of SSAFAâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Family Break said: â&#x20AC;&#x153;Normally I wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t think of doing an activity trip, because I need to think

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Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 R'n'R 8

R'n'R Prize Crossword No. 269

Solve the crossword, then rearrange the 8 letters in yellow squares to find a famous aircraft

Prize Su Doku

Solutions should be sent in a sealed envelope marked 'Prize Crossword' 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 April 3, 2020.

No. 279 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.

Across 1. Bird from Qatar heartland (4) 8. Plans pornographic pictures (10) 9. Gave money to African party in lovely day originally (8) 10. Business chief has left diminutive queen (4) 12. Sounds like couple may find another bird (6) 14. Are upsetting backward communist bookworm (6) 15. Thin length of beach (6) 17. Jet made contact scattering fish eggs (6) 18. After death, callow youth requiring guardian (4) 19. A kilt two shredded to produce a measure of power (8) 21. Let wastrel wreak havoc in financial district (4,6) 22. Henry I consumed by loathing (4) Down 2. Cheer pilot involved with aircraft (10) 3. Scandinavian group, either way (4) 4. Bomber involved in ‘Star Trek’? (6) 5. Sound like James Bond attached to the German creature (6) 6. Plane requiring aviation expertise (8) 7. Some Lagos location requires capital (4) 11. It’s difficult to make when downcast (3,7) 13. 100 sprinted effectively at college (8) 16. Old plane, from US state, lacking direction (6) 17. Before we returned, moderate disease appeared (6) 18. Wand broken at start of the day (4) 20. Accompanied by comedian to centre of Baghdad (4)

Name ................................................................................................................... Address ............................................................................................................... .............................................................................................................................. .............................................................................................................................. Famous aircraft .............................................................. Crossword No. 269

Name ...................................................................... ................................................................................. Address .................................................................. .................................................................................

Solution to Crossword No. 267: Across – 1. Tiger 4. Biplane 8. Example 9. Brief 10. Hate 11. Decipher 13. Tsar 14. Lass 16. Earl Grey 17. Zinc 20. Italy 21. Lanolin 22. Good Egg 23. Broke Down – 1. The Whispering 2. Giant 3. Ripe 4. Brewer 5. Publican 6. Alights 7. Effervescence 12. Gargoyle 13. Tornado 15. Jet Lag 18. Igloo 19. Snub RAF station – Benson l The winner of Crossword No. 267 is Brian Reynolds, of Royston,

who receives a copy of Through Adversity by Alastair Goodrum (amberley-books.com).

Review

DVD

Out now (15)

Rating, 15

21 Bridges

Calm with Horses

Brute's inner battle

....................................................Su Doku No. 279 Solutions should be sent in a sealed Solution to Su Doku No: 278 envelope marked 'Su Doku' with the number in the top left-hand corner to RAF News, to arrive by April 3, 2020. Su Doku 278 winner Helen Fearn from RAF Coningsby wins Bomber Boy by Dereck French DFC & Bar ((amberleybooks.com).

OUGLAS ‘ARM’ Armstrong (Cosmo Jarvis) is the muscle for a criminal family and father to an autistic son (Kiljan Moroney) – physically intimidating yet a sensitive soul – so when he is instructed to kill someone both his morals and loyalty are tested. With a largely silent character capable of extreme violence at the centre, and cut to a dreamlike score, this film has the feel of Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive. But the Los Angeles veneer and style is scratched away to reveal something rougher and grittier. Filmed on the west coast of Ireland, it holds onto the intimacy of its rural setting but brings out the desolation. This place is populated by lowly

Win!

Is it a bridge too far for cop Davis?

I STRONG 'ARM': Cosmos Jarvis, left, as Armstrong with Dympna (Barry Keoghan)

thugs and drug-dealers run by the Devers clan. Connected through his manipulating ‘friend’ Dympna (Barry Keoghan), the mouthy nephew of the family, Arm has been adopted as their trusty pit-bull to carry out the dirty work they’d rather avoid. An ex-boxer who has perhaps taken too many hits to the head, he does as he is told. There is a brutal darkness that sits behind the story, propelling it forward, but also a sensitivity taking shape in Arm’s moral crisis. Adapted from a short story the film expands the relationship between Arm, his ex-girlfriend and their son whose special needs have them looking at specialist schools across the country. Jarvis is captivating in this role,

playing the simple brute with such restraint through his squinting eyes and tightly drawn mouth that he looks visibly constrained, torn apart by inner conflict. He seldom speaks, but when he does, he does so softly with a sibilant lisp that is perhaps an indicator of his gentler nature, buried beneath his constructed masculine identity. This debut feature from Nick Rowland is confident and accomplished. There are moments of well-orchestrated action and tension building, but the most interesting scenes are those smaller exchanges that bring out the humanity of characters caught in the crossfire. 4 out of 5 roundels Review by Sam Cooney

N 21 BRIDGES, Black Panther, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame star Chadwick Boseman plays embattled NYPD detective Andre Davis. After uncovering a massive conspiracy, he joins a city-wide manhunt for two young cop killers. As the night unfolds, he soon becomes unsure of who to pursue – and who’s in pursuit of him. When the search intensifies, authorities decide to take extreme measures by closing all of Manhattan’s 21 bridges to prevent the suspects from escaping. Sienna Miller

(American Sniper) also stars. Directed by Brian Kirk (Game of Thrones) 21 Bridges is available to download and keep now and will be out on DVD and Blu-ray on March 30. We have copies on DVD up for grabs. For your chance to win one, just send us the correct answer to this question: Who directed 21 Bridges? Email your answer, marked 21 Bridges DVD competition, to: competitions@ rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by April 3.

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P21

Feature

British & Maltese women risked their lives in Ops Room of blitzed island capital Tracey Allen

HE FASCINATING story of wartime heroine Christina Ratcliffe and her romance with dashing World War II ace Wg Cdr Adrian Warburton has inspired a book, a play and is now being developed for a radio adaptation. Retired Gp Capt Paul McDonald is the author of Malta’s Greater Siege & Adrian Warburton that helped inspire playwright Philip Glassborow to write the hit musical Star of Strait Street about Christina, a glamorous and charismatic dancer, decorated for her wartime service to the RAF in Malta. Paul and Philip are currently collaborating on a radio version of Christina and Warby’s story –he was one of the RAF’s most highlydecorated pilots and is revered on the island. The couple fell in love but their lives ended in tragedy – he went missing in 1944 and was found in the wreckage of his aircraft in Bavaria in 2002, 59 years after he disappeared, aged 26. She never got over her loss and never married, dying a recluse, alone and unnoticed. She was buried in a shared grave in 1988 without finding out what had happened to the love of her life. Ladies of Lascaris, Paul’s latest book, tells Christina’s story and that of the British and Maltese girls employed by the RAF, and is now out in paperback (pen-and-sword. co.uk). In June 1942, 53 female civilian plotters worked at No 8 Sector Operations Room – often referred to simply as Lascaris – underground in Valletta, Malta’s capital. Some were as young as 14. Six, including Christina, were decorated for gallantry. What they did, how they lived and how some of them died is revealed in the book, partly using their own words. The six women pictured on the book’s cover [right] dancing on a rooftop against a backdrop of the capital’s skyline look like a chorus line practising a dance routine. The two girls in the centre are Martha Hayston, aged 14, on the left, and her sister Jane, 16, on the right. Christina is second from left. Jane married RAF Wellington pilot Harry Evans when she was 17. Just two years later she was a widow with a six-month-old daughter. Now 94, Jane lives in a nursing home in Chester near her daughter, Val Roberts. Paul said: “I was in Malta to launch my book at the Lascaris War Rooms when I was introduced to a chap who gave me the names of all six girls on the front cover. Until then I had only known two of them. He told me the two in the centre were sisters – Martha Hayston, his mother, and his Aunt Jane. “Afterwards I went to visit Jane – her story is fascinating. She survived the Illustrious blitz, was trapped in the Barracca Lift during

Valour in Valletta

COURAGE: Plotters included Jane Gregory (née Hayston)

PILOT: FLt Lt Harry Evans

BOMBED MERCILESSLY: But life in Valletta went on

Win paperback copy of book WE HAVE copies of Ladies of Lascaris in paperback to win. To enter, answer this question correctly: How old was Jane Hayston when she became a plotter for the RAF in WWII? Email your answer, marked Ladies of Lascaris book competition, to: competitions@rafnewsco.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by April 3. LOVE AFFAIR: But Christina Ratcliffe was devastated when Adrian Warburton went missing

an air raid, became a plotter at 15 and a good friend to Christina Ratcliffe. “My only regret is that I didn’t know of Jane before my book was published. If I had I would have sought a delay in order to incorporate her story.”

ane was born in Senglea, Malta, in 1925. Her father William was British and served in the Royal Navy’s Mediterranean fleet. Jane and Martha were accepted for training as civilian aircraft plotters. Having signed the Official Secrets Act the sisters, just 15 and 14, were issued with passes to the top-secret world of Lascaris. Few people even knew of its existence. Paul said: “They often had to walk to work but for the night shift they were collected and returned to their homes by bus or in opentopped RAF trucks. That became

quite terrifying during air raids as they abandoned their transport and ran for the nearest shelter. They were paid £2, 2 shillings and sixpence a week. He added: “The first operations room at Lascaris was cramped and always very busy. The large plotting table was in the biggest room, which was also the area used by the girls assigned to air-sea rescue coordination. Observer Corps personnel worked beneath the plotting table – the table doubled as somewhere to catch a few minutes sleep on Army blankets or to shelter if there was a heavy raid overhead.” Jane recalled how Christina called her and her colleagues ‘her girls’ and was very proud of them. She said: “One day, in 1942, Christina invited some of us to afternoon tea. She was living in a top-floor apartment on Strait Street in Valletta. She told the girls to bring

bathing costumes and T-shirts and began to teach us a dance routine. “Two soldiers appeared with cameras – they were war correspondents. The photographs later found their way into print in Britain and the USA. Some were published in the Illustrated London News. Some captions suggested the girls were dancers as well as aircraft plotters. That always made me smile – apart from Christina, there wasn’t a dancer among them.” In early 1943 Jane met Flt Lt and former soldier Harry – they were married in October 1943. Paul said: “Two months later Jane left Lascaris, where she had served as an aircraft plotter for two and a half years. Harry continued to operate Wellingtons from Malta until appointed adjutant at RAF Luqa until late 1944. He was then sent to France and involved in the siting of RAF airfields as the Allies

advanced. But he caught dysentery and returned to Malta. Then he caught diphtheria.” Jane gave birth to daughter Valerie in February 1945. In August the family moved to England, but Harry was diagnosed with leukaemia. He died in the RAF hospital at Cosford in September. Back in Malta Martha continued serving as an aircraft plotter until the end of the war, then transferred to Luqa with Christina and other Ops Rooms colleagues. Life as a single parent in England was tough for Jane. She was never awarded a widow’s pension. She returned to Malta in 1949 and, in 1950, married Royal Navy telegraphist George Gregory. Martha and Jane later received copies of the George Cross Commemorative Medal in recognition of their work at Lascaris.

LAND AND AIRLAND DEFENCE AND SECURITY EXHIBITION

08-12 JUNE 2020 / PARIS THE UNMISSABLE

WORLDWIDE EXHIBITION 1,802

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from 63 countries 65,9% of international

65 startups at Eurosatory LAB

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Total attendance (exhibitors, visitors, press, organisers)

227

Ofﬁcial delegations from 94 countries and 4 organisations (representing 760 delegates)

696

journalists

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75 Conferences 2,102 Business meetings made 2018 key ﬁgures

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P23

Graduations

Now it gets real Proud Halton graduates ready for life on their first squadron

Halton BECKETT INTAKE recently completed formal basic training and graduated. Numbering 94 in all, they marched out on to the Henderson Parade Square behind Flight Commander, Flt Lt Craig Nicholls to the sound of the Central Band of the Royal Air Force, led by Warrant Officer Gardner. The Reviewing Officer was Gp Capt Gareth Bryant, Puma 2 Gazelle Delivery Team. The flypast was by an A400M from LXX Squadron, based at RAF Brize Norton. The Queen’s Colour was paraded and borne by Flt Lt Clarke with Colour Warrant Officer Tracey Kenworthy and Colour Escorts Sgt Paul Deacon and Sgt Shenton Enoe. Gp Capt Bryant presented trophies and prizes to the top recruits, who were: AC Giles – The Rothschild Trophy, awarded to the recruit who achieves the highest overall standard in Initial Force Protection Training. AC Godfrey – The Lord Lieutenant of Buckinghamshire’s Trophy, awarded for the greatest improvement during BRTC. AC Shaw – The Mayor of Aylesbury Trophy, awarded for the greatest determination and perseverance on BRTC. AC Daley – The Halton Aircraft Apprentice Trophy, awarded to the recruit who achieves the highest overall standard in drill and deportment, and The Lord Trenchard Trophy, awarded to the Most Outstanding Recruit. AC Birch – The Halton Apprentice Shield, awarded to the recruit who has displayed the highest overall standard of effort, determination and achievement in physical education and The Royal Air Force Benevolent Fund Trophy, awarded for displaying the greatest willingness to help others At the end of the parade the recruits were reunited with their families and headed to the Newcomers’ Club for refreshments. Most of the recruits will now disperse to their professional career training but some will ‘hold’ at RAF Halton until their courses mature.

GRADUATION DAY: (Clockwise from top) Ready for inspection, with Colour Sgt Shenton Enoe, an emotional reunion, the prize winners with their trophies, and the A400M that provided the flypast for the ceremony PHOTOS: LUKA WAYCOTT

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Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P25

ACM Sir David Evans Obituary

Former Strike Command chief Evans dies aged 95 AIR CHIEF Marshal Sir David Evans, former C-in-C Strike Command, has died aged 95. Born in Canada he joined the RAF in 1943 and trained as a pilot. After flying Spitfires in the Middle East, Sir David joined 137 Sqn to fly Typhoons from an advanced airfield in the Netherlands. During March and April 1945 he attacked railways and road transports with rockets. Anti-aircraft fire was still intense and casualties were high. Shortly after his squadron arrived at Luneburg he recorded in his logbook, in the language of the day: “Bags of Panzer flak, got a railway engine and clobbered a strong point. Good show and Army very pleased.” Shortly afterwards he was one of the first RAF officers to see the horrors of the Belsen concentration camp – an experience that affected him profoundly. For two years after the war he flew Tempests in Germany before, in 1947, becoming a tactics instructor at the RAF’s Central Fighter Establishment. In September 1948 he was appointed the staff officer to the RAF Inspector General. It was whilst serving in London that he formed a very successful RAF ice hockey team composed mainly of former members of the RCAF. The team enjoyed three successful years competing against teams in Europe. After completing a course at the Central Flying School (CFS), he was a flying instructor, and in 1951 he returned to CFS as a Squadron Commander training future instructors. At the end of his tour he was awarded the Queen’s Commendation for Valuable Service in the Air. In 1955 he returned to the fighter world in Germany when he took command of 11 Sqn flying the Venom in the ground attack role. On promotion to Wing Commander in 1959 he commanded the Flying Wing at Coltishall operating Hunters and Javelins with the RAF’s first Lightning squadron, No. 74, arriving in August 1960. In 1962 he joined the Directorate of Air Plans in MoD where he was responsible for the RAF’s Nato operations. Two years later he was promoted to Group Captain to be the Station Commander at Gutersloh in Germany, the home of two Hunter fighter reconnaissance squadrons and a helicopter squadron with a Lightning squadron arriving during the latter stages of his tour. Evans was a popular Station Commander who flew regularly. He recognised that his young pilots were skilful in the air – and highspirited on the ground – but his firm and fair handling won him the respect of all his personnel. Equally refreshing was the latitude he gave his unit commanders, adopting the philosophy ‘rules are for the guidance of wise men and the total obedience of fools.’ One retired Air Chief Marshal commented: “One thing I learnt from Sir David Evans was how to calmly and effectively administer a rocket – I had been on the receiving end of one.” After promotion to Air Commodore he was given the task of forming the Central Trials & Tactics Organisation (CTTO) responsible for

POPULAR: Sir David about to fly in a Tornado. He was one of the first RAF officers to see the horrors of Belsen.

reviewing and developing airborne tactics for the new generation of operational aircraft and their weapons. This was a forerunner to the Air Warfare Centre. In 1973 he became the Air Officer Commanding No 1 (Bomber) Group with all bomber, reconnaissance, aerial tankers and

specialist electronic warfare forces based in the UK under his command. In November 1974 he led a team of four Vulcans to compete in the annual USAF Strategic Air Command Bombing competition in the USA. Against heavy odds, his team won three

of the four major awards, the first occasion in the history of the competition that the RAF had beaten the USAF on its home ground. He was particularly proud of the achievements of his crews. He flew himself in a Vulcan on his formal annual inspections of his unit at Goose Bay in Labrador and detachment at Offutt in Nebraska. In 1975 Evans became the Air Officer Commander-in-Chief of Strike Command – the RAF’s largest operational command – with the additional Nato appointment of Commander-in-Chief UK Air Forces. This latter position made him the only airman amongst the Supreme Allied Commander Europe’s (SACEUR) major commanders. During his time at Strike Command the UK air defence organisation was undergoing a major upgrade, his squadrons regularly encountered Soviet air incursions and his maritime forces tracked the powerful Soviet Northern Fleet. During bilateral talks with his US counterpart in 1976, General Dixon invited Sir David to send RAF aircraft to participate in Exercise Red Flag in Nevada. An opportunity to take part in this prestigious and valuable ‘war fighting’ exercise was eagerly grasped, and a squadron of Buccaneers was selected as the first non-US squadron to participate. The event was a resounding success and RAF squadrons have participated every year since. His final appointment was as Vice Chief of the Defence Staff (Personnel and Logistics) when he faced numerous difficult Tri-Service personnel issues and reviews of terms of service. Sir David retired from the RAF in 1983. He was appointed OBE in 1962 and advanced to CBE in 1967. He was knighted in 1977 as a KCB and advanced to GCB in 1979. In 1985 he was made King of Arms of the Order of the Bath, a post he relinquished in July 1999. For nine years he was the military adviser and a non-executive director of British Aerospace and director of several BAE subsidiaries. He was Chairman of BAE Canada for five years and Chairman of the Officer’s Pension Society where he fought tenaciously for improved pension rights for Service personnel. He was a Trustee of Airshow Canada. In his younger days he represented the RAF at rugby and winter sports. He was the pilot of the Great Britain bobsleigh team for the Commonwealth Games, World Championship, and the 1964 Olympic Games. On another occasion he represented Canada in the Commonwealth Winter Games and won two bronze medals. He was President of the RAF Winter Sports Association and also the Combined Services Winter Sports Association. Evans never lost his soft Canadian accent, retained his Canadian passport and made many visits to his native land. He had the unique honour of being made an Honorary Citizen of three North American cities including Winnipeg in Canada and the town of Dunnville in Ontario where he received his ‘wings’ in the RCAF. Sir David died on February 21.

ADVANCE YOUR CAREER WITH THE OPEN UNIVERSITY Preparing for the move to civilian life? Whether or not you already have a career option in mind, take a look into the H[FLWLQJ DQG UHOHYDQW TXDOL¿FDWLRQV WKDW ZH RႇHU <RX¶OO HQMR\ WKH UHDVVXUDQFH WKDW ZH¶UH D ZRUOG OHDGLQJ SURYLGHU of distance learning and that over 1,500 forces personnel DUH FXUUHQWO\ VWXG\LQJ ZLWK XV

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Sport

7 pages of RAF Sport starts here ● French downed by RAF Union stars P35 MORE THEN JUST A GAME: FS Barry ponders the lost heroes at Menin Gate, Ypres PHOTO: SAC BETH ROBERTS

SRT in perfect SHAPE for IS Sport head

Daniel Abrahams Belgium

THE FINAL senior RAF men’s football training camp in SHAPE, Belgium under the guise of manager FS Kev Barry, proved to be a tough and emotional time for the squad and backroom staff. Along with gruelling training schedules and countless drill running, sharpening the players as they head into the two-game InterService championship bid, the team led by Barry laid a wreath at the Mein Gate, Ypres.

The emotional evening helped bond a new look squad, which featured several new players from the recent IS winning U23 squad, including captain SAC Kyle Willis, who clawed back a 2-1 deficit against an impressive Belgium defence Forces side (see p29 for full report) to win 4-2, with Willis bagging a brace. Head coach FS Barry said: “This is my fourth training camp, but here I felt we had a great opportunity to help the lads develop and bond a bit differently. “The visit to the Menin Gate, really captured why we are here,

Sub heading. P31

the feedback was immense. At the camp we have introduced several young players and they are not here making up the numbers, they are pushing for places and all credit to them. As my last period of being in charge comes to an end, I hope that I can be the man at the helm to bring the Inter-Services back, but now they are just words, we need to put them into practice. “Personally for me I would like to leave a legacy, after four years with the U23s and Senior team, that has developed Servicemen and footballers, I hope I have given them experiences as players and

personnel that would help them grow and I believe I have given my heart and soul to this. The staff and I have given everything and we will do so again in the next couple of weeks and hopefully people will look back and think ‘he gave it his all’, and that is all you can give sometimes.” Cpl David Webb, who was captain for the clash against Belgium, said: “Getting the lads together is fantastic for the IS buildup, the dynamic of the squad has changed with new faces coming in, especially with them off the back Continued on page 29:

Sports roundup

RAF keep UKAFFC manager role THE TOP spot in Services football will remain in the hands of the RAF after FS Dyfan Pierce was announced as the new UKAFFC manager. Pierce will take over the role following FS Nick De-Long’s decision to stand down after his successful fourth defence of the Kentish Cup, in Holland last November. Pierce, who announced Cpl Daryl White, as his assistant coach, is steeped in RAF and Combined Services and UK Armed Forces footballing glory, with 18 years involvement in either set-up. His achievements make for impressive reading. As an RAF left-back, he won five back-to-back IS titles, followed by two as part of the team’s backroom staff. He played in one successful Kentish Cup win, and three as assistant coach. Continued on page 29:

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Sport FOOTBALL

Talking time is over – Barry SRT to take plans to the battleground POINTING THE WAY: Main, FS Kev Barry talks through his aims at the SHAPE training camp, below, SAC Kyle Willis shows his stuff during training PHOTO: SAC BETH ROBERTS

IN HORRENDOUS conditions, which began as soon as the first whistle was blown, the Service’s senior footballers produced a stirring second-half performance that proved they could well have the heart to win this year’s Inter-Service. Facing an impressive Belgium Defence Forces side, who were skilful in possession and cunning without the ball, the SRT team extended its winning run to three matches, beating the national side 4-2. With wins over AFC Wulfurnians (4-3) and Hartpury College (2-1), the team, which featured a sprinkling of new talent for the MDS (U23) team look composed and confident from the off at SHAPE. The match which closed out their weeklong training camp, saw the men in light blue were fired into the lead by Cpl Alex Woodhouse Continued from p28: of a fantastic U23s Inter-Service win. This camp has provided the vital things, such as team bonding, passion and camaraderie, some of the players are naturals in that department and it’s lovely to see everyone having a laugh amid the hard work. “We just simply want to bring the Inter-Services’ title home.” Cpl Alex Woodhouse, midfielder, said: “The camp has gone well, we are just as motivated, to win our trophy back and we all feel confident going into the games. We feel we are going into it stronger than in previous years.” “There is a real competition for places, and that changes the dynamic for the better. “Our aim is to simply win, you can have a game plan, but it might not happen, so you go into win. There are no ideal world scenarios in the Inters.” Barry, whose side will kick off there IS title charge when they host the Army at Shrewsbury Town’s

Montgomery Waters Meadow ground, this week, will then play their final match against the Royal Navy at Huish Park, home of Football Conference side Yeovil

Town, March 18, Kick-off 7pm, is also looking to have several players back as last minute additions. For live Twitter updates on the Navy clash visit: @RAFNewssport.

who had the simplest of tap ins after 10 minutes, with SAC George Barber having hit the post minutes earlier. Captain for the game Cpl David Webb saw his side then succumb to an equaliser which was gifted the visitors, following some confusion at the back. The team’s mettle was tested further on the hour mark when they went 2-1 down following a well worked and finished goal from Vaelen Bennetts. Despite the score line, the RAF team were creating chance after chance, with Webb unable to find his shooting boots in several occasions. With the luck seemingly going the way of the men in black and red, Willis made some of his own, jinking his way into the penalty area in the after 75minutes, only to be upended. He coolly slotted home the spot-kick and five minutes later he again produced

a powerful run at the Belgium defence. Not taking no for an answer, when his first attack was cleared, he simply ran back to collect the clearance, turned and fired in an incredible goal on his SRT debut. The evr lively Cpl Jake gosling then showed his class as the RAF turned defence into an explosive attack, as he collected a clearance by Cpl Tom Claisse following a Belgium corner, to run the length of the pitch up the right wing, before cutting inside and sliding the ball into the net past the onrushing keeper.

Meet the new boss

CONTROL: Main, Pierce points out tactics, during the UKAF team’s Kentish Cup win in Holland. PHOTO: SAC CONNOR TIERNAY

Continued from p28: He said: “I am unbelievably proud to be given the opportunity to lead UKAF Football into 2020. I’ve been fortunate enough to work with the best military football coach FS Nicholas De-Long. I’ve learnt a great deal from him over the last six years and experienced some outstanding moments and

I feel that this is the right time for me to step up. My back room staff will all remain with one or two additions over the next few months. “We have an outstanding pool of talent to select from and I can’t wait to get started as we plan towards the Irish Defence Force fixture in May.” Follw UKAFFC on Twitter @UKArmedForcesFA.

Royal Air Force News Friday, March 20, 2020 P30

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SPORT

CHANNEL

the pent-up aggression

ersial split decision Beth Shaw lost on a controv CONCENTR ATION: SAC

It’s all a-bout Inters for RAF boxers in Guernsey

Dan Abrahams Guernsey THE PHYSICAL and mental challenges faced by the Service’s boxers on their training week in Guernsey may yet prove the key to IS success in 2020. The camp was led by association chairman Sqn Ldr Karl Whalley, Sqn Ldr Andy Parker and new head coach Sgt Russ Turnbull. Kicking off the tour as part of the UK Select boxing team were seven bouts against Guernsey ABC at the February Fury night at the Beau Séjour Leisure Centre. The tough decisions on some of the fighters will strengthen their resolve when it comes to the year’s big Army-hosted Service event in Aldershot. SAC Sonny Coates, who will be fighting in the Inters for the first time, said: “The camp has been good. We’ve been doing

three sessions a day, steady runs or sprints in the morning, technical sessions and sparring at night. I’m really enjoying this and the camp is setting me up perfectly for a win in the Inter-Services 81kg category.” Whalley held the daily technical training sessions at the Guernsey Amalgamated

WESTPFEL: Will make Inters debut

Gym, with mornings kicking off with track runs at the Osmond Priaulx Memorial playing fields. IS team captain Cpl George Westpfel, who is also debuting at the Inters, said: “I managed to get the win at super heavyweight at the start of the camp. The camp, which has been testing but really good, will be followed by another back in the UK before the InterServices. “I really am looking to come away as super heavyweight champion and, of course, with the IS title, which we have not done for decades.” Turnbull said: “We have a full complement of boxers from 51kg all the way through to 91+. The camp has gone really well. “I feel we are well set for the competition in Aldershot and are working on the finer points now to make sure we are very competitive there.”

s PhotoC by SA tte o Charl ins Hopk

SKILFUL: SA

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ON THE ROPES: SAC Jack Steele was unlucky not to win

AC Liam Fox managed to outbox this tricky southpaw

BIG-HIT TER: Cpl George Westpfel forces an opening

WINNER: SAC Liam Fox

has his arm held aloft by

the referee

SPRINTS: Training hard by the sea

HE AIN’T HEAVY: A trim Cpl Westpfel is declared the victor

Wily Fox and powerhouse Westpfel lead the way IT WAS a mixed bag of results for the Service’s boxers as they went up against Guernsey Boxing Association at the February Fury event on the Channel Island. Forming part of a UK Select team, the RAF’s glove stars took two of seven bouts at the Beau Séjour Leisure Centre in St Peter Port. Opening the evening was SAC Beth Shaw who, facing local favourite Natalie Grainger, could not have done any more to win the bid. Bar knocking out her opponent, light-middleweight Shaw

seemed to be odds on winner, but lost on a split decision. SAC Jack Steele then battled hard to another split decision loss against Cass Staughn in the middleweight category. SAC Ben Clixby faced a tricky Rusian Gogercaks at middleweight, hurting his opponent a few times throughout the bout Clixby still lost on a unanimous decision. SAC Josh Boderick also lost on a unanimous, in the light-welterweight bout with Marcus Magloire. Fighting well, Boderick tried to get inside his opponent, but couldn’t get over the line.

SAC Liam Fox used all of his skills and knowledge to undo his southpaw opponent Mason Smale and thoroughly deserved his unanimous win. The result turned the night around for the Service who then saw Inter-Service team captain Cpl George Westpfel produce the display of the night to out-point and out-box his solid opponent, Dan Maree. The man from Guernsey tried to put the big RAF man in the corners but Westpfel was too quick and produced telling shots as he turned away from trouble. His opponent was ragged by the closing stages

of the third round, with Westpfel keeping his composure to the final bell. Closing out the night SAC Kieran Bailey, returning to action after a year away, seemed to have done more than enough to out-point his opponent and home crowd favourite Chris Sumner in the light-middleweight category. The judges did not rule in the Service man’s favour however, as he lost on a split decision. Follow RAF Boxing on Twitter @ RAFBoxing.

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Sport

DOUBLE DELIGHT RUGBY UNION

…now bring on the Navy Bury St Edmunds RAF Academy

15 32

IT WAS a gruelling six days of Inter-Services warm-up clashes for the RAF’s rugby union Academy stars, who secured backto-back wins. Opening their account against Bury St Edmunds with a 32-15 victory, they followed up with a 38-12 win over the Defence Forces Ireland, for the perfect preparation before they face the Royal Navy President’s XV in Portsmouth. Head coach Cpl Berwyn Davies said: “These were two great results with so many new faces, setting us up nicely for the Navy President’s fixture. Picking a squad is going to be difficult having seen more than 40 players over our fixtures this season, all of whom have shown they are capable of making that match day 23.” The GK IPA Haberden pitch played just perfect from the off in the first game as No. 10 SAC Tom Carpenter converted an early three points. The Academy continued to maintain the pressure in the first 10 minutes, twice going close to the try line. Just before the half-hour mark a high up and under in a swirling wind was allowed to bounce by the Academy and Bury St Edmunds scored an unconverted try. A penalty straight after the restart saw Carpenter slot home again, for 6-5. Five minutes before the break another unconverted try saw Bury lead before hooker SAC Simon Pilkington’s catch and drive, to make it 11-10. The second half began with

TOP DRAWER: RAF Academy bossed the Irish PHOTO: GREG MUNDY

Bury being penalised for the ball not being straight at the lineout. At the subsequent scrum there was an outrageous show-and-go from lock Cpl James Norrish before SAC Pilkington off-loaded to fellow lock Cpl Lloyd Hadley. Hadley broke the line and offloaded the ball to centre SAC Danny Bournes, who sprinted in under the posts for a converted 1810 scoreline. Bury then scored another unconverted try for 18-15, before the RAF put the hosts to the sword with tries from SAC Callum

DIFFERENT FORTUNES: Ladies take the IS title in 2019, and men struggle

Jones and Cpl Zack Taylor, both converted, by SAC Tom Carpenter. HALTON HOSTED the final

warm-up clash and things got off to a very physical start. An early Academy penalty was kicked to touch before Flt Lt Jack Sheppard drove over for a 5-0 lead. In atrocious conditions the game became a battle of the forwards. On 25 minutes LAC Masi Rasoki made a strong break, and a subsequent

penalty by the Irish saw one conceded in front of the posts. SAC Carpenter duly converted for 8-0. The second half continued in brighter weather with LAC Issac Norton touching down for a converted 15-0 score. Another quick penalty made it 18-0 and further Academy pressure resulted in another penalty for 21-0. The visitors then scored a penalty after a high tackle for 21-7, before they lost a man to the sinbin. From the resulting penalty the

RAF made it 24-7. An unconverted Irish try made it 24-12, before Cpl Sam Dodwell punished a tiring Irish side, running in from 30 yards. Rasoki then intercepted a pass and ran almost the length of the pitch to score his first try in an RAF shirt to seal the win. The RAF Academy play at Burnaby Road, Portsmouth on March 18, kick off 7pm.

IN THE Service rugby union calendar, they have become the must-see fixtures and this year’s Twickenham Stoop RAF versus Royal Navy and RAF versus Army at Kingsholm promise to be just as memorable. RAF News has teamed up with the RAF Rugby Union Association to give readers a chance of winning a pair of tickets to either game. In its third year, the Stoop fixture, on Saturday, April 18, will see the histor y-making RAF ladies team defend their first IS crown, having won both their clashes in imperious style last time out. The Army

clash is being held at Kingsholm, Gloucester, on Saturday, April 4. The men’s team, who blitzed allcomers during the RAF 100 year, will be looking to avenge the two defeats last year. In 2019, captained by Sqn Ldr Chrissy Siczowa, the ladies team, which featured England hooker Flt Lt Amy Cokayne, produced one of the greatest ever RAF rugby union displays to defeat the Army for the first time, while the men’s team will be looking to some new players and stalwart legends like Cpl Josh McNally, who currently plays for Premiership side Bath, to inspire a glorious double IS win. For a chance to win a pair of tickets to either game, simply answer the following question:

Which English Premiership side does Cpl Josh McNally play for?

RAF Academy Defence Forces Ireland

38 12

l See the next edition of RAF News for all the action from the Inter-Services clash.

Win tickets to Inter-Services clashes Email your answer, marked Rugby IS competition, to: competitions@rafnews.co.uk or post it to: RAF News, Room 68, Lancaster Building, HQ Air Command, High Wycombe, HP14 4UE, to arrive by March 27. Please remember to say which game you want to see. Winners’ tickets will be awaiting collection at the entrance to the stadium on the day. l To purchase match tickets visit: rafnavymatch.uk and gloucesterugby.co.uk. l Catch live updates from both games on Twitter @ RAFNewssport.

Win!

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Sport ICE HOCKEY RAF Vulcans MK Bolts

8 10

IT WAS a hectic night in Cambridge for the RAF Vulcans against the Milton Keynes Bolts with 18 goals and 46 minutes of penalties handed out. The Vulcans scored first, but after a surge from the Bolts spent the rest of the game catching up in an almost perfect goal-for-goal trade off. They put one in, the RAF brought it back. Right up until the end, with just 2.14 left in the game, the Bolts put goal nine in, and followed it up with their tenth 43 seconds later. With the final score 8-10 in favour of the visitors, a two-goal comeback just wasn’t in reach for the Vulcans as they fell in the second game of the Bethany’s Legacy Ice Hockey Challenge Cup campaign. SAC(T) Joe Mann, team coach, who was on the ice during the game, said “Tonight was a tough loss to take. We spent a lot of time on the back foot and not playing our game. I don’t think our opponents were much better than us, we just had lapses in composure which cost us. “We’re going through a tough period, however we will come out the other side and be a better hockey team for it.” With the coach on the ice, SAC(T) Taylor Savidge, out through injury, took the helm running the bench and added: “It was a difficult

MK Bolts ground Vulcans

UNPUCKY: RAF Vulcans Trish Thompson Photography

All the goals and well-fought game. When you have a game like that there’s frantic moments at the beginning. “A lot can be said for the mentality of those within the team, which was nothing short of outstanding to keep it as tight as it was, and we will have learnt many lessons from this gruelling defeat.”

VUL: #63 R. Davies 1-0 MKB: #78 (#9)1-1 MKB: #8 (#98) 1-2 MKB: #80 (#49, #86) 1-3 VUL: #22 B. Britten (#84 J. Mann) 2-3 VUL: #22 B. Britten [2] (#37 R. Gray) 3-3

MKB: #98 (#29) 3-4 VUL: #22 B. Britten [3] (#95 L. McCabe) 4-4 MKB: #98 [2] (#71) 4-5 VUL: #24 Z. France 5-5 MKB: #98 [3] 5-6 MKB: #21 (#80, #49) 5-7 VUL: #75 S. Thresh (#84 J.

Mann) 6-7 MKB: #80 [2] 6-8 VUL: #5 J. McLelland (#86 C. Old) 7-8 VUL: #84 J. Mann (#5 J. McLelland) 8-8 MKB: #21 [2] (#11, #98) 8-9 MKB: #71 (#98, #21) 8-10

NETBALL

CYCLOCROSS

A JAM-PACKED, two-day, preInter-Services championship saw the best of the netball association hone their skills at RAF Cosford. The target for the hoop stars is Aldershot and the Army-hosted IS event, and the final training camp saw both Open (senior) and Development squads put through their paces and face impressive Warwick University sides, winning both 45-39 and 34-20 respectively. Open team vice-captain Flt Lt Alice McGrath said: “The camp was excellent, and the benefits showed in our match. We had a strong opening quarter with an incredible shooting percentage for both Goal Attack and Goal Shooter. This allowed us to take a firm lead into the second quarter. “The second half of the game became more of a mental challenge, the opposition had switched on to some of our tactics and were beginning to claw back the deficit. However, we remained resilient and retained our lead.” Development team Captain Flt Lt Sarah Haywood added: “I was pleased with how the squad worked on and off court, we are all really looking forward to the Inter-Services. “During our match we used a lot of different combinations and played with a high intensity throughout. Warwick gave chase to the scoreline, but we managed to hold the lead and put some fantastic tactics into practice.”

IT WAS podium perfect for RAF cyclocross stars Sqn Ldr Lucy Nell and Cpl Dan Watts as they blazed a victory trail at the recent Inter-Service championships at Chetwynd Barracks, Nottinghamshire. Nell dominated the entire event, which doubled as the RAF championships, taking top spot despite having a crash early on in the race. The pair headed up a team that also included: WO Adey Hoyle, Cpl Martin Johnson, FS Phil Calvert and Flt Lt Thom Dean. Nell said: “It was good to be back on a cyclocross bike, and it certainly beats being out on the roads this time of the year. I was pleased to come away with the win. With cyclocross being such a fast-growing sport it would be awesome for more people to get involved and give it a go.” The Army-hosted event was the first of its kind at the barracks, which provided a demanding and challenging course for all riders, making Nell’s achievement all the more impressive. Watts, who was locked in battle for an Inter-Service podium all ride, eventually finished third – taking the RAF crown. He said: “I was really pleased to win another championship and to podium again at IS level. There is still plenty of work to do for my 2020 race season, but this isn’t a bad place to start.” Calvert topped the RAF veterans category.

Uni students given a lesson by RAF One Nell of a win for Lucy

RAF LADIES: Cock-a-hoop

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Sport SRT see way to IS glory

No more smiles as RAF halt Irish

Isle style works for boxers

● Sport P28-29

● Sport P33

● Sport P30-31

RUGBY UNION RUNAWAY SUCCESS: Main, Cpl Joe Parkin breaks away to the try line, cheered on by Cpl Luke Riddell, below, team captain L/Cpl Dan Johnson, left, and Cpl Alex Stanley charge down a French clearance PHOTOS: SBS

Salvo fired French defeat IS warning

RAFRU MEN Armée De L’air

22 14

A 22-14 RAF win over the French Air Force has made plain the Service’s intentions for the upcoming Inter-Service championship. Under the watchful eye of newly appointed head coach Sgt Justin Coleman, at the Allianz Stadium, London, the light blue’s produced an impressive display of power and controlled pressure to dispatch the French visitors at the home of Saracens RFU. Coleman said: “It was a good performance against a very physical French side and the win was much needed, although we are aware there is a lot of work to be done to be ready for the challenge of the Army and Navy.” The RAF went on the attack from the off, but found themselves behind to an early French penalty. They doubled their lead despite

some good play by the hosts, and after great work from Cpl Sam Breeze, Cpl Joe Parkin and SAC(T) Rhyan Scott-Young a Cpl Luke Riddell they finally get on the board with a penalty. Conceding a further penalty almost ended a frustrating half, before Breeze and Cpl John Howard both made breaks that allowed SAC(T) Sean Chapman to score, with Cpl Luke Riddell converting for a half-time score of 10-9. The penalties continued after the break, with neither side adding to the scoreline. The hosts then slowly built the pressure with some serious hard yards from the forwards. After several phases of play the hard work paid off when OCdt Dave Manning scored an unconverted 17-9. From the restart the French attempted to immediately address their points deficit, eventually doing so after both sides had missed with penalty attempts.

That was the final score from the French, who conceded a penalty scrum minutes later which saw

SAC Liam Eaton create attacking play out wide. Following a great run and

off load from Cpl Luke Riddell, SAC(T) Rhyan Scott-Young ran in for 22-14.

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