Royal R oyal Air F Force o ce N or News ews Fr Friday, iday, JJuly uly 29, 2022 202 22 R'n'R 7
R'n'R R 'n' nR Your Y our u Ann Announcements ouncements
You Y oou can em email ail photos photos ffor or ann announcements ouncements oon n tthis his pa page ge tto: o: tr tracey.allen@rafnews.co.uk acey..allen@rafnews.co.uk
Call to Call to join join new new MERT ME RT Club Club
Britannia Br rit itanni a a gets geets fresh frres e h look look A HISTORIC HISTORIC aircraft airccraft has b been een ggiven iven a ffresh rreesh llook ook aafter fter a ssuccessful uccessful aappeal ppeal rraised aised the funds ffor or the th he last last re emaining ex-RAF ex-RAF Bristol Bristol remaining B riittannia to to have haave a muchmuchBritannia ne eded repaint. repaint. needed B rian Wetherley, Weetherley, ffrom rom Brian tthe he B ristol B ritannia XM M498 Bristol Britannia XM498
Preservation Preservation Society, Society, raised raised £8,500 for for the the appeal appeal to to spruce spruce u up p tthe he ext exterior erior o off tthe he aircraft – b mpletin ng ttwo wo aircraft byy co completing sponsored wa lks of of 999 miles miles sponsored walks each. each. K nown aass ‘the ‘the Whispering Whispering Known Giant’ because because o tss q uiet Giant’ off iits quiet exterior noise noise and and smooth sm mooth exterior
flying, flying, the the B Britannia ritannia jjoined oined RAF RAF service service at at Lyneham Lyneham with with 99 and and 511 SSquadrons. quad drons. RAF veteran veteran B rian, a RAF Brian, retired Wg Cdr Cdr and and former former retired Britannia pilot, pilot,, said: said: “I “I first fir i st Britannia fllew a Britannia Britannia in 1959 19559 while while flew serving on on 99 Squadron Squad dron – serving hence wa lking 99 miles. milees..” hence walking
SSince ince 1997 XM498 XM4498 has has been been kept kep e t as as a static staticc di display splay at at the the C Cotswold otswold A Airport, irport, formerly R AF K em mble, in formerly RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire, aand nd lo oked Gloucestershire, looked after by by tthe he P reser e vation after Preservation Society. Society. Go to: to: xm496.com xm496.ccom for for Q Go more inf formation. more information.
MILIT MILITARY TAR ARY personnel personnel F Force orce P Protection rotection and and nurses. nurses. w who ho ssaved aved co countless untles l s li lives ves SSqn qn L Ldr dr P Pascoe ascoe ssaid: aid: ““The The i in Afghanistan Afg fghaniistan rrescuing escuin i g club's club's b' aaim i iiss tto im op provide rovide id a p place lace w wounded ounded comrades comrades from from where where past past m members em mbers ccan an tthe he ffrontline rontline o on n C Chinooks hinooks reconnect reconnect w with ith co colleagues lleagues aare re b being eing in invited vited tto o jjoin oin a and and share share ttheir heir ex experiences xperiences uniq unique ue club. club on a capability bility that that had had a IIt’s t’s h hoped profound und impact i pact on im on tthe he ggroup ro patients, ents, medical medical w will ill reunite reunit advances vances c aand nd tthe he fformer ormer R RAF AF morale morale l o off aall ll on on Medical the he ground. ground.” Em Emergency ergency Planned Response activities T e a m include nclud de a ssailing ailing members regatta, egatta, a a fformal ormal w with ith old ol dinner nner at at The The IN ACTION: f r iends, Victory ory Services Services MERT team celebrate Club in London, London, ac achievements, hievemen and a familyy festival fes e tiva v l and and a p preserve reserve ttheir heir cclinical lin nical and and march march p past ast tthe he Cenotaph Cenotaph o on n o operational perational knowledge. knowledg d e. Remembrance R emembrance SSunday. un nday. F Founded ounded by by Sqn Sqn Ldr Ldr SShaun haun P Pascoe ascoe aand nd SSgt gt R Robert obert Q G Go o tto: o: mertclub.co.uk, mertclub.co.uk, SShenton, henton, membership memberrship iiss em ail: inf fo@m o ertclub.co.uk. email: info@mertclub.co.uk. o pen tto o aall ll who who served served on on o rite to to The The ME ER RT C lub, open orr w write MERT Club, MER RT helicopters helicopterrs from from c/o T ake P oint T ra r ining, MERT Take Point Training, 2006 to to 2014 in Afghanistan Afgghanistan B-FO B, N orth P arade, B-FOB, North Parade, in cluding aaircrew, ircrew, p ilots, F almouth, C ornwa w ll, TR11 including pilots, Falmouth, Cornwall, do ctors, p aramedicss, m edics, 2TF doctors, paramedics, medics,