Professional Dance Classes at Deborah Manning School Of Dance - a school based in Oxfordshire at locations such as Shipton U Wychwood and Finstock offering a large range of dance genres to children from the ages of 3 to 18 years.
Check our website: www.deborahmanningschoolofdance.com conniemanning16@yahoo.co.uk for more information.
Professional Dance Classes at Deborah Manning School Of Dance - a school based in Oxfordshire at locations such as Northleigh, Carterton, Shipton U Wychwood and Finstock offering a large range of dance genres to children from the ages of 3 to 18 years.
Professional Dance Classes at Deborah Manning School Of Dance - A school based in Oxfordshire at locations such as Northleigh, Carterton, Witney, Shipton U Wychwood and Finstock offering a large range of dance genres to children from the ages 3 to 18 years. We have been voted as Dance School Of The Year 2022 by Oxfordshires Prestige Awards.
Professional Dance Classes at Deborah Manning School Of Dance - a school based in Oxfordshire at locations such as Northleigh, Carterton, Shipton U Wychwood and Finstock offering a large range of dance genres to children from the ages of 3 to 18 years.
TWO WEEK FREE TRIAL!
Check our website: www.deborahmanningschoolofdance.com
Please contact the principal Connie Manning on: conniemanning16@yahoo.co.uk for more information.
Check our website: www.deborahmanningschoolofdance.com Please contact the principal Connie Manning on: conniemanning16@yahoo.co.uk for more information.
On the 8th September we received the extremely sad news that Her Majesty had passed away. We had lost our Head of State, Head of the Commonwealth and Commander-inChief after 70 years on the throne, and to say the world was shocked and in a state of grief is an understatement. I think we will all remember exactly where we were and what we were doing when the news broke. As expected, Operation LONDON BRIDGE was immediately activated, which saw the expertly executed movement of Her Majesty The Queen from Balmoral to Westminster Abbey, where she lay-instate ahead of her funeral at St George’s Chapel and then to Her final resting place alongside her husband the late HRH Prince Phillip.
Carefully choreographed, personnel from RAF Brize Norton played an incredibly important role in Her movement as she was transported by crews from 99 Squadron from Edinburgh Airport to RAF Northolt, under the banner of Operation OVERSTUDY. Watched by millions on a variety of media outlets, aircraft ZZ177 (which reversed spelt LLIZZ) transported Queen Elizabeth II with dignity and utter professionalism on the 13th September; received by our Chief of the Air Staff and Station Commander of RAF Northolt. The Queens’ Colour Squadron had the incredible responsibility of moving Her coffin from the aircraft to the awaiting hearse which moved Her by road to Westminster Abbey, where she lay-instate. You will recall that we were all flooded with images of crowds waiting Your article should aim to be between 300500 words in length, with a high resolution picture over 1MB for every 100 words you write.
patiently in line to pay their respects to Her Majesty which was quite an overwhelming sight, and it is reported that more than 250,000 viewed the coffin during this time.
Some 80 Service Personnel from RAF Brize Norton also played an important part in history, supporting the proceeding events in London and Windsor, culminating in the incredible spectacle that was The Queen’s funeral, which took place on the 19th September. It was a commemoration that was watched on television by 29.2 million people in the UK and billions more across the globe and I am extremely proud of the part that our personnel played in that day and that of the wider Armed Forces. As the period of National and Royal Mourning came to an end, as a country and Armed Force, we will undoubtedly remember The Queen, her incredible dedication to her duties, the Country and the Commonwealth and pledge our allegiance to the new monarch, King Charles III.
As your Station Commander I was privileged to be invited to attend the Proclamation of the King in Oxford and a Service of Thanksgiving for The Queen at Christ Church Oxford, which were fitting events to both celebrate our new King and remember our most inspirational Queen Elizabeth II.
Long live the King!
Thursday 8th September 2022 is a date that will be etched forever in our history, the day the announcement to the world that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had sadly died. It is hard to believe that we were celebrating her Platinum Jubilee only a few months ago; as we did here at RAF Brize Norton with our very own Proms Night marking her 70 year reign.
As a country and across the globe far and wide, as we now come to terms with Her Majesty’s passing, we will all look back with stories to tell and smile at the amazing life and service of an incredible women, her resilience, dedication and commitment are only a few of the things that Her Majesty leaves as her legacy.
As a Station we were extremely honoured to be involved in the preparations for Her Majesty’s State Funeral. With the eyes of the world upon them, our C-17 Globemaster and 99 Squadron crew transported Her Majesty to RAF Northolt London from Scotland.
RAF Brize Norton has continued to support Defence and other Government Departments across the globe; this has included the delivery of aid to Pakistan as they deal with recent floods. I do hope you find this edition uplifting as it showcases our activities over the summer period.
You should ensure that personnel/activities in photos are named and that you provide the
author’s details, in case we require any more information. Send your completed articles to BZN51DegreesNorth@mod.gov.uk. We look forward to receiving your articles and make every effort to publish as many of them as possible.
As a new era begins, we offer our warmest wishes to His Majesty King Charles III
God save the King
Anita – MCO Editor 51 Degrees North
I feel that it is only fitting that this month’s foreword is dedicated to The Late Her Majesty The Queen, Queen Elizabeth II.
As the seasons changed, our country did too.
Following an invitation from the Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshall Sir Mike Wigston, Brigadier General Dominique Arbiol and 122 French Air Force Officer Cadets and Staff from the École de l’air et de l’espace, visited RAF Brize Norton on what proved to be the hottest day of the year.
Undeterred by the heat, the French had arrived at RAF Brize Norton on a French A330 the previous day; Off Cdt Robin Chouraki reassured their hosts that the visitors were fine with the heat as the Academy is located in the south of France in the town of Salon. Wg Cdr Katherine Ingram, the French Liaison Officer, gave an insight into how the visit originated. “Following a discussion between our CAS and his French counterpart, I was asked to investigate the potential of RAF Brize Norton supporting the visit and having spent a large percentage of my career in AMW, I knew it would be a great place to start”.
The visit was designed to give the French Cadets a feel for how an operational station functions as well as providing the opportunity for them to understand how the RAF works alongside its partners in the aeronautical industry. The host for the visit was Flt Lt Stuart Philpott who was delighted with how supportive the various sections around the Station had been. He said: “I wanted to take the opportunity to show the best of RAF Brize Norton. The various
sections around Station were extremely supportive and it enabled me to plan a really interactive day for the Cadets and Staff”.
The Staff and Cadets were shown around the ADW hangar and given the opportunity to simulate a parachute descent, following visits to AMW and 70 Sqn in the morning. After lunch they had the chance to take control of an A400M simulator in 24 Sqn or a Voyager simulator in the Academy building, following a brief from Airtanker about their role in supporting the Voyager Force. Lt Col Michael Simond, the lead Officer for the French, said: “The guys have had such a great time, getting to go in the simulators and completing the jump where huge highlights.”
The end of the visit concluded when General Arbiol was presented with a gift from the Station by Flt Lt Philpott; she said: “This was a great opportunity for the Cadets to see an operational RAF station, experience UK culture and gain a deeper understanding for how the RAF integrate industry into front line delivery; I am sure they will not forget the lesson they have learnt here”.
The fundraising team Healing Military Minds have hit an incredible milestone, raising £55,000 this year for the mental health charity Combat Stress.
The charity provides vital support for former Service members to deal with issues like posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety and depression. This year the first ever Healing Military Minds ball took place at the end of September, raising funds to help hit that grand total. The ball was organised by a dedicated team who aim to continue to drive the education and publicity of mental health amongst the military community.
Squadron Leader Tom Arnold, one of the organising committee, said: “The team at Healing Military Minds have enabled a vast array of events throughout the past year raising funds for Combat Stress. Thankfully Mental health now rightfully attracts the attention it deserves. It is rapidly becoming a greater part of our focus and I thank those who continue to endeavour for the improvement of this subject. We must all take this subject seriously and support one another regardless of rank. No matter what, there is always time to take a break, talk to each other and decompress. My special thanks go to all of those on the Healing Military Minds Ball committee for working tirelessly in bringing tonight together. Their continued efforts and organisational prowess have not gone
unnoticed. My personal thanks goes to Corporal Hayley Court who has been supported by some excellent individuals: Claire Barker, Jon Hoult, Sally Scout, Maureen Priestley, Dai Bennett, Liz Craig, Francesca Bucciero and Paul Thomas, without whom the evening would not have been possible.”
350 guests attended the Healing Military Minds Ball which was held at the De Vere Hotel in the Cotswolds where auction prizes were bid on to help increase the total raised even further. Guests included Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for the Cotswolds, Ben Parkinson MBE, the most severely wounded soldier in combat and Paralympian Jack Cummings.
Healing Military Minds founder Corporal Hayley Court said: “It was brilliant on our first Healing Military Minds fundraising ball to see the Army, Navy and Air Force come together with current serving and veterans to raise funds for Combat Stress; it truly amazes me the inspirational people that attended who had been helped so much by the charity. They are the real heroes. I was overwhelmed by smashing the £50,000 target which I set when I started this in 2021. A big thank you to the committee who have made this an amazing night”
During Her Majesty The Queen’s Platinum Jubilee year, Brizefest celebrated with an impressive two day ‘Proms in the Park’ style evening and festival.
There was a variety of musical acts who performed throughout the day including the popular Dua Live, the amazing Forever Jackson and headlining was the incredible Flash (a tribute to Queen) who played until the spectacular firework display to close the 2022 Brizefest.
Group Captain Claire O’Grady, RAF Brize Norton Station Commander, said: “This was my first BrizeFest and it more than lived up to its reputation. A huge thank you to the Committee and those who supported the event – without their hard work and generosity it just would not have been possible. An absolutely outstanding event and an opportunity
for us to say a big thank you to RAF Brize Norton personnel and their families for all that they do. I am already looking forward to BrizeFest 23!!”.
Our quality writing instruments are carefully handcrafted in Portsoy, Aberdeenshire using the highest quality 24 carat gold plated fittings, retired 125 year old oak Speyside malt whisky staves and naturally shed Red Deer antler.
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We opened bank holiday weekend August 2021. A little family run business in partnership with Gin in a tin. Hugo Lovage Patisserie is run by Michelin-trained Pastry Chef Cindy Kosmala. I have worked with renowned Chefs such as Philip Howard, Gordon Ramsey, Matt Abe and Clare Smyth and also at Soho House, Chez Bruce and Restaurant Gordon Ramsey.
Hand-making all cakes and patisserie at Hugo Lovage we specialise in selling baked cheesecake, bavarois, eclairs, cookies, Battenburg and my speciality – meringue towers.
Originally from South Africa, my husband Hubert and I moved to the Cotswolds where he is now the Head Chef of the award-winning Swan at Swinbrook just up the road.
Baking and cakes are about family and this really is a family business. We have three young children, Niko, Hugo and Elliott, they love the cookies!
My baking is seasonal and influenced by the incredible food producers in the Cotswolds, so offering patisserie for individuals, businesses and wholesale is always varied and exciting!
Perhaps you have seen or heard a band playing at various Station events recently and thought they were RAF musicians? Well, you would be only partially correct! Service Musicians can be either full time, Auxiliary or Voluntary. Full time and Auxiliary RAF Musicians are Trade group 21 and are highly accomplished professional musicians. They are based at either RAF Cranwell or RAF Northolt and the bands they make up are usually tasked to carry out large public and national events. At a more local level, the RAF Voluntary Bands, of which there are nine (Akrotiri, Brize Norton, Cosford, Halton, Honington, Lossiemouth, St Athan, Waddington and Wyton) carry out station events such as freedom parades, remembrance events, other station ceremonies and Christmas carol services, Mess dining in nights, Oktoberfests and sporting events. They also represent their stations in the local communities by supporting village fetes, playing at nursing homes and schools etc. Voluntary musicians differ from full time and auxiliary musicians because they are a mix of Service personnel from any trade, veterans from all services, dependants, MOD civilians and contractors on base; people from the local area and can be members too.
RAF Brize Norton is by far the largest Station in the RAF with a huge number of people working here, but it also has a high percentage of personnel that deploy regularly to support Aircraft Ops. This makes it difficult for Service
personnel to commit to regular rehearsals, however, those people do give their time up whenever they can.
As is the case in most Voluntary Bands, it is the civilian members that give the band its foundations. The band is always looking for new members willing to join in whenever they can, so if you fancy a new challenge, why not pick up your instrument again?
Even if it’s been years since you last played or if you no longer have an instrument - we have several available, everyone is welcome (providing you
abilities; we’re a friendly bunch who enjoy playing just for the pleasure.
On the 29th of June, the band very proudly led the parade for the Annual Formal Reception. This was the first time the Station band had marched and played (at the same time!). The musicians had been set the goal of achieving this after the AFR last year when they were static throughout, and believe me, there was a lot of scepticism and worry about it! Training began in earnest back in March, and again, there were concerns and many, many, excuses about the weather and light levels, injuries, glasses, clothing etc etc etc. But, ultimately, training happened week in week out, and our No. 1 fanthe SWO - even came along to rehearsal a few times to give encouragement and top tips. The music we chose to march on to was aptly named “The Aeroplane”; this was chosen specifically
are willing put the effort in and can read music, even if you are a bit rusty!).
Military bands are brass, woodwind and percussion (tuned and non-tuned) and the Voluntary Bands have people of all
as 47 Sqn were in charge of organising the event and this would be the last AFR that “Fat Albert” personnel would be involved in. The piece is very jaunty and definitely evokes an image of a C-130 doing circuits and bumps.
If you are organising an event for your section or squadron, and you would like some live music, our repertoire ranges from Military, film, rock and pop, Oktoberfest and Christmas; we pretty much have all bases covered! You’ll find us in the Band room, building 2065 (which is next to the Walcott building) on Monday evenings between 1830 and 2000 or you can look us up on the RAF Brize Norton Home page, under ‘community’. There you’ll find contact info and a Band request form should you be thinking about booking us.
CT Sophie HobsonI hope you are not surprised to find out that RAF Brize Norton has a Voluntary Band?
Atriumphant return to full display capacity saw the team jumping into high profile events such as the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, the Ebor Festival at York Race Course, and a highly successful Europe detachment to Belgium and Slovakia.
During the Slovak International Air Festival, the RAF Falcons received the Best Aviation Display Award, rounding off their fantastic time overseas. OC Falcons, Flight Lieutenant Stu Philpot, said: “The Slovak Air Festival was a great opportunity for us to share best practice with partner nations and continue to develop important relationships. It was an incredible way to finish our European Tour after completing 6 displays across Belgium before Slovakia. We were especially pleased to use the C-130J as our jump platform, also based at RAF Brize Norton. The Falcons have already been invited back in 2023 and we look forward to displaying in front of the
crowd again and competing for the award for a second year in a row.”
Now the season has finished, after a bit of down time the RAF Falcons have already headed off to prepare for the 2023 display season. Exercise Freefall Endeavour is the first of two pre-season exercises which prepare the team for the next year’s programme of displays.
The RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team have completed their first full season of displays since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
On 27 Sep 22, a group of 35 members from the Air Platform Systems Delivery Team (APS DT) travelled to RAF Brize Norton to carry out, what turned out to be, an invaluable engagement visit for all involved.
The group was comprised of RAF personnel, DE&S civil servants, apprentices, and contractors; with many of the group never having visited a military base before, let alone a unit as busy as the RAF’s Air Transport hub.
As well as being an enjoyable experience to visit a military Main Operating Base, the day proved to be a fantastic opportunity for APS DT to see the equipment they manage in the operators’ environment, up close and personal. Each element of the visit was organised to allow for maximum exposure and access to APS-specific equipment in a multitude of environments including 99 Sqn, 70 Sqn, Survival Equipment Section (SES) and Supply. All sections visited during the day play a part in operating, maintaining, or handling APS DT equipment such as; Large Aircraft
Infrared Counter Measures (LAIRCM), Mode 5 Identify Friend or Foe (IFF), and Emergency Personnel Locator Beacons (EPLB).
Mr Nick Hanks, who is currently on the Project Professional Graduate Scheme working within APS, reflected on the visit; ‘It was a highly motivating day that offered the chance to view what DE&S does from a different perspective. I thoroughly enjoyed it and hope another opportunity to visit a station arises in the future’.
Whilst the visit proved invaluable for APS DT, it was also extremely beneficial for Brize Norton personnel. Flt Lt Iain Pagano, a 99 Sqn Junior Engineering Officer on C17 who helped host the visit, said “It was great to meet those within APS DT and finally put faces to the names of those who deliver our equipment. Hosting a visit of this
nature clearly demonstrates how DTs are key enablers to our operational output, and spreads awareness within the Sqn. I hope this trend continues so that our crucial relationship with Abbey Wood grows and develops’.
APS DT Team Leader Daren Collis also reflected fondly on the event; ‘It is invaluable for people to have that connection with the equipment they support and just as importantly the user community who use or maintain it. After all the restrictions that came about during COVID it is great to see team members getting out to the Front Line to get an appreciation of what happens outside of Abbey Wood, and their home-office 4 walls. As TL I am so grateful to those in the team for taking the time to organise the visit and for the personnel in Brize Norton making time to accommodate the visit.’
In the last week of August, RAF Brize Norton hosted a week-long STEM camp where young people aged 8-13 could participate in 5 days of STEM related activities and projects; this was organised by FS Chris Mossman of the RAF Brize Norton STEM team and Ayleila Perry from Airplay The team delivered a wide range of hands-on STEM activities which included controlling and coding SPHERO robots, building and launching rockets, creating a vertical garden and much more. The attendees even completed an Arts Award Discover, exploring design and flight!
As well as sessions led by the RAF STEM Ambassadors, external deliverers added even more variety and excitement. On day 2, Storm Rae and Taliesin Turner from The National Museum of Computing delivered some enjoyable cryptography tasks, very popular VR challenges and Turing Tumble sessions – building mechanical computers powered by marbles! On day 4, Dr Lisa Mullan from Baylab delivered insightful Chemistry and Biology workshops. The attendees built DNA double helix models and even got to extract their own DNA!
The week was capped off with a trip to the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, the site of an ex-RAF base. The fantastic BMM educational team delivered a carousel of activities including making salt powered cars and racing professional remote-controlled cars, including timed pit stops! Before the coach departed, the visited was capped off with a uniquely wonderful performance by Professor Pickle and Dr Pumpkin bringing the science of forces to life!
The week was incredibly fun and the feedback from the young attendees universally positive, with many requests for future STEM camps. A big thank you to all those who helped make this week possible.
Now retired from both the RAF and later a Manchester-based UK airline, former 10 Squadron VC10 pilot Richard (Dick) King read an article in a local magazine earlier this year about an air crash which had occurred near his current home in North Staffordshire in February 1947, on the moors of the Peak District.
That winter was one of the coldest on record and the Moorland villages on the Derbyshire-North Staffs border were cut off by heavy snow drifts for many days. With many farms and homes running short of food the authorities decided to drop supplies by air; a snow-covered area was marked with soot by locals on a moor near the village of Onecote, south-east of Leek.
A 47 Squadron Halifax, registration RT 922 based from RAF Fairford, was tasked with the mission, but sadly crashed into a hilltop on the morning of 13th February 1947 prior to its third drop attempt in poor weather with very low cloud. All the crew were killed, together with the two press photographers who were on board.
A stone memorial cairn was later erected near the crash site on Grindon Moor and members of 47 Squadron, currently equipped with C-130J Hercules transport aircraft and based at Brize Norton, visit the area each year in February, when their operations allow. They pay their respects to their Squadron predecessors by attending a Memorial Service in Onecote Church and visit the cairn too if weather conditions permit, remembering those on board who were all killed.
After reading about the crash Dick King decided to visit the site’s memorial cairn where he took some photos and later mounted them into a photo-montage. He then contacted a friend, the Chairman of the 10 Squadron Association, Wg Cdr Mike Westwood (Retd) who was a former Hercules pilot on 47 Squadron. Mike then presented Dick’s montage to the present-day Officer Commanding 47 Sqn, Wg Cdr James Sjoberg, at RAF Brize Norton in June this year, thereby cementing good relations between 10 and 47 Squadrons.
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This event, which is generously supported by the Worshipful Company of Clothworkers, is a chance for 47 Squadron members to relax with their families and strengthen relationships with local charities, schools and other organisations. As well as a friendly cricket match between teams from 47 Squadron and the 67th Special Operations Squadron USAF based at RAF Mildenhall, the festival included live music from Zoe Schwarz and her band plus delicious food and drink. Children’s activities included bouncy castles, face-painting and an incredible balloon modeller.
This year volunteers from the Carterton Foodbank and staff from St John’s School and Edith Moorhouse School were invited to the event. The Mayor of Carterton, Councillor Nick Leverton, and the RAF Brize Norton Station Commander, Group Captain Emily Flynn, also attended. The 67th SOS Commander, Lt Col Mike Bien, attended with 7 other American service-people, many of whom had never played cricket before but who all threw themselves into the sport.
In soaring temperatures, the cricket match was a great success. With a wide
range of abilities spread between the two teams’ players, the match included plenty of surprises and some outstanding personal performances with a good number of shots sailing over the boundary! The friendly match was narrowly won by Team 1, who enjoyed the luxury of batting in the cooler morning air, however, the main aim was to strengthen friendships with the friends of 47 Squadron in the local community and with our cousins at Mildenhall. This aim was achieved in spades.
Wing Commander James Sjoberg, Officer Commanding 47 Squadron, said: “I am very grateful to the team who put together the 2022 47 Squadron Cricket Festival.
The organising committee worked very hard to put together a great event, and the continued financial support from our friends at the Worshipful Company Of Clothworkers made the whole thing possible. I was particularly pleased that our friends from the 67th SOS at Mildenhall made the journey down for the day: Lt Col Bien and his colleagues put in some amazing performances on the pitch. After all the hardships of the past two years it was great that we were able to host Carterton Foodbank and staff from two local schools as well: some local heroes enjoying well-deserved down-time in the sunshine.”
The Drennan RAF Coarse Angling Team’s dedication throughout the past 4 months has paid off. They have visited this year’s Interservice venue, Larford lakes in Stourport-on-Severn, on 3 separate occasions prior to the main event. Let’s take a look through the journey that was taken ahead of the Interservices…
In March, they headed for the ‘first look’ at the venue to practice over 3 days. It was a great opportunity to get an idea of how the fishery would react in 4 months’ time when the team would be competing in the 2022 Inter Services. Overall, this was a successful practice with frequent 50lb+ weights of skimmers/bream and some large carp caught of up to 20lb.
The next organised visit was the 5-day Development Camp, held between the 23-27 May. Using the information gathered from the ‘first look’, the team refined methods, boosting silver fish weights from 50lb up to 90lb. As the weather became warmer, it was also apparent more carp were feeding in the margins. A team plan was formulated and briefed by team captain Sgt Daniel Hurst. The team felt confident and were raring to go into the main event. Due to some maintenance work at the fishery the Inter Services would now be held over 3 lakes which meant some extra recce work would need to take place.
The RAF Championships 2022 afforded the extra time on the other lakes. This was held 6-8 June, organised by Flt Lt Matt Snape (RAFCAA Chairman). This event brings all RAF anglers at different levels together to learn and compete. On day 1, The Drennan RAF Squad hosted a development day for RAF League Anglers. 20 anglers were split into groups that rotated though 3 demonstrations. The anglers then had the afternoon to put some of the tips/methods into action. RAF Squad anglers walked the bank offering guidance to help everyone get the most out of their peg. After a few hours fishing & some stunning fish caught, the day finished up with a Q&A session.
On day 2, 60 anglers were split across
Specimen, Match and Arena lakes for the RAF Individual Championship and Inter-Unit match which is for teams of 3 anglers who are from the same unit. After 5 hours of hotly contested action the final standings were as follows:
• RAF Individual Champion 2022 with 99kg 200 FS Michael Dalziel RAF Individual runner up with 41kg 850 AS1 Rich Newbold
• RAF Individual 3rd Place with 24kg 350 Sgt Stu Thornton
• The Old Lags Champion of 2022 with 19kg 300 Steve Davis
On the team front, Brize Norton A (FS Michael Dalziel, Sgt Andrew Beasley and Cpl Paige Wardle) won with a total of 118kg 900.
On day 3, league representatives nominated teams of 5 personnel from within their respective leagues. There are 4 leagues across the country and these include most RAF Bases. Leagues are open to all abilities and run regular matches; they are:
• SAL - Southern Angling League
• VOYL – Vale of York League
• EMAL – East Midlands Angling League
• EAWL – East Anglian Wednesday league
The highest combined weights were as follows with the SAL dominating the results:
1st - SAL 1, 143kg 250 – Flt Lt Matthew Snape, FS Michael Dalziel, FS Baz Bright, Sgt Andy Beasley and Cpl Paige Wardle. 2nd - SAL 2, 128kg 400 – Flt Lt Jamie Garrett, WO Mark Firth, MACR Paul Granycomb, CT Nick Revill & Sgt Matt Hadfield. 3rd - SAL 3, 115kg 850 – WO Colin Stagg, CT Henry Hall, CT Ali Attwater, Cpl Steve Benson & Cpl Chris Holden.
Coarse Angling Inter Services 2022. After all the practice and the hype, the Drennan RAF Coarse Angling Squad were ready to do battle for the 2022 Inter Services crown. The week consists of 3 days practice, Monday – Wednesday and 2 official match days, Thursday, and Friday.
After a successful 3 days practice Drennan RAF were in the lead after day
1 of the match days. The team came away with 5 section wins, 3 seconds and 2 thirds giving the RAF a total of 17 points. This gave us a 3-point lead going into the final day, with the Army on 20 points and the Royal Navy on 23.
On Friday, we knew it was all to play for and we were hoping history would not repeat itself after last year’s disappointment of losing to the Royal Navy on the second day of competition. In the end the RAF maintained their lead and were crowned 2022 Inter Services champions. The final points totals were as follows.
1st – RAF 36 Pts 2nd – Army 39 Pts 3rd – Navy 46 Pts
Notably Drennan RAF had 3 anglers that gave outstanding performances over the 2 match days: FS Baz Bright, Sgt Steve Reid and Cpl Toby Pepper won their section both days and finished with a perfect 2 points each. Cpl Pepper’s catch weighed a total of 95kg over the 2 days, which placed him Interservice Individual Runner Up.
For more information head to RAF Competitive Angling Association - Coarse Angling - Royal Air Force Sports Federation (rafsportsfederation.uk) and don’t hesitate to contact DrennanRAF@ hotmail.com if you have any questions. You can also find us on Facebook under Drennan RAF Match Angling Team.
On the edge of the ancient Savernake Forest we make knives of the utmost distinction by combining the power and precision of technology with the finesse and attention of handcraft.
Savernake Knives has strong ties to the armed forces, with a number of our team being retired servicemen. Cutting our teeth on commissions ranging from the Household Division to the Royal Marines, we thought it was time we tackled one of the world’s most iconic sigils - the Type D Roundel.
Created with British Steel from Sheffield, bolts from Manchester and handles made by us in our workshop, these knives are as British as a bulldog named Winston and have a world class edge that stays sharper for longer.
We are offering a 20% discount to readers of the RAF Brize Norton magazine, their friends and families for a limited time and we will also be donating 5% of the proceeds to the RAF Benevolent Fund. Use the voucher code METEOR at checkout.
To order your knives visit savernakeknives.co.uk/knife-sets-collections/roundel. If technology’s not your thing then you’re welcome to call us on 01672 870 120 or email us at hello@ savernakeknives.co.uk
