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Finding the right mortgage broker to help with your mortgage can be difficult for anyone, but for those serving in the armed forces it becomes a bigger challenge as many brokers do not have the experience to fully understand your circumstances. Even explaining your payslips can become a major task.
PFL Mortgages are specialists for the armed forces, and as part of their pledge to the Armed Forces Covenant, for miliary families they have removed the barrier of their standard £395 broker fee, offering their service to you free of charge.
Arranging your mortgage is only part of their service. They will help you from the day you first think about a mortgage, explaining the whole process of house buying or remortgaging, and remain with you every step of the way.
PFL Mortgages work with over 60 lenders, including every major bank and building society in the UK. They are regulated by the Financial Services Authority, which means that they are required by law to find the best deals for you.
Managing Director Graham Salloway says ‘As with most mortgage brokers in the UK, we are paid a commission by the lender. Offering our service free of charge affects our profits, and we can make a small loss in some cases. But by offering the deal to all military families including veterans, it has enabled us to grow our military client base substantially.’
Editorial Team
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Foreword Station Commander’s
Wing Commander Michael Adamson
It brings me great pleasure to introduce this edition of Wycombe World and indeed my first since taking over command of the Station in July. To be fortunate enough to be appointed the Station Commander of such a prestigious establishment is an honour and responsibility I am truly grateful for. It is clear that the Station has been set up for success under some
very testing circumstances so I would like to formally thank my predecessor, Wing Commander Jenny Dennis, for all her hard work over the past three years.
RAF High Wycombe for our personnel, their families and, where appropriate, the local community.
All articles for the Winter Issue 3 2025 to be sent in no later than 18th December 2025 to the new MCO. Please send all articles as a word document with all photos and images imbedded within the article.
We must now build upon the foundations laid for us and take the Station, and indeed our wholeforce community, forward. I have been clear with the impressive team here at RAF High Wycombe that I want us to go further in two key areas of our outputs: Improving the lived experience for our personnel and their families, and continuing to develop and improve our active engagement in the local community. Key to both of those objectives are effective communications and this magazine is, and will continue to be, part of that approach. In future editions, I will offer insights into how we are developing our estate and also the facilities here at 6
It is heartening to see range of activities that personnel based at RAF High Wycombe are undertaking to develop themselves and colleagues against an impressive and demanding operational backdrop. You continue to go above and beyond and, as the summer begins to ebb away, it is time to turn our attention to remembering times of previous operational prowess, not least through our planned Battle of Britain 85 celebrations and Remembrance activities into November. Where opportunity avails itself, I do hope you get involved. Please do enjoy this edition and look out for some key updates in future editions.
Non Sibi
ello and welcome to the latest issue of Wycombe World. Station personnel have been very busy over the summer months, and you can read about some of the goings on around camp in this magazine.
I feel incredibly honoured to have attended the Restorative Action ceremony held in the Officers’ Mess in July. You can read more about the ceremony in this edition, but words and pictures don’t give a full sense of how much the ceremony meant to the veterans who attended. I was fortunate enough to chat with many of the veterans and their guests and hear their harrowing stories from their time in the RAF. Many people were discharged from the Armed Forces on account of their sexuality and/or gender identity during the period of what is commonly referred to as the ‘gay ban’ during 1967 and
2000. To hear the veterans’ stories and how it affected their lives was shocking, but to hear how much this ceremony and the restorative measures they have received means to them was warming, one veteran told me that they felt like part of the RAF family again and that they are now looking forward to wearing their newly issued RAF beret and ‘Etherton Ribbon’ badge at events such as Remembrance and Armed Forces day.
I would encourage anyone to read the report (type ‘LGBT Veterans Independent Review’ into a search engine) or watch the documentary ‘I was there – Booted Out by the Gay Ban’ on BBC iPlayer for more. The RAF Inclusion team, who are based at RAF High Wycombe, have worked hard to process and issue veterans with their restorative measures in a timely, sensitive and personalised manner and continue to do so.
It is clear from this edition, that the station is involved in a lot of sporting pursuits along with a lot of community development –thank you to all who sent stories and photos to us and please keep them coming!
I hope you enjoy thumbing through this edition.
CLEOPHAS JOSEPH RETIREMENT
The hard-working and ever-friendly Cleophas Joseph retired recently after 14 years of loyal service to RAF High Wycombe.
The Community Development team held an event to send him off to his slippers on a high and to thank him for keeping their offices spotless over the past years.
Everyone at RAF High Wycombe would like to thank Joseph for his service and wish him all the best for the future.
"I am going to be spending the coming months trying to get around as much of the various sites as possible and my sole aim is to support you, your families and the wider community to the best of my ability, regardless of faith or belief."
The summer can be a time to reset or perhaps to enjoy or prepare for new beginnings, whether this is because you have had a chance to go on leave and (hopefully) unwind after a frantic few months. Perhaps you have children, and they have been on summer holidays and then a new start, whether that is a school year, new school or off into the world of work.
For me, and several others, this summer has brought a new role, or a move to the area and a new job. I have arrived to start as the Station Chaplain for RAF High Wycombe, and whilst the role and the Station is new to me, the area isn’t. I grew up in High Wycombe and worked in one of the local churches prior to joining the RAF. I am also a Wycombe Wanderers Season ticket holder,
something that often brings me more pain than joy!
I am going to be spending the coming months trying to get around as much of the various sites as possible and my sole aim is to support you, your families and the wider community to the best of my ability, regardless of faith or belief. So, if there is something that you think I can do to support you or your team, or if you want to make an appointment to talk through some of the challenges that life might be throwing your way, please do get in contact and I will be more than happy to make some time for you.
Padre Jonathan
COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
UPCOMING EVENTS
• Pumpkin Carving
• All ranks children's Halloween & Christmas parties
• Veteran's Christmas Lunch
• and lots more, look out for more info on Teams and the RAF High Wycombe Community News & Events Facebook page.
Hopefully everyone has received the updated People & Families Support leaflet and fridge magnet which we lovingly hand delivered to every SLA & SFA, the QR code links to a very informative SWAY which was produced in response to a communications pilot - this has been so well received we hope to roll it out over other Stations - if you did not receive this or are a dispersed family please get in touch with danielle.bowman943@mod.gov.uk and request a copy and we will post it out to you. Likewise if anyone has any good ideas/suggestions for community events please let the team know.
We took a good look at our lives during Covid-19, evaluating our passions, strengths and expertise. With the support of our families and friends we gathered together financial and practical resources to establish “Badgers Auctions Ltd”, online auction’s every weekend, with a friendly & welcoming atmosphere! We are promoting a strong environmental ethos for re-use and up-cycling and discovering the value in good quality lot items!
Services we provide:
General Auctioneers, Valuations, House & Garage Clearances and Probate services.
DROP OFF
MONDAY and TUESDAY: 9am to 5pm WEDNESDAY: 9am - 12noon
Use these days to drop off your entries for the following Sunday’s auction.
AUCTION OPENING
SATURDAY VIEWING: 10am - 4pm
CLOSED
THURSDAY, FRIDAY and SUNDAY: Closed to the public
Or call us for more info: 01494 880495 or 07904339160
HERB PLANTING WORKSHOP
IS A HUGE SUCCESS!
Green-fingered station personnel took the opportunity to get away from their email inbox for an hour or so and enjoy a herb planting workshop, funded by VIVO and delivered by Nurture, part of our grounds maintenance group.
30 participants aged from 3-60 got the chance to create and take home some beautiful hanging baskets full of herbs.
OTHER NEWS:
Ben Elephant came to see if everyone was having fun at the subsidised multi activity sports camp run by 2BActive.
CDO was busy over the holidays volunteering for FAB - Families Activities Breaks for Bereaved Military Families.
‘Foxy’ popped to East Barnby to visit all the FAB families - interesting fact - East Barnby was originally RAF Goldsborough.
RAF HIGH WYCOMBE WELCOMES LGBT VETERANS
LGBT RESTORATIVE ACTION CEREMONY BACK TO THE RAF FAMILY
In July, a poignant LGBT Restorative Action Ceremony was held at the Officers’ Mess, RAF High Wycombe, honouring RAF veterans affected by the ban on LGBT personnel serving in the UK military between 1967 and 2000.
The emotional event, organised by the RAF Inclusion team, was attended by eight veterans and their guests, along with whole-force personnel including members of the RAF LGBTQ+ Network, RAF Galaxy and RAF High Wycombe execs. The veterans received official recognition and an apology from the (now former) Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Rich Knighton, for the unjust treatment they endured during their service career.
Director People, Air Vice-Marshal Simon Edwards, presented each veteran with Restorative Measures which included an apology letter from the Chief of the Air Staff, the re-issue of an RAF beret and cap badge, a new certificate of service, restoration of previously held rank, and an Etherton Ribbon.
The ribbon, named after Lord Etherton, who chaired the review into what is commonly referred to as the ‘gay ban’, serves as a powerful reminder of the dedication and resilience of those who faced discrimination, and it commemorates the strength of those who fought against the unjust policy.
Many of the veterans became tearful when receiving the recognition of their service to the nation and the apology for the way they were treated during the ban. Some of the
veterans spoke openly about how they were ostracised and treated cruelly after their sexuality became known to their chain of command. Many were subjected to intrusive investigations by the Military Police with some being ‘outed’ to their family and friends and being publicly shamed. Some veterans of the ban served time in prison.
The ceremony was followed by an informal BBQ at the Chief of the Air Staff’s house where 13 more Veterans affected by the ban joined to celebrate 25 years since the lifting of the ban. RAF High Wycombe-based chefs and stewards provided a delicious spread of BBQ food, desserts and drinks which were a huge hit with those in attendance. The guests took the opportunity to chat and share experiences of the treatment of LGBT people during the ban and celebrate how far the Services have come.
The ceremony and BBQ were a powerful step in recognising the sacrifices and contributions of LGBT veterans and welcoming them back to the RAF family, many of the veterans who attended the ceremony have waited decades for an official apology.
There have been many similar ceremonies which have taken place all over the world, including Canberra, Australia; and Washington D.C.
The RAF is committed to righting the wrongs of the past. If you know anyone who may have been affected by the ban on LGBT people serving in the military between 1967 and 2000, contact AIR-LGBTRestorativeAction@mod.gov.uk
DSEI VISIT: TEAM FROM RAF DIGITAL GET A GLIMPSE OF THE FUTURE
On Wednesday 10th September, Sgt Gerrard from InfoPol, RAF Digital, led members of his team to visit the bi-annual Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEI) Trade exhibition held at the ExCeL centre in London. DSEI is a 4-day, globally attended event which serves as a forum between governments, national armed forces, industry, and academics and is seen as both an opportunity to network with industry peers as well as facilitating investment within the industry.
The Expo whilst positive for defence is not without its controversy, as with previous years, there were a few minor scuffles between the police and anti-war protestors due to the ongoing issues in the Middle East, with red paint being thrown at delegates. On the day we attended, a heavy police and security presence ensured that there were no issues that others had witnessed.
Due to the TFL Tube strikes, the event very nearly didn’t happen at all but thanks to Sgt Gerrard’s deft organisational skills, the day began with a very early hearty breakfast in Wetherspoons where the group discussions started with Sgt Gerrard encouraging the group’s views about ethical AI as well as the party having a discussion on what our aims would be for the day and what we hoped to gain from the visit. We agreed to look out for companies promoting AI and its introduction into defence, with the aim to specifically see how it might influence daily outputs in the years to come.
After spending the first few hours free flowing through the stalls and exhibits, the InfoPol team met for lunch to discuss their experiences of the morning and to have more discussion on their respective findings. Flt Lt Ben Funnell and Fg Off Drew Torr
took the lead by opening a lively debate about the future of drone warfare and if drones might eliminate the requirement to have pilots in the future, with the majority of the team voting that pilots still had a place. With lunch concluded, we set off to discover more of what DSEI had to offer.
Fully supported by pan defence, the team visited the exhibitions from the Army, Navy and Air Force with Space Command’s presentation team being a particular highlight from the contingent, thanks go to Wg Cdr Neal Henley for giving us a small insight as to what goes on behind the Space Command doors! It Is also a good opportunity for people within any single service to find out what is going on within the wider service community especially from within areas you might not have any daily interactions with – seeing the vehicles being introduced to the Army frontline, a particular highpoint of Mr Richard Swift.
Sgt Gerrards highlight from the day was an informative talk from Boston Dynamics (see picture 1) detailing how their robot (named Spot) can protect lives by being sent into dangerous places instead of humans, equipped with a 3D camera and a robotic arm it can be remotely controlled either though Wi-Fi or over a 5G network – a question from a member of the public about putting armaments on Spot was met with the response from the company that they are “all about protecting lives, not taking them”.
Overall, the team had a very productive day out and learned that there is so much more going on within defence than any one individual team’s outputs dictate and that events like DSEI are key to understanding the much bigger picture of global events.
The team are already looking forward to DSEI 2027 and hope to visit again.
RAF HIGH WYCOMBE ANGLERS TRIUMPH AT CHAMPIONSHIPS
The RAF Angling Association (Coarse Match) Championships were held at Meadowlands fishery near Nuneaton. The format of the week started with a grass roots coaching day, where members of the RAF Coarse Angling Squad gave talks to explain watercraft and the tactics needed for the fishery.
The RAF Angling Association (Coarse Match) Championships were held at Meadowlands fishery near Nuneaton. The format of the week started with a grass roots coaching day, where members of the RAF Coarse Angling Squad gave talks to explain watercraft and the tactics needed for the fishery. Anglers were then given the opportunity to fish the venue with some one-onone coaching. The day was well received and set everyone up for the for the rest of the week.
The second day of the event was the teams of 5 Inter-League event, where teams from all the RAF angling leagues competed against each other. The Southern Angling League (SAL) was well represented, entering 3 teams, with 4 of Team SAL Chinook being represented by anglers from RAF High Wycombe:
- WO Mike Dalziel
- WO Baz Bright
- Sgt Chris Clitheroe
- Sgt Stu Thornton
As accommodation was at Bramcote Barracks, the format of the day saw everyone leaving bright and early to get to the fishery for 0800. Administration and Health & Safety briefs were swiftly followed by bait preparation and discussions around the tactics that would be required. Once the ‘draw’ for pegs (Fishing platforms) was complete, anglers were given 2hrs to get round the lake to their respective pegs and set their equipment up, before the match started at 1100, finishing at 1600.
Based on overall weight of fish caught, Team SAL Chinook was dominant on the day, finishing with 132.875kgs, nearly 60kgs clear of the 2nd placed team. Helping the team to their win, was Baz’s overall individual winning weight of 59.100kgs.
The following day was the RAF Inter Unit Champs, which saw the previous day’s format replicated, with the RAF High Wycombe team
Five person SAL Chinook team
RAF High Wycombe winning team
Part of WO Bright's winning catch
of 3 represented by WO Dalziel, WO Bright and Sgt Thornton. The lake was split into 3 sections, with each angler fishing against the others in their section for points. A similarly dominant display saw each of the High Wycombe anglers winning their respective sections, with WO Dalziel winning individually on the day, followed by WO Bright 2nd and Sgt Thornton 3rd, which led to RAF High Wycombe being crowned Champions for the 1st time in 50 years.
Running alongside the team events, split over both days, was the RAF Coarse Angling individual Championships. Continuing their dominance of the entire event saw WO Baz Bright Crowned RAF Champion with 2pts and overall weight of 98.350, 2nd and 3rd place went to WO Dalziel and Sgt Thornton with 4pts with WO Dalziel edging 2nd place on weight count-back.
RAF HWY RUNNING TEAM CLAIM GOLD AND BRONZE
Runners from RAF High Wycombe competed in the RAF Athletics 10km Road Race which took place at RAF Wittering. In a very competitive field, all HWY runners posted fantastic times over the 10km course with Cpl Ellie Robinson, who is the station exercise rehabilitation instructor, grabbing first place with a time of 39:15, over two minutes ahead of second place.
Ellie answered some questions:
How did you prepare for the event?
I don’t train specifically for running, but I do a lot of running as part of my training programme for Hyrox. I began running about two years ago and have built up slowly to where I am now.
So you’re not a dedicated runner?
No – this was my first running race! Growing up I always did hockey and swimming and a little bit of cross-country, but never to a high level. Before joining up as a Physical Training Instructor, I had never run 10km, 5km would’ve been my limit and my personal best was around 30 minutes.
Did you have a target in mind when you were on the start line?
I did a 10km trial about two months ago as part of my testing for this season of Hyrox and I got 40.59 so
because I was so close to sub 40mins thought may as well try and get under 40 that would be cool!
What’s next for you? My next race is Hyrox Womens Pro doubles with my sister in November.
Cpl Phillipa Oreshko ran the course in 41:59 claiming third place a minute-and-a-half ahead of the nearest runner.
Well done to all the team who did HWY proud!
The Southern Service Cross Country League runs from 08 October 25 until 25 February 2026 with events at stations across the south of England – the events take place on Wednesday afternoons. The league is friendly and welcomes all standards of runner, from beginner to super-human machines like Ellie and Phillipa!
See the poster overleaf for dates and locations of events coming up, the club also run in other local events, more info on these can be found on the club’s SharePoint page – if you want any more information, contact Frances Parsons.
WO Baz Bright with individual and team trophies
CROSS COUNTRY SEASON
RAF HIGH WYCOMBE STATION CHAMPS 2025
RAF High Wycombe’s golfers teed up for another year of fierce but friendly competition at the Annual Station Golf Championships 2025, held over two rounds at Sherfield Oaks Golf Club in Basingstoke.
With both skill and bragging rights on the table, the event proved once again why golf remains such a valued part of station sport and golf community.
The early opening round on the Wellington Course tested players right from the first tee. With its tree-lined fairways and strategic water features, accuracy was at a premium. Despite the early nerves, competitors settled into their rhythm, producing some outstanding golf. Birdies and pars came thick and fast, setting the stage for a tightly contested championship.
Round two of the day brought players to the Waterloo Course, renowned for its more open layout but equally demanding greens. This round became a true test of consistency, with golfers needing to balance power with precision. The shifting conditions kept everyone on their toes, and the leaderboard changed several times before the final putts dropped.
When the scores were tallied, one name stood above the
rest. Mr Luke Slaney put together two superb rounds to claim the Net score of 76 and Gross score of 155 winning both titles – a remarkable achievement and a testament to his all-round game. Congratulations to Luke for an outstanding performance and for setting the standard in this year’s championship.
Beyond the scorecards, what really shone through was the spirit of sport in the RAF. Whether seasoned players of Station Champs or first-time entrants, every player gave their best while supporting one another across the fairways.
A huge thank you goes to Sherfield Oaks Golf Club for hosting the event, and to all who helped organise and support the annual event. A special recognition must go to Cpl Thomas Rivers, whose hard work in coordinating the Station golf events ensured everything ran smoothly.
As Thomas moves on to his next posting, we also say a fond farewell and thank him for his three years of dedication to the RAF High Wycombe Golf Association.
AS1(T) Thomas Doyle
Cpl Tom Rivers putting for Par
Winner: Mr Luke Slaney
Whether you’re serving as a Regular or Reserve, we can provide financial support to get you back on track:
Tailored financial support
One-off payments for urgent needs
Simple, dedicated online application for grants up to £750
Benefits advice to maximise income
Find out more and request support: rafbf.org/livingcosts
Call our confidential helpline: 0300 102 1919
It gave us the headspace to rearrange our finances and positively plan - I’d encourage anyone in the RAF who needs help to get in touch with the Fund.”
– Serving member of the RAF
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