THETFORD AND DISTRICT No.996

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1 NEWSLETTER Edited and Compiled by Ray Towler Abbey Gardens - Bury St. Edmunds (John MacPherson) Branch Lunch Club - Sergeants Mess - 28 th February 2014 THETFORD AND DISTRICT No.996 Branch Charity No

2 Branch Lunch Club - Sergeants Mess - 28 th February 2014 Branch Lunch Club - 28 th February Sergeants Mess If you can remember this, then you are really old. 2

3 POPPY RED In shadows from the cedar tree The cross of stone there stands With names engraved of those we lost In far off days on foreign lands When wire barbed was rusted And trenches then their home A mug of tea for comfort No use for brush or comb With words on paper written So many never sent To mothers or to sweethearts With pictures only lent As the mud and blood did mingle And the earth it turned to fire With arms outstretched to heaven For The Lord he stood much higher And the angels came to gather The souls then from the dead Then took them to a better place As we lay our poppies red Tony Roe Increase in Postal charges At the end of March the postal charge increased from 50p to 53p for second class, increasing the cost of sending out our Newsletter. As we send out 80 plus this increase builds up over the year. It is therefor very important that any member, or even one of our Supporters, receive copies of the Newsletter by electronic means. If you receive the Newsletter by post, yet have the means to receive the Newsletter electronically I am asking that you send me an , stating your ability to receive electronically so that I can add you to the ever increasing list, thus saving that additional expense. Skydiving for the Association Jo Bray has said that she has enjoyed working in the Eastern Office and providing help and support to the lovely Members of the South East & Eastern Area Branches, but she is sadly leaving us to take the position as Welfare Administrator in CHQ. Jo has volunteered to jump out of a perfectly serviceable aircraft with a member of the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team at Peterborough sometime in September in order to raise funds for the Association and is aiming for the magic 500. She is therefore seeking the support of Branches and members to help her reach her target. If you would like to sponsor Jo, I know she would be very grateful, and you can do so through 3

4 Wings Appeal The Wings Appeal is the RAF Association s on-going fundraising campaign that runs throughout the year. It is the fundraising arm of the Association and helps raise the vital funds needed to support serving and ex-raf personnel and their families, whenever they are need. Whether it s an injured airman fighting to get back onto his feet, a young child missing their parent away on overseas operations or a WWII veteran needing a shoulder to lean on, we are here to help. Wings Appeal fundraising is recognised by the wing emblem that we use on our fundraising appeals, wherever you see the wing it means that the funds raised go towards helping those in need of our welfare help. How we fundraise for the Wings Appeal Since it s beginnings in 1951, fundraising for the Wings Appeal initially was centred on the Battle of Britain week (Wings Week), however, over time, fundraising methods have diversified and fundraising has become an activity that spreads throughout the year rather than concentrating on the Wings Week in September. As the RAF Association does not receive any government funding, we are dependent on the generosity of the public and the selfless hard work of our volunteers who help raise vital funds for the Wings Appeal. Our volunteer fundraisers come in many forms; including RAF Association Branch members, members of the serving RAF, ATC cadets, employees of companies who support us and individual members of the public. The types of activity which our volunteers undertake include: Holding charity collections in town centres, supermarkets and other public venues House to House collections Placing collecting tins in public places Holding one of our Brew for the Few tea parties Running Name Me Claim Me Teddy Bear competitions Manning stalls at public events such as Airshows and church fairs Sponsored challenge events Promoting our Wings Lotto Grand Draw & Wings Lotto weekly competitions Holding scheduled collections at various Superstores We are immensely grateful to all of our volunteers for their commitment to helping the RAF Family and, in return, we do everything in our power to support them. If you would like to volunteer some of your time, please contact Ray Towler on or by at ray.towler@btinternet.com Paying Respects On Friday 28 th March, Our Chairman, John MacPherson and myself attended the funeral of George Spencer, at St. Giles Church, Risby. He had been a Radio Operator/Air Gunner, serving with Transport Command. He also trained members of the Air Training Corps. Both John and myself thought it appropriate that the RAFA should be represented and as it happened we were the only RAFA representatives present. We did not personally know the Gentleman concerned and he was not a member of the Thetford Branch, but that was beside the point, he had worn a Blue Suit and that was enough incentive for us to pay our respects. Ray Towler 4

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6 07 January 2014 National Project to Honour Unrecorded World War Casualties The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) will be working with the National Army Museum and the Army to investigate cases of First and Second World War Soldiers and officers who are currently not commemorated as war casualties. Every year, the Army receives a steady stream of claims from descendants and others who believe their loved ones names should be recognised. These missing names predominately relate to soldiers and officers who died of their injuries away from the battlefield. Many of these casualties died whilst still in service, but casualties who were discharged as unfit because of their injuries and subsequently died may also be eligible for commemoration. The CWGC will be working with the Museum and the Army to establish the individual's eligibility for official recognition of their sacrifice. The Commission's Commemorations Policy Manager, Nic Andrews said, "The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is looking forward to working with the National Army Museum and to ensuring those servicemen and women who died in the two world wars are commemorated in a manner befitting their sacrifice." David Bownes, Assistant Director of the National Army Museum, said: "Restoring honour to the casualties of the World Wars is a deserving enterprise and one that the National Army Museum's experts are well-equipped to investigate and substantiate." The British Army: "We are committed to ensuring all those who died as a result of their Service in the World Wars receive the recognition they deserve for their sacrifice and bravery. The partnership with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and the National Army Museum will ensure that all those in the Army who gave their lives will be honoured. All three organisations are involved and committed to ensuring that the courage and sacrifice of soldiers and officers who died as a result of their service in the First or Second World Wars is not forgotten. Northern Ireland Veterans Association The Northern Ireland Veterans' Association Service of Remembrance 2014 will be held at 11.30am on Saturday 20th September 2014 at the National Memorial Arboretum, Alrewas, Staffordshire. The service will commemorate and remember all those who lost their lives in service of the Crown as a result of the conflict in N. Ireland. The service will be followed by a parade down to the Ulster Ash Grove for the laying of wreaths. Following the laying of the wreaths, there will be a 15 minute pause before the parade forms up for the return march to the visitor centre during which the guest of honour will take the salute. The service is open to all and all Associations are welcome to parade their standards. For further information please contact David Langston on or alternatively please davidlangston594@sky.com Newsletter If you have any material for the next Newsletter, due for publication May/June, please forward it to Ray Towler, to arrive not later than 7 th June Telephone or at ray.towler@btinternet.com 6

7 Honoured A few weeks ago I was invited by the French equivalent of the British Legion to attend a memorial ceremony in a village about an hour and a half north of where I live. On the appointed day, I went there along with someone from the local branch of RAFA and set out to establish the story of why we were there. During WWII, the RAF was supply dropping to the local Resistance movement and on the one night, a Stirling took off from RAF Tempsford, Cambridgeshire, home of several 'special operations' squadrons. At the time, much of France was still under the control of the Germans and the Luftwaffe controlled the skies, but this particular Stirling made it to its drop zone safely but sadly crashed at the start of its return flight to Tempsford - it appears not to have been shot down. As the aircraft impacted, there was a huge explosion - none of the crew survived. Indeed, the damage was so severe that the Germans concluded that it was an American crew of three that had perished and the bodies were duly buried in a nearby cemetery. Later in the war, when the Americans resumed occupation of this part of France, they exhumed the bodies and buried them in a US military cemetery in Provence, about 1000kms south-east of the crash site. However, at the end of the war, the British authorities tried to piece together the story of the disappearance of the Tempsford flight and, in collaboration with the Americans, came to the conclusion that the aircraft that had crashed was not an American aircraft at all but had, in fact, been the Tempsford Stirling with six crew members on board. Consequently, the crew was exhumed for a second time and reburied, this time, in a British military cemetery near Marseille. In due course, the inhabitants of the small village near Périgueux in south-west France where the crash happened learned of the true story and decided to honour those that had been killed in the crash. Now, like many villages in Britain where the local war memorial carries the names of its sons who have died in conflict, this particular village decided to honour the members of the Stirling crew as being their own. So, when the local RAFA member and I arrived in this small village, we were astonished to find the names of this particular crew (4 RAF, 1 Australian and 1 Canadian) carved on the local war memorial. The tradition in France is for the names of those killed and immortalised on the war memorial to have their names read out. For the ceremony I attended, with about a dozen Standards, the village mayor read out the names of the villagers who had been killed in both the first and second world wars. The other tradition is for the assembled observers to recite 'Mort pour la France' (Died for France) after the name of each person was read out. When it came to the names of the crew of the Stirling, there was no difference; the name of the crew member was read out and everyone replied 'Mort pour la France' after each name was read out by the mayor. We laid a wreath and recited 'They shall grow not old,.' in French. There was a meticulous history of the events and we learned that one crew member came from the same town in Cumbria as the RAFA member there that day. He passed all the details to his home town and they ran the full story in the Press. What a moving epitaph! The French never forget the sacrifices of the RAF during those dark days. Honoured indeed, still today 70 years on. Victor Papa Apr14 I know the answer, do you? Looking through my archives I came across a reference to Corporal Tracey Wardle. You might like to do a little research and find out more about this particular person. No prizes but the answer will surprise some people. 7

8 Area Conference Resolutions The following Resolutions were carried at Area Conference and will therefore be supported by the Area Delegate at National Conference. This Conference resolves that especially during Wings Week, a larger, more substantial Wing emblem should replace the sticky backed Wing, currently given out by collectors. This new Wing would essentially be the RAF Association's version of the Poppy. Dover & District Branch That the children of personnel who have served, or are serving, in the Royal Air Force be eligible for Full Membership of the Royal Air Forces Association on reaching the age of 18 years. RAFA Bognor Regis Branch This Conference resolves that with effect from 1 January 2015 only Full Associate Members of a Branch shall be eligible to become an Associate Member of a RAFA Branch Club and that Standard Club Rule 9 (2) be amended accordingly: Ayelesbury & Halton Branch HMT Lancastria Service A HMT Lancastria Service will be held on Thursday 12 th June at 1:00pm at St Katherine Cree Church, 86 Leadenhill Street, London, EC3A 3BP. The HMT Lacastria was lost at St Nazaire on June 17 th 1940 with a large loss of life. Amongst those on board were Members of the Royal Air Forces: 67 Wing, 70 Wing, 73 Squadron and D Squadron. All members of the Royal Air Forces Association are very welcome to join the Service and any Standard Bearers wishing to attend should report at 12:30pm. 70 th ANNIVERSARY D-DAY COMMEMORATIONS (D-DAY70) NORMANDY marks the 70 th anniversary of the Normandy Landings during the Second World War. The Royal British Legion and the Ministry of Defence have the privilege of leading the nation in paying its respects to all those who fought and died in the battle through a series of events over 5 th 6 th June, known as D-Day 70. Over the coming months, the Legion and the MOD will be working towards the commemorations, which include Memorial Services at Bayeux Cathedral and Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery amongst others. In order to plan effectively we re aiming to establish how many veterans will be travelling to Normandy in June, and we re asking all veterans and their families to get in touch and let us know. Due to the high profile nature of D-Day 70 there will be security restrictions in place in Normandy and accreditation is required for many of the events during the anniversary period, therefore we do ask them to contact us by 30 th April in order for us to send you the paperwork required to enter the sites they may wish to visit. We ask the Service, Veterans and Regimental Associations that if they know about their comrades planning to travel to Normandy for 6 th June 2014 to please contact the Royal British Legion by at: dday70@britishlegion.org.uk or in writing via D-Day 70, Haig House, 199 Borough High Street, London, SE1 1AA. We also want them to know that funding support for their veterans trip may be secured through the Big Lottery Fund s Heroes Return 2 scheme; an application form is available on the website, or call (textphone for those with hearing impairment). We are proud to stand Shoulder to Shoulder with all who serve, and we are most grateful for your assistance. 8

9 Provisional Calendar April April RAF 96th Birthday INFORMATION 3 April Planning Meeting - 1st World War Lake House - Castle Lane April Car Boot Sale Santon Downham April Branch Meeting Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington April Informal Social Evening Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington April Wings Appeal Workshop Wisbech RAFA All Day 17 April Graduation Parade & Hosted Visit Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington April Car Boot Sale Tesco s Car Park April Anniversary,Freedom St. Edmundsbury INFORMATION 25 April Branch Lunch Club Norfolk Terrier April Branch Outing Flixton Museum TBA May May Planning Meeting - 1st World War Lake House - Castle Lane May RAFALO's Quiz Night Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington May RAF Honington's 77th Anniversary INFORMATION 4 May Car Boot Sale Santon Downham May Committee Discussion Group Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington May Branch Meeting Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington May Branch Lunch Club Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington May Mildenhall Register Service Beck Row =18 May Annual Conference INFORMATION 22 May Thetford Branch 64th Anniversary INFORMATION 24 May Wings Collection Thetford Garden Centre All Day 25 May Wings Collection Thetford Garden Centre All Day June June Car Boot Sale Santon Downham June 70th Anniversary D-Day INFORMATION 8 June Branch Stand Rural Pastimes=Euston Estate All Day 10 June Branch Meeting Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington June Cheese/Wine Night Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington June Branch Lunch Club The Fox Inn, Honington June Graduation Parade & Hosted Visit Sergeants' Mess, RAF Honington June Branch Stand - Armed Forces Day Thetford Market Place All Day 28 June Wreath Laying - Armed Forces Day Thetford War Memorial June Church Service - Armed Forces Day United Reform Church TBA If you would like to support any of the above events, contact Ray Towler, in person, or by telephone on , or by on ray.towler@btinternet.com Note: Wings Collections at the Thetford Garden Centre now confirmed. First session 24 th and 25 th May Collectors are required to do two hour shifts commencing at hrs. On each of the days. If you would like to join members for the Branch Lunch Club please contact Ray Towler. It is important to book in advance to allow the venue to be informed of numbers. Attendance to Graduation Parades must also be booked in advance, just turning up on the day is just not on. 9

10 The Royal Air Force. The Royal Air Force had been created by Act of Parliament in the midst of the largest and most devastating of all wars known to that time in order to get the best possible use from British air power in that war. Inevitably, when peace at last came, there was no shortage of voices to question the continued existence of the independent air force. The Royal Navy and the Army, from whose air arms the RAF had come, were most anxious to see it demobilized, disbanded and its parts redistributed between them. In addition, the frequent financial crises forced the Government to examine most closely whether the country's defence budget could afford the costs of a third Service. The general public, war-weary and disillusioned with most things military, remained mostly indifferent and apathetic until the late 1930s. The fight for survival as an independent air arm was a real one and was waged largely in government committee rooms, in Parliament and in the press. Fortunately for the future of British air power and the RAF, the time brought forth the man - or more precisely, two men: Winston Churchill, as Minister for War and Air, and Trenchard, as Chief of the Air Staff. After the General Election of December 1918, Lloyd George had appointed Churchill as Minister for War, adding to everyone's astonishment: "take the air with you... as I am not going to keep it as a separate department...". Churchill was more air-minded than most of his political colleagues; he had learnt to fly at Eastchurch, the RNAS flying school, when he was First Lord of the Admiralty. He had, of course, championed the cause of naval aviation and had been enthusiastic about the early attempts at strategic bombing. From the start he made it quite clear that the future independence of the Air Minister and the Air Force would not be prejudiced by one man being responsible for both War and Air. Soon after taking office, he brought Trenchard back as Chief of the Air Staff to replace Sykes because Lord Weir, the former Minister, had advised him that Trenchard was the only man for the job. So the two men came together to lay the foundations for the peacetime organization and role of the Royal Air Force. While Churchill did not remain long in office (he moved to the Colonial Office early in 1921) Trenchard was to continue as Chief of the Air Staff until December But it was those years in which they coincided and worked together that are so important. The first preoccupations, however, were with apparently mundane matters - ranks, uniforms and an ensign. Old Army and Navy ranks and uniforms were retained after 1 April 1918 and into 1919, but clearly something permanent was needed for the peacetime force instead of these ad hoc arrangements. After various plunges into classical mythology, the present, and now familiar, ranks and titles were adopted, but not before the King had suggested that the title "Marshal of the Air" could be misleading and that "Marshal of the Royal Air Force" would be more appropriate. The choice of the uniform was not so easy since a combination of khaki and navy blue, which may have been desirable, looked absurd. The first RAF uniform fared no better; in his autobiography, Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir John Slessor described it as "a nasty pale blue with a lot of gold over it, which brought irresistibly to mind a vision of the gentlemen who stands outside the cinema". Fortunately, the later RAF blue uniform was not long in being accepted. Arguments abounded over the design for an RAF ensign. In a moment of exasperation, Trenchard went to the King and pointed out that the red, white and blue roundel had been the emblem of the First World War fliers and that he could think of no better design than that emblem against a sky-blue background. The King agreed, there was no further argument, the Royal Assent was given and the RAF had its own ensign. Editors Note: I came across this article on an old CD and up to this time I had not given the subject much thought, so I thought I might share it with our Members and Supporters. Ray Towler Newsletter distribution Newsletters are distributed by (pdf format) and by post. Obviously distribution by is virtually free of charge, while the postal charges are for ever increasing. If you receive the Newsletter by post, but have the facility to accept it by , please Ray Towler on ray.towler@btinternet.com and he will add you to the Newsletter contact list. 10

11 Fund-raising (Airmail April-June 2014) This year the Fundraising and Events Team is pulling out all the stops to give our supporters a great variety of ways to raise funds for the Association. We have places in the half and full Edinburgh Marathon in May, the Great North Run in September and the Great South Run in October It doesn t stop there though; we will support any fundraiser willing to take part in any event to support the Association. To help you raise as much money as you can, we can loan you collecting tins and associated equipment. You will also get the fantastic fundraising pack; crammed full of great ideas on fundraising, sponsorship forms and information on promoting your fundraising online, If running isn t your thing, why not jump out of a perfectly serviceable aeroplane? In collaboration with the RAF Falcons Parachute Display Team, we are offering tandem parachute jumps. A number of colleagues from the Northern and Eastern Areas have already signed up, so get in touch early to avoid missing out. Please note that there may be minimum fundraising targets for the above events. To find out more, you can challenge-events@rafa.org.uk or call , Support the Association by remembering your loved ones. (Airmail April-June 2014) There are many ways to support the RAF Association from Wings Appeal collections, to running a marathon, by leaving a legacy or by being a member. Did you know you can also support us by commemorating loved ones? As part of our pledge to remember with pride and gratitude the lives of all members of the RAF family, the RAF Association has a Remembrance Garden at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire. The garden is dedicated to all those who selflessly devoted their lives to their country. Family members, friends, colleagues or anyone wishing to celebrate the life of a loved one can make a donation to have a cross or remembrance stone placed in the garden throughout the year. For a suggested donation of 25, a cross bearing a personalised message may be placed in the garden for a year After this time a further 25 donation may be made to refresh the message for another year. For those preferring something permanent, a remembrance stone can be placed for a suggested donation of 250. These can also be used to commemorate a group or organisation, for example an Association branch may wish to place a stone. A dedication service is held every year. A short service is conducted by an RAE Padre from nearby RAF Cosford to celebrate the lives of friends and family members who are no longer with us.this year s service will be held on 20 June. For more information contact Lizzy Spencer on or lizzy.spencer@rafa.org.uk Bomber Command Memorial 11

12 Mick Mansfield - BSE Branch won the Bear Branch Informal Social Evening - Sergeants Mess - 8 th April 2014 Some of the Members and Guests. 12