264 Squadron News H M Armed Forces We Defy May 2015 We Defy Issue 2/15 Editor: Geoff Faulkner, 8 Rosamond Avenue, Shipton Gorge, Bridport, Dorset DT6 4LN. 01308 897275 Email: [email protected] Reunion: Christmas Cards Well after a chase-up, it seems we are on course for an- Both the year before last and this last one, and ap- other Reunion and hopefully a successful one. It does pauled by Royal Mail’s postal charges, I sent quite a however beg the question whether this will be our last few by electronic means. This way I was able to donate main one. As we get older, then the £15 to the “Help the Heroes” charity which I felt was journeys become more of a prob- more deserving than the Royal Mail. lem, especially when it entails long Squadron Honorary Treasurer: distances. I should like to thank Paul Lippett for volunteering to There is no doubt in my mind, that take on the job of Squadron Treasurer. Luckily for us, the Reunions serve a useful pur- dear Bob had paid all outstanding invoices before he pose, in that it brings us all together died and luckily I was still an authorised signature, so in the spirit that we enjoyed on the we were not in total panic mode. It’s so nice to get some Squadron all those long years ago. one volunteering as opposed to co-opting. Although Bri- It must be recognised though, as an Mann did offer to stand-in until we found someone, with most of the old military associa- so thanks to both. tions, they will eventually fade out and all we are doing is to put off the Passing: Although he was not a member, Alan inevitable. Brackenbury passed away on the 18-12-14 He was on However, the alternative is perhaps to try and get some 264 1955-56 as an instrument mechanic. His service regional ones going, maybe just meeting for a dinner no. Is E4078449 . somewhere, it’s a thought which I will leave with you. Important Please Check: It has been a bad time for our Squadron folk over the last As we are close to the reunion, I thought I aught to 12 months, as in that last year we have lost three mem- check all the names of who have said they are coming, bers, which is so sad. (See page 2). I sent out Squadron in case things have changed or your name isn’t on the Sympathy cards in our name to their relatives. list pleas check. Geoff & Joan Faulkner, Marjorie Tacey *, Mike Webster, Tony & Miki Warren *, Peter & Lindsay Wright, Terry Fensome, Brian & Sylvia Mann, Bob & Moyra Downing, Watch it! Brian & Pauline Long, Ian and Sheila Kearl, Clyde & Val I had an email purporting to come from Sir John Anderson, Jim & Susan Hall, Eric Wright, Liz Olding, Severne, (which it hadn’t) and asking for a loan of Paddy & Anthea Hughes, Alan & Sylvia Cook, Paul Lip- money as he had been burgled whilst abroad. Should pett , Bill & Jeanette Griffeths , Colin and Heather Hunter- you ever receive an email asking for money similar to Shead this from any member of the Squadron Association; “I Those in Blue are only staying on Sunday. If there is have been robbed and lost my passport and all my any error or omission, please let me know immediately money etc”. Please don’t fall for it and if you are really as you could get charged by hotel if its wrong or not get concerned, phone the real person up to check it out. a room! Continuing the notes about the Reunion: We will be ordering a coach to take us from Retford to Newark Air Museum on the Sunday to avoid more driv- ing. We are suggesting £10 per person and the rest will be subsidised by the Squadron. I hope this won’t put people off the trip. If there is a problem then just have a quiet word with either the Treasurer or me and we’ll come to some arrangement. Could I also remind you that we would like you to bring a good raffle prize as usual for the Squadron Dinner on the Sunday evening. 1 f¾f°f¾nfn°n°°f ¾°¯fŦ ¯° °¾fff¾fŦ¯f¯ţ f¾°fnf°¾¾nf°f°¾ ff°n¯¯¯°f¾fŦf½f¾°°f¾f¯¯f¾Ŧf¾ °¾nf¯°¾½¾¾nf° °°ff°¯°½fnfŦf ¯¾¾ţf°¾f,f©f¾ ¾f¯Ŧ-Gff Bob Tacey—264 Squadron Treasurer Robert was born in Leicester in 1937 and had one younger brother. He was an active boy, never wanting to sit around for long and always eager to get on with the next activity. School was never very high in his list of priorities and nor was Sunday School: One Sunday when the boys were supposed to go to Sunday School Robert thought that an afternoon in Abbey Park was a much better idea. He thought he’d timed their arrival home perfectly but his mother knew immediately he was lying and of course (quite rightly) Robert got the blame for the esca- pade He always liked things that moved fast and things that made a noise. So it was natural that he should be attracted to aircraft and flying. He joined the ATC and for the next few years the weekly meetings and all their other activities were what he lived for. In the school holidays he and his friends used to cycle to local airfields, eg Wymeswold and Bitteswell, to watch the planes. He was with his friends at Farnborough in 1952 when a plane crashed killing 29 spec- tators. So it’s not surprising that school for him was very much something to be endured and by the time he was 16 had made up his mind to join the RAF as a Boy Entrant. He went on to serve 22 years regular service in the UK, Germany, Malta and Cyprus, as well as short trips to the USA and Denmark. He saw no conflicts and thoroughly enjoyed this period of his life. He met Marjorie at RAF Coltishall in 1960 and they were married at Chapel-le-Dale in North Yorkshire in 1961. They have 2 sons, one born in Norwich the other in Germany, and 2 grandsons. He had to leave the Air Force at age 40 and spent a few years as an engineering quality con- troller before moving on to the Prison Service. His colleagues there were also aware of his avi- ation interest as on retirement presented him with a day’s gliding. He loved adding to the list of aircraft in which he had flown and until it left Bruntingthorpe for Robin Hood Airport worked as a volunteer on the Vulcan to the Sky Project. The highlights of his latter years were the annual reunions of the Boy Entrants Association and 264 Squadron, where he had many friends. Robert was interested in, you might say obsessed with, all things aviation from an early age to the end of his life. He died suddenly and unexpectedly, aged 77, on the 18 th of December 2014 and was buried at Cottesmore in Rutland on the 6 th January 2015. ------ Sadly I also have to inform you of the passing of Bill Bywater who passed away in January. Although he wasn’t an active member of the Squadron Association, because of the ill health of his wife and later of himself He did compose a march for us, and that I am cur- rently hoping will be orchestrated and will come to fruition. Bill was a photographer in the Squadron during the latter part of the war. He did manage to pop in to see us all at a Reunion at Cosford several years ago. I’m sorry to make this page such a sad one, but I guess its inevitable at this time. 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