ROYAL AIR FORCE REGIMENT ASSOCIATION www.rafregt.org.uk BIRMINGHAM BRANCH IMPORTANT NOTICE My Retirement as Your Branch Secretary Page 2 GOODIES FOR OUR No One has Yet Come Forward Page 2 – INJURED BOYS Page 2 Branch Appeal Goodies for Our Injured Boys Page 2 Jim Davies of Middlewich, Cheshire Page 2 – ’ Help for Heroes A Calendar Page 2 CG S CO MMENDATION Page 3 Centurion Journal Production Page 2 Branch Birthdays Page 3 NEWS OF THE RAF New Members Page 3 REGIMENT Page 4 Robert McGowran and Stephen Rowlands Page 3 Death of Member Thomas Loach Page 3 ’ NATIONAL MEMORIAL Commandant General s Commendation Page 3 The Citation Page 3 ARBORETUM UPDATE ’ B ham County RBL Freedom of the City and a Surprise Page 4 Page 6 “ ” The Council Freedom of the City Resolution Page 4 – Council House Banqueting Suite a Picture Page 4 FROM THE RAF REG.T ’ The CG s Personal Commendations Page 4 SECRETARY Page 9 News of the RAF Regiment Page 4 15 Squadron RAF Regiment Page 4 ONLY THREE MORE Town Honours two Military Occasions Page 5 NEWSLETTERS, SO 2 Squadron and 70th Anniversary of B of Britain Page 5 RAF Reg.t Gunners Support Afghan Elections Page 6 TIME IS RUNNING RAF Reg.t Medic helps Change Training Page 6 OUT National Memorial Arboretum Update Page 6 Polish Pilots from Battle of Britain Page 6 Future Events at the NMA Page 7 RAF Regiment Books Page 7 Books about the RAF Regiment Page 7 Books Containing References to RAF Regiment Page 8 From the RAF Regiment Secretary Page 9 Death Notices Page 9 New Notices Page 9 Corps Diary Dates Page 11 Dates for Your Diary Page 12 Birmingham Branch Committee Page 12 The Best Fighters in the RAF ONLY THREE MORE NEWSLETTERS TO PUBLISH AS YOUR BRANCH SECRETARY AND Operate on the Ground ONLY FOUR MONTHS UNTIL I RETIRE AS The Royal Air Force Regiment. YOUR BRANCH SECRETARY Ground-based specialists, NEWSLETTER NO: 256 protecting RAF assets from enemy attack. OCTOBER 2010 2 THE BIRMINGHAM BRANCH NEWSLETTER NUMBER 256 OCTOBER 2010 Dear Readers. If any of you would like to contribute My Retirement as Your Secretary items or cash directly for this appeal, you must No one has yet come forward to volunteer contact Major Ian Cheesman, Officer I/C Patient to stand as the Branch Secretary at the Branch Support Services, or post them to him at RCDM, AGM next February. Please would you all give it Selly Oak Hospital, Raddlebarn Road, Selly Oak, some thought for after three attempts to retire as Birmingham, B29 6JD. If cash, please make your – your Secretary, this time I will be - so if the cheques out to RCDM Patient Welfare Fund. Branch is to continue to function, someone needs JIM DAVIES OF MIDDLEWICH, to volunteer their services. After this newsletter, I CHESHIRE will only be producing three more newsletters, On 14th September Branch member Jim November, December and January, after that no Davies and his wife visited Selly Oak Hospital more - so time is getting desperately short. We with yet more money. Jim and his family are have to remember that it is the newsletters that doing a magnificent job for the lads but their latest keep our Branch together. We do not get donation is amazing. Jim and family attend car members attending at our Branch meetings any boot sales and everything they raise goes to the ’s more and it is only by means of the newsletters lads. In addition, his sister Nell grandson has that we retain our membership. raised money by being sponsored for the If no one comes forward then we all have – Nijmegan Marches, last year and this year too. nd to ask ourselves what would be the point of On 2 August 2009 Jim and family gave Branch membership if members are getting very £110.00, on 17th November 2009 they gave £315.00, on 26th £130.00 little for their money? If someone volunteers for June 2010 they gave and the job, I am quite prepared to help out until the th £309.00 “his feet under the on 14 September this year they gave new Branch Secretary gets £864.00 that Jim, ” but if no one comes forward – ’s it, making an astounding total of table then that his wife Sheila, his sister Nell and her grandson I shall be off into the sunset so please think about have given to the lads Welfare Fund. it. Not only that, Jim, Sheila and Nell are Goodies for our Injured Boys busy collecting goods for yet another car boot sale It is most important that we remember the and when they have enough goods, they will be dangers that our young men and women serving giving yet more money. What a family, you all on operations are all facing, so please remember deserve a round of applause Jim. the appeal your Branch Committee have set up. HELP FOR HEROES With your help, we can continue to Chris Yelverton has done a sterling job in £5.00 provide these small comforts and any other items producing a 2011 calendar costing plus “Calendar Girls” that members of the military staff ask us for. We P&P based on the well-known can never get enough goodies for the lads, so in and just like them, all the photographs are on “ladies of a certain age”. the mean time, your continued support is I understand that they appreciated for we need much more money. feature ladies discreetly attired in items of military It is very much appreciated for it is a huge equipment. If anyone would like one of these boost to the lads who are treated at Selly Oak to calendars please let me know. know that the general public offer the wounded CENTURION JOURNAL lads and lassies such wonderful financial and In recognition of the workload involved in moral support. It is difficult to work out just how producing the semi-annual Centurion Journal much money we have raised so far, for as a result against the pressures on peoples time, the of our Appeal, many of you send money directly Commandant General has directed that the to the lads but from what I have been told we are Journal will move to an annual edition from 2011. £5,000 well on our way to . It may be more, so As such the Spring Edition will not be produced. well done lads. The copy for 2011 will be produced in the autumn 3 and will cover the Corps life. Further details as to The funeral took place on Thursday 23rd submission will be published in due course. September at Witton Cemetery, Birmingham. However, contributors will need to factor this into He leaves a wife Doreen, a daughter and their programme, not least to capture the three sons to whom we send our sincere necessary detail in preparation for their condolences. ’ submissions. It is intended that the size and CG s COMMENDATION number of colour pages will be increased to I am pleased to be able to tell you that I “Year Book” approach. ’s reflect the have been awarded the Commandant General BRANCH BIRTHDAYS A very Happy Birthday to the following Birmingham Branch members whose birthdays are this month, may you all have many more. 2nd October Philip Ranford Walsall West Mids personal Commendation. The Citation is as 6th October Neal Barber Stoke on Trent Staffs follows: 9th Oct Frank Roberts Birmingham West Mids ’ 10th Oct Ernie Bucknall Nuneaton Warwickshire The Commandant General s Commendation 11th October James Setter Barnstaple Devon is awarded to 21st October Ken Lobley Todmorden Lancashire Malcolm Baldwin 23rd October Ray Hill Nuneaton Warwickshire For his dedicated, outstanding and inspirational 27th October Barry Howe Clacton on Sea Essex contribution and support, in his capacity as 28th October John Dolphin Birmingham W Mids Branch Secretary for over 23 years, to the 31st October Jeramy Hedges Broadway Worcs Birmingham Branch of the Royal air force Regiment Association and the wider Corps ethos. NEW MEMBERS Russell La Forte. Robert McGowran of Birmingham R LA FORTE We welcome Robert McGowran of Air Commodore – Birmingham. Robert enlisted in December 1980 Commandant General Royal Air Force Regiment and served with 15 Squadron until 1984 when he 17th September 2010 remustered to RAF MT and continued in that role until his discharge in January 2000. We welcome him and hope that he has a long and happy association with us. STEPHEN ROWLANDS of Tamworth, Staffs I had a choice of venues for the We welcome Stephen Rowlands of presentation and I opted for a presentation at a Tamworth, Staffordshire. Stephen enlisted in July Birmingham Branch meeting. In the meantime, 1971 and served with 48 Squadron at RAF Valerie and I had been invited by our Branch Catterick until his discharge in July 1974. We President and the Royal British Legion, welcome him and hope that he has a long and Birmingham County Chairman Dave Gooding, to happy association with us. attend as VIP guests of the Lord Mayor DEATH OF MEMBER Councillor Len Gregory at a Parade and I regret to inform you of the death of Ceremony to award the RBL Birmingham County Thomas Loach of Birmingham. Tom enlisted in the Freedom of the City of Birmingham and we November 1950 and after completing his Basic were of course delighted to accept. Training at RAF West Kirby and Regiment This was to be a very prestigious occasion training at RAF Catterick and RAF Watchet, was as never before has the freedom of a city been posted to 19 LAA Squadron at RAF Gutersloh, given to any other than units of HM Forces.