TathanTathanThe Magazine of MoD St Athan Autumn 2014 Tathan Autumn 2014 1 PASSPORT TO PLAY LTD Rhoose Road, Rhoose, CF62 3EQ QUALITY CHILD CARE FOR CHILDREN AGED 6 WEEKS - 5 YEARS School transfer facility available to local school Out of School Club for children aged up to 7 years Monday - Friday 7.30am - 6.00pm Tel: 01446 719591 E-mail [email protected] 2 Tathan Autumn 2014 Tathan Autumn 2014 3 Commanding Officer’s Foreword Tathan’s Contents Autumn 2014 Editorial Wing Commander Robert Balls MSc BEng(Hons) CEng MIMechE RAF From the Editor Team Editor: Jane Bissett Email: [email protected] MOD St Athan Jane Bissett Ext: 7118 External callers Tel: 01446 the direction of Carmarthen 797118 at the controls…I’m sure Internal callers Tel: 95421-7118 we’ll see him soon! Jumping forward to the Deputy Editor: challenges of today St Athan FS Kev Wilkin found itself heavily involved Email: [email protected] in providing support to the Ext: 7067 recent NATO Summit. In External callers Tel: 01446 probably the most important 797067 and pivotal gathering of NATO Internal callers Tel: 95421-7067 leaders for a generation, the decision to reverse decisions DEADLINE: made after the Cold War Deadline for articles and to stand up the High for the next issue is Readiness Reaction Force 28th November 2014 are a sign that NATO will be as important to our future security as it has been to our past. Support is one of our key tasks the RAF here As we continue to plays in support of Defence, think about the Great Training is our other, and Tathan’s the recent graduation of War and its impact... the latest group of young Publishing technicians is a reminder ... we think about the modern of the crucial task St Athan day role that our Armed Forces Team plays in ensuring that these perform now in theatre. Published: young men and women are The Queen and the Duke Tathan is published by ready for the challenges that of Edinburgh recently visited Lance Publishing Limited, await them in their careers. the Tower of London where 1st Floor, Tailby House, But it is not all work the installation of 888,246 Bath Road, Kettering, here, in keeping with the poppies by ceramic artist Paul Northants, NN16 8NL time travel theme, our cyclists Cummins were staged in the were competing against the moat by Tom Piper. Blood Tel: 01536 512624 clock in an on-base time trial, Swept Lands and Seas of Red Email: [email protected] our long serving Officer in is a tribute to those who lost Visit: www.lancepublishing.co.uk Charge of Running, inspired their lives during WWI and 06 MOD St Athan Golf 21 Cycle Club Time Trials by his recent meeting with each ceramic poppy represents Championships 2014 Company Registration Roger Bannister, continues a British Military fatality. No. 3253372 to help young and old shave The impact of such a visual 22 Stories From World War I seconds of their Personal display is a moving experience 07 Twitchers Bests, and even METF pitted for everyone who sees it. their wits against the clock The poppies have 28 The Royal Auxiliary Air in a recent karting race encircled the iconic landmark 08 RAF Support The Nato Force (RauxAF) Designed: to see off Sqn Ldr Simon of London, creating not only Summit From St Athan Emily Robb Middleditch, the outgoing a spectacular display visible Email: [email protected] marking the Battle of Britain Officer Commanding Training from all around the Tower but 29 Know Your Numbers A very warm welcome was tremendously well Squadron. It would be remiss is has also been a location for 09 WRAFs On Tour to this autumn supported, the representation of me of course to finish an personal reflection. The scale Printed: of veterans, serving personnel intro themed on time not to of the installation intends 31 Pontypool and Blaenavon Lance Print Ltd, Unit 3, Houghton edition of Tathan. and Air Cadets signaling mention of course the visit to reflect the magnitude of 11 Armed Forces Day Wales Railway Redidication Hill Industries, Houghton Hill the importance across the of the Doctor, not our very such an important centenary (South) 28th June 2014 of Rosyth No 1 Farm, Houghton, Huntingdon, It is a season where we vividly RAF family of this defining own Doctor (Tess) who has creating a powerful visual Cambs, PE28 2DH see the metamorphous in moment in our history. We now deployed down to the commemoration. nature around us, and a also had the pleasure of Falklands for a year, and not The poppies will remain at 12 Normandy Veterans 32 MOD St Athan Remember Tel: 01480 492183 reminder that both time hosting WRAFs from across our new Doctor (Elaine) who the Tower until 11 November. Final V E Day Parade The Fallen of World War I Email: [email protected] and change are inextricably the generations at the base, has just arrived from RAF The poppies are being offered Visit: www.lanceprint.co.uk bound together. the shared experiences over Leeming, but The Doctor, for sale through the Royal Here at the base it coffee between a WW2 WRAF the one from Gallifrey, who British Legion. It is their hope 14 Battle of Britain 34 Summer Running Review feels like we have been on veteran and one of our female knows a little about time that this iconic art work will Remembered By Many something of a time travel technician trainees is a sign of travel and dropped in to say raise millions of pounds Disclaimer: journey ourselves, the First the bond that Service holds. hello and brought a few old which will then be shared out 36 Meet The Forces This publication is copyright Lance Publishing 15 The Battle of Britain “Never Limited and may not be reproduced or World War Museum has taken On the WW2 theme our acquaintances with him. between six Service charities. Was So Much Owed By transmitted in any form in whole or in part on a life all of it’s own, and Padre was invited to bless the So that’s it from me, I’m In this issue we conclude without prior written permission of Lance So Many To So Few” 39 Great St Athan Bake Off Publishing Limited. While every care has been now contains the stories and Locomotive “Rosyth” that saw about to sit down and relax the story of John Ruffet and are taken during the preparation of this magazine, mementos of many of the team service at RAF St Athan during with a coffee and cake from grateful to his family that they Lance Publishing Limited cannot be held here, and all who have been WW2 (the days when the our Macmillan Great Bake Off, have shared this story with us. Dr Who ‘Into The Dalek’ Graduations responsible for accuracy of the information involved have very much had Station had it’s own railway!), at the time of writing it was Many people are looking 17 40 herein or for any consequence arising from it. Views Expressed in this publication are a sense of the journey they’ve unsurprisingly he needed 3 days to go before my Wife into their own family history not necessarily those of the Royal Air Force been through to understand little encouragement to be was due to give birth to our surrounding the First World War Exercise Chequered Flag or the Ministry of Defence. All images © what their forefathers able to have a try at driving first child, and to paraphrase for the first time. The stories 18 Crown Copyright unless otherwise stated. experienced and endured. the train, and our intrepid Bob Dylan, the times they that have been uncovered Teamsport Karting-Cardiff A parade on base Padre was last seen heading in are indeed a changing! are an inspiration to us all. 4 Tathan Autumn 2014 Tathan Autumn 2014 5 TWITCHERS At the end of the summer a Green Woodpecker was spotted behind the photographic section and it soon became clear that he had taken up residence. By autumn he was not alone often seen on the ground, and seemed to have acquired especially in long grass. a mate. The two woodpeckers SONG A laughing high- make a pleasant coffee pitched, far carrrying call. break distraction and have FEEDS ON ants, ant Sqn Ldr Jones presents Gaz Loveridge with the Stableford Trophy become quite a talking point larvae and pupae, obtained in the building. It will be by probing into the ground interesting to see if they stay with its long sticky tongue. and raise offspring next year. NESTS April- GREEN WOODPECKER July, 1 brood. In holes The largest woodpecker, the in mature trees. size of a wood pigeon, with a LOOKS LIKE? heavy, undulating flight. It’s Nothing else. Golf Club Society Members Sqn Ldr Jones with 2014 Golf Champion Steve Hickey STABLEFORD EXPLAINED MOD ST ATHAN GOLF The Stableford system of scoring was invented in 1931 by Dr. Frank Stableford of the Wallasey & Royal Liverpool Golf Clubs and the first competition under Stableford CHAMPIONSHIPS 2014 Rules was played on 16 May 1932 at Wallasey. By Cpl Michelle Bligh Each player or side plays against the par of each hole and receives points according to how he scores in relation to par. The scoring system is as follows: The organisation of Station Golf Champs began at the start of May. The date was confirmed 2 or more over par - 0 points and Cottrell Park Golf Club was booked for the event.