ORCE & F D IR E A F L E A N Y C O E R • • F I N R O E I S T E IA R C VI O E FL CES ASS LUS AM SA MI NIS ROYAL AIR FORCE & DEFENCE FIRE SERVICES ASSOCIATION MAGAZINE S ATQUE RUI Inside this issue NEW ASSOCIATION COMMITTEE MEMBERS • ALAN WARDLES BEM STORY LIFE AS A RAF FIREMANS SON • RAY SKINNER’S SQUARE BASHING LITTLE KNOWN FACTS ABOUT DENNIS MACANN BEM www.rafanddfsa.co.uk Autumn 2012 www.rafanddfsa.co.uk1 Flashpoint Magazine - Autumn 2012 Who To Contact - Officers and Committee Honorary President Air Co-Editor Flashpoint Scotland Essex Marshal Sir John Sutton KCB George Edwards BEM Alec Robertson member 753 Ben Zaccardelli member 238 12 Kinclavin Crescent 98 Lyndhurst Drive Honorary Life President 8 East Close Murthly Hornchurch Keith Penfold member 9 Ecclestone Park Perth Essex 80 Pitts Field Prescot PH1 4EU RM11 1JZ Cricklade Merseyside 01738 710 487 Tel: 01708 443 593 Wiltshire L34 2RA Cambridge & Suffolk Mobile: 0770 227 1537 SN6 6AW Tel: 0151 426 5093 Howard Harper member 682 email:[email protected] Tel: 01793 751 536 Email: [email protected] 34 The Westering Meadowlands Australia President Co-Editor Flashpoint Cambridgeshire Bill Wylie member 785 Dennis McCann BEM member 7 Steve Harrison CB5 8SF Unit 4/35 Wood View 58 Gospel Gate Tel: 01223 292 298 Lyall Street St Andrews Close Louth Victoria Alresford Lincolnshire LN11 9JZ Northern Ireland Australia 3977 Colchester Tel: 01507 355740 Kenneth Green member 255 Tel: Melbourne 9769 0826 Essex Email: [email protected] 2 Brooklands Drive CO7 8BL Whitehead Co-ordinator Vacancies - East Tel: 01206 820 715 Carrickfergus Yorkshire - Midlands, Scotland Area Co-ordinators Antrim (1), South East and other areas as Vice-President N. Ireland necessary. It’s not too arduous, just Ron Brown member 294 North Tel: 01960 372 595 a matter of keeping in touch, and 38 Sedgebrook Robert Atkinson member 108 promoting the Association when Liden 4 Fairway South Yorkshire/Derbyshire able to do so. If you can help, please Swindon Stella Park Vacancy contact a Committee member. Wiltshire Blaydon SN3 6EY Tyne & Wear Tel: 01793 496 307 NE21 4LL email: [email protected] Tel: 0191 4148176 HOW TO JOIN Chairman Norfolk For more information about the Royal Air Force Neil Slade Member 934 John Savage M.B.E member 188 125 Holly Road 3 Mercedes Avenue & Defence Fire Services Association and to Aldershot Hunstanton request an application form contact :- Hampshire Norfolk Brian Ford GU12 4SE PE36 5EJ 01252 331165 Tel: 01485 532 353 5 Cary Glen Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Pewsham Vice-Chairman RAF Chippenham Geoff Varley Member 221 Steve Shirley member 852 Wiltshire SN15 3TY 3 Fairway 16 Rutland Way tel: 01249 446778 Girton Scampton Cambridge Lincoln email: [email protected] CB3 0QF LN1 2UJ or Visit our website at - www.rafanddfsa.co.uk Tel: 01223 276772 Tel: 07912 658402 Email: [email protected] Wales General Secretary Ian King member 242 Mike Clapton Member 704 Warren Bungalow 4 Fairfax Road John’s Lane Cirencester Hirwaun Gloucester Mid Glamorgan GL7 1NF Wales 01285 655314 CF44 9TB Tel: 01685 811 131 Email: [email protected] South Treasurer John Hurl member 564 Trevor Hayes Front Cover Picture: The painting is by Graham Blacker who 34 Copt Elm Close 2 Gypsy Lane passed away in June; this painting was one of his wife’s favourites. Charlton Kings Hunton Bridge Cheltenham Graham was an avid reader of Flashpoint and George and I thought Kings Langly Gloucestershire it a fitting tribute to him. Hertfordshire GL53 8AE WD4 8PR Tel: 01242 522 503 Tel: 01923 331975 VACANCY FOR email: [email protected] London FLASHPOINT EDITOR Membership Secretary ‘Jess’ Jessup member 133 44 Quentin Road Brian Ford Your current editorial team intend to stand down after this Lewisham 5 Cary Glen London autumn edition. We do require someone to come forward. Pewsham SE13 5DF We have made this known for some time, but there has been Chippenham Tel: 020 88 522 791 Wiltshire no interest whatsoever. If no one comes forward there is real SN15 3TY danger of no spring Flashpoint! If you are interested please Tel: 01249 446778 contact George or Steve for a chat about the post. email: [email protected] Flashpoint Magazine -Autumn 2012 2 www.rafanddfsa.co.uk Flashpoint Editorial Autumn 2012 ell another year is creeping After the election of Officers two proposals Ford that if any member is aware of the along to its end, and it’s a were put before the AGM bereavement of an Association member welcome to your autumn they notify Brian that way he can make W Proposal 1 Flashpoint. We have received a good sure the information is circulated to those many letters and emails in response to That the Association vehicles that are within the Association who need to know. articles in the last issue, and contributions currently on loan to and under the care Additionally it is Brian’s intention to send for this edition, we thank you all for taking and maintenance of Steve Shirley and his an Association condolences card to the the time and effort. We must apologise for team at his RAF Fire Museum at RAF family of any deceased members’ relatives; an error in the summer edition, and that Scampton be donated to Steve Shirley; (see obituaries page) all present agreed that was in the ‘Above and Beyond the Call of Steve Harrison put forward this proposal this was an appropriate gesture of good Duty’ article. The award mentioned was a and addressed all present on the work will. The newly appointed Association George Cross but the picture was that of a and developments taking place hat the Secretary Mike Clapton made a suggestion George Medal. Fire Museum at Scampton. Steve is well that all area coordinators provide the placed to inform all present and answer Flashpoint editorial team with a passport This will be the last edition that we act as any questions him being an member of size photograph of themselves; this could editors, we are both busy lads and we have Steve Shirley’s team. The proposal was be included in future editions of Flashpoint other projects which we wish to pursue. passed unanimously and it was agreed the plan being that members would be Whoever takes over the editorship will that the vehicles be donated to Steve able to identify their area coordinator at receive the support of us both and we will Shirley. For those not familiar with Steve’s reunions. continue to write articles for Flashpoint. museum Steve informed us that there are But at this point no one has come forward Steve Harrison asked all present to forty ex RAF & Civilian Fire vehicles in so if you are thinking about it then please consider submitting articles to Flashpoint various conditions and states of repair get in touch with either of us. and we reiterate that request if editors don’t at Scampton. Steve went on to say that receive any articles we won’t be able to Your Flashpoint editorial team duly Association members and their family and produce Flashpoint and finally, Christmas attended the October 2012 AGM and friends are cordially invited to visit the will soon be on us, so to all of you we for the benefit of those unable to attend museum and witness for themselves this both send our very best wishes to all our we have completed a brief report on the little piece of RAF Fire Service history. members and their families and hope you proceedings. The AGM was opened by The Visits to the museum have to be made via have good health and happiness in the Chairman Gordon Smith asking all present Steve Shirley, contact details on page 3. New Year. Special thoughts go out to our to stand and observe one minutes silence Proposal 2 that lapsed members who serving members who may be spending in memory of our thirty nine colleagues wish to rejoin the Association only pay the festive season away from home take who have passed away since the last the current years subs; proposal agreed care guys and gals. AGM. There followed the Reports from unanimously. committee members. Once the reports were George & Steve reread and any questions dealt with the Other business included a suggestion election of committee positions took place. by the membership secretary Brian Gordon Smith having spent the last four years in the Chairman’s post had declared that he was standing down as chairman and three nominations had been received for the Chairman’s post; Neil Slade Mike Clapton and Arthur Elton. Each candidate gave a short address outlining some background information about themselves and all present were asked to vote for their preferred candidate. A show of hands then took place and Neil Slade received the most votes and was duly elected chairman of the Association. Other election of officers of the committee included Geoff Varley as the new Vice Chairman Mike Clapton as the new Secretary and Trevor Hayes volunteered to take on the role of Reunion Organiser and continue in post as treasurer. Our Association President Dennis McCann BEM thanked all those members of the committee who were Photograph which was taken at the October 2012 reunion of five ex RAF standing down for their commitment hard Masirah crew mates circa 1967). Left to right: Jim Croll, Jim Smith, George work and dedication. Dennis then thanked Edwards, Paul McGhee and Steve Harrison. Pity Smiler Meeson wasn’t there.