ROYAL AIR FORCE REGIMENT ASSOCIATION www.rafregt.org.uk BIRMINGHAM BRANCH Death of SAC Luke Southgate KIA RIP Page 2 Death of SAC Paul Mahoney RIP Page 2 Wrexham Gunner back from Afghanistan Page 2 DEATH O F LUKE Branch Subscriptions Page 3 Newsletter Subscriptions Page 3 SOUTHG ATE KIA Page 2 – Branch Appeal Goodies for Our Injured Boys Page 3 Branch Birthdays Page 3 DEATH OF SAC PAUL “ ” w/o Stoney Wanbon at Peterbrook Flower Club Page 4 MAHONEY Page 2 Death Notices Page 4 Derek Bucklow of Derby Page 4 BRANCH SUBS Page 3 Remembrance Sunday London Page 3 A Plea from Remembrance Day Parade Marshal Page 4 GOODIES FOR OUR Cosford Air Show 2010 Page 5 INJURED BOYS Page 3 News From Afghanistan Page 6 27 Squadron Parades Through Bury St Edmunds Page 6 NEWS FROM Outside the Wire with 1 Force Protection Wing Page 6 AFGHANISTAN Page 4 More Gunners fly to Afghanistan Page 7 Autumn Reunion and 2010 AGM Page 8 NATIONAL MEMORIAL Repatriation of British Military Personnel KIA Page 8 ARBORETUM UPDATE National Memorial Arboretum Update Page 9 Service to Mark Basrah Memorial Wall at NMA Page 9 Page 9 Future Events at the NMA Page 9 RAF Regiment Books Page 10 FROM THE RAF REG.T Books about the RAF Regiment Page 10 SECRETARY Page 12 Books Containing References to RAF Regiment Page 11 From the RAF Regiment Secretary Page 12 Death Notices Page 12 General Notices Page 13 New Commandant General RAF Regt. Page 13 ’ Special Award of CG s Commendation Page 13 ’ Australian State Award Former Reg t Off Page 13 Centurion No 28 Spring Edition Page 14 New Regiment Ass. Membership Sec Page 14 Corps Diary Dates Page 14 Brian Thornally of Loughborough Page 15 Can You Help? Page 15 John Casley of Plymouth, Devon Page 15 The Best Fighters in the RAF Airman Information Required Page 15 Joke time Page 15 Operate on the Ground Dates for Your Diary Page 16 The Royal Air Force Regiment. Birmingham Branch Committee Page 16 Ground-based specialists, NEWSLETTER NO: 249 protecting RAF assets from pdfMachine enemy attack. A pdf writer that produces quality PDF M filesA withR Cease!H 2010 Produce quality PDF files in seconds and preserve the integrity of your original documents. Compatible across nearly all Windows platforms, if you can print from a windows application you can use pdfMachine. Get yours now! 2 THE BIRMINGHAM BRANCH NEWSLETTER NUMBER 249 MARCH 2010 Dear Readers. Kandahar Airfield Force Protection Wing, was killed this evening as a result of an explosion. It is with sadness that I must tell you that Gunner Luke Southgate serving with II Squadron He was on a mobile patrol in an area about Royal Air Force Regiment, part of the Kandahar four kilometres north of Kandahar Airfield when Airfield Force Protection Wing, was killed in the explosion happened. He died doing his duty action Afghanistan on the early evening of th and among his fellow airmen; his sacrifice will Wednesday 24 February 2010. He was part of a not be forgotten." vehicle mounted patrol protecting the crucial Kandahar Airport - the hub for allied troops and ******************** fast jets in southern Afghanistan and died from Sadly we have had another loss this time wounds received as a result of an explosion which not from enemy action but from adventurous occurred in an area north of Kandahar Airfield in training that is so important in keeping the lads fit. Kandahar province. SAC Paul Mahoney died during an avalanche as Luke joined the RAF Regiment in 2008 he took part in a training exercise. and was awarded the Frank Sylvester Trophy as Death of SAC Paul Mahoney Top Student when he graduated from his Trainee Senior Aircraftman Paul Mahoney, from Gunner Course. Unmarried, he is survived by his 15 Squadron, RAF Regiment, died following an th parents, Mr & Mrs Keith Southgate of Bury St avalanche in Oberstdorf, Bavaria on 4 February Edmunds to whom we send our sincere 2010. Paul was taking part in Exercise Snow condolences. Eagle 2010, an adventurous training exercise. On Thursday 4th March his flag-draped Senior Aircraftman Paul Mahoney's family said: coffin arrived at RAF Lyneham with three other "We wish to convey how proud we were Afghanistan heroes for a private ceremony in the of him and we knew how proud he was about ’s chapel base before being driven through the being in the RAF Regiment. He was 'one of the town of Wootton Bassett, where hundreds stood lads' who was always there for his mates." His in silent tribute. friends in 15 Squadron, RAF Regiment said: In attendance were airmen from RAF 'Mo' will be sadly missed by all of his Honington who saluted as the Union flag-draped colleagues and friends on 15 Squadron RAF coffins passed by. The Association Standard was Regiment. As one of the last British servicemen also paraded by the Association Standard Bearer to leave Iraq in 2009 we will remember him as a John Smart, who was supported by the Standards brave and determined RAF Regiment Gunner who and members of Sussex, Berkshire, South and kept us safe as he steered his Bulldog Armoured Vehicle through the outskirts of Basrah. West Wales and Bromley Branches. “ About twenty Association members were He lived life to the full and has been in attendance headed by the Association chairman taken from us unexpectedly and far too early. Our Group Captain Steven Brereton Martin, and the thoughts are with his family and close friends at Vice Chairman Tom Renshaw as a single bell this difficult time. He will not be forgotten and his memory will live on in the hearts and minds of tolled in the crisp clear air for it was a cold and ” sunny day but the mood was very sombre. Before 15 Squadron RAF Regiment . the cortege passed through the town, a Welsh ******************** male voice choir sang at the war memorial in On 15th February, the following article by tribute to the servicemen. Garth Thomas appeared in a local Wrexham “The Leader” and I reproduce it as it The Spokesman for Task Force Helmand, newspaper Lieutenant Colonel David Wakefield, said: "It is refers to the sad death of SAC Paul Mahoney. my sad duty to inform you that an airman from II Wrexham Gunner back home after tour Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, part of the on Afghanistan frontline 3 ’ve £5.00 A Wrexham serviceman is back home we also held the Branch subscription at £15.00. after a tour of duty in Afghanistan which included so the total subscription is battling through gun fights and thwarting When you consider that the cost of a attempted bomb strikes. Twenty-five-year-old second class postage stamp is now 30p which is ’s High £3.60 for twelve issues of the Branch newsletter, Steven Lloyd, a former pupil at St David School, spoke to the Leader about his time serving your branch subscription is an absolute bargain. ’s most dangerous places. st in one of the world A Subscriptions were due on 1 February so if you ’t already paid, p senior Aircraftsman in the RAF Regiment, he haven lease pay up promptly and went out to Afghanistan in July and, in a cruel send your cheques to the Branch Treasurer Tom twist of fate, on the day he returned to Britain Magee and not to me. Steven was told that one of his best friends had Newsletter Subscriptions been killed in an avalanche in Germany while on I have a list of members of other branches an adventure training skiing exercise. Speaking “There have been and others, who have asked to receive the about his time at war, he said: Birmingham Branch newsletters. The £7.00 per year. So one or two close calls. There have been a few gun subscription for this service is fights and we found improvised explosive devices would those other branch members and others nearly every day. It can be very hot in the day who have asked to be put onto the Circulation List and freezing at night. The patrols are long and for Birmingham Branch newsletters and wish to last for days on end. In terms of sleep you get continue receiving the newsletters, please send a £7.00 as above, about four or five hours each day. But you would cheque for IMMEDIATELY to be surprised how your body adjusts to it all. I THE BRANCH TREASURER Tom Magee and joined the RAF Regiment two years ago and I ’m doing the job that I trained to do.” NOT to me. Would all members and newsletter love it. I subscribers please pay your Subscriptions One of the reasons that Steven enjoys immediately as having to chase up late payers is a service life so much is the great comradeship he time consuming job and adds to my workload and shares with all his friends. It was a huge blow to to the workload of the Branch Treasurer. Please ’ham Branch, him when he returned to Britain to discover that make your cheques out to The B one of his best friends, Paul Mahoney, of RAF Regt Ass. Warrington, had been killed in an avalanche in My sincere thanks to those members who Germany. Steven said: “I first met Paul in basic training. have already paid up. He ’t in Afg Goodies for our Injured Boys wasn hanistan at the same time as me It is most important that we remember the because by then we were in different squadrons, dangers that our young men and women serving but he was due to go there shortly.