600 Praeter Sescentos “THE RIGHT OF THE LINE” 600 (City of London) Squadron RAuxAF Association Newsletter Patron: The Viscount Trenchard of Wolfeton Affiliated Members; 601 & 604 Squadron Associations. Patron: The Viscount Trenchard of Wolfeton March 2012 Editorial Welcome to the spring 2012 edition, and a much belated happy New Year! It doesn’t seem more than 5 minutes since I was finalising the December issue, and here we are again! 2012 is a VERY big year in the UK with HM The Queens Diamond Jubilee celebrations up and down the country, indeed perhaps the globe, oh and that little sporting event being hosted in London. The latter will inevitably take its toll on my daily commute to & from work, so I am not as keen as some! This year will also see a good many friends and colleagues being awarded the Queens Diamond Jubilee medal, so for all who meet the qualification, please accept our most sincere albeit early congratulations. Military tailors and medal mounters all over the land are already contemplating how much work the Jubilee will involve, so here’s looking forward to all those pictures. For those of you who haven’t yet visited our new web site, please do so as it is continuously being developed and added to, but as I am always saying this is YOUR Association, YOUR Newsletter and now YOUR web site – so please, I need you to tell me if it’s right, wrong or if you want to see something different. This year too, I would like offer an alternative newsletter medium for those interested. For all those with a computer, it would be quicker, easier and cheaper if I can send your newsletter to you via a CD – it will also save on postage and save several hundred trees in the process. Please email me at [email protected] if you would like to start receiving your email in this format from now on. I had toyed with simply emailing, but the newsletters are averaging 150mb now, so not easily emailed even when compressed. I have this month slimmed the newsletter down to under a 100 pages and so reduced the file size to a mere 98MB – the purpose is to make it quicker, easier and cheaper to produce, and to extend the use of the limited material I have to use. It was beginning to creep towards 200 pages and was taking a LOT of time to collate and produce, so apologies it is a little bit smaller than you have been used to. Andy 1 IMPORTANT appeal from the Association President, Kevin O’Shaughnessy Dear members, please can I appeal to all members to support an extremely important Association Annual event that has been, and remains, seriously under supported. We need you, our members who are willing and able to accompany Kevin representing the Association in Holland this year. The Squadron sends an Officer and a number of Airmen, but Kevin has been the only Association representative for the last three or four years. We really do need more support from our membership please. The cost to you is minimal. You would be accommodated and eat for free in the Marine Barracks in Rotterdam. Depending on how many of you come forward, there may be two or at most four sharing a room, but you will have probably done that before in your service life. The Euro-tunnel is already paid for, all Kevin would ask is that you share the petrol costs with him. All who have done it before tell of a rewarding, poignant, interesting and enjoyable few days, amongst friends, in great company, and in some basic, but very pleasant facilities. Most importantly, it allows us/you to represent the Association and pay homage to the fallen of 600 Squadron by their graves in Holland. And the icing on the cake? You may get your picture in the Association Newsletter – now isn’t that just a bonus?! When is it? Thursday to Sunday 3rd to 6th May 2012. Anybody interested please contact Kevin direct for details who can be contacted at as follows; Home 01525 382124 Mobile 07721 362334 Email [email protected] Address 1 Centauri Close, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 3XF 2 Obituaries We will try to keep this up to date, but sadly we can only report the passing of old friends and colleagues if we are told about it. Since our last Newsletter, we are sorry to report the loss of the following; Derek David Dempster – 604 Squadron It is with great regret that we report the death of Derek Dempster. He died on 25th January, 2012 at the age of 87. Derek Dempster in front of a Meteor 8 in 1956 Derek Dempster was an aviation journalist and author. His early career is described in this extract from a tribute in the Flying Saucer Review website. “Derek Dempster came out of the air force in 1947, he was hoping to take his place at Cambridge but as so many men had come out of uniform in that era, he returned to his family home in Tangiers Morocco. In 1948 Dempster became a test pilot in the first age of British jet aircraft; from 1948 he was with 604 squadron based at North Weald. He initially flew Vampires and then moved onto Gloucester Meteors, he also took a special transfer to the auxiliary air force to enable him to fly Spitfires. Dempster wrote for Reuters and The Airplane magazine from his privileged position as a test pilot in a golden age of British aircraft development. The squadron commander, the Squadron Leader of 601 Squadron advised him that a position had become available as the Daily Express air correspondent. Dempster took this better paid position and as this was the mid-1950’s it wasn’t long before flying saucer reports were coming across his desk. This included a sighting by a pilot at his old North Weald squadron. Dempster found his interest in the flying saucers rising, so it was not 3 unexpected that he was commissioned to review the sensational new Adamski book, “Flying Saucers Have Landed.” Through this he made contact with Desmond Leslie and Waveney Girvan. At this time the questionable safety record of the world’s first passenger jet, the British built Comet, became an issue with Lord Beaverbrook at the Daily Express. Dempster found himself taking a principled stand not to condemn the national airline BOAC for grounding the aircraft against the ‘express’ wishes of his proprietor, Beaverbrook and left Fleet Street. Finding himself without a correspondent’s job coincided with the imminent birth of Flying Saucer Review. Dempster found himself installed in an office at Werner Laurie publishers, in Doughty Street, as the first editor of Flying Saucer Review.” Subsequently he became a well know aviation author. Amongst his works he wrote ‘The Narrow Margin: The Battle of Britain and the Rise of Air Power 1930 – 1940’ and ‘A Summer for Heroes’ with Derek Wood. The film entitled ‘Battle of Britain’ is based on material from his book ‘The Narrow Margin’ and he and Derek Wood are both credited for providing the source material. In his own right his publications included ‘The Tale of the Comet’ He was also interested in the finer things of life. In support of other members of the public with similar tastes to his own he published the ‘Quiet Pint’ a definitive guide to pubs which had banned ‘muzak’! He is pictured in 2004 outside his favorite pub the Zetland Arms, Deal below:- He was warm and friendly, perhaps best described in his short obituary published in the Daily Telegraph as ‘a lovely, kind man’. He will be much missed by his family and all who knew him. …………………….. 4 Michael John Hyett 21st April 1924 - 19th February 2012 - 601 Squadron It is with great sadness that I write to inform you that Michael passed away peacefully on Sunday 19th February after suffering a serious stroke last October. He was a true fighter, not only in the skies, but on the ground too, and was very much loved by family and friends. Thanks go to the wonderful staff at Belvedere House who cared for him in recent weeks. The funeral service will take place on Monday 19th March at 2 pm at St Marys Church, Church Hill, Tatsfield, Kent TN16 2JX Family flowers only. Donations, if desired, to Michaels chosen charities: Combat Stress and the Royal Air Force Disabled Trust ……………………………………. 5 Military Quotations I then realized my appearance was a bit odd. My right leg was no longer with me. It had caught somewhere in the top of the cockpit as I tried to leave my Spitfire. Douglas Bader …………………. Like the Spitfire it was immensely strong: a pilot had no need to fear the danger of pulling the wings off, no matter how desperate the situation became. Douglas Bader …………………….. Rules are for the obedience of fools and the guidance of wise men. Douglas Bader ……………………. The sea from Dunkirk to Dover during these days of the evacuation looked like any coastal road in England on a bank holiday. It was solid with shipping. Douglas Bader …………………. The successful pilots succeeded because they did not open fire until they were close to the target. Douglas Bader ………………………. We were all flying around up and down the coast near Dunkirk looking for enemy aircraft which seemed also to be milling around with no particular cohesion. Douglas Bader ............................... 6 600 (City of London) Squadron RAuxAF News Dec 2011 – Mar 2012. No 600 (City of London) Sqn RAuxAF Update from Wg Cdr Tripp.