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NEWS
FROM THE HOME FRONT
(Caution
- These
pages contain lots of pictures so may be slow to download)
Lucky
winners from Thirsk!
(Who's
going to win it this year - get your names down for the dinner so that you can
buy some raffle tickets!)
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The 1st prize at the Annual Dinner Dance which was held
at the Officer's Mess at RAF Linton-on-Ouse was lunch for 2 in the
White Heather Hotel Kirkbride courtesy of Les Quigley.
The winners were Gordon and Mable Burrell (left) who were guests from
the Thirsk Branch of RAFA. Gordon is both the Chairman and Standard Bearer
of the Thirsk Branch. He served in the RAF from 1953 to 1958 as an
MT driver, and although he covered a lot of ground on the road he didn't
get too much flying. This prize made up for it, for Les Quigley flew them
to lunch! |
| Les's aircraft is a 4 seat Gardan Horizon GY 80. A
little French built aircraft that, although a tourer, was originally
designed as a basic trainer for L'Armee de l'Air. It therefore has
excellent handling capabilities despite its age. It was built in 1963 (a
year after Les got his pilot's licence) and was number 13 off the production line
- but who's superstitious?
Right - Mable and Gordon get
strapped in |
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This
aerial photograph taken in 1946 show 1200 aircraft parked at Kirkbride for
disposal! They range from Tiger Moths to Lancasters - what would they be
worth today? |
The White Heather Hotel is located in what was
the Officers's Mess at RAF Kirkbride and is an ideal place to visit for
lunch by air, as you can park your plane in the car park and walk straight
in to the restaurant.
RAF Kirkbride was opened in 1939 as part of 41 Maintenance Group and
housed No 12 MU. It was an enormous airfield and handled virtually every
aircraft in the wartime and immediate post war RAF.
Heading
North along Lake Windermere |
| To make the trip interesting Les waited for a day with
excellent visibility so that Gordon and Mable could enjoy the delights of
North Yorkshire and Cumbria from the air. Their route took them from Bagby,
near Thirsk, across the Vale of York, up Wensleydale, over the Pennines
above Hawes and then down to Kendal. From here they flew up Lake
Windermere, through the Kirkstone Pass along Ullswater and then
on to Kirkbride. Gordan managed a few interesting photographs on the
way. |
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Left - Heading down the
Kirkstone Pass towards Ullswater
Heading
down the valley towards Ullswater
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Our only worry
on the way home was had we exceeded our "weight and balance
limits" with all the food we had eaten?
A quick walk
around the airfield to lose some weight and we headed off, following the
Carlisle to Settle railway before turning left down Wensleydale, straight
over Gordon and Mable's house at Carlton Miniott, and home!
Right - Gordon &
Mable in the car park at The White Heather Hotel after the biggest Sunday
Lunch you could imagine. Certainly no wartime rations here! |
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TURNING THE PAGE CEREMONY
IN
YORK
MINSTER
In
a quiet corner of York Minster, under the Astronomical Clock lays a book
containing the names of over 18,000 airman from over 15 countries who died
flying wartime missions from Yorkshire RAF airfields. Every day of the
year a page is turned to expose a list of names of young men who fought and
died so that Europe could be what it is today - free. They are long gone
but not forgotten. The page is normally turned by the Minster police,
but on special occasions it is turned with full ceremony when either the RAF
or RAFA
or both take part in the "Turning of the page ceremony".
Except for special anniversaries and visits, the RAF/RAFA contingent turn it
just 4 times a year. New Year, 1st April (the anniversary of the
formation of the RAF), June 6th (D-Day in Europe), and 15th September
(Battle of Britain Day).
The
report below is of a typical low key ceremony
held on 2nd April 2001 to mark the
83rd anniversary
of the formation of the RAF.
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The
ceremony was headed by a Squadron Leader Chris Cornish and eight
officer's from RAF Linton-on-Ouse. Flight Sergeant Glenn Young, also
from Linton-on-Ouse, read the commemoration and commanded the joint
parade of RAF and RAFA.
The York branch of RAFA was well
represented with the York Branch Standard and 20 members on parade,
including the Branch President, Air Commodore W.G.Gambold
RAF(Rtd.) and immediate past President Rev.Canon J H Armstrong.
Left
- The RAFA York contingent form up in the Minster under the command
of Flt. Sgt. Young |
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Led
By Sqn.Ldr.Cornish the RAF & RAFA contingent march to the North
Transept and form up in front of the "Astronomical Clock"
beneath the "Five Sisters Window" |
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Left
The ornate astronomical clock was created by craftsmen at the Royal
Greenwich Observatory, and was given to the Minster to commemorate the
18,000 Allied airmen who lost their lives in World War II when flying
out of bases in Yorkshire and the North East. A book containing
the names of all these airmen is located below it. A page is
turned every day of the year. This is normally carried out by a
Minster Policeman, but 4 times a year the RAF & RAFA turn out in
full ceremony to honour their fallen comrades.
Right
The
Five Sisters Window. Glazed with 'grisaille' glass, it the largest
of its type to survive anywhere in the world. It was completed around
1250 when coloured glass was only manufactured in Europe and would have
been prohibitively expensive to import in such quantities. Each lancet
is 16.2 metres high and 1.5 metres wide with the entire window
containing over 100,000 pieces of glass. The window is dedicated as
a memorial to the women who lost their lives in the two world wars.
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The
"Five Sisters Window" dominates the North Transept |
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More
than 100 UK & overseas visitors to the Minster watched the ceremony and
could not fail to be impressed by the bearing and conduct of all on
parade. The reading, by Flt.Sgt.Young, of the commemoration to the
over 18,000 allied airmen and airwomen who died operating from Yorkshire and
the North East, & who are listed in the book of remembrance, could not fail to move the audience.
It brought home to all, especially the visitors from overseas, exactly how
many nationalities operated from Yorkshire between 1939 and 1945 and how
many made the ultimate sacrifice in order that their countries could be free.
In addition to British airmen, there were Canadian, Australian, New Zealand,
American, South African, Rhodesian, Polish, Czech, Slovaks,
French, Belgian,
Dutch, Norwegian, Danish and many other countries aircrews operating from Yorkshire's airfields,
many never returned to their homes....
To them we owe a
never ending debt
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York
Branch Standard Bearer Fred Ullathorne lowers the standard for a
minutes silence
Left
- Sqn Ldr Cornish turns the page |
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The
Royal Air Force escort contingent - from left to right -
Sqn.Ldr.Chris Cornish, Flt.Lt.Rob Jackson, Flt.Lt.Mike Duffy,
Flt.Lt.Jerry Woodward, Plt.Off.Charlotte Faratian, Plt.Off.Ben
Hawkins, Fg.Off.Kev Terrett, Fg.Off.Stephen Tucker, Fg.Off.Mark Wilson
Left
- Standard Bearer Fred Ullathorne in front of the RAFA York contingent |
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