Battle of Britain Street Collection, Saturday 18 September

To say that we had problems in obtaining permission for a Wings Appeal street collection this year is somewhat understating the situation. Late in the day we were informed that our usual Huddersfield town centre spot was out of the question (persisting COVID restrictions apparently to blame); we could however carry out a scaled-down collection in Holmfirth. Even this option was contested by the local Arts Group there whose exhibitions weekend, with collections, had been moved from its normal June date. After much toing and froing amongst contacts, our friends at the Lindley Community Group came to our rescue, offering the area around the village’s Memorial Garden for our use. The Kirklees Council Licensing Team assisted by issuing a last-minute street collection permit for Lindley, enabling us to inform the Arts Group that they could take our place in Holmfirth on this occasion. 

In the event our substitute location, although not as profitable as in the town centre, proved to be a popular choice for all attending. We collected a most acceptable total of £184.64 on the day. To add to our satisfaction, the Lindley Community Group then made the gesture of matching these takings, transferring a similar amount to our branch bank account. We are extremely grateful for this most unexpected (and later repeated) input from the village group. The ties between our two organisations are strengthening, delivering results of mutual benefit.

Brian Leonard, Sharon & Martin Pearson and Alan & Anne Mellor (apparently with angel wings) on the Lindley Memorial Garden site, whilst Stewart Morris demonstrates his street collection skills.

Battle of Britain Luncheon, Mirfield, 18 September

Due to their popularity with members and friends, it was decided to add another commemorative get together to our branch calendar. The new event would mark the end of Battle of Britain Week, to take place on the Sunday following our traditional Saturday Wings Appeal Street Collection in mid-September. As Lindley Liberal Club was unavailable, it was decided to take this first occasion ‘on the road’, to the Old Colonial, the base of the newly formed Mirfield RMG.  Although their local members were invited to attend, none were able to make it on the day.  Nevertheless, our party of around twenty members and friends enjoyed the company and traditional fare on offer in the slightly cramped circumstances of the pub. Most pleasing for us was that our two senior veterans Frank Smith and Gordon Cottrill – with the support of their carers – were able to make the journey and take part.

Market Stall, Huddersfield Open Market

As reported before, when able, one of the first things we reintroduced was our popular market stall at Huddersfield Open Market, where donated items are sold with all profits going to our Wings Appeal. Instead of the normal three or four visits, this year the branch – under the leadership of Anne & Alan Mellor – ran the stall on total five occasions. The reason for the extended season? People kept giving us stuff for charitable disposal. No sooner had we appeared to run down supplies than new stocks arrived, sometimes unannounced. The power of Anne’s recordings on Facebook obviously influences this situation, bringing people without RAFA links to give freely for our cause. We are extremely grateful for all donations, as well as thanking those members who continue to take time out to assist on the stall. Our results make it all worthwhile.

It is with great pleasure that we are now able to record the results from our market stall days this year:

Tuesday 27 July £209.40

Tuesday 17 August £251.90

Tuesday 7 September £199.15

Tuesday 28 September £252.63

Tuesday 12 October £270.02

TOTAL £1,192.10

As can be seen, we have averaged takings for the Wings Appeal of over £200 per market day. No wonder that Sue Gibson, Eric Sykes, Sharon Pearson, Anne Mellor and Brian Leonard looked happy at the late September market day!

Coffee Mornings, Caffe Venecia, Huddersfield

Another advantage of the relaxing of COVID-19 restrictions for the branch was that our social  coffee mornings could resume. Attendance at the Caffe Venecia on Market Street in Huddersfield fluctuates – sometimes we have to grab extra seating, whilst on odd occasions we fail to fully take up our reserved places – but the arrangement for members and friends to meet outside branch meetings still fulfils its initial objective. We understand that not all can reach the branch meeting location in the evening or manage the upstairs trek to our room at Lindley. That’s why this regular daytime relaxed meeting possibility was introduced. If you haven’t made it to one of our coffee mornings yet, please give it a try. We have seats by the door reserved from 10am to noon on the last Thursday of each month, except for the December date as we do not plan a coffee morning in the period between Christmas and the New Year. Maybe you could make it a New Year’s resolution to join us there. The café’s Americano and Latte are recommended.

On Your Marks!”



My first posting into the Royal Air Force after  Apprentice Training was to RAF Manby, No 1 School of Air Warfare, in Lincolnshire. This did not seem an unfair posting for a newly qualified Aircraft Fitter Weapons.

On entering the unit, after the walk from the nearest railway station Grimoldby, I noticed some aircraft silhouetted against the dusking sky, Avro Lincolns, the modified version of the Lancaster. Immediate thoughts of the then fast jets, Hunters etc, were squashed out of all recognition in my mind’s eye. This was 1958, surely the Air Force had moved on since the war’s end some 12 years previously? It looked not, if visual evidence was to be relied on. Suddenly, in my disappointment, I could see the significance of the name of the nearest railway station, this was “grim” and certainly “old”. I’d better wait until the following day before fully condemning this to the historical archives and give it the last part of its name, pass it “by”.

First port of call in the morning was to the Armament Section OC, a Sqn Ldr Speigel. Well, this confirmed my suspicions, we were in the past, right down to an OC of the German variety. Upon my entering the hanger ASF, wherein lay the office of OC Armt, I was astonished in being amidst an assortment of Meteors, shiny Canberras and a couple of F4 Hunters. So the RAF had really moved forward, albeit indoors. A pleasant surprise though which did great things for my hopes of becoming acquainted with some fairly modern aircraft, and all jets too. Was there no end to this bag of surprises? Yes, there was, in the shape of OC Armament Squadron. A very abrupt gentleman. He proceeded to peruse my blue arrival card and asked if I was ex-Halton. “Yes, Sir” I replied. “OK. You’re for Strubby. See the Chief and get it moving”.

“Thank you, Sir” I replied, finding myself even more confused than ever. First thoughts, I’m not going to like this place and if this is the RAF, I’ve made the most dreadful mistake! Not an easy conclusion to reach after three gruelling years of apprentice training at Halton. Time to seek out the Padre and organise a bit of divine intervention courtesy Big G. I definitely needed a bit of a break in this streak of lousy luck.

This appeared much faster than anyone could have hoped in the shape of the Flt Sgt in the outer office. “Morning, lad, you’ll be going to RAF Strubby”. More a statement of fact than a question. “Don’t worry. You’ll like it”.

My immediate thoughts were, the main man works at some speed here. I’ve not seen the Padre and already I’ve met a human person. Suddenly life felt like living again. 

I duly made the rounds; arriving and clearing at one and the same time did not appear to cause any undue surprise amongst the permanent staff of this unit. Conclusion: There must be a great many people at this Strubby place, wherever it is. 

After a seven-mile trip in the back of the “shuttle” wagon, I duly arrived at RAF Strubby. What a wonderful surprise, aeroplanes positively festooned the place. In the air and on the ground there appeared to be a limitless abundance of them. This was the Aladdin’s Cave I’d been looking for; ‘kites’ everywhere and not a propeller to be seen or heard.

After another sortie of arriving and being told I’d report to the Aden Gun Armoury, I knew I’d   arrived in the place of my dreams. Even I knew that Aden Guns were not worn in a holster. Now, what could I remember about 30 mil Adens, or rather, what had I forgotten about them?

The AGA was representative of the unit as a whole, it was near enough to the peritrack to require you to look out for wing tips whistling past before stepping out the door – well, almost.

The airfield was a two-runway outfit but only one was ever in use. The lazy runway tended to be rather on the short side with extensions out of the question, due to a main road at one end and Strubby village at the other. 

On the eastern side of the airfield was the hanger and crew rooms of No 3 AWJR (All Weather Jet Refresher) Squadron with forty Meteors of mixed types – T7s, F4s & F8s. At the western side of the airfield was a smaller “wiggly-tin” hanger that housed 2 Squadron A Flight with Hunter F4s. In the centre of the airfield was another “w-t” hanger, the home of 2 Squadron B Flight Canberra B2 & B6 types, the pride of which were the record breakers Aries IV and V, the latter being a PR7.

All of this was positioned bang in the centre of the Lincolnshire farmlands. Flat, pleasant and definitely ‘farm’, judging by the aromas abounding at all times. Oh for the relief of the scent of jet fumes. Needless to say, our accommodation left everything to be desired, Nissen Huts in the farming district, with separate loos and showers in the Nissen Hut in the centre. Even the Mess was a Nissen Hut, some fair walk away by road or a short sprint over a field provided you felt confident enough to outrun the farmer’s prize bull which lurked therein. On occasion that particular route could become exceedingly short. Work, however, made up for all the shortfall in other areas.

Fundraising Stand                                                                      'The Sharp End'

Remembrance Sunday Service, Lindley, 14 November

At the October branch meeting, our plans for marking Remembrance Week were discussed at length by members. It was eventually decided that, although a few of us would attend the Festival of Remembrance at Huddersfield Town Hall on Friday 12 November and take part in the Armistice Day Service the day before, we would not participate as a branch in the town centre activities of Remembrance Sunday. It is sad that we had come to this conclusion but previous dissatisfaction with the organisation of the parade, plus the fact that fewer of our group can now march easily, influenced this position.

The comment was made “Lindley are organising a service on the day, to start at noon. Could we perhaps join them?” This proposal would suit for two reasons: it would cement our ongoing close relations with the organising Lindley Community Group, whilst it was to take place at a time and location offering a sufficient interval to stroll after the event to nearby Lindley Liberal Club in preparation for the afternoon’s Remembrance Luncheon. The proposal was accepted and the organising group informed of our intention to attend, in RAF Association attire and with branch standard.

By the time that the event came around, the branch had been assigned two dedications at the service, to be delivered by Brian Leonard and Nigel Irving, (The initial information given was that these would be short pieces; upon arrival it was discovered that the scale of their contributions, as printed in the service programme, had increased substantially). 



The well attended open air service – officiated by the vicars of both Lindley churches – was totally appreciated, particularly the oration delivered by the mother of a local soldier killed in Afghanistan a few years ago.

The pictures on the top row show the preparations for, and delivery of, the service in a temporarily fenced off area adjacent to the ‘Lindley Remembers’ memorial. The photographs below display the wreaths and personal tributes laid at the memorial (including one from our branch), highlighted by the show of knitted poppies which was attached to the neighbouring tree in the garden.

The universal conclusion: This is a remembrance ceremony arrangement we will be delighted to repeat.

Remembrance Sunday Luncheon 14 November

After all too long an absence, it was a pleasure to be back once more amongst members and friends at Lindley Liberal Club for one of our dinners. With around thirty guests, including Cllrs Cahal Burke and Anthony Smith who accepted the invitations we had extended to Lindley Community Group, the luncheon had that comforting companionship that we have all missed over the last couple of years. Enduring restrictions dictated that a buffet selection was not possible, so guests were subject to nominated seating – illustrated by the individual place cards provided – to guide the serving of meals. Those who attended praised the quality of the provided fare, courtesy of the outside catering team engaged.



An uncaptioned collage of photographs from the day follows, but the following exception is made to incorporate a recently received picture:

Wings Appeal 2021

As usual, the Wings Appeal collection total for the year was calculated at the beginning of November, as the deadline for reporting and transferring the amount raised to RAFA HQ falls   during the second week of this month. 

Despite all the difficulties encountered over the last twelve months, the branch is pleased to announce that a total of £3,345.59 has now been sent off. 

It may interest you to know the breakdown of this figure:

20p Collection Jars £188.38 5.6%

Misc. Donations £180.13 5.4%

Donations from Rebates £487.27 14.5%

‘Money on the Table’ £96.00 2.9%

Collection tins £114.99 3.4%

Amazon Smile Rebates £13.46 0.4%

Funeral Donations £595.38 17.7%

Market Stalls £1,192.10 35.5%

Battle of Britain Collections/Donations £487.88 14.5%

TOTAL £3,345.59

Thank you to Branch Treasurer Nigel Irving for providing these breakdown figures and to all who have been involved in any way – however small – in making this excellent result possible. And we’ve already got money in the pot for Wings Appeal 2022…

A Christmas Story

As was described in the last newsletter, branch Vice-President Frank Smith succeeded in being evacuated from Crete in May/June 1942. From there he was sent to Palestine to recuperate. (The land was still known by this name; the State of Israel was not founded until May 1948).

Frank recalls his visit to Bethlehem on Christmas Eve 1942:

“The unit was given leave over the Christmas week. My oppo and I spent it in Palestine. The weather on Christmas Eve was diabolic. Snow, rain and bitterly cold. Away in the valley we could see shepherds watching their flock around a huge fire. We made it into the church at Bethlehem where we heard part of the service”.

A short summary of a memorable life event. Thank you, Frank. 

A Christmas Greeting

Hospital Entertainment Campaign

Maintaining the spirit of giving at Christmas, it’s uplifting to report a campaign recently initiated by Anne Mellor and the tremendous immediate reaction it has received.

One aspect of her welfare work had bothered Anne considerably during the extended period of  restrictions brought about by the pandemic; that of the lack of entertainment facilities available to inpatient clients at local hospitals. In particular, she had been incensed that a recently passed veteran had been left without stimulation during his times in hospital. He spent his time staring at blank walls. Even the availability of a clock had been denied as these “are in greater need on  other wards”, according to one nurse. 

The situation was brought to a head for Anne when she heard that another of her hospitalised clients, who loved watching TV, was restricted personal access to a set for very limited periods. When her husband offered to bring in one, which could stay on the ward when his wife was discharged, his proposal was snapped up. “Could this arrangement be extended?” was Anne’s immediate reaction. Her idea was to add radios, CD players, headphones and other personal     entertainment items to the list of things to offer to the hospital.

Within hours – not days – of Anne making enquiries amongst branch members and friends, the initiative was underway, with magnificent responses. She first discussed possibilities with a consultant at the hospital, known to the branch for his work with the Air Training Corps and support for the Armed Forces Covenant, who told her that he could organise the necessary PAT testing and sanitising of any donated items.

The next step was to advertise the initiative. At the time of writing, promotional material for the undertaking is still being finalised, but Anne’s initial Facebook entry brought a great response. Just look overleaf at what Anne has ready to hand over now, having made her first labelled delivery – to obvious delight of the nursing staff on duty – to a ward on Huddersfield Royal Infirmary a couple of days ago.