Ray Hanna's Memorial Service - another view
I was there also and thought I would relate a few thoughts on proceedings.
The church was absolutely packed. All the old faces were there from the Red Arrows thoughout the '60s and '70s.
Superb and poignant addresses by Tudor Owen FRAeS, also by Sir Adrian Swire, Lee Proudfoot and daughter Sarah. A VERY moving service and excellent tribute to such a fine man.
This was one thing that I just felt compelled to do – to make a pilgrimage to London to show my respect for a man who I have greatly admired for 40 years. I first met Ray when the “Red Arrows” first formed at Fairford in 1965, but didn’t really get to know him until the team moved to Kemble the following year. I was a mere 16-year old ATC cadet and one telephone call to Ray was all it took to be invited over to Kemble by him to watch rehearsals. He always had time for me and never let me leave without giving me the latest brochure, publicity material and photographs. I lost track of him when he went to fly for Lloyd International and Cathay Pacific, but caught up with him again in the late ‘70s when he formed the Old Flying Machine company at Duxford. Amazing-he remembered me and was still the same man! I made a point of just saying ‘hello’ on every occasion I saw him, with the last chat being at Biggin Hill Air Fair in 2005 when he was part of the Red Arrows 40th Anniversary celebrations.
Thursday’s service was packed out, the church being filled with lovely choir music. There were tributes by Sir Adrian Swire, whom he acquired Spitfire MH434 from, from Lee Proudfoot of the Old Flying Machine Company and a lovely poem entitled “The Airman's World” from daughter Sarah.
However, the best tribute came from Tudor Owen, who is a pilot and London barrister specialising in aviation law and who got to know Ray when he operated a Harvard with OFMC. Tudor related Ray’s love of aviation from his days watching Tiger Moths in New Zealand, followed by learning to fly, then working his passage to England and continuing flying lessons. He was then accepted by the RAF and Tudor went into great detail about certain ‘exploits’ when Ray was leader of the Red Arrows, to much amusement. His whole aviation life was related and personal life touched on, with reference to the sad loss of son Mark.
Finally, after relating the magnificent Spitfire and warbird flying Ray executed during his final years, Tudor came full circle, back to that young boy that was stood watching Tiger Moths by the fence in Auckland – ‘THAT was Ray Hanna’, he said!
On that note, a bit of emotion overcame me!
At the end of the service, everyone started filing out and there were all the old faces I had known from the “Red Arrows” of the ‘60s and ‘70s, ‘Dinger’ Bell, his No.2, Henry Prince, Peter Evans, the very first Team Manager Dick Storer and subsequent leaders, Dickie Duckett, Ian Dick and Brian Hoskins, the last leader when the team flew Gnats. Also Henry Plosczek, in whose capable hands I flew with the "Red Arrows" in 1988.
I met up with some of them afterwards and made a special point of personally thanking Tudor Owen for his Address.
A wonderful tribute and something I wouldn't have missed for anything!
Adrian Balch (alias 'Amos Keeto')
Last edited by Amos Keeto; 5th Mar 2006 at 12:16.