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Old 19th Apr 2012, 18:17
  #88 (permalink)  
Samuel
 
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Wellington, New Zealand
Age: 84
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Just to return to medals, and the wearer being a VSO, an ACM RAF, one Lord Elworthy, a New Zealander, who was CAS RAF, and CDS,UK, and Keeper of Windsor Castle, so he had more medals than you could shake a stick at!

When he retired, he returned to the family pile in Canterbury, NZ, but was sought out one day to address a Brevet Club function in Taupo, and an air force aircraft was laid on for his use.

I was sent to the party by road as "liaison officer". Come time for his return, and I was standing under the wing of his aircraft with the crew because it was raining rather heavily, when this car appears and drives over, and out steps the only Air Chief Marshal I'd ever seen[the rank doesn't exist in the RNZAF] wearing a dazzling array of medals and braids. I immediately did my meet and greet bit, and, as I don't do 'awestruck', suggesting he might like to get aboard out of the rain and I would collect his gear from the boot. "Son" he said, "if you're going to get wet, then we're both getting wet" whereupon he got his own bag out of the boot! Now he, for those that may not recognise the trait, was a true gentleman!
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