Salmond Trophy

[Dr Schlong]

The thread on the Sassoon Trophy reminds me of the Salmond Trophy. I've been struggling to find anything about it on t'internet (apart from some brief mentions) so I thought this would be a good place to find out. I know that 16 Sqn won it during the 70s but is it still awarded, who was Salmond (there are a couple of high-ranking ones in history), what was it (cup, bowl etc) and what was needed to win it?

Answers on a postcard to the usual address...

[Wholigan]

Hey Schlong, this site has some stuff about the Salmond Trophy.

Needs a bit of searching through, but some archive stuff about who won it and when.

Might help.

1975 | 2648 | Flight Archive (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1975/1975%20-%202648.html)

[threeputt]

It was still being competed for in RAFG in the late 80's. Whilst on 17(F)Sqn, I flew on one, on the night of Oct 14 1987, with "Ch****e Br**n as the nose gunner. The log book records Hi-Lo-Hi, UKN, loft at Tain. We landed at Waddo and RTB's sometime later on that night with a total flt time of 3:15.

Happy Day's

3P:ok:

[Rigex]

Google is your friend:

http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%201420.html (http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1964/1964%20-%201420.html)

Incidentally, 213 Sqn also won it in '67 & '68, no doubt due to my "rigging" services!

[Pontius Navigator]

There were many trophies awarded and competed for in the inter-war years and subsequently in the 50s to 70s but the fun sort of ran out in the 80s with fewer and fewer sqns. The Ayrd White and Fincastle are perhaps one of the few left and for how long when you have only a couple of handful of MPA in the whole Commonwealth and probably even fewer submarine targets.

Bomber Command had many trophies in the V-Force but with the outbreak of hostilities filling the post-Cold War period who needs competitions?

[30AB-JK]

The GOLDSTARS in the 80's were always very good !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[foldingwings]

MRAF Sir John Salmond was Chief of the Air Staff from 1930-33 and the RAF Commander in France in 1918. He was also Chairman of Beaverbrook's Night Air Defence Committee in 1940; it's recommendations led to Dowding's strategy that won the Battle of Britain. Haven't you read 'Right of the Line' by John Terraine? Cracking read. Salmond's great(?) grandson came through IOT at Cranwell in the late 90s when I was on the staff there!

At our first attempt at the Salmond, having recently arrived in theatre to replace the Canberra, XV Sqn (Laarbruch Buccs) came second behind 14 Sqn (Bruggen Phantoms) in about 1972 if I recall! We were still partying at Laarbruch at abt 2100 hrs when we decided to hijack the train and travel to Bruggen (yes, there was a military railway line that ran between the Clutch Stations then) to TACEVAL the winners. However, a very judicious telephone call made by a flt cdr to the Bruggen OM identified that the F4 poofs were already tucked up in bed by 2100 and the bar was dead!

So, we stayed at Laarbruch, lit the piano and drank well into the night jumping through the flames and playing with high pressure hoses whilst the assembled firecrews were bribed with a crate of Heiny to sit on the front steps and ignore us foolish officers at the west end. Don't know who was the fool who called them but they were a push over with a crate of beer!

A later Salmond competition saw OC 16 (Buccs) do a timing trombone on the IP to Tgt run because he felt he was a tad early! Missed the target, missed the timing and, just in case you were wondering, no they didn't win the trophy!

Great Days:D

Foldie

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

Salmond Trophy winners. Reckon we won the competition almost as many times as we won the RAFG Aircrew football cup!

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v150/roghead/scan0029.jpg[/IMG]

[foldingwings]

R.O.G.

Is that Andy C, sans 'tache, in the growbag on the LHS! You under the Stbd donk. Win at the front as usual and Hugh the German Tree Gardner on the right. Who else on there came to the Bucc!

I guess your brother is happy with his DVD gift, then. He sent an effusive thanks note!

Foldie

[Hoddy]

Just to put the record straight on 27 Apr 78 No16 Sqn won the Salmond Trophy!

[Romeo Oscar Golf]

Possibly right Hoddy but the bunch in the photo won it in April 1970 and August 1972, together with the footie! My log book records a night DH at N'Horn with nil timing error and a missed photo IP run, but on time for what that was worth. I remember lots of imaginative cheating including two aircraft for one sortie. Even had to have a chase once to ensure fair play.
Spot on Foldie, think you got them all. Submariner Blobby was most impressed with the gift.:cool:

[DHI]

1988 for the mighty XV as winners!

[tu chan go]

Hoddy, 16 also won it in 79.......I was holding on the Sqn at the time. I remember the party at Rheindhalen afterwards. The mess staff had already drained the fish pond in anticipation so we spent the evening trying to refill it. Mess rugby with 70 pissed aircrew and the only (serious) injury was a broken arm due to one of the Laarbruch navs falling over in the bus on the way home.

IIRC, the end result of the comp was a very close run thing with the boss's sortie deciding the winner.......but thats another story!

[Lightning Mate]

Anyone remember the Bruggen v Wildenrath shoot out, 1980?

We (Bruggen Jaguars) were challenged to a comp. by the F4 outfits to hit a piano on top of target 3 at Nordhorn. The last mate DH'd it and the return challenge was an air-to-air shoot whereby the F4s had to shoot the flag off the tow.

We won! Multi beer job.....

LM

[RAFG]

Hi There!

Does anyone know if there was a Salmond Trophy competition in 1965 or 1966?

At first it was planned for November 1965, than changed to Dezember, because of bad weather and than again scheduled for January 1966, when it also didn´t take place.

Any ideas??

Thank you!

regards
RAFG

[45-25-25]

I am not sure about 1965, but I do know that No 3 Squadron - "Tertius Primus Erit" - flying the Canberra B(I)8 won the competition in 1966 and 1967. There was a presentation ceremony in March 1968. By then the Squadron was based at RAF Laarbruch (Geilenkirchen having been closed earlier that year).

I have a programme of the Salmond Trophy Presentation Ceremony tucked in my Log Book and if I can find the time and the patience :confused: will try to load it on PPRuNe.

45-25-25

[45-25-25]

Well it took a while, but the links to the Programme of the Presentation of the Salmond Trophy in 1968 are attached:

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/jhnthnfrd/Salmond2_zpsdb0c9958.jpg

http://i979.photobucket.com/albums/ae275/jhnthnfrd/Salmond1_zpsb25241f3.jpg

45-25-25

[Basil]

ROG, Is that one of the Kingwill brothers on the right third from the front?

[RAFG]

@ 45-25-25 thank you very much!

Do you know the date when Wg. Cdr. Hollingworth became Squadron Commander?

Have you been at Laarbruch this time?

A PM would be nice...

regards RAFG

[Archimedes]

Do you know the date when Wg. Cdr. Hollingworth became Squadron Commander?


May 1967 according to the 3(F) Association website (you'll need to do a bit more research if you want the exact day of the month...)

[Fg Off Bloggs]

The trophy itself turned up at the latest 16 Sqn Reunion. It had been winkled out of a silver storage at Marham where it was being less than well cared for by the last outfit to win it when it was contested for the final time in 1989 - shame on you IX Squadron!

Bloggs:cool:

[45-25-25]

RAFG

Please check your PMs

45-25-25

[MPN11]

Oops ... Wrong one ;)
33. The Station Pistol Team Match. Open to teams of three competitors from any RAF Station.
a. Conditions and Procedure. As for PAM 20 Match 52 - The Pistol CQB Match - The Service Pistol Championship, Practices 1-4 only, fired either as a stand-alone competition or and concurrent with, the Second Stage of the Pistol Championship. Team nominations are to be submitted to RAFSAA Stats before firing.
b. Prizes.
(1) First Prize. The SALMOND Challenge Cup and 3 RAFSAA Small Silver Medals.
http://www.raf.mod.uk/rafsmallarms/rafcms/mediafiles/E77C626F_5056_A318_A83DBF312B152EDD.pdf

[bosnich71]

Rigex .... 213 also won it in 1964, and there were Ground crew in the photo !

[Rigex]

Bosnich - I was on 213 '67 & '68, I seem to remember that we (air + ground crew) won it at least two years in succession. Apparently, the B(I)8 posers managed to do it without ground assistance!

[bosnich71]

Rigex ..... a member from 62 until Christmas 64.
I'm sure that you are correct ref. 213 winning it numerous times as they did the Aircrew Cup, not something that the Squadron was inclined to brag about unlike the lower number lot who later took over our hangar.
Yes, B(I)8 's did, of course, fly forever without external help. :rolleyes:

[ShotOne]

Perhaps the trophy could be reinstated in the event of next years vote being in favour of Scottish independence. While they may not then be able to equip a team for a bombing competition, maybe darts or caber tossing could work.