Normandy Flypast
 

Some of you maybe intrested in the flypast taking place today, should be on the telly sometime around 14:45 - 15:20. We are providing some fast pointy grey aeroplanes as are the Americans and French. Should be quite a sight... :ok:

Maybe connected ... 'Batman 1-4' are currently in the air, looking for a tanker. It's way to early for a 15.00-ish flypast, but maybe there is an earlier one planned?

I suppose that Normandy is actually a relevant place for a Typhoon...wonder if they'll swing over Falaise?

It is so handy having a 100 or so grey pointy aircraft hanging around the place for flypasts and airshows....

:E











(yeh,yeh, ok, more characters added)

Bit off thread, but a few mins after watching the BBMF flypast at Arromanches on TV I have just heard the Master of Ceremonies at the ceremony invite the "English" prime minister to lay a wreath - bet Gordon loved being so described:D

He's lucky to be referred to as PM at all after the last 48 hours!

Just slightly off topic, but while watching the ceremony, I noticed a few veterans wearing white berets. Who did they serve with? My mother's father was in the Navy during WW2 and she keeps nagging me to find out.

If you liked that one, you'll love the Queens Birthday 9 ship flypast then?! :}

White Berets
 

Mick,

They might have been members of the Arctic Convoy Veterans?

Arctic veterans honoured for WW2 efforts | Mail Online

Arctic convoy veterans honoured - Royal Navy History

TJ

White Berets
 

I only saw French TV which did not show the footage you mention, but possibly they may have been Artist's Rifles who wore white berets for a while (until they became a nice grubby beige :)).

Good stuff
 

Earlier in the day, President Obama made references to the Royal Air Corps......................

Oh give me strength

It was good to see the Prince of Wales wearing his Fleet Air Arm tie for the occasion; after all, it is the Fly Navy 100 year as well!

Nothing grubby about beige - best colour for a beret IMHO....

Teej is right, they were Arctic berets, as some of the RN lads had done Arctic service before training for Overlord. The AR was an OCTU in the second war, I think, and not a fighting unit, so it's unlikely they'd have got to Normandy in an AR beret, I'm pretty sure.

That looks like it. Cheers TJ!

White berets
 

They could also have been RAF Police Normandy veterans. They are known to wear white berets in preference to the blue, and are usually recognised by the RAF capbadge and police branch blazer badge. They were ashore on D Day amongst the first and second waves in order to marshall troops to the proper RVs amongst the mayhem. Some lost their lives whilst doing so. (So it's not the place for the usual trash talk before any starts).

I also agree that it's just as likely they were Arctic Convoy veterans.

I watched the ceremony live on Sky (midnight our time!), and was delighted to see the zig-zag tie ;)

Although the PM rather spoiled the show with his incessant fiddling with his hair: what is it with that man, and WTF happened that everyone but HRH gave a speech? :rolleyes:

What made for uncomfortable TV was the boo's and groans when Brown got up to speak. I don't like the guy but I felt an ounce of sympathy for him as he sort of shouted through it and rushed through the speech. He also looked fairly uncomfortable on the stage with other world leaders...

Great to see the vets out in ever diminishing strength...Most of them have more get up and go in them than most I come into contact with currently serving!

Wasn't it nice to see our PM, hands in pockets, getting booed by some vets? Maybe it'll catch on!

V-F

If that's a fishing expedition I'll bite.

Go and walk around Helmand and you'll see plenty of the currently serving demonstrating get up and go taking the fight to the Taliban.

The 'currently serving' are doing quite well thank you - they may not think or act the same way as their predecessors but they are producing the goods and doing it well (even at home when they don't have the luxuries of the manpower, spares, or money enjoyed by many a cold war warrior (myself included)).