Xenolith

I was merely complying with the preferences of the Thread Moderator who has previously stated a preference for Chambers Dictionary.

Caz,

Try 'merely complying' with the moderator's post #107.

WC

Received a letter from John Howell OBE MP, who's constituancy covers RAF Benson. John says that he thinks that there is not much that he can do, but has written to RAF Benson. Our local MP has confirmed that he has received my e-mail, but as yet nothing else.

I have been 'phoning around the local flying clubs to see if anyone would take Alec & myself down to Benson, but without any luck.

Thanks to JOE-FBS suggestion, I have now started a new thread on the Private Flyer Forum & hope that this might bring some better success.

Who was that footballer a few weeks ago who reckoned the troops should be paid as much as footballers? Perhaps he could put his hand in his pocket and spare about an hour's pay - that ought to cover return flights for Alec and his wife!

He is in a lose lose situation, this probably occured before he took the position, BUT to give a travel warrant to a 91 yr old and expect him to make his own way there........... even if a flight is not possible, can his own staff car and driver not do this. ?????? As a public relations exercise RAF Benson really are making themselves look a bunch of cnuts, and that is being polite...

Has the RAF got to such a low point? that a Group Captain running a Station can take a Pontius Pilate attitude to something his own station did and buy it off with a travel warrant??

Have some Ba**s Benson AND SORT IT! Shame on you, this is in the Public domain and you are just making yourselves look like prats........ :mad:

Rant over for now........ letters to every media source I can think of in hand! Let's see if that will get things moving.

To quote the "other thread" in the private flying

:mad::mad::mad:

Edit..........

For the first time in my life, it makes me ashamed to say " I was in the RAF"

Nut Loose, Air Police

You two are absolutely typical sanctimonious barrack room lawyers, gobbing off but doing nothing! Comfortable up there on Olympus is it?

There are no service flying assets at Benson that can reasonably be devoted to this cause, no matter how worthy

This issue has got as much to do with the Benson Flying Club as it has to do with you...NOTHING!

There is no such thing as a free flight!

As for getting the ‘snowdrops’ involved Air Police, I thought that we had covered that one. What have they got to offer? Nothing.

xenolith,

I have already agreed that you are entitled to your position regarding this and that you believe has nothing to do with Benson Fg Club (I am inclined to agree) and that the stn has done all that it could to return Alec's stuff (I'm not sure about that one). Furthemore, the stn has offered Alec the opportunity to visit Benson (well done) but the distances involved make it difficult for Alec. The difficulty, as I see it, is that provision of Service transport (air in particular) is unlikely to pass 'The Sun' test. The issue is to what level the stn is prepared to go to (IMHO) right a wrong. Have they done enough? You, and possibly they, appear to think that they have reached an appropriate level.

Duncs:ok:

Viprods
 

Re transport. Have you tried contacting one of the Lincolnshire branches of the Aircrew Association? There may be a member that regularly travels down south.

I know there is a retired Air Marshal up there who like me went to Camberley GS and possibly has connections still down south,he may help.

I believe one of my son's mates, ex-Red Arrows and now LHR based with Virgin,still lives near Cranwell. If you would like me to arrange contact through my son give me a PM.

PS another of son's mates (his best man in fact) is Staish at Northolt; it's possible something could be arranged through that avenue.

Good luck!

I have just picked up on this thread and the later part of it beggars the question "Has anyone spoken to the Benson Flying Club?"

Actually it’s a rhetorical question because I've just spoken to the Clubs OC and he hasn't got a clue about what’s been discussed on this forum.

He was slightly indisposed when I called as he was about to take a crucial top level ride on a ski lift; but his immediate response was very positive. He will have a look at it next week. That said he is in the process of handing over the reins of the club, so we shall see.

Standby

Given that the Stn Cdr was prepared to cough up a return rail warrant, should anyone from Humberside be prepared to fly Alec and VIProds down for the day, could they at least expect a free refuel?

Sorted
 

I have just received an e-mail from a pilot based in Lincolnshire who has kindly offered to fly Alec & myself down to RAF Benson. I immediatly accepted his offer.

It was only then that I came onto PPRuNe & WOW!! Three pilots offering on the "Flyer" website & a further three on here. Many thanks for all your comments & suggestions, especially Moonym20, dstevens & The Grim EPR.

As I have previously said on another thread, aren't aviation people just the best.

Except at RAF Benson :mad:

Good to hear it has been sorted, It is just a shame the RAF Benson couldn't sort something themselves....... really does leave them in a p*ss poor light..

xenolith I actually work in the Industry now and far from not doing anything, I had been approaching people I know to see if they could help.......

You should also re read the whole thread, if you take the time you will see your comments are Disgusting, early on VIProds has said he is travelling with him to act as his carer.... perhaps when you get out of your adolescent phase you to will realise that OAP's do require some looking after.... you know, without the likes of Alex..... you wouldn't have a job.... period

VIProds, it may just have been a coincidence, but about 10 min before you received that I e-mail, I contacted someone at Kirmington, asking whether there was anyone who could help!

I hope that Alec has a great VIP day at Benson and that his precious historical artefacts can be found, so that he can be reunited with them.

Hopefully the Benson PRO will inform the local meeja?

xenolith
 

Sorry that you feel that way. My angle, as you say, is that Alec is a very good friend & a real Gentleman. I owe Alec & others that put their life on the line for our Country an enormous debt of gratitude. Alec was given a raw deal ten years ago, like many others that have commented on this thread, I was incensed at the shoddy treatment that he was afforded, so took up the banner on his behalf.

As for getting the MP's involved, one PPRuNe'r kindly suggested that I contact the MP who's constituancy covered RAF Benson & as nothing seemed to be progressing, that was a great idea so got me writing.

If you read back, it was RAF Benson's Commanding Officer that invited me to go with Alec.

The film is in the can, as they say, so there is no ulteria motive there. I have given a copy to Alec's family & the ex Wing Commander that interviewed him on film. Two have gone to the ACA archives at Elvington & our local Branch archives & finally, one has been sent to the UAV Company in New Zealand that are going to paint their replica Spitfire in PRU colours with Alec's aircraft number.

Perhaps, xenolith, if you pointed out which one of the 2000 was the thieving scumbag scrote who has this brave man's photos etc. nobody would need to describe the Bensonites in collective terms as cnuts?

Your attitude is not going to dispel such generalisations, is it?

Looking North

Alecs stuff went missing anything up to 10 years ago, it is far from certain that anybody stole it, let alone anyone currently on the station! Unless you have something to offer........ which I doubt.

Kreuger,


Actually that makes a load of sense, see if they can find out what went wrong, then they can put the facility in place to prevent it happening again, and a record could simply be a book, digital or otherwise, with listings of what has been loaned, photos of the objects and their secure location.... Job Done, no more looking like a bunch of amateurs. Suprised all stations do not have a similar system in place.

I AM NOW GOING TO JUMP _ON_ THE OUTRAGE BUS (capitals totally intended).

Kreuger Flap (and Xenolith) - I can only assume you are both defending your home turf of Benson from "attack" - laudable, if the attack is unjustified.

However, as a reader of this thread, I can only say that the conduct of personnel at Benson, in the past and now when held up to public view, is appalling. It cannot be defended, and should only be put right as far as possible, and with some humility. It should NEVER have got this far.

How about something called 'The Property Book' for items loaned to either the Officers or WO/Sgts Mess. And if it's loaned to the station, how about something called 'The Inward Loan Register' and controlled by OC Supply. :ugh:

Hmmm xenolith............ why you seem to have the urge to rub yourself up against people like some prepubescent schoolboy is beyond me.. you do both yourself no favours, nor those of the RAF or RAF Benson............

There will, God willing, be a true Gentleman visiting Benson in the form of Alec, perhaps you may get the chance to meet the man and one can only hope that some of his qualities rub off on you...

Sigh......

It's puerile - but I can't be bothered to PM you.

Can we get this back to the 91 year old Spitfire?

It's now 2011 and the first prototype flew in March 1936 - correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that 75 years.

I suppose they could be talking about the pilot . . . :p

Back to reality, hope there is some resolution here, he thoroughly deserves that.

Just perhaps, he assumed today's RAF was like the one he used to be in. Sadly in this and so many other cases, it was a wrong assumption; completely understandable, but wrong.

It's a real shame.

There is, in my opinion, a little too much in the way of aggressive posting going on, from all (both) sides. I would like to request that we all take a small breather and calm down.

I don't like the way that Alec or his property have been treated. I also don't like the abuse that RAF Benson's personnel have been subjected to in this thread.

Alec's property should have been looked after - it seems that it wasn't! I understand the posts that desire an inquiry to identify what went wrong, so that it might be prevented in the future, but, I don't fully comprehend the logic that blames RAF Benson, as a whole, for the loss. Taking that approach to its, in my view, logical conclusion would suggest that the Service and anyone in it, is to blame or that HM Forces and everyone in it is to blame; I guess if that was the case, then most of the posters on this thread are at fault - I'm sorry, but I don't buy that argument.

For ex members of the Service, please don't assume that the powers and freedoms available to Station Commanders in your day still exist today.

Alec fought for his country, there are personnel at RAF Benson that are doing the same right now - let's please not forget this fact or be abusive to either.

Simples
 

The nails (claws) of people using this thread to fight on their own have just been pulled. There will be more unless the topic of this thread is adhered to.

Odigron "seconded"

Good one Pop, just now and again a bit of one-sided diplomacy is EXACTLY what is required.

This would seem an appropriate date to push this thread back up a bit.

Give it a rest
 

Gents, as I understand it a hero left his stuff behind without getting a signature for some memorobilia with a probably over worked young Fg Off who was asked to run an event for which he ws not trained a few yeras ago, and now it cant be found a whole load of people are jumping on a bandwagon of bashing a Stn Cdr and his staffs who were not there when it happened.

People at Benson are fighting in Afgh and at any one time approx 80% of the stn are either returning from, preparing to deploy or are actually deployed - FACT. That this has happened was wrong, that the stn staffs have offerd some recompence is laudible but calling for the stn cdr to resign or a BOI shows the complete naievety of current service life by many posters on here. Benson were, it seems, at fault years ago, but give it a rest and let them get on with flying in afgh and Kenya, a National Stby Commitment, defending Puma 2, fighting off a RN snatch of Merlin and preparing for a sandy det at very short notice.

Let Alec and his chums have their day out, accept that the deed was done out of nothing but a mistake and get on with your lives.

He was asked to loan his memorabilia, then later queried its return. Neither the NCO who organised the event, nor the Stn Cdr replied.

Hardly a 'mistake'......

Sorry if you don't think that's something to be angry about; others clearly do.

Sigh... :ugh:

Spitfire (pilot).

75th anniversary.

Google it...

SaddamsLoveChild
 

Forget it, the verdict of the Kangaroo Court is in, you wont deter this lynch mob.

Hey Tocsin,

Was that a sigh for a Merlin??

Happy landings!

So much so you decided to continue to try baiting people by sending me a PM..

Sad little person...

Hence the sigh and leaving it alone, regardless, the one innocent party in all of this was Alec, he acted in good faith and was let down......

I do hope when he has had his trip, we hear back on him having a good day.

This thread has gone on for a while and got a bit "hot and heavy" in places... However, what has occurred is undeniable. A man, in good faith, lent his memorabilia to theRAF. The RAF, and specifically RAF Benson it seems, didn't care enough to do enough to protect that man's legacy. It is a sad reflection on the RAF that it cares so little about those who went before - and gave far more than most give now.

Alec's Trip To Benson
 

Just to keep those of you that were following this thread updated. Alec & myself were flown from RAF Waddington to RAF Benson, last Friday. Our pilot Flt Lt G. Pike, kindly took the day off work & his C.O., Wg Cdr A. Pike was happy to carry out some of his duties while he was away. There was a Staff car waiting for us on arrival at Benson. It took us straight to Station Headquarters where the Officer Commanding Base Support Wing, Wg Cdr V. Pike was waiting to greet us at the main entrance, together with the Station Public Relations Officer, N. Pike.

We were in the Wg Cdr's office chatting for about an hour & the Wg Cdr seemed genuinely interested in Alec's experiences during the War. They had arranged for us to go to lunch, but before that Alec had an official photograph taken with the Wg Cdr in front of a blue Photo Reconnaissance Spitfire, displayed outside HQ.

It was arranged that the O.C. 78 Sqdn, Wg Cdr D. Pike (who was Acting Station Commander for the day), would join us for lunch & told us all about his Merlin's. After lunch, we were driven over to 78 Sqdn where the O.C. showed us his Merlin office.

We were then driven to Benson's Museum to meet the Curator, who was very keen to talk with Alec. While there, our pilot for the day recognized a photograph hanging on the wall, of some wartime aircrew planning a mission in the Op's room. He was able to tell the Curator that one of the airmen in the photo was his Uncle & he never returned from that mission.

I think that RAF Benson's personnel really did Alec proud. The present personnel had nothing to do with Alec's missing property & Alec would like to draw a line under it all. I know that he had a fantastic day & really enjoyed himself. I would like to thank our pilot, everyone at Benson for being so caring & everyone on PPRuNe that supported Alec, especially all the pilots that volunteered & were willing to give up their time to fly Alec down to Benson. As I have said on another thread, aren't aviation people a smashing bunch.

All's well that ends well.
So glad that Alec was so well hosted and enjoyed his day and the fact that HE now wants to draw a line under this should speak volumes
(not that some people on here would have any intention of retracting their scathing comments aimed at people who had absolutely nothing to do with the original loss.)
Well done to all the Pike family :D

Wizard,

Seconded! So glad that Alec had a good day.

PS 'Dont tell 'em your name Pike'

Bravo and glad Alec enjoyed the day...