It’s almost like someone had thought of that. There’s a massed parade and flypast in London on 10 July, with the flypast repeated at RIAT the following weekend. As detailed on the RAF100 website...! Sensible planning IMHO as the weather is much more likely to be favourable in mid-July than in April, as the opening ceremony of the Bomber Command Centre found last week.

At least one county knows we exist. My brother, ex-RAF and living in Oz, sent this picture, taken at dawn on 1st April.

https://www.pprune.org/members/11637...awn-perth.html

At the Cosford museum, over the two days 1-2nd, there were over 10,000 people through the doors.

I don’t envy the person facing the dilemma of who to select for the RAF 100 Hero’s: ‘shall I pick the white male who did 80 bombing missions and was awarded a raft of medals for gallantry or go for the female who’s ‘big’ in the LGBT network?’
Clearly the latter more accurately reflects the modern Royal Air Force.

Ken

This should be easy. The LGBT rep really should not make the cut unless they/she/he actually do something heroic - ie. put their life in peril for the benefit of others. I see no evidence of this.

So who in modern times would I pick - there will be plenty of good stories, with a positive equality aspect (gender, religion or sexual preference) in the last 20 years of the Operational Honours List. Someone has already mentioned Flt Lt Michelle Goodnan DFC - then there is Flt Lt Laura Nickolson DFC - plus Sgt Rachel Robinson QGM - there are many more I’m sure seeing that female aircrew have been flying for the best part of 30 years. But the 100 needs to be proportionate to the actual make up of the RAF.

Otherwise this is positive discrimination. But branding our best sports people as ‘heroes’ is an insult to our real heroes, those that have put their lives on the line. They are in the modern RAF and you don’t need to look that hard to find them...

Rant over

Totally agree, I cannot understand why it couldn't have been included at Cosford Airshow and say Glasgow. The static aircraft tour is also only up one side of the country, bar a visit to Newcastle. Poor NI do not appear to be getting anything major and Scotland very little.

What are the medals she has, one looks like a DFM, the bomber pilot amongst all the dross looks like a token Hero. One of the "Heroes" is an AC, not even out of training!

https://www.rafmuseumshop.com/pub/me...w_sticker3.jpg

They've mis-spelled "Licker". :sad::*

Looking for heroes? How about these? These are some of the Allied bomber crews* who were shot down over occupied Europe during WWII and managed to evade successfully back to the UK.

One of them was shot down on his first trip - but, despite that, he returned to 'Ops' and did 39 more. He's still with us.. but as he says, he no longer buys green bananas! :ok:

Bob Barckley (8th row down, far right) was a 22 year old Typhoon pilot - he was the first to destroy a V1 by tipping it over. He's still going strong at 97.. (disregard the comment in the link about V2s!)

Another hero is Bob Frost (top left in the photo below). He was a 19 year old tail gunner in a Wellington. From being shot down over Belgium on his 22nd 'Op', it took him just 3 weeks to cross the frontier into Spain. He's now 95 years old and he'd welcome visitors - so why not drop in if you're in the area!

Ami Court Care Home
198 Dover Rd,
Walmer,
Deal CT14 7NB

Tel: 01304 371126

* Not all Brits.

Excellent post, Sidevalve! :D

OAP

....or possibly ‘window’ as well !

Yes great post, sidevalve. My poor Royal Air Force, what are they doing to you?

Give it another 15 years and I'll use that one :ok:

75 years ago 617 Sqn flew on OP Chastise against the dams. 8 aircraft out of 19 lost. Take hard knocks. Give them harder. Screw "branding". Remember the point of it all.

There is no chance. I know this is a drum I have banged before, but women will always get disproportionate coverage. Take for example items about the Air Transport Auxiliary, which always feature women pilots, even though they only made up less than 20% of the ATA's strength. After I mentioned this on an earlier thread one of our number even stated that he had previously been under the impression that the ATA was an all female organisation. Nowadays press coverage of any military unit will always seek out female members, particularly when it comes to photographs. It may come as a surprise to some, for example, to learn that there actually some men in the Kings Troop Royal Horse Artillery!

What utter sh*te. I've just shown it to a former Director PR & Media of the RAF who's instant response cannot be repeated here...

Such a shame that what should have been a memorable milestone in the RAF's history has been diluted by this thoughtless branding exercise. My heart goes out to those who have gone before. That their memory should be degraded by such a childish piece of artwork saddens me greatly and I use the word "artwork" in its loosest sense.
Some top brass heads should roll for this.
If they're not proud of your heritage, I am.

Wishful thinking probably, but I wonder if any of the perpetrators of this rubbish, read pprune? Might give them a reality check, if they do.