Duxford Airshow - Part Three

The first aircraft to display were the Red Arrows, who delivered the usual exceptional routine. I find it almost unbelievable that the government are considering disbanding them to save money!





Sam has seen the Red Arrows before, as have I, but it seems that their appeal doesn't fade.

In between displays we managed to have even more fun, and Sam tried his hand at "zorbing", with hilarious consequences....

Sam says that his very favourite aeroplane is the Lancaster bomber. He saw one for the first time at the RAF museum in Hendon a few weeks ago. Seeing the sole remaining flying Lancaster for real made his day, as the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight put on a crowd-pleasing show.

We just had time to watch a four-ship of Hurricanes whizzing around, before heading back up the A10. Great show Duxford!

RAF Museum Hendon - Aeronauts Interactive Centre

Our final point of call at the Hendon museum was an area known as the Aeronauts Interactive Centre. It's brilliant! Here you'll find lots of hands-on, fascinating experiments for the children to play with and learn at the same time. Above you can see Sam in a cockpit and a scale model of a Spitfire in front of him. The control inputs made by Sam are mirrored on the model, which is being blasted by a high speed fan to reproduce airflow. Ace.



There are many, many excellent things to try out here. Such as a glider simulator:



Another flying controls demonstrator:



There's a model of the Eurofighter made entirely of bits and pieces:

Apparently it featured in a TV advert. I don't remember it:

The hang glider is quite impressive:

And that's it. You MUST visit this place, we both absolutely loved it, and WILL be going back.

Freedom Of King's Lynn Parade

Last week RAF Marham exercised their right to march through the streets of King's Lynn with drums beating, colours flying and bayonets fixed. When I was in the RAF I always found parades to be an utter pain in the neck, but now I'm a "veteran" I love them. So does Sam.

Sam was in attendance with his school friends, and I spotted him as soon as I took up my position on the east side of the Tuesday Market Place. He stood to attention as the standards were marched onto the square (he's the one in the red shirt in the above photo).

As well as reviewing the RAF party, the Armed Forces Week flag was raised - it's refreshing that the country now seems to support the forces, as opposed to the ambivalence and even resentment I experienced for many years.

The Cranwell Band provided a superb soundtrack for the parade - the same band who performed at my own Passing Out parade at RAF Swinderby on 23 July 1985!

R.I.P Private Bill....And Lieutenant "Bill's Teeth"

A sad evening tonight at 2-Sox Towers. A brave soldier, Bill, was bade farewell with a guard of honour of fellow toy soldiers, close to the place that he met his maker.


The place that he met his maker was the toilet. During a routine water gun firing exercise, Private Bill toppled from his lofty perch atop the cistern, and landed on a raft of floating bog roll. Rescue attempts were made with a bent kitchen skewer, but unfortunately Bill slipped from the grasp of safety, and with a sad bubble of air slipped down the pan. And was flushed.


Hence the impromptu guard of honour of fellow toy soldiers along the edge of the tub, come bath time. The Commanding Officer (that's me) made a passionate, yet touching, speech about Private Bill's life and deeds. Of most surprise was the revelation that Private Bill's teeth had pursued a much more successful military career than their owner, reaching the rank of Lieutenant. Lt Bill's Teeth won the Distinguished Bravery Cross for a string of exceptional actions, including chewing their way out of a Nazi POW camp, chewing their way through the hulls of three U-Boats as part of a commando raid, and unsuccessfully attempting to chew the head off Adolf Hitler (they escaped through the Berlin sewers disguised as one of Herman Goerring;s number two's). They were also pictured escorting Vera Lynn to a performance of Ooops Vicar, How's Yer Trousers in London's West End in 1943, although Bill's Teeth denied any relationship.

Private Bill, and Lieutenant Bill's Teeth, will be sadly missed. As C.O. I had to reprimand the rank and file several times for laughing during the valediction (Sam kept bursting out laughing). As a tribute, Sam asked if he could don his Dad's old RAF Sergeants' Mess mess dress, which of course he was allowed to do. And below you can see the comparison.