Page 15 - issue17.05.2019
P. 15

Royal Air Force News Friday,May 17, 2019 P15

                                                                                                                                               News


      All Fired up


      for Civvy St


       Staff Reporter

       RETIRING AIR Force fire fighter
       WO Steve Shirley bowed out in a
       blaze of glory – on board a vintage
       World War II tender.
         The veteran Waddington-based
       airman, who has clocked up 36 irman, who has clocked up 36
       a
       y
       years service, hitched a ride on the ears service, hitched a ride on the
       v
       vehicle borrowed from the RAF fire ehicle borrowed from the RAF fire
       museum which he set up.
         H
         He was given a rousing send e was given a rousing send
       off by Station Commander ff by Station Commander
       o
       G
       Gp  Capt  Tom  Burke  and p  Capt  Tom  Burke  and
       colleagues, but says he will
       still be volunteering for
       duty at the museum.
         A station spokesman
       said: “Steve is the fountain
       of knowledge here. He
       l leaves with a heavy heart eaves with a heavy heart
       and will be sorely missed.
         “ “It’s great to know he will It’s great to know he will                                                                   LOVE ME TENDER: WO Shirley
       no
       not be resting on his laurels and t be resting on his laurels and                                                            hitches a ride off the station on board a
       w
       will continue to work to secure the ill continue to work to secure the                                                       vintage WWII fire truck.
                                                                                                                                    PHOTOS: SAC JAMES SKERRETT
       future of the museum.”
                                       Survival ace
                In Brief



       MEMORIES: Mr Hawkins, centre,with  hits the wall









       members of his RAF branch at Valley.
       Miller time


       A WORLD  War II Bomber
       Command veteran returned to
       RAF Valley 75 years after serving
       at the Welsh station.
         LAC Phil Hawkins arrived
       when he was 19 to work in logistics
       during his aircrew training, serving
       alongside the USAF delivering
       aviation fuel.
         During his stint on the Angelsey
       base he was in the audience to see
       wartime band leader Glenn Miller
       just before the American musician
       disappeared during a flight over the
       English Channel.
         Valley spokesman Sqn Ldr Dave
       Williams said: “ “It is a rare honour
       to meet veterans from WWII, and
       even rarer to meet those who were
       here    at RAF Valley.
                    “It was great to
                 show  Phil  around,
                  and we were able     Staff Reporter                  The combat-hardened former  he passed on his  hard-won     “As a SERE trainer he is one of
                  to rekindle a few                                 Marine had already seen action  combat skills as one of the RAF’s  our own and we are lucky to have
                 memories for  him.    A FORMER  Marine who went  with  the  Marines  in  Africa  and  top instructors teaching rookie  his experience, wisdom, passion
                    The   base  has    on to serve 13 frontline tours  Northern Ireland before joining  air crew extreme survival and  and enthusiasm for operations.”
                     changed  a great   in Afghanistan with the RAF  the Air Force in 1998.       resilience techniques.          MACr Draper (pictured above
                      deal  since those   before becoming one of the   He went on to complete his   Training   Officer   Mark  signing the Wall) was joined at
                      days,  but  we   Service’s top survival experts has  astonishing tally of frontline  Fairhurst who selects candidates  Cranwell by some of the latest
                      think we were    added his name to the list of Air  tours at the height of the war in  for the honour of signing the Wall  graduates  from  the  demanding
                      able to pin-     Force living legends.        Afghanistan serving on Chinooks  of Gallantry, said: “Billy is humble  SERE course.
                      point   where      MACr Billy Draper joined the  with 18 Squadron on some of the  about his exploits but there is no   He spoke to them about his
                      Phil   worked    ranks of some of the UK’s most  most dangerous missions of the  other aviator we have had here  frontline combat experiences
                     from one of his   distinguished air crew as he signed  conflict.             with as much flying experience in  with the Royal Air Force and the
                    old photographs.”  the Wall of Gallantry at Cranwell.  Between frontline postings  non-permissive environments.  Marines.
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