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Last archived on: 03 March 2011 » 2011 Canberra Reunion at Charlecote The annual weekend reunion of the Canberra aircrew and groundcrew took place at the Charlecote Pheasant Hotel, 5 miles from Stratford upon Avon on the last Friday and Saturday of February. Once again there was a good turnout, 36 members on the Friday and 44 for a private dinner on the Saturday. We were also visited by Geoff Barrows and his wife, and also by Dr Rob Woolven. This is the third year we have gathered at Charlecote and the staff must be complimented on the excellent service they provided in the difficult circumstances of building work underway at the hotel. 01 March 2011 » 249 Squadron Association Blog Please visit the Blog to read the latest news and information, we look forward to reading your comments and ideas. 04 September 2010 » Association Reunion at North Weald 26/27 February 2010 » 249 Canberra and Friends Weekend 19 April 2009 » Dedication of the "Spirit of North Weald" Gate Guardian
By courtesy of the Epping District Council, your Editor was privileged, together with one or two other locally based 249-ers, to be present at the formal dedication of the gate guardian at North Weald. Apart from the Chairman of the District Council, the main speaker was Arthur Moreton, who had The Idea and then masterminded the entire project, including fund-raising and the occasion on the day. Well done, Arthur.
Mounted in a flying position at the main entrance to the airfield in Merlin Way, this replica of a Hawker Hurricane looks most realistic. As we saw last year, it is in the colours of No 56 Squadron, the longest serving (13 years) of the fifty squadrons who flew from North Weald since flying began there in 1916. The CO of No 56 (R) Squadron Wg Cdr O'Dell - was there, together with a colour party bearing the Squadron colours. Since February, 2008, the Squadron is an intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance operational evaluation squadron based at Waddington, operating Sentinel aircraft, and the CO has fighter controller wings. 249 had three familiar faces from those days in 1940 when it was based there, Dixie Herron, John Beasley (accompanied by Eileen), and Tom Neil. There was also a well-named John Gill, who was a ground engineer at N Weald in September, 1940.
Tom Neil then spoke and explained that he flew the real Hurricane with those registration markings on his first flight from N Weald. In August, 1940, 56 Sqn. sustained very heavy losses (eight pilots in one week) and 249 was moved from Boscombe Down to succeed them. On arrival, they flew 56 Sqn. aircraft for a short period until the 249 aircraft radio fits were modified with the 11 Group sector frequencies. It was the first aircraft he flew from North Weald. After the dedication, there was a flypast of a Vampire, flown at N Weald in the 50s, and a flight of four Bulldog ex-RAF trainers flew a missing man formation in memory of those who did not return. And then we all had a chance to look at the plinths. It was a very pleasant occasion, made the more so by the presence of 249 men from 1940. 15 August 2009 » North Weald Reunion Arrangements are standard: 11.30 hrs: Meet at the Airfield Memorial, beside the Museum in North Weald. Price will be £13 per head, £8 for 249 Air Cadets and children over seven years of age. If attending, please send your cheques (payable to "No 249 Squadron Association" ) to the Hon Secretary and Treasurer. If not able to attend, donations are always welcome! 27 Novenber 2008 » 249 ATC Squadron Cadets at Remembrance Day Parade, Hailsham February 2008 » Abingdon There was an exceptional turn out this year with 43 for dinner on the Friday Night and 54 on the Saturday Night. Unfortunately a few members had to cancel at the last moment otherwise our number would have been over 60. Pat and Julia De Burca joined us this year, together with Mr and Mrs West. We were also re-united with "Chiefy Bennet", who was accompanied by his daughter Lyn. And Dave and Tina Calvert from The ATC 249 Millennium Squadron also joined us. The meals were again of a high standard and there was an excellent band in attendance for the dance on the Saturday Evening. At an impromptu meeting on the Sunday morning it was felt that we need a new venue as we have been coming to Abingdon for nearly ten years and are running out of places to see and things to do. Tommy Cullen, our organiser, is busy looking at two hotels, one in Leicester and the other in Stratford on Avon. but will take advice from the members at the reunion at North Weald on 06 September. September 2007 » Cyprus Revisited Asking members to make their own arrangements for flights, accommodation and duration of stay worked well. Many stayed at the Pioneer Beach Hotel on the outskirts of Kato Paphos and other stayed in nearby hotels or in apartments and villas. 52 of us were on the coach leaving Paphos on Monday, 24th September, at 9.20am and we arrived on time at the Akrotiri main gate, to meet up with another 14, including our President, Sir John Sutton and Lady Angela and, as a guest, Mr Niyazi Adeniz - whom we all knew when he had a Kebab restaurant in Limassol. Niyazi now has a fine hotel in Northern Cyprus. I was also personally pleased to meet up with Adam Gardiner, our long-time member resident in Larnaca who had helped considerably with lunch arrangements for our visit; Val Loughrey of the local RAFA who came with Adam; and John and Val Spilsbury, our two newest members who also live in Larnaca. The atmosphere was rather like a Sunday School Picnic - if you can still remember back that far - everyone was excited and cheery. The 249 Squadron caps were prominent and we all felt 40 years younger, even if we didn't all look it! Marvellous. At the Base entrance, we also met up with Flt Lt Craig King, our Visit Project Officer and Curator of the Akrotiri Aviation Museum. In his day job he is DSATCO and, in a previous incarnation, had flown helicopters with the Fleet Air Arm. Bill Cundall, Akrotiri webmaster and Akrotiri Visitor Guide was also there. Bill had been most helpful in getting a number of aspects of our visit sorted out and it was a pleasure to meet him in person. Craig gave us an informative briefing on the role of this very important airbase, which supports ongoing operations in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as support for the Sovereign Base Areas on the Island. It is used as a forward mounting base for overseas operations in the Middle East and also for Fast Jet Weapons training. In addition, the Red Arrows train there each January. Akrotiri is the first stop for our soldiers coming from Iraq and Afghanistan. It also has the last remaining RAF Hospital. In questions it emerged that RAF aircraft are not permitted to fly over mainland Cyprus and that, with the Sovereign Base Areas under Army Command, there was now near 1000 Army personnel on the base, together with about 1500 RAF men and women. (There were 4500 RAF and 5000 Greek Cypriot workers on base each day when Jim Smith and I arrived in 1958.) The only resident Squadron has four rescue helicopters and, while we were there, No 111 Tornado Squadron from Leuchars was on detachment doing some training in the sun. After the briefing we had a tour around the barrack block area (some new, but still no air-conditioning) and married patch and then down to where 249 Squadron had been sited. The 249 Sqn building (it wasn't there when I left in 1961) is now used by the Akrotiri Flying Club and two Cessnas were parked on the dispersal pans. The pans were as everyone remembered and some in our group practised marshalling in a Canberra and returning with tearful faces. We had a very good finger buffet lunch in the Sergeants Mess where some found that a large bottle of Keo was just 38 cents. Unfortunately, the Station Commander, Group Captain John Conway, couldn't get away to join us. However, he did speak by telephone with our President. After lunch, we visited the Akrotiri Aviation Museum, which although housed in a small building contains a wealth of material about 249, thanks to the photos and items sent in by us all. Once the initial excitement subsided, Sir John presented the Museum with a 249 wall badge (a bit larger than the others already there, I am pleased to say) and a one-page framed history of 249, with the emphasis on its days at Akrotiri. In his role as Curator, Craig King was presented with a copy of "249 at War", kindly donated and signed by Brian Cull, the author, and also by Sir John Sutton and yours truly. Just before we left, Craig opened a display case and took out the Sasson Bombing Trophy, which 249 won from 1960 to 1963. It was found, he said, in a skip waiting to be thrown out because a handle had broken off! The handle is available and we hope the Trophy will be restored soon. After a further run around the domestic areas, where the Barrack Block used by our airmen some 40 years ago was seen to be still there, we went on to the new hospital. We left Craig at the Gate with our sincere grateful thanks for a memorable visit. The coach party went on to Limassol for a brief stop (we were all tired out!) before returning to Paphos with lots to talk about on the way and over more Keo and good Cypriot wine that evening. The next evening saw the Pioneer Beach Hotel giving us a reception, courtesy of Mr Lambor Kakoulis, Hotel Manager, where Jim Smith presented him with a Squadron cap and a 249 wall badge to place prominently in the hotel reception area. A similar wall badge and Squadron cap was given to Niyazi Adeniz by Tommy Cullen and we made Craig King, our guest that evening, an Associate Member and presented him with a 249 tie. Before moving to our tables, outside and near the pool, for a traditional Greek Dinner, we had some group photographs taken but the room was too big for the flashgun on most people's cameras and there were some very blurry under-exposed pictures taken. The dinner was lovely, the night warm, the wine much better than we all remembered, and the Greek entertainment traditional, while our late-night dancing was sublime. It was a lovely occasion and one we will all remember. We were delighted that Sir John and Lady Angela, plus Nyazi, were able to attend. Next morning, a good number said they planned to return in the next two years and let's hope we can do something like it again. Cyprus in late September is wonderful and to be recommended - with wall-to-wall sunshine and yet not too hot, with good food, spectacular scenery, good roads, and a very friendly population. My thanks as Association Secretary go to Jim Smith for all his advice on tour operators and his invaluable help in the negotiations and arrangements for the reception and dinner at the Pioneer Beach Hotel. Jim and Merrie were, I think, the only pair from Paphos who made it through the Green Line to Kyrenia. Lambros, manager at the Pionner Beach Hotel, was charming, courteous and ever-helpful while his staff were very friendly, efficient and competent. While Flt Lt Craig King did more than his duty in ensuring our Akrotiri visit met all our requirements. He is a most personable and competent officer who deserves to go far and we wish him well in his future career. Incidentally, he is our only Serving member!
The Airfield Museum had several interesting new 249 Squadron exhibits and, at the Airfield Memorial, Harry Moon laid our wreath especially remembering those who served with him on 249 and who had lost their lives in the Malta Air Battle. Eddie Kelly also placed a small cross remembering Doug Barfoot, CO of the Canberra Squadron from November, 1959 to June 1963, and who passed away last April. The Squadron again provided us with an excellent buffet lunch and then we had fascinating reminiscences from Mike Waterhouse about the last few months of 249 as a fighter squadron flying Venoms, an excellent talk from Steve Chapman of what it was like to serve on 249 with the then-Sqn Ldr John Sutton in charge, and an interesting report from Cadet Alec Champion about 249 ATC Squadron's busy activities. Herby Larkman persuaded Tom Neil to sign a fine picture of three 249 Hurricanes in combat and then to present it to our ATC Squadron. Well done, Herby. The donated raffle prizes were again excellent and, thanks to the enthusiasm of our ATC Cadets in selling tickets, the raffle raised £189. All told, the day raised £264 towards Association funds. All seemed keen to meet again at North Weald in 2008 and the planned date is the first Saturday, 06 September 2008. 18 August 2007 » Reunion at North Weald More information will be in the Association's Newsletter due out next month but the timings will be much the same as last year:
I hope we will again get a good turnout and have a fine day. 24 September 2007 » Cyprus Reunion An Association visit to the base has now been arranged, starting at 10.30am on Monday, 24 September, 2007. Full details will be available nearer the time but we will receive a briefing on the Station's activities and a tour of areas of particular interest to us, including our old Squadron site and the new museum. We may have a meal on base. After discussion about where we should stay, the consensus was that we should stay in Paphos. Although we did investigate the possibility of travelling as a group and so obtaining a discount, some members wanted to say in hotels and others in villas/apartments. Most wanted to fly out from their nearest airport and some wanted to stay for one week and others for 10 or 14 days. So, we have decided that it will be far simpler if you now each book a holiday in Paphos to meet your specific requirements but ensure you are there for the day of our visit to Akrotiri - 24 September, 2007. For those who plan to book a hotel holiday, our travel expert felt the best company of the many Cyprus tour operators was Portland Holidays. This company, although part of Thomson's, doesn't make use of travel agents and so you won't normally find their brochure in travel shops. However, you can obtain a copy by telephoning Brochureline on 08705 002200. Further, if the holiday is booked on the Internet, there is a £25 discount per person and this is not far short of the 4.5% discount we might have obtained for a group booking. We recommend a pair of modern hotels, operated by the same company - the Pioneer Beach Hotel and the Paphian Bay Hotel, situated side by side on the beach, 3km from Paphos resort centre and 500m from shops and restaurants. In the brochure, they look pretty good and additional information about each hotel is given on Constantinou Bros Hotels - useful links If you want to book with Portland, go to Portland Holidays or ring their Customer Services on 0870 500 6600. There are other tour operators using the two hotels mentioned but Portland seem to offer the lowest prices. Note that they charge an additional 2.5% if you pay by credit card (as opposed to a cheque). The initial deposit is quite low but you also have to pay for travel insurance there and then - unless, of course, you take out or already have a separate travel insurance. Do bear in mind that, in addition to the basic cost of the holiday, all tour operators impose a fuel surcharge supplement of around £40 per person. Portland Holidays offer full board or half board as optional supplements but, on the Internet site, these have to be for every day of the holiday. If you need only three days half or full board, you have to telephone Portland Holidays. Travel insurance is extra, and there are other optional supplements for a window flight seat reservation, a seat with more leg-room, in-flight meals, a higher baggage allowance and a room with a sea view. You can hire a basic car, through Portland, for three consecutive days for £70. If you are planning to join in, we recommend that you make your booking fairly soon as September is a peak month for holidays in Cyprus. When you have done so, please let your Hon Secretary know so he can reserve a sufficiently large coach to take us from Paphos to Akrotiri on 24 September and then on to Limassol for the rest of the day. Depending on numbers, the coach hire is likely to cost about £10 per head. I don't recommend travelling from Paphos to Akrotiri by car as our Akrotiri tour guide will need us to be in a single group throughout our visit. We will also have to provide Akrotiri with a list of who will be on the visit. So, if you plan to join in the visit but won't require seats on the coach on 24 September, do please let me know. Lastly, if you know of any other members who might be interested in joining us, please pass this information to them. The more we have there the better! Stop Press: We now have 33 definitely attending and another 6 are currently booking Two Warriors Pass On Arthur Robert Lifford joined 249 in Malta in March 1943 flying Spitfires as a Sgt Pilot. On 27 August he was in the flight of four Spitfire 9s which intercepted and destroyed a recce Ju88 flying east of Kalafrana. This was the 317th and last victory while 249 was flying from Malta. He was posted from 249 in April 1944, by then a Warrant Officer, when the Squadron was flying from Grottaglie in Southern Italy. His son has advised that Arthur passed on last October 2006 at the age of 85. Flying Officer John R C Young was a QFI in 603 Squadron and was recruited by the then-Sqn Ldr John Grandy to join 249 when he formed it up in May, 1940. He was one of the first two pilots to join the Squadron and he had the task of converting the other pilots to the Hurricane. (That must have been an interesting task as a good number of the younger pilots straight from Cranwell had never flown a monoplane when they arrived on 249.) He was also involved in 249's first interception of an enemy aircraft - a Do17 on 4 July. John eventually retired from the RAF as a Wing Commander with an AFC and then spent a long time flying with British Airways. A staunch supporter of the Guild of Air Pilots and Air Navigators, he joined in 1943, became a Liveryman in 1958 and attended the major Guild functions until 2006. He was a very pleasant man in the 20 years or so that the Hon Secretary knew him and he died peacefully at the age of 91 on 20 February 2007. 23 December 2006 » Chris Firmin They have sent this picture (click to enlarge) of some members of the 249 Sqn of the day, together with the Mason Trophy they won for air firing and any members who remember the occasion or who can identify any of those in the picture are requested to contact the Hon Secretary.
7 May 2006 » Can anyone help Patrick Lee Norman Lee served in 249 Squadron on Malta in 1942. Contact: Patrick Lee 10 February 2006 » RAF Akrotiri Museum Noz writes: One of the display areas I would like to produce is Squadrons that have served at Akrotiri over the years. As such do you have any photos of the Squadron at Akrotiri. Electronic versions will be fine as I can get the Photo Section at Akrotiri to re-produce them. Thank you in anticipation. FltLt C J King 10 February 2006 » Can anyone help David Thornton writes: Would you know if any of the other men from 249 Squadron may still be alive? I would like to visit somebody that attended his funeral in Malta if possible. I have lots of photo's and dairies etc. and am preparing this in a book. Any assistance you can give me would be great. David Thornton Thornton Engineering Australia Pty Ltd 2 & 3 March 2007 » Abingdon Reunion The reunion consists of two nights - Dinner B+B - for a remarkable low price, at the Four Pillars Hotel in Abingdon and includes a Dinner Dance on the Saturday. The organiser will again be Tommy Cullen. Any one interested in attending, please contact Tommy Cullen on 01914 550229. 26 August 2006 » 249 Squadron Reunion Cost is £13 per adult, £8 for children under 18, Nil for any toddlers. 03 & 04 March 2006 » Abingdon Reunion The reunion consists of two nights at the Four Pillars Hotel in Abingdon, with Dinner on the Friday night and a Dinner Dance on the Saturday. Any one interested in attending, please contact Tommy Cullen on 01914 550229.  10 February 2006 » Flt Lt David Calvert OC 249 ATC Squadron 02 December 2005 » News from our ATC Squadron 26 October 2005 » Jack Rae Lunch at the RAF CLub 21 September, 2005 
Jack, who was a Warrant Officer when he joined the Squadron in April, 1942,and a Fg Officer when he left four months later was in very good form and recounted how, when he was in hospital having had the worst of an encounter with a ME110, a small procession arrived at his bedside. All his clothing was taken away and he was pushed in his bed to the far end of the hospital into an Officer's Ward. There, a full set of Fg Officer kit awaited him. He had been commissioned on the recommendation of Laddie Lucas, now CO of the Squadron. Jack was en route to Malta for the Heroes Return commemorations at the end of September. He writes that he was devastated not to find another Spitfire pilot from 249 or any of the other Squadrons based at Takali in mid 1942. He did however meet up with another New Zealander, Lt Colin White ex Fleet Air Arm , who flew Hurricanes from Halfar and Keith Lawrence, who also flew Hurricanes from Halfar that summer. Jack says it would have been great to have seen someone from those days from 249 or 603 but, sadly, there were none. Many thanks to Jack's daughter for the picture of the lunch party. 16 August 2005 » Reunion at North Weald 13:08:05 
John Grandy, elder son of MRAF Sir John Grandy, made a presentation to Steve Wagstaff, Chairman of the North Weald Aviation Museum, of a picture of the James Nicholson action in which he gained a VC, signed by his father and a number of other squadron members together with a photograph album showing Sir John Grandy presenting the Queen's Colours to No 249 Squadron, under the command of then-Sqn. Ldr. John Sutton, in June 1965 at RAF Akrotiri. 
Tom Neil, who flew with the Squadron at North Weald and then in Malta, laid a wreath at the Airfield Memorial as did Trevor Williams on behalf of the Airscene Museum at neighbouring Blake Hall. The gathering then adjourned to The Squadron for drinks, lunch and talk of times past. Dixie Herron who was on 56 Squadron at North Weald and who joined 249 en-route to Malta revealed that he married Christine in June 1945 and that they were therefore celebrating their 60th Wedding Anniversary. Tom Neil spoke graphically about his part of the action on 27 September, 1940, when at the age of 20, he shot down two enemy aircraft and had a half share in two more and a day when the Squadron was credited with an amazing 15.5 kills, 8 probables and two damaged. He also spoke about the two young pilots who lost their lives that day - Pilots Officers Meaker and Burton - and how Burton deserved a VC for his action in deliberately crashing his aircraft into a Bf110 but only received a posthumous mention in Despatches some 18 months later. Tom also had a good story about possibly being the first fighter (a Mustang) to land on a D-Day PSP airstrip. Harry Moon, who was a 249 pilot in Malta was there with his son Michael, had a busy time, as did Dixie Herron and Tom Neil, signing copies of "249 at Malta". It was a very good day, the rain stayed off to the end, and those who were lucky enough to be present will long remember it. 29 July 2005 » Tam Syme DFC 26 July 2005 » Squadron Association Reunion at North Weald 13 August 2005 The plan is to visit the Airfield Museum at North Weald at about 11.30am and to lay a wreath at the adjacent Airfield Memorial at noon before driving on to The Squadron, which is on the aerodrome, for lunch at 12.30pm. Cost is £13 per head. If interested in attending, please contact the Hon Secretary. 24 July 2005 » Jack Rae DFC (40/41) 02 July 2005 » Battle of Britain 65th Anniversary Banquet, 15 September 2005 For further details see www.airleague.co.uk or to download a Flyer see: Publication of "249 at Malta" |
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The Canberra air and groundcrew reunion was once again held at the four Pillars Hotel Abingdon, this time on the last weekend in February.
