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HERE
Connect Create Armed Forces Covenant Project • Armed Forces Sports' Woman of the Year • Exercise Transglobe
CONTENTS
IN THIS ISSUE… Editor’s Welcome
ARIES TEAM
Editor:
Sqn Ldr Kim Leach
Deputy Editor: Sgt Jimmy Brandford
Editor's Assistant: Mr Mark Vickers
Public Relations Officers (PRO)
CFS (H) Sqn: Maj Dan McBride
660 Sqn AAC:
Sqn Ldr Paul Farrant
705 NAS:
Lt Chris Simpson
60 (R) Sqn:
Flt Lt Patrick Hearne
CATCS:
Flt Lt Charlie Gawne
ATC:
Sgt Jimmy Brandford
Distribution:
Mr Frank Young, Central Registry
Mrs Cheryl Foster, HIVE
SAC Kerry Coyne
RAF Shawbury Road Reps
Front Cover Design:
Mr Chris Roberts,
RAF Shawbury Graphics
Photography: Mr Ian Forshaw
Mr Dave Granger
Enquiries:
Email: SHY-Ariesmagazine@mod.uk
Tel (mil): 95531 7572
Tel (civ): 01939 250351 x7572
www.facebook.com/RAFShawbury
5
Foreword
6
Station News
10
Station Visits
14
Community Project
16
Honours & Awards
18
Graduations
20
CATCS News
24
DHFS News
28
CFS (H) News
30
Total Safety
31
Health & Safety
32
Features
38
Sport
COVER PICTURE:
RAF Regiment simulated
training on the airfield
General Service Knowledge
– Information Fact No 8
By Cpl S JAR (Drill Instructor)
Did you know that the Tactical Recognition Flash (TRF) is the official British military
term for a coloured patch worn on the right arm of combat clothing by members of
the Royal Navy, British Army and Royal Air Force. A TRF serves to quickly identify the
regiment or corps of the wearer, in the absence of a cap badge. It is similar to but
distinct from the Drop Zone (DZ) Flashes worn by members of Airborne Forces.
TRFs should not be confused with formation signs or insignia,
which are used to denote the formation (usually brigade or
division or a higher headquarters) and are worn
in addition to TRFs by a member of any regiment
or corps serving in that formation.
by Sqn Ldr Kim Leach
A
t last the
weather is
improving
and our personnel
are getting out and
about doing some
excellent community
projects or being
challenging by
Adventurous Training
or Force Development activities.
In this edition, you can read about the
fantastic work of the Armed Forces
Community Covenant in funding a
music and arts project that culminated
in a fantastic Show at the Severn
Theatre. Well done to all the young
people that participated and the leaders
for delivering such a professional and
enjoyable performance.
Congratulations also go to our many
Honours and Awards nominees who
received their awards from AVM Turner
at a special ceremony held in the
Officers’ Mess. RAF Shawbury is also
home to 2 champion sportswomen –
congratulations to Sqn Ldr Caitlin Wroe,
who successfully defended her Ladies
Inter-Services Alpine Ski Championship
title and also to Sqn Ldr Joan Cawthray,
who was awarded the coveted title of
Inter-Services Sportswoman of the Year.
There are also some fascinating feature
articles about sailing around New
Zealand and an expedition following in
the steps of the intrepid Telemark skiers.
Thank you to all the contributors who
have made Edition 2 such an interesting
magazine. Happy Reading.
Submissions for Edition 3 to the
Editor by 6th May 2016
© This magazine contains official information and should
be treated with discretion by the recipient. No responsibility
for the quality of goods or services advertised in this
magazine can be accepted by the publishers or printers.
Advertisements are included in good faith. Published
by Forces and Cor porate Publishing Ltd, Hamblin
House, Hamblin Court, Rushden, Northamptonshire,
NN10 ORU. Tel: 01933 419994. Fax: 01933 419584.
email: editorial@forcespublishing.co.uk. Website: www.
forcespublishing.co.uk.
Managing Director: Ron Pearson
Sub Editor: Jo Glen
Advertising Sales: Sally Haynes
GET SOME IN-formation
www.shawbury.raf.mod.uk
Aries
3
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Client satisfaction is of utmost importance and recent
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4
Aries
FOREWORD
by the Reverend (Wg Cdr) Alastair Bissell RAFR
A
t the time of writing this article, the church is well
into the season of Lent where the focus is upon
fasting, abstinence and penitence. It’s a journey
lasting for a period of forty days from Ash Wednesday to
Holy Saturday, the day before Easter Sunday. Those who
embark upon the challenge also point to the importance
of personal discipline and sacrifice.
From one commitment to another; you may well have heard
of the ‘ninety day challenge,’ superbly presented by the
PEd Flight which has been looking to educate individuals
Still smiling despite the weather
on nutrition and health whilst
seeking to improve their exercise
regime. For those taking part,
sacrifice and discipline also play
an integral role, not forgetting of
course the encouragement given
by the Gym staff. Such endeavours
will hopefully bring just rewards.
The challenge finishes on 13th
April. I am sure an update will
follow shortly.
During this busy period of
visits, the station recently hosted a seminar for Auxiliary
and Reservist chaplains at which the Chaplain in Chief,
The Venerable (Air Vice Marshal) Jonathan Chaffey and the
Deputy Chaplain in Chief, the Reverend (Group Captain)
John Ellis were also in attendance. It was an excellent
opportunity for chaplains to experience life on an RAF
station and understand the role they are expected to play.
Those who participated in the seminar work play active roles
within their communities, including schools, universities
and parishes. Their stay culminated in a visit to 705 Naval
Air Squadron. Unfortunately the weather prevented them
from getting airborne. You may have thought that six
padres could and should have had more influence upon the
elements!
Chaplains gathered in the Officers' Mess
Aries
5
station news
Military Provost Guard Service (MPGS)
Confirmation Exercise
I
n between arranging Station
visits, co-ordinating deliveries,
dog registration, accommodation,
passes and permits, fuel issues, key
issues, alarm response, flag raising etc,
etc it’s quite nice to be able to get out
on the ground and do a spot of actual
soldiering once in a while!
To this end, our platoon SNCOs
kindly arranged January’s training
days to comprise a number of
‘terrorist’ incursions onto a forgotten
corner of Shawbury’s airfield. ‘Panto’
commitments put to one side, a couple
of thespians were laid on to play the
part of these ‘terrorists’ and even a
couple of dry, if slightly chilly days were
organised for this to all take place.
Admin tasks aside, ours is primarily
a counter terrorist role, providing a
mainly overt 24/7 deterrent through
foot/vehicle patrols as well as control
of entry duties. Training also takes up a
large part of our time with a mixture of
range packages alongside mandatory
6
Aries
classroom based lessons which
take place throughout the year. All
Shawbury MPGS NCOs are also qualified
military instructors with a number of
specializations ranging from Skill at
Arms/Coaching, PTI, Range Conducting
Officer, First Aid and Signals. Our
training culminates annually in a
confirmation exercise which allows us
to practice those all-important skills and
drills and identify any tweaks needed in
our future training.
Our exercise brief was simple. Patrol
in two man teams and deal with any
‘incident’ we may encounter. Given that
it was a training day, we’d been given a
load of blank ammunition and two of
our number had strangely disappeared,
last seen wearing the obligatory hoody
top/combats combination; the chances
of us encountering an ‘incident’ would
appear pretty high!
Incidents that we encountered varied
from armed intruders to lost dog
walkers, protesters to burglars, each
requiring a different, measured and
lawful response. All of this was carried
out under the critical eye of Sqn Ldr
Ops, his camera, OC Police and our
Platoon Commander. No pressure there
then!
This type of training provides a vital
and enjoyable end to our training year.
Although predominantly Infantry, MPGS
soldiers are drawn from a diverse range
of cap badges each bringing different
skill sets to the party. Confirmation
Exercise enables us to operate
alongside colleagues with widely
different experiences under realistic
conditions.
In further MPGS news, well done to
Private Dan Dimond and your author
for representing the unit at the
Adjutant General Corps Cross Country
Championships at Worthy Down doing pretty well in the Senior and
Veteran classes respectively.
By L Cpl Robert Morgan,
MPGS
Aries
7
station news
My Day at THE
!
S
E
I
L
L
I
M
W
hen you walk into work first thing in the morning and
your FS says to you “don’t take your coat off, Wg Cdr
Ibbetson wants to see you right away,” you never think,
oh this will be something good! But this time it really was!
Unbeknown to me,
my wife Alison had
nominated me for one of
The Sun Military Awards
which are held annually
and given to deserving
members of the Armed
Forces. Wg Cdr Ibbetson
explained to me that I
was one of three service
personnel that were nominated for an
award in the category of “Overcoming
adversity”. I should probably explain now
that not too long ago, I was diagnosed
with cancer. I had a seminoma tumour on
my spine and went through 3 months of
aggressive chemotherapy treatment.
Now I know this is nothing special,
people are diagnosed with cancer every
day and lots of people go through
what I have and worse; so to say I felt
overwhelmed at being nominated would
be a massive understatement. I was
extremely humbled and to be honest
felt like there were many more people
out there who deserved it more than
me. When I asked Alison about why she
nominated me she explained it wasn’t
just the fact I had cancer and survived,
it was my attitude throughout the
treatment and the months after it where I
never allowed the disease to define who I
was. I never wanted any special treatment
and didn’t really want people knowing
about it. I also made it my mission to get
back to full time work and full fitness as
quick as possible, quicker than all the
doctors said I would.
So the day finally came when Alison and
I made the journey to London. The night
before the award ceremony we were
put up in the Hilton Hotel which was
absolutely gorgeous and something we
would never afford ourselves. Every step
was taken to ensure we had a fantastic
stay; they even came in our room while
we were out having tea and placed
8
Aries
slippers next to each side
of the bed. In the morning
they served us breakfast to
our room before we were
met down in the lobby for
our security brief. After that,
everyone was piled onto
three luxury coaches and
driven through London,
taking in all the sights - right
to No 10 Downing Street, where we then
de-bussed and went inside. We were
given refreshments and a chance to talk
with the Prime Minister’s wife Samantha
Cameron. She was very pleasant and
took the time to talk to as many Service
people as she could. Everyone was then
given plenty of time to walk round 10
Downing Street and marvel at all the art
and decor of the rooms. It was a great
opportunity for us but unfortunately
they take your phone off you before you
enter so I was unable to take any photos.
Shortly after leaving No 10 we arrived at
the Awards ceremony; it was amazing!
As we all got off the coaches we walked
along the red carpet and all the Press
took photos of us as though we were
the celebrities. It was so bizarre seeing
Peter André stood in front of us getting
his picture taken, then the same cameras
turning to take our picture.
Once inside there were waiters and
waitresses walking round with plates
of hors d’oeuvres and champagne. It
was there that we met up with Wg Cdr
Ibbetson and thank goodness we did.
Without him I doubt Alison and I would
have met half the people we did as he
just stopped every celebrity we wanted
to meet and almost made them talk to
us and have their picture taken. It was
very comical, none more so than when
he rang his wife and gave the phone to
Rod Stewart so he could talk to her.
The food they served before the Award
ceremony was incredible and the
champagne carried on flowing without
a break. Once the Award ceremony
started it was amazing to see all the
fantastic work that the Armed Forces do
getting some recognition. I didn’t win
my category but the gentleman who did
survived a Taliban sniper round to the
head! Not only that but after being told
he will never walk or speak again he now
speaks fine and has ridden a bicycle from
Paris to London! What a genuine hero
that man is!
To sum up, my time at the Millies was
one of the best experiences I’ve ever
had whilst serving in the military. All the
celebrities who attended were humbled
to be in our presence and could not do
enough for us. It was also a very special
experience for my wife; as a military wife
she always supports me and has had to
cope on her own a fair bit - but to have
an experience like this was really good
for her.
I would also like to say thank you to
everyone at RAF Shawbury who helped
me through my treatment, especially the
RAF Shawbury MT section; they went
above and beyond to make sure that I
got from my home in Warrington to the
Clatterbridge clinic every week. It was a
huge help to me and my family not to
worry about the transportation.
By Cpl Jamie Hankinson
THE
Elephant & Castle
01939 250205
SHAWBURY
DRAYTON ROAD, SHAWBURY, SHROPSHIRE, SY4 4HP
• Mumbai Lounge now at Elephant and Castle •
Indian restaurant and take away
Open 7 nights a week 4.30pm til late
Weekday Special (Sunday to Thursday)
4 course meal £11.50
OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK • 12noon - 12am
Aries
9
station visits
MPs visit RAF Shawbury
O
n 11th February, on
a gloriously sunny
day, RAF Shawbury
welcomed Mr John Mann
and Mr Jeremy Lefroy to
RAF Shawbury. Mr John
Mann is a Labour MP
serving Bassetlaw, East
Midlands and Mr Lefroy
is a Conservative MP for
Stafford, West Midlands.
Both MPs are members of the
Armed Forces Parliamentary
Scheme (AFPS). The
AFPS has existed for over
25 years with the aim of
raising the awareness of
Parliamentarians about the
military by facilitating visits to
units and allowing them to
experience life in HM Armed
Forces. After a welcome and briefing
on the role of RAF Shawbury
and the Defence Helicopter
first hand how the students
are trained in both the radar
and visual air traffic control
disciplines.
An important asepct of life
in the military is the support
that Service personnel and
their families receive. A visit to
the Station Learning Centre,
Library and Community
Centre showed the excellent
community support facilites
that we have at the base.
The visit culminated with a visit
to see the sports and fitness
facilities at Jubilee Hall.
Flying School by the Station Hobkirk was able to explain
Commander Group Captain the reasons for practising low The Station Commander
Jason Appleton, the visitors flying and the measures taken Group Captain Appleton said:
collected their flying helmets to spread our noise footprint “I was delighted that Mr Mann
and Mr Lefroy were able to
before getting airborne
and mitigate disturbance.
visit RAF Shawbury. The Armed
in a Sixty (R) Sqn Griffin
Forces Parliamentary Scheme is
helicopter. The flight took
After lunch in the Officers’
an excellent way of informing
them across to the eastern
Mess, the MPs visited the
politicians about the work that
edge of Low Flying Area
Central Air Traffic Control
we do".
9 and the pilot, Flt Lt Jim
School where they saw at
Sea Cadets visit RAF Shawbury
O
n Thursday 18th
February, we visited
RAF Shawbury. After
the long drive, we were
greeted by a Lt from the
Navy, who was nice and
welcoming. Then we were
shown a Squirrel helicopter.
We were all surprised how
small it was, especially
when we were allowed to
sit in it. We all learnt many
different things about the
Fleet Air Arm and I am
now interested in a career
within the Fleet Air Arm.
We then had 10 minutes in
the break room, and it was
a lovely atmosphere and an
excellent view of the airfield. After the brief, we went to
have lunch. The food was
delicious and the staff were
Following our break, we sat
really helpful and friendly.
in a brief about the Fleet
Air Arm. We were shocked
We went straight from lunch
at what it does around the
to the Met Office at RAF
world and the impacts it
Shawbury. Since we have
makes on people.
10
Aries
barometers. The 2 met officers
were extremely interesting
and full of information!
been doing a Meterology
proficiency throughout the
week, we felt like this trip
was an excellent way to see
meteorology in action. We
learnt about many things
and saw a lot of professional
equipment-such as
Overall, the day was a superb
way of seeing meteorology
in real life. I would like to say
thankyou to the Lt from the
Navy who welcomed us,
and showed us round the
helicopters, the canteen staff
for being kind and helpful,
the 2 forecasters in the met
office, for letting us go and
see them in action doing
their jobs, and talking to us
about their jobs, everyone
else at RAF Shawbury for
being welcoming and making
the day as informative and
interesting, and finally, Sgt
Folland and Lt Cdr Townsend
for making the day possible..
L/Cpl Millie Taylor
Stafford Royal Marines
Cadet
Chaplain in Chief
visits RAF Shawbury
Visit by European Mentoring
and Coaching Council
T
he Station
Commander
was delighted
to welcome the The
Venerable (AVM)
Jonathan Chaffey,
Chaplain in Chief to
RAF Shawbury on 1-2
March.
Terezia Koczka, Standards and Accreditation Director for the
UK Division of the European Mentoring and Coaching Council
(EMCC) visited RAF Shawbury on 29th February.
The aim of the visit was to help her to understand the issues
presented to coaches by military clients. Terezia visited the Central
Air Traffic Control School, undertook a familiarisation flight with 660
(AAC) Sqn, and attended a monthly coaching supervision session. In
return, she gave helpful advice to assist coaches in their professional
development, including those working towards accreditation with
EMCC.
Mr Rick Cooke
The visit was part of
a training seminar
organised by the Stn
Padre, the Reverend
(Wg Cdr) Bissell.
The Chaplain in Chief signs the
Visitors’ Book in the Officers’
Mess
Author visits RAF Shawbury
Mr Aldon Ferguson, author of A History of RAF
Shawbury visited the base on 17th February. He
wanted to see the Aries Archive and was delighted
to find that some of his original photographs had
been stored for safe
keeping!
Aldon was able to
share some of his vast
knowledge about
Shawbury. Sqn Ldr
Leach said: "Aldon’s
book is extremely
useful and informative;
it is brilliant to have
such a detailed
account of Shawbury’s
history”.
Terezia with coaches Lt Cdr Simon Kierstan, Mr Rick Cooke, Mr Glyn Morgan and
Colour Sergeant Jason Lloyd.
The Mill House Bed &
High Ercall Breakfast
We have:
1 family room
1 twin room
1 Double room
All rooms are en-suite
Grade II listed building and
working small holding
beside the River Roden
For a brochure please telephone
01872 572271
For details and reservations:
Phone Judy Yates 01952 770394
Email: judy@ercallmill.co.uk
Mrs Judy Yates
The Mill House
High Ercall
Telford
Shropshire
TF6 6BE
Aries
11
station news
Connect-Create Show is A BIG
T
he Hive, an arts
charity and venue in
Shrewsbury working
with young people
and children across the
county, has been working
in partnership with the
Armed Forces Covenant
and others since February
2015 to bring more than
80 inspirational music
workshops for toddlers,
children, young people
and their families in the
Connect-Create music
project.
The project was funded by the Armed
Forces Covenant and run in partnership
between the Hive, RAF Shawbury, Army
Welfare Service Tern Hill & Donnington,
Airplay Youth Service, 1 Royal Irish
Regiment, Shawbury Military Wives
Choir and The British Red Cross.
On Tuesday March 1st, the final
performance of the Connect-Create
project took place at Shrewsbury’s
Theatre Severn featuring many
performances by the children involved
in the project, including original songs
composed by the children, covers of
chart songs and more. The event was
attended by a number of local and
regional dignitaries, including the
Mayor of Shrewsbury, Lord Lieutenant
Sir Algernon Heber-Percy and high
level representation from the Armed
Forces. The evening was hosted by BBC
Radio Shropshire’s Vicki Archer.
Salla Virman, The Director of the Hive
said:
“This was a very special evening for
everyone involved and it has been
fantastic to see the change in the
young people taking part during
the project. Involvement in creative
activity can help anyone to develop
their self-confidence, which will then
help then the person to take the next
steps into education, volunteering or
employment.”
The aim of the Connect-Create
programme was to connect
Armed Forces families with their
local communities through shared
interests, experiences and to help raise
awareness of the challenges faced by
Armed Forces families. The project also
focused on bringing the children into a
creative environment, as many of them
had never previously experienced this.
The majority of children in the project
had taken part in intensive workshop
weeks for this project during holiday
times since Easter 2015 and all of them
have learnt new instruments, new
songs and also how to compose their
Photo credit: Photos courtesy of The Snige/The Hive
12
Aries
HIT!
own songs and form bands in this
amount of time.
Lord Lieutenant, Sir Algernon HeberPercy said:
“Everyone worked so hard to create a
memorable evening, and it was really
great to see so many young people
working together with real confidence.”
David Fairclough, Co-ordinator for
Shropshire Armed Forces Covenant
said:
‘‘The Shropshire Armed Forces
Covenant partnership are absolutely
delighted with how the Hive have
managed the Connect-Create project.
The general aim to strengthen
integration between military and
civilian families has been met and the
project has given the young people
and families so much more than we
could have ever imagined’’.
He added:
‘‘The final showcase performance of
Connect-Create was special. From the
first moment to the last the audience
at Theatre Severn were up dancing,
clapping and cheering. To see the
young people from the band-building
workshops performing alongside
professional musicians, the Shawbury
Military Wives Choir and 1 Royal Irish
Regiment Band was spectacular and
something that will stay with me
forever. Congratulations to the Hive &
everyone associated with the project’’.
Overall it was a fantastic and
emotional evening for everyone
involved in the project, and the
audiences were impressed by the
quality of the music the children had
produced in such a considerably
short amount of time. The evening
also included performances from the
Shawbury Military Wives Choir and the
1Royal Irish Regiment Band.
Salla Virman – Director
Tel: 01743 234970
Email: salla@hiveonline.org.uk
Use your Learning Credits
in the Learning Centre
On 23rd- 24th Feb 16 the
Learning Centre teamed up
with RHG Consult to run an
Institute of Leadership and
Management (ILM) Level 3
Award in Coaching.
The course was open to service
personnel, MOD civilians,
contractors and dependants
and is a great way to get some
extra qualifications for your
CV at very competitive prices.
For service personnel this is an
ideal opportunity to enhance
your personal development
whilst keeping costs to a
minimum by utilising the Standard Learning Credit scheme.
The Standard Learning Credit scheme supplies financial
support, throughout the Service Person’s career, for multiple,
small scale Learning Purposes to further motivate regular
and reserve personnel to pursue personal development
throughout their Service. Please pop into the Learning
Centre for further details on how the scheme works.
RHG Consult specialise in career transition and career
development and are accredited by the City & Guilds,
Institute of Leadership and Management and IOSH to
provide qualifications from level 3 to level 7.
Below are a few quotes
from the individuals
stating what value they
got from the course{
‘Half a day after
finishing the course,
I have already found
the techniques useful at
work. Coaching is a
great tool for improving
performance and I
would recommend
people take advantage
of their Standard
Learning Credits to
pick up a recognised
qualification for a
minimal personal cost’
Fg Off.
The course was a great success and enjoyed by all, even to
the extent of requesting a Level 5
Coaching and Mentoring course
‘I found the coaching
which has now been arranged for
course really
16th-17th May 16.
interesting. It opened
‘These Coaching
my mind and got me
I’m sure you’ll agree that these
skill
the
s will benefit
de
outsi
thinking
courses are a great way to enhance
me both as an
box. Coaching is not
your personal development. There
Instructor and Line
only beneficial in the
is no travelling involved and by
Manager, enabling
workplace but can be
utilising the Standard Learning
me to get the best
used almost anywhere
Credits scheme you save some
from my students &
which is why I find
money as well - a no brainer really!.
staff. Transferable
it to be such a useful
The Learning Centre will be running
across any RAF
skill. It was great that
an ILM Level 5 in Coaching and
role, coaching
we were able to use
Mentoring on 16th-17th May 16.
skills would be a
our Standard Learning
Further details on this course and
beneficial skill in
Credits to bring the
others on offer can be found on
civvy street as well.’
cost right down.’
Force Development Squadron Moss
FS
SAC
page under Personal Development
http://cui5-uk.diif.r.mil.uk/r/224/
ching in the
ForceDev/PersDev/default.aspx or you
I was already aware of coa
I am much
rse
cou
this
can contact Tracey or Sandra in the
r
workplace but afte
all aspects
Learning Centre on Ext 7586/7420 for
more aware of its potential in
successfully.
ng
further information and/or to book a
and how to implement coachi
lly make
rea
dits
Cre
place.
The Standard Learning
e into
tak
you
en
wh
ue
Julie Chadburn
val
the course good
SLt
gain.’
OC PDF
account the knowledge you
Aries
13
community project
660 (AAC) Sqn Community Project -
Knocking Down Walls,
Building Bridges!
F
ollowing a successful start to the basic phase and all completing
First Solo, 179 Course 660 Sqn AAC headed down to St Mary’s
School, Shawbury to further relations with the local community
and lend some much needed manpower. As part of an on-going
project to convert an area into a wild garden, encouraging a thriving
ecosystem, 179 course were asked to focus their considerable strength
on demolishing various walls, structures and fences.
Naturally, we set to work with
considerable enthusiasm, wielding a
variety of demolition equipment. The
condemned walls stood little chance
and were soon flattened, especially
considering the presence of Rhys ‘The
Leveller’ Burrows. Frustratingly, despite
SLt Halliwell’s best efforts, a fence
which had been requested to be left
intact proved too delicate to withstand
the course’s enthusiasm.
Following a rapid and destructive
JATCC 409
O
n Saturday 20th Feb 2016, JATCC 409 carried out a
day’s work clearing up the Community Centre play
area and Contact house garden. Soil was turned over,
weeds removed and a general tidy up of both areas was
required after they had taken the brunt of the recent storms
that have swept through RAF Shawbury.
All were in good spirits and there was a remarkable
difference in the appearance of both areas on completion of
the task.
14
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start, much clearing of rubble
was now required. Fg Off Gibson
quickly stepped in and, as the Lead
Wheelbarrow Driver, created an
efficient logistical process consisting
of Barrow Loaders, Drivers and Skip
Packers. Unfortunately, due to a
manpower shortage, the employment
of the ‘Human Chain’ technique
was not possible, despite frequent
demonstrations of its universal
applicability on Initial Officer Training.
After a quick sweep up and a brew,
the Course was hosted for an excellent
lunch in the School Hall, which
impressively showed much evidence
of Jamie Oliver’s crusade, with healthy
options and vegetables aplenty.
A good time was had by all and 179
Course are proud to have cemented
the bond between St Mary’s School
and RAF Shawbury.
By Fg Offs Gibson & Foreman, 179
Course 660 Sqn AAC.
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Honours & Awards
F
amily and friends gathered in the Officers’ Mess at RAF Shawbury on 17th
February to see military and civilian staff from RAF Shawbury and the
Defence Helicopter Flying School receive their honours and awards.
The awards were presented by Air
Officer Commanding 22 Training
Group, Air Vice Marshal Andrew Turner
CBE MA MSc BA FRAeS FCMI RAF.
The first award that was presented was
the Afghanistan Clasp. The Operational
Service Medal Afghanistan with Clasp
is awarded to personnel who have
served on or in support of operations
in Afghanistan. The clasp is awarded
to signify service in a more dangerous
area or period of conflict and was
awarded to Sgt Terry Thomas.
The next award to be presented
was the Deputy Commander’s
Commendation, awarded for gallantry,
distinguished or brave conduct. This
was awarded to Sgt Eleanor Brien.
Four Air Officer Commanding 22
Training Group Commendations were
awarded to the following personnel
at RAF Shawbury and the Defence
Helicopter Flying School: Lt Cdr
Andrew Westwood, Chief Petty Officer
Aircrewman Stephen Hart, Cpl Greg
Hunter, and Mr Donny Gamble.
Two Air Officer Commanding
No 22 (Training) Group Team
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Commendations were presented.
The first team award was presented to
the Search and Rescue Training Unit
(SARTU) team and awarded to Lt Cdr
Darren Gorman, FS Chris Marriott, Mr
Chris Bartlett and Mr Dave Farman.
The second was presented to the RAF
Shawbury Air Traffic Control Battlespace
Management Committee, Flt Lt Rachel
Quartermaine and Sgt Jimmy Brandford.
An Air Officer Commanding No 1 Group
Commendation is awarded for gallantry,
distinguished or brave conduct and was
awarded to Sqn Ldr Simon Hawker.
The issue of the Royal Warrant is
awarded on promotion to the rank
of Warrant Officer and is the highest
promotion a non-commissioned
individual can achieve. The Royal
Warrant, which bears the signature
of the Secretary of State for Defence
and is issued on his authority, is only
awarded to those who have carefully
and diligently discharged their duties
throughout their service life. The Royal
Warrant was presented to WO Phil
Llewellyn and MAcr James LYNE.
The Long Service and Good Conduct
Medal is awarded on completion of 15
years regular service, during which the
airman has displayed irreproachable
character and conduct. The award was
presented to CPO Gavin Rymer, Sgt
Kerry Ritson and Cpl Michelle Coupar
The Long Service and Good Conduct
Clasp was awarded to WO1 Angus
Bartaby.
The RAF Safety Centre ‘Good Show’
Award is presented to recognise
individuals for conscientious
observation and alerting of potential
dangers and hazards and to encourage
flight safety awareness and vigilance.
The Good Show Award was presented
to Lt Thomas Lennon and Sub Lt Craig
Kavanagh.
The last award was the presentation
of Sports Colours. Sports Colours are
awarded to those who represent the
RAF during the annual inter-service
competition and they are therefore the
pinnacle of sporting achievement at
single Service level. They were awarded
to Flt Lt Gary Rogan and FS Philip
Waddington.
Royal Air Force Association (RAFA)
ARIES Shield 2015
Flt Lt Jennifer Boyd RAF
This year, RAF Shawbury was delighted that Flt Lt Jennifer Boyd was
awarded the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) Aries Shield. This award
was presented by RAFA at their Annual Dinner in March at Cheltenham
to “the student at RAF Shawbury who has gone the extra mile for
others during 2015".
Throughout her time at Shawbury,
Flt Lt Boyd has always been found
at the centre of Mess and Squadron
activities. She volunteered to join
the Christmas Draw Committee and
worked ceaselessly to help deliver
a hugely enjoyable event. She also
took on the role of host to a busy
programme of air cadet visits during
the Summer Camp period in 2015.
The visits provided a tremendous
insight into life within the military
for the cadets and she selflessly
dedicated significant energy to
ensuring that the groups were
attentively looked after. She also
organised an adventurous training
expedition to the French Alps,
providing members of DHFS with a
valuable opportunity to develop their
team-working skills.
Away from the Squadron, Flt Lt Boyd
has been a keen member of the RAF
Shawbury Saddle Club. Through this,
she volunteered to assist with RAF
Shawbury’s ‘Be Seen, Be Safer' horse
rider campaign. As part of this high
profile safety initiative, she took time
to visit the North Shropshire Hunt
Pony Club residential Senior Summer
Camp. During the visit she explained
from a pilot’s perspective, to a group
of enthralled 11 to 16 year olds, why
it is important to wear high visibility
clothing when riding outdoors.
Flt Lt Boyd was also at the forefront to
RAF Shawbury’s support to Walking
With The Wounded Walk of Britain.
During the event she was part of a
small team providing support to 4
British and 2 United States veterans,
while accompanying them on part of
their 1000-mile walk.
Flt Lt Boyd truly embodies the work
hard, play hard attitude which is at the
core of the military ethos. Furthermore,
she always puts the benefit of others
first and foremost in all that she does.
She is an outstanding ambassador for
RAF Shawbury and in recognition of
consistently “going the extra mile” for
others during her time as a student
at RAF Shawbury, Flt Lt Jennifer Boyd
was a worthy recipient of the Royal Air
Force Association Aries Shield.
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17
GRADUATIONS
369 Qualified Helicopter Instructor/Crewman Instructor
Area Radar Training Course 285
153 Multi Engine Rotary Wing
176 Single Engine Rotary Wing
18
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CATCS NEWS
Final CATCS Graduation
A
s a fitting tribute to the final Phase 2 trainee graduation ceremony being held under the
banner of the ‘Central Air Traffic Control School’ (CATCS), a quadruple graduation was
achieved on the 17th February 2016.
The concurrent graduation of 4 courses has never
been achieved at CATCS before and Air Vice-Marshal
Andrew Turner CBE MA MSc FRAeS FCMI RAF, Air Officer
Commanding 22(Training) Group, acted as the Reviewing
Officer for this momentous occasion.
The event celebrated the graduation of No. 49 Flight
Operations Training Course (FOTC), No. 406 Joint Air Traffic
control Course (JATCC), No. 1051 Flight Operations Assistants
Course (FOAC) and No. 93 FOAC Reserves, providing a fitting
total of 22 graduates for the AOC.
No. 49 FOTC produced 6 graduates after 18 weeks of
training, No. 406 JATCC celebrated 3 graduating students
after their 31 week course and No.1051 FOAC graduated 11
Trade Group 9 Assistants. The remaining 2 graduates were
Reservists that have completed FOA training, during their
spare time, over the past 12 months and whilst also fulfilling
their full-time employment commitments.
All courses covered core aviation topics such as Meteorology,
Air Safety, Human Factors, Altimetry, Navigation and
Principles of Radar, but also included Force Development
Training such as attendance at the military adventurous
training unit, Fairborne. Each course also participated in local
charity and community work, such as redecorating the local
nursery. Specific professional training was given dependant
on the future employment of the graduates, whether based
on an operations or controller role, but all RAF graduates
have earned the right to join the Air Traffic Management
Force and progress onto job-specific training in the live
environment. The School’s Officer Commanding, Wing
Commander Neil King, remarked : “Congratulations also go to
the numerous staff and instructors that have worked hard to
pass on their knowledge and ensure that all graduates reach
the required high standards in both theoretical and practical
environments”.
CATCS changes its name to the School of Air Operations
Control (SAOC) on 4th April 2016 but will continue to
provide Phase 2 and Phase 3 professional training for the Air
Traffic Management Force, for Royal Navy controllers and in
support of International Defence Training.
CATCS Joint Graduation
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19
CATCS NEWS
JATCC 410
ADVENTUROUS
TRAINING
Crickhowell
J
ATCC 410’s adventurous training week
began just after lunch time on Sunday
10th January. The group had been
anticipating this week greatly, partly due to
the rather intensive meteorology week the
course had just been through! The week
offered a much deserved break and a real
chance for the students to really learn about
one another, plus there were caves that
needed exploring and pubs that needed
visiting; we had no choice but to go!
from intended for any normal
sized human to get through,
but the group pushed each
other on regardless, quite
literally in some cases!
The day was enjoyed by all.
The third day took the group
mountaineering up Pen y
Fan, a mountain not quite
as well-known as its big
brother Everest, but almost
Day two consisted of
as high. Not really, but it was
climbing at an indoor
still an impressive mountain
climbing centre in Cardiff. A
fantastic facility that enables none-the-less. The group
navigated their way up and
both belay climbing and
down again. Temperatures
bouldering. The premise is
simple - find a wall and climb near the summit dropped to
it. It is not until you are three around -10 (or MS 10° C for
all you meteorology buffs!)
quarters up that you realise
you’re shattered and have to and the snow had been fairly
Our first day at Crickhowell
to, in total darkness, navigate admit defeat and plummet,
heavy, so describing it as
saw the group go caving,
themselves into a cavern, and finally ending up as a heap
Everest was fairly accurate!
whereby the students and
out again, remaining in the
on the floor! The group learnt Once reaching the summit
Course Commander were
same order going in as they
and taking the well-earned
multiple new skills, not just
tasked to crawl, slide, bend,
did coming out. A task that
climbing, but also the correct group picture, the team
squeeze, hobble, squat
sounds simple on paper, but use of the BUG or belay
began their descent. The
and finally rely on each
one that consists of more
weather proved a challenge
devise. Teams worked in
other to get through the
contortions and unnatural
threes, one climber, one BUG and took the team’s sole
expansive cave system.
body positions than can
navigator just over a
user and one to oversee the
Various tasks and challenges be put into words. The
climb. We learnt to trust each kilometre off course, forcing
were thrown in along the
day’s caving finished with
other, as the person climbing them to navigate through an
way, such as avoiding
the challenge named ‘The
obviously unsuitable track or
virtually left their lives in the
getting wet at all costs,
Corkscrew’, the clue being
no track at all. Nevertheless,
hands of the ground crew.
minimal lighting before
in the name. To exit the cave Thankfully everyone was on
another day enjoyed by
culminating in a total lights
we had to twist and squeeze good terms with one another everyone.
out challenge. The group had through a gap that was far
and there were no ‘accidents’.
The final activity for the
group would be mountain
biking in the historical Forest
of Dean. The group had
thoroughly bonded over the
week, and today would only
further this. ‘Don’t cut corners’
and ‘be more Mediterranean’
have become unofficial
group mottos, after a certain
AT instructor became
rather excited, and began
producing these unusual
proverbs. Some fantastic
action shots of the cyclists in
action were taken, and the
day finished with a trip to a
local pub. Overall it had been
a very enjoyable week, and
has set the tone for the rest
20
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Visit to the Central Air Traffic Control School by
the C3 School, Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF)
O
n 25th Jan 16, the Central Air Traffic Control
School (CATCS) at RAF Shawbury was delighted
to welcome Lietuenant Colonel Maran, Major Yeo
and Captain Oh from the C3 School, Air Force Training
Command of the Republic of Singapore Air Force.
The visit formed part of a wider study to examine training
standards with other Air Forces’ Air Traffic Control &
Battlespace Management Training Schools.
Specific to CATCS, the visit enabled the delegates to study
the teaching methodology and facilities utilised by CATCS
for the training of Phase 2 and Phase 3 students. Members
from the RSAF have been utilising the CATCS facilities for
many years as part of an international agreement for the
provision of training to ATC students from some foreign
and commonwealth countries.
Following a welcome by the RAF Shawbury Station
Commander, Gp Capt Jason Appleton, the visit
commenced with a briefing by OC CATCS, Wg Cdr Neil
King, on all of the training that is conducted by CATCS
and the vision on how future training will be conducted.
Throughout the day there were additional briefings specific
to each of the courses that are available; this enabled the
visitors to ask questions and also to compare their own
training in Singapore. In addition, the delegates were
able to monitor a broad spectrum of simulator exercises,
including the Joint Air Traffic Control Course (radar and
visual control environments), Area Radar Training Course
and the Flight Operations Officers Course. A further
briefing was provided by Flt Lt Katherine Speirs, covering
the wider aspects of RAF Air Traffic Management assurance
in both the UK and overseas locations.
After a full day of briefings and visits to the various
departments of CATCS, the delegates were able to enjoy an
informal social gathering in Shrewsbury before departing
the following day to the School of Aerospace Battle
Management at RAF Boulmer in Northumberland for a
similar visit.
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21
CATCS NEWS
CATCS WG INDOOR
As part of our Wing-wide
training days, 2 groups
of CATCS staff had their
physical prowess and
nerves tested through
the medium of rock
climbing. Since early
February is not the ideal
time for this, the indoor
wall at Wolf Mountain
in Wolverhampton was
used.
After the mandatory AT in
brief was conducted in a
suitably pleasant café, we
first spent around an hour
in the bouldering room
under the watchful eye of
CATCS
Force Development Days
O
n the 4th and 5th of Feb, instructors from CATCS took part in a
variety of force development activities arranged by Flt Lt Paul Milne,
seeing the staff enjoy activities ranging from a trip to London to war
games in the woods behind the airfield.
AIR SOFT
On a wintry day in early
February, 12 members of
CATCS made the short trip
across the airfield to the RAF
Regiment wooded training
area. Armed to the teeth
with AK47s, SA80s and Glock
pistols they were about to
engage in a morning of
Wing Training in the form of
a series of airsoft battles.
For those who are not aware,
airsoft is an activity which
consists of participants
playing out a series of
scenarios whilst armed
with replica weapons.
22
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The weapons, either gas
or battery operated, fire
small plastic ball bearings
with the intention of
‘killing’ the opposition team
and securing objectives
dependant on the game
being played out. At short
range there is rarely any
doubt that a participant has
been hit but as the range
increases an element of
honesty is required from all
participants to acknowledge
that they have been hit.
Those who have been hit
are deemed ‘dead’ and are
resurrected in situ if reached
by a medic within 2 minutes
of being hit. Failing that they
must return to their team’s
safe haven, an area defined
by high visibility tape, from
where they are free to return
to the fray. Games generally
last 20 minutes.
For the CATCS Wing Training,
two teams of combatants
were assembled and two
safe havens with ammunition
stores were established
on opposite sides of the
wood. A series of games
followed with each team
alternating as the attacking
side with objectives varying
from having to deposit a
‘bomb’ in the opposition safe
haven to rescuing a hostage
held by the enemy. Most
games began with silence
descending over the wood
as the defending team took
up positions around their safe
haven whilst the attacking
team manoeuvred through
the wood in preparation to
launch an attack.
The first glimpses of the
enemy advancing through
the woods then precipitated
a hail of ball bearings and
CLIMBING
4-5 FEB 16
our trained and occasionally
competent instructors. This
comprised low-level climbs
over large crash mats, so it
was ideal for learning a little
about the fundamentals of
rock climbing techniques.
Having moved slightly along
the spectrum from sack of
spuds toward balletic grace,
we progressed to bottomroping. Here, we climbed to
the top of a 10-metre high
wall, with our colleagues (and
hopefully friends) belaying
us on a rope for safety. We
therefore learnt how to tie
on and how to belay safely,
developing teamwork. The
person on the wall has to
trust their belayer with their
life, while controlling their
own vertigo-addled state
of mind! After we had all
worked up the grades to
the point of failure, a spot of
lunch beckoned. Afterward,
we progressed to the leading
wall. In contrast to bottomroping, when leading, you
start at the bottom with no
rope on the wall, attaching
it to hard points on the wall
as you climb. The potential
fall is therefore quite a bit
longer than with a bottom
rope, as it hangs
down from you as
you climb rather
than extending
upwards to the
top. This, and
the need to
fiddle with the
attachment
points while your
forearms pump
up, make it more
of a challenge.
However, several
intrepid souls rose to the
challenge with some of them
taking a practice “lead fall”,
where you drop to below
the last point
where you
attached the
rope. We
returned to
Shawbury
suitably tired
and unable
to grip our
cutlery that
evening.
Through the
increasingly
difficult
tasks carried out, the day
had managed to challenge
everybody both physically
and mentally.
CATCS FORCE DEVELOPMENT VISIT TO LONDON
On Thursday 4 Feb 16 two groups
of eight CATCS staff headed south
to visit various sites in and around
London. Namely the Imperial War
Museum (IWM), the 11 Group
Battle of Britain operations room
at Uxbridge, the central church
of the RAF at St Clement Danes,
followed by the Battle of Britain
Walk.
Since it was refurbished the IWM
has been utterly transformed
into a superb example of how to
display and inform present and
future generations about Britain’s
various wars and the associated
military equipment. Of particular
note are the Holocaust exhibition
and the Lord Ashcroft collection
of medals. In the display by Iraq
War artist Steve McQueen was
a sheet of stamps dedicated to
the chattering of rifle fire. Wg
Cdr King could usually then
be found charging across no
man’s land in search of the
enemy and a Victoria Cross
whilst WO Halliwell and Flt
Lt Petit picked off opposition
with accurate AK47 fire. As
the firing continued, despite
the occasional stoppage, all
games were completed in
good spirit and a thoroughly
enjoyable and rewarding
morning was brought to a
close.
Sarah Jane Mulverhill, a Flt
Ops officer who trained at
CATCS and was killed when
the Lynx helicopter she was
travelling in was shot down
by an RPG7 over Basra.
The 11 Group Battle of Britain
operations room, on the old
RAF Uxbridge site, is the only
surviving operations room
that was in use during the
Battle of Britain and is now
a Grade One listed building.
The tour given by the curator
enables visitors to gain a
greater understanding of the
foresight of Lord Dowding in
establishing a Command and
Control system for Fighter
Command, enabling the
RAF’s eventual victory in the
vital Battle of Britain.
After a drive out to RAF
Benson for an overnight stop,
the programme resumed
the next day with a visit to St
Clement Danes, the central
church of the RAF. The tour
provides visitors with the
opportunity to see not only a
historic church, but also the
only one that is dedicated to
preserving the history of the
RAF, although we searched
in vain in the display of unit
badges to find the unit
badge of CATCS or even RAF
Shawbury.
St Clement Danes is the
start of the Battle of Britain
heritage walk that winds its
way along the side of the
Thames to Parliament Square
and eventually Westminster
activity to engender
team spirit and
for those who
are interested
in organising an
event then all the
required equipment
is held by the Force
Protection Training
Flight where Sgt Hall
is a knowledgeable
and enthusiastic
point of contact.
Lt Nicholls
I can strongly recommend
airsoft as a Wing Training
Abbey, passing both the
RAF Memorial and the Battle
of Britain memorial on the
embankment. The Battle of
Britain memorial was only
unveiled in 2005 and lists
by name all the airmen who
flew in the actual battle and
also consists of a large bronze
frieze. All those participating
gave a presentation detailing
various aspects of airpower,
together with the leadership
displayed by Lord Dowding,
Winston Churchill, and the
part played by of one of the
heroes of the Battle of Britain,
Sailor Malan, in the Battle
of Barking Creek. Overall
this visit not only enabled
CATCS staff to refresh and
increase their knowledge and
understanding of military and,
in particular, RAF history, but
also to greater appreciate the
significant benefits of living in
a more rural environment!
Aries
23
dhfs news
705 clean
up their act
at the local Village Hall
Students from course
178 on 705 Naval Air
Squadron spent a day
sorting out the outside
grounds of Astley
Village Hall.
It is a tradition that students on DHFS Courses participate in a local community
project during their time at RAF Shawbury in order to assist those who
require some help, build ties with the local community and to put a face and
understanding to the never ending stream of helicopter overflights.
The community project ran by course 178 was organised by Sgt Ben Ashmole
who discovered that the village hall required work, through a contact of his.
On Friday 29th January, armed with shovels, brooms, hedge cutters and a lot of
bin bags, the course headed to Astley and met with village hall member, John
Sumner. We were tasked with dismantling sheds, digging up weeds, clearing
gutters, trimming hedges and gathering a mass of dead leaves. All materials
then had to be transported to a bonfire site a few fields away which involved
navigating over fences and flood water and avoiding nifty, angry rams.
Raging livestock aside, the day was thoroughly enjoyed by all and was a good
opportunity to dig out the camouflage and rest the brain from flying duties.
Lt Esme Gartside AAC
24
Aries
Double Accomplishment for WO2 Chris Phipps
If you ask any professional aviator how
much flying experience they have, you
are likely to receive an answer in terms of
hundreds or perhaps thousands of hours
of flying time. The seriously experienced
aviators nonchalantly round their answer to
the nearest thousand! With this in mind, as
an aviator, it is always a satisfying milestone
to bag your second thousand and WO2
Phipps passed this landmark in February
whilst serving on 660 Sqn AAC; Chris’s first
accomplishment of note for early 2016.
Chris’ second noteworthy accomplishment
is that after beating stiff competition during
a gruelling selection process run by the
Army Commissioning Board for a handful
of coveted places, Chris was awarded a
Commission into the Officer Corps and he will
duly be promoted to the rank of Captain on
1 Apr 2016. Chris is now very much looking
forward to taking on the role of 2ic 660 Sqn as
soon as he gains his pips. Well Done!
Flying STEM into a Leicester Primary School
On the 12th Feb 16, 705 NAS sent Shawbury’s resident Squirrel
Staff Pilots, Flt Lt Flynn and Rolfe to visit Glebeland’s Primary School
in Leicester. With the morning fog unwilling to move on the slack
wind day, it looked like the visit wouldn’t go ahead; however by midmorning the poor visibility had cleared up just enough to make the
short 30 minute transit to the school.
The aim of the visit was to enhance
learning and inspire young people
in STEM (Science, Technology,
Engineering and Maths).
STEM creates the link between
schools/colleges and employers to
enable people of all backgrounds and
abilities to meet inspiring role models,
understand real world applications of
STEM subjects and experience handson STEM activities that motivate,
inspire and bring learning and career
opportunities to life.
Whilst at the school, students were
shown around a Squirrel helicopter.
They had the opportunity to ask the
pilots about their job, what they do,
and how subjects such as maths and
science which they learn in school feed
directly into the cockpit. This allowed
all the students to see that what they
learn in school has real life applications
later in life.
Flt Lt Flynn and Rolfe
705 NAS
Aries
25
dhfs news
660 (AAC) Sqn Team building
CLAY PIGEON SHOOTING
O
n a busy Flying Training unit such as 660 Sqn AAC, the flying programme is
usually full to the brim with training sorties and the opportunities for team
building days out of the office are few and far between. So, when such an
opportunity presented itself and Lt Sharples suggested that we should make use
of the facilities offered by Buller Range near Donnington and their clay pigeon
range, members of 660 Sqn were sold on the idea. Eleven plucky novice shots duly
headed down to the range on a cold and slightly damp February morning to see
whether they could turn clay pigeons into dust or not.
We were met by the very friendly Charlie and Max, both ex-military, who run the range
in a very professional and safety conscientious manner. They took the time to coach
everyone on safety and shooting techniques and also to run us through the various
stands we were to shoot from with plenty of humour to boot, making the day most
enjoyable.
With a few practise rounds at the various stands, our competitive nature got the best
of us and a 12 shot shoot-off competition was decided to be the best way to round-off
what was an enjoyable day, the results of which are included!
660 Sqn were unanimous that the facilities offered at Buller Range and the friendly way
in which Charlie and Max run the Range make it a great venue for team-building days.
They can cater for 10-20 people and, at only £12 per head including cartridges, clays
and the use of club guns, it is superb value.
Mr Philpott gets a re-brief
on technique
For more information,
contact:
Max McNamara at
maximacc@hotmail.com
or Charlie at
cwsm@freenetname.co.uk
By Sqn Ldr Jethro Farrant.
OC 660
on his way
to the top
score
THE 12-SHOT SHOOT-OFF RESULTS:
= 1st (10/12)
Maj Phil “Deadeye” Goodier
Lt Gaz “Plinky” Plunkett
= 3rd (9/12)
Sqn Ldr Jethro “Get Off My Land” Farrant
Flt Lt Alex “Eldorado Kid” Rolfe
= 5th (8/12)
Mr Steve “Yosemite Sam” Smith
Mr Bob “Silver Dollar” Blair
7th (7/12)
Lt Martin “Pale Rider” Kerr
= 8th (6/12)
Lt Joe “Sawn-Off” Sharples
Flt Lt Dunc “Wobbly Shot” Read
= Last (5/12)
Mr Chris “Combat Unload” Philpott
Lt George “Barndoor” Thompson
660 Sqn assemble after a
memorable day’s Team Building
26
Aries
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4/5 Wyle Cop, Shrewsbury
Telephone: 01743 233423
marianne9799@hotmail.co.uk
www.marianneexclusivefashions.co.uk
Tel 01939250882
The levels, Astley,
Shrewbury,
Shropshire SY4 4BY
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Sophisticutz Hair & Beauty
SHROPSHIRE
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trophies,
cups, awards
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6 Milk Street, Shrewsbury SY1 1SZ
Tel:(01743) 369688 Fax:(01743) 360674
stbc01@btconnect.com
www.stbc.biz
Aries
27
cfs (h) news
Flt Lt Mike Cauchi and
Lt Cdr Nick Bane are
‘Leaving the Building’
F
or some of the junior
aircrewmen going through
training and hoping to make
the RAF a long-term career, it must
be like standing at the bottom of
a hill or mountain and wondering
if they will ever get to the top. For
some, the pinnacle they seek might
be in terms of rank or position,
but for many others surrounded
by aviation it might be to become
aircrew, either front or rear. For a
young chap called Mike Cauchi who
joined the RAF back in July 1978
as airman aircrew, that was exactly
what he had in mind. Initially
he joined as an airman and then
specialised and graduated as an
Air Engineer and was posted to
RAF Kinloss, on 208 Sqn operating
on the Nimrod Mk1 and 2. During
this tour he was involved in the
Falklands Conflict, were he flew a
number of long range sorties in
support of operations.
On completion of this tour he was
selected for pilot training and in doing
so gained his commission in January
1985. He flew the Jet Provost Mk3 at
RAF Linton-on-Ouse and performed
so well he was streamed rotary and
was destined to remain on helicopters.
Since graduating from RAF Shawbury
he has flown Wessex on 72 Sqn in
Northern Ireland, Pumas on 33 Sqn
28
Aries
in the UK, Arctic and Gulf War One
and on 230 Sqn again in Northern
Ireland. During this time his interest
in instruction became apparent and
he qualified as a Helicopter Tactics
Instructor.
He found instruction to his liking and
subsequently went on to become a
Qualified Helicopter Instructor (QHI),
graduating in 1996. He worked on
1 Sqn helicopters at RAF Shawbury
teaching the final RAF Gazelle Course,
before a posting to the Griffin on 60(R)
Sqn as the DHFS was established in
1997. Shortly after the DHFS tour he
was posted to the Merlin Training
Design Team where he developed
the Merlin Mk3 Conversion Courses.
He was one of the first pilots on 28
Sqn flying the Merlin Mk3 and served
in the UK, Artic, Bosnia and Iraq.
Displaying above average competence
on the Merlin he acted as the Merlin
Demonstration Pilot and was part of
the Merlin Display Team.
In 2005 he gained his Above Average/
A2 category as a QHI and was posted
to the CFS (Helicopter) Sqn at RAF
Shawbury in 2006. In 2008 he moved
back to DHFS as the training officer
on 705 NAS, were he had the privilege
of assisting both HRH Prince William
and Harry to become helicopter pilots.
Mike then returned to CFS (H) Sqn
Mike pictured with Sqn Ldr Craig Finch OC CFS and staf
from where he will retire from the RAF
after almost 38 years. During his time
he has had great fortune in climbing
to where he wanted to be in terms of
position and has flown many different
aircraft types, some of which are still
in service. He has achieved the top of
his ‘career mountain’ and has amassed
an amazing +8000hrs on helicopters
and over 1600hrs on Nimrods and has
stated that he has had a thoroughly
rewarding and challenging time.
CFS(H), DHFS and RAF Shawbury will
be very sorry to see Mike retire but
know that he is remaining in the local
area and will be keeping a close eye on
departing and arriving traffic to make
sure that they are ‘flying straight’. I am
sure that, although Mike is hanging
up his flying gloves, Natalie his wife
will make sure that he is kept busy. We
wish them both all the best wishes
for a long and happy retirement and
know that we will have the pleasure of
seeing them both in future.
Lt Cdr Nick Bane is also sadly departing
CFS (H), not to hang up his flying
gloves and retire, but to move to
a sunnier climate as a helicopter
instructor in the Middle East. Nick has
ff and students
Mike sporting his familiar moustache receiving his Wings back in 1986
Mike with Nimrod crew
acted as the second in command of
CFS (H) Sqn for the past 2 years and
we have benefitted from his guidance,
good humour and hard work. Nick
leaves with his wife, Nicky and their
young family and once again we wish
them all the best wishes for a happy
and rewarding career further afield.
Mike pictured with Sqn Ldr Craig
Finch OC CFS and staff and students
By Maj Dan McBride, CFS (H)
Aries
29
Total Safety
Here Comes the Sun
Think SOL&R!
A
t the time of writing, the weather
is pretty cold and miserable and I
think we are all hoping for some
sunny weather soon. Despite the poor
weather the end of the financial year has
meant that there is an awful lot of extra
work taking place on the airfield and
around the camp. The runway has been
worked on for the past couple of months,
the roof on Flight Planning has been
repaired and they are about to resurface
many of the roads around camp.
There have been lots of contractors
working on camp who are not always
aviation savvy and extra vigilance is
required by everyone who works here
to ensure that both we and they are
safe. On Monday morning this week 705
RNAS discovered numerous screws, old
and new, that had been left near their
dispersal by the roofing company.
I then had to pop out and remind
four contractors walking along the
taxiway between the Ops building
and the weather station of the need
to be supervised and to wear Personal
Protection Equipment (PPE); especially
when walking so close to helicopters that
have their rotors turning.
With the new Military Flying Training
System (MFTS) there will be a series of
major building works going on over the
next 18 months. This will involve literally
thousands of contractors over the life
of the project. So what are we doing as
the Total Safety Team to ensure all our
employees here at RAF Shawbury are
kept safe? There have been a number of
measures put in place:
Myself as the Station Flight Safety Officer
and Mrs Jan Sheffield the Health &
Safety Officer, have been film stars for
a morning and have produced a safety
video pertinent to RAF Shawbury that
will be shown to every contractor that
will arrive on Station. From an Air Safety
perspective they have been asked
to remember the following SOLAR
mnemonic:
S
Stay off the airfield
O Obey all signs, rules and signals
L
Litter. Don’t drop any and if you see rubbish pick it up and put it in the nearest bin
&
R
Report anything you think
may be unusual or appears unsafe.
Although these rules are aimed at the
non-aviation savvy visiting contractors,
they are a very useful shortlist for
everyone on Station to think about as
they go about their daily business.
From a Health & Safety perspective, all
contractors will be reminded that they
have an obligation to wear their PPE
and to look after themselves and others.
They have also been reminded that if
they fail to comply with any rules or
regulations then they will be escorted
from the camp.
The lead company involved in the MFTS
project is Kier Construction and they
have been extremely forward leaning in
their approach to safety. They paid for
the professional video to be shot and
they are looking to employ extra security
and use a different entrance to camp so
the impact on our day-to-day business
should be minimal.
RAF Flight
Safety Award -
Good Show
O
n 30 April 15, two students S/
Lt Kavanagh and Lt Lennon were
crewed together for a medium level
navigation mutual sortie. Having flown one
route, they had departed on the second
part of the sortie, having changed seats. S/
Lt Kavanagh was in the right hand seat and
was responsible for flying and navigation as
is standard for these sorties. Lt Lennon was
in the keft hand seat and acting as a crew
member for lookout, radio calls and cockpit
management. Whilst flying along they
experienced a loud bang and the remains
of a large bird came into the cockpit. The
bird had impacted the aircraft on one
of the overhead windows, which it had
smashed. Both crew were uninjured by the
impact but were left with a serious incident
to deal with. They had increased noise in
the cockpit due to the broken window,
significant foreign matter from the bird and
the window and compass were hanging in
front of the handling pilot. The 2 student
pilots worked well together to safely get the
aircraft on the ground in a field and put out
a PAN call for assistance.
This is a very unusual occurrence; to have
a bird strike at medium level and for the
bird to smash the windscreen; this is not
something many people would see in
their entire career, let alone during their
basic flying training. They did extremely
well to cope with such a dramatic incident,
remain calm and safely get the aircraft onto
the ground, particularly considering their
experience levels. The safe way in which
they handled such a potentially dangerous
situation is deserving of this Good Show.
Well Done.
Overall, there will be quite a few changes
taking place over the next couple of
years and you are all requested to play
your part in the safety of everyone here
at RAF Shawbury.
Think SOL&R!
Sqn Ldr Gary James
Flight Safety Officer
30
Aries
The Good Show award is presented by AVM Andrew
Turner, Air Officer Commanding 22 Training Group
health
& safety
Looking After
Our Environment
By Jan Sheffield, Health and Safety Officer Tel: 01939 250351 x7039
J
ust by
following a
few tips in
everyday life you
can contribute
to protecting our
environment.
Please take a
few moments
to consider the
following:
CLEAN AIR
• Painting your house? Use a latex
paint. Oil-based paints release
hydrocarbon fumes.
CLEAN LAND
• Get a tune-up. Properly
maintained vehicles get better
fuel mileage and emit fewer
pollutants.
• Recycle. Most councils take
recycling to a Materials Recycling
Facility (MRF) which can reduce
landfill significantly.
• Don’t top off your fuel tank.
Overfilling causes spills that
release hydrocarbons and other
toxic chemicals into the air.
• Don’t put hazardous materials in
the waste. Save paints, pesticides,
lawn chemicals, car batteries, waste
oil and similar materials for your
local household hazardous waste
collection day.
• Conserve energy. You’ll lower
your utility bills and help avoid
peak demands on utility stations.
• Don’t burn your waste. It’s illegal
in many areas because burning
waste releases mould spores,
soot, and other contaminants
that can aggravate allergies and
cause respiratory problems.
• Plant a tree. Trees absorb carbon
dioxide, a greenhouse gas.
• Park the car. Walk, bike or use
public transport whenever you
can. Vehicle traffic is a major
contributor to smog.
• Don’t buy more than you need. When it comes to
lawn chemicals, pesticides, paints and other hazardous
materials, buy a smaller package so you won’t have
leftovers to dispose of.
• Paper or plastic? Better yet, take a canvas bag to the
supermarket and re-use it each time you shop.
• Use both sides of the paper. Set your copier to make
double-sided copies and you’ll substantially reduce your
paper use.
• Use rechargeable batteries. Many batteries contain
metals that are better kept out of landfills.
• Give it away, don’t throw it away. Many charitable
organizations accept donations of wearable clothing and
gently used household items.
CLEAN WATER
• Use less fertilizer on your lawn. When
it rains, excess fertilizer runs off into
storm sewers and pollutes streams.
• Never pour anything – especially
waste oil or leftover lawn chemicals –
into a storm drain. It will end up in the
nearest stream.
• Don’t trash our streams. Volunteer
groups undertaking clean-ups find
everything from old tyres to old
appliances in our waterways.
• Water your lawn in the early
morning, when the water will soak in
and not evaporate in the heat of the
day.
• Don’t water more than once a week,
and then only if it hasn’t rained.
Established lawns need only one inch
of water a week.
• Mulch around your landscaping.
A three-inch layer of mulch holds
moisture and prevents evaporation,
reducing the need to water.
• Use a bucket when you wash the car,
instead of the hose. Letting the water
run while you work costs money and
wastes water. Only use the hose to
rinse.
• Sweep your driveway and pavement
instead of cleaning them up by
spraying with the hose.
• Don’t do the dishes until you have
a full load. Your dishwasher uses 12
gallons of water whether it’s full or
half-empty.
• Wash a full load of laundry. Your
washing machine uses 40 gallons of
water. Run it full, or adjust the water
level to the size of your load.
• Don’t let the water run while you
shave or brush your teeth. Turn it on
only when you need it. Every minute
the tap runs, five gallons of water go
down the drain.
• Take a shorter shower. And switch to
a low-flow shower head.
* Repair leaky taps and toilets. You can
tell if the toilet leaks by putting food
colouring in the tank. If colour shows
up in the bowl without flushing, there’s
a leak.
• Install tap aerators. You can cut your
water usage by up to 6%.
Features
O
verview:
CFS(H) Squadron, like many units at RAF Shawbury,
were keen to undertake some form of winter adventure
training; however, we also wanted to conduct an element of
force development alongside. WOI John Sweeney came up with
the novel idea of re-tracing the steps of the Heroes of Telemark
and coordinated an excellent field deployment of 8 members of
the Squadron to Norway from Sun 29 Feb to Sat 5 Mar 16.
Craig leading the
way up hill on skis
CFS(H) SQUADRON
BACKGROUND:
The Second World War was
a good example of an arms
race between two opposing
forces, each one trying to
gain the upper hand over its
adversary. There were many
innovations with regard to
weapons improvement e.g.
the race in the air between
fighters and tank warfare
on the ground and on the
lethality of weapons such as
bombs and bombers. The
most lethal of all weapons
which ultimately led to the
culmination of the Second
World War was the atom
bomb and the allied forces
were engaged in a race
against Nazi Germany to
be the first to develop this
capability. Imagine for a
moment what might have
happened if the Germans
had created such a weapon
first and were able to use it in
Northern Europe, for example
dropping at atom bomb
in the centre of London.
Needless to say it would have
had a catastrophic effect on
Great Britain, leading to the
deaths of millions of people
and potentially resulting in
our surrender.
It is a sobering thought that
the German Government
began developing an atomic
weapon programme as early
as April 1939. By September
1939, the German scientists
assigned to the programme
Ex TELEMARK LE
32
Aries
Craig Dave and John all
standing on day one
Day one - learning cross
country skiing at Hogas
had determined how a
nuclear reactor could be
developed; this would
require both uranium and
importantly large quantities
of heavy water. As the name
suggests, this substance is
very similar to standard water
but due to its heavier, denser
nature it can be utilised as
a moderator in a nuclear
reactor. This heavy water is
extremely scarce and during
World War 2 the only country
capable of producing large
quantities was Norway where
it was being produced as a
by-product of hydro-electric
generation at the Vermork
Norsk Hydro plant near the
village of Rjukan in central
Norway. Before the War the
Norwegian Government
was suspicious as to why
the Germans should want to
buy this heavy water and so
limited the supply to three
gallons per month. When
Germany invaded Norway in
April 1940, they took over the
Vermork plant and stepped
up the production of heavy
water in order to hasten their
progress towards producing
the bomb.
By mid-1942 it had come
to the attention of the
British Government that the
Vermork Plant was being
used by the Nazis to produce
heavy water and that they
had significant stockpiles
at the facility. Bombing
EAP
the plant would not be a
guaranteed success as it
was located in a steep valley.
Allied bombing at the time
was not that accurate and it
was likely be costly in terms
of civilian lives lost. Other
options were considered
from British commandos
being inserted in flying
boats, to local Norwegian
commandos being
parachuted in under the
cover of darkness; however,
the plant was in an easily
defended location with a
large garrison of German
soldiers located in the near
vicinity. The Allies, along with
the Norwegian resistance
movement, conducted a
sequence of sabotage actions
against the plant during
1942-43 which ensured the
destruction of the plant and
the loss of the heavy water,
thus thwarting Nazi progress
towards the development
of atomic weapons. These
operations were conducted
by the British Special
Operations Executive (SOE)
with their Norwegian
allies and codenamed OP
GROUSE, FRESHMAN and
GUNNERSIDE.
OP FRESHMAN occurred
on the 19 November 1942.
This Op would involve 2
Halifax Bombers towing 2
Horsa gliders, containing 34
engineer commandos with
explosives. Unfortunately, the
Operation failed and 1 Halifax
and 2 Horsa gliders were
lost with the deaths of all on
board, either at the time of
impact or at the hands of the
Gestapo.
The 4 members of OP
GROUSE were given orders
to ‘melt’ into the Hardanger
Plateau and wait for a follow
up operation. The Grouse
team were not rationed
to survive in such an
inhospitable place. However,
they had been specially
selected as they were all
local people to the area with
exceptional outdoor skills
which had been further
enhanced with SOE training
in Scotland in the art of
sabotage, radio transmitting
and irregular warfare. They
managed against all odds
to survive on a diet of moss
and lichen which was only
supplemented in the latter
stages by the addition
of reindeer meat. On 16
February 1943 they met up
OP GROUSE was the covert
with the OP GUNNERSIDE
insertion of 4 Norwegian
Commandos1 in the region of team, a further 6 Norwegian
the Hardanger Plateau on 19 Commandos under the
command of Lt Joachim
October 1942. The plateau
Ronnenberg. On the night
is the most inhospitable
of 27 February the teams
in Northern Europe and
successfully penetrated the
unfortunately the team
Vermork Plant under the
were dropped in the wrong
cover of darkness using a
location. However, through
route the Germans thought
local knowledge and
impassable. Without a
tenacity, they managed to
get in place to lay the landing single shot being fired,
they managed to destroy
zone for OP FRESHMAN.
the heavy water plant
along with all stockpiles of
this valuable liquid. All 10
commandos were able to
escape successfully either
to Sweden, Oslo or some
remaining in the area to
conduct further operations.
Importantly, they had
stalled the Nazis attempts to
develop the atom bomb and
given the allies a crucial head
start in the race for atomic
weapons.
This amazing story of
audacious planning,
tenacious survival and expert
prosecution of the plan was
hailed as the most successful
SOE operation of the Second
World War. It has been
recounted in several films,
including a 1948 depiction
with the actual saboteurs
playing themselves and a
1965 Hollywood version with
Kirk Douglas and Richard
Harris. More recently the
story was recounted by Ray
Mears in his ‘Real Heroes of
Telemark’ series for the BBC
in 2002.
WOI Sweeney noted
the importance of these
operations and organised
the CFS(H) Squadron force
development deployment,
which would also introduce
the 8 team members to
Nordic Cross Country skiing.
The CFS Team under the
command of OC CFS(H)
Sqn, Sqn Ldr Finch, departed
early on Sun 28 Feb to travel
to Kristiansand, Norway via
Amsterdam. The team were
met by Mr Brian Desmond
who runs Destination
Setesdal, the company
Aries
33
Ex TELEMARK LEAP
that were facilitating the
week’s training. Brian has
lived in Norway since 1981
after spending 25 years in
the British Army where he
specialised in Arctic Warfare
and was an instructor for
many years in the Mountain/
Arctic Warfare School. On
leaving the Forces he teamed
up with Claus Helberg, one
of the original OP GROUSE
members and conducted
over 50 battle field tours and
team building exercises. In
his dealings with the original
survivors of the operations,
Brian has become a font of
knowledge of not only the
operations but also of the
personal perspectives of the
operatives. We also met our
ski guide, Glynn Shepherd,
who was formerly a Major
in the Physical Training
Corps. Glynn has many
years of experience both as
a skiing instructor and also
as a mountain expedition
leader and survival expert.
He has worked with Brian for
many years and is also very
knowledgeable about the
Vermork Saboteur operations
and as a result he was also
able to add great value to the
force development aspects
of the week.
By Sunday night we had
arrived in Evje, Norway and
had our boots, skis and poles
issued. Monday and Tuesday
were spent learning how
to cross country ski under
the skilful tutelage of Glynn.
Fortunately for us Glynn
was well used to military
banter and with all Services
represented in our group
the jibes and comments
were free flowing. He
was also able to adapt our
Brian briefs the team
outside the plant
34
Aries
Team CFS pictured in
cam whites in the in the
gorge that was used for
the bombing run (2)
training programme based
on our performance, which
considering we were trying
to compress 10 days training
into 5, was reasonably
challenging. While the
group had varying levels
of Alpine/downhill skiing
expertise, everyone was
out of their comfort zone
with Nordic/cross country
skiing and as a result this
training proved to be a
great leveller. One moment
of embarrassment as you
ended up falling over would
be met with a moment of
shared pleasure as one of
your mates followed suit; all
such events resulted in much
group laughter followed
shortly by a supporting hand.
The evenings were spent
conducting the necessary
theoretical ski and survival
training, and Brian delivered
some very well received and
insightful presentations on
the various operations. By
about 9 o’clock at night we
were all glad of a quiet beer/
shandy (albeit at about £8
a pint!) followed by an early
night as Major Dan McBride
reached for his guitar!
On Wednesday, the Team
travelled north to
the operational
area and after
visiting the Grasfjell
Hut, used as a
shelter prior to the
OP FRESHMAN
mission, we then
re-traced the
attack route of OP
GUNNERSIDE. This
basically involved
9-10kms of cross
country skiing
following the
exact route that
the OP GUNNERSIDE team
took. In order to enhance
the experience we skied in
‘Camouflage Whites’; these
were the same as those worn
by the original teams over
the top of their commando
uniforms.
On Thursday, the CFS team
went out on the Hardanger
Plateau to ski the first 10km
of the original escape route
taken by the saboteurs.
The route took us to the
Helberger Hut, which was
built in honour of one of the
saboteurs Claus Helberg, and
is one of several tourist huts
scattered across the plateau.
These huts are provided by
the Norwegian Tourist board
and each have a larder of
food and supply of logs,
which is used on an honesty
basis with the user leaving
either money or contact
details for billing. The system
of huts is used extensively
throughout the year and
work on a basis of ‘nobody
shall be turned away’.
Fortunately, we had a little
port and/or Jagermeister
to toast the actions and
memory of Claus Helberg
but unfortunately, Dan had
brought his guitar again
and this time there was no
escape!
On the Friday, the team
visited the Vermork Norsk
Hydro plant which is now a
museum. We were able to
get an idea of how hard it
must have been to covertly
enter what effectively was
a fortress, and to appreciate
the bravery that must have
been required for what
should have been a suicide
mission. We then boarded
the transport for a fairly long
drive back towards our last
night’s accommodation
en-route to the airport at
Kristiansand prior to our
return flights on the Saturday.
EX TELEMARK LEAP
proved to be a perfect
blend of challenging AT
and thought provoking
Force Development. All
participants were stretched
at times and taken out of
their comfort zones and all
gained a fascinating insight
into a little known but vitally
important Second World
War Operation. We were
able to draw and develop
clear parallels between the
logistical and geographical
constraints faced by the
Norwegian Commandos and
those applicable to modern
day warfare and current
operations. This was a hugely
successful and valuable
week’s training and thanks
go to WOI John Sweeney
for coordinating such an
excellent package and to the
RAF Shawbury PEd Staff for
providing useful guidance
and first rate equipment.
More information about
the AT/FD opportunities
offered by Brian Desmond’s
company can be found on
the ‘Destination Setesdal’
website www.destination.
setesdalnett.com or
alternatively Brian can be
contacted at the following
email address; briandes@
frisurf.no
Op Grouse; Jens-Anton
Poulsson, Arne Kjelstrup, Knut
Haugland and Claus Helberg
1
Exercise
TRANSGLOBE
E
xercise TRANSGLOBE 15-16 is a major Tri-Service
Adventurous Sail Training Exercise which started on 25th
July 2015 and will be completed on 21st August 2016.
The Joint Service Adventure Sail Training
Centre (JSASTC) deployed 2 Challenge
67ft Sail Training Craft from Gosport
on a year-long circumnavigation of
the globe over 13 Legs. The aim of the
Exercise was to develop the personal
qualities and promote ethos essential to
members of HM Armed Forces through
adventurous sail training in a Service
environment.
I was lucky to be afforded a place
on ADVENTURE on Leg 7, to
circumnavigate the North Island of
New Zealand, which would see me
deploy with 12 other crew members
from a wet and windy UK in January
2016. The long haul flight gave the
opportunity to get to know the people
that I would be spending the next 3
weeks with: literally eating, sleeping and
sailing. Deliberately, there is a diverse
mix of sailing ability on the boat and
we were split into 3 watch shifts: RED
WATCH consisted of a Coastal Skipper,
Day Skipper, Competent Crew and a
complete beginner. While I was the Day
Skipper, I also took on the crucial role of
Purser which was, along with 2 deputies,
responsible for the meal planning and
purchasing of rations for 14 people for 3
weeks – quite a feat of planning which
we mainly got right, apart from buying
double the quantity of cheese (22Kg!)
as it somehow appeared on both
shopping lists.
After a few days of preparation and land
based drills, we departed from Bays
Water Marina in Auckland for a short
‘shake-down’ sail to the Bay of Islands
where we anchored overnight and
began the cooking competition to see
which WATCH could conjure up the
best desserts and meals: the marmalade
Bread and Butter Pudding set the bar.
The 8-day sail down the East Coast saw
us all gel in to a happy and competent
crew. The WATCH shifts were working,
although the 4/6 hrs on/off shift took
some getting used to, resulting in a
changed sleeping pattern and then
the 24 hrs of Mother WATCH where we
were responsible for all of the cooking
and cleaning, was also a challenge
especially when half of the WATCH
were seasick and it was left to me as the
vegetarian to prepare and cook a chilli
while we were sailing in a Force 6. All
of us had personal objectives/battles to
which allowed a short hospital visit and
overcome and there were sometimes
an evening alongside. We departed the
days which seemed to drag and an
next day, with all crew
8-day stretch certainly
present, although one
felt like an eternity,
It was gratifying
with a slight limp and
but on the sunny days
to see all of the crew
looking for some TLC.
with the dolphins
develop skills which in In overcast and drizzly
playing at the bow
future will, I am certain, conditions, life on board
of the boat or on the
be translated in their
resumed.
crystal clear nights
where the spectacle
working environments;
Arriving in the Bay of
of shooting stars kept
communication and
Islands for the remaining
us entertained, it was
consideration of
4 days of sailing provided
a reminder that this
others, leadership and more time on deck,
was an incredible
followership, personal although we were still in
journey of personal
our allocated WATCHES
courage were all
discovery and team
we were able to look
work. It was gratifying
tested.
forward to a full night’s
to see all of the crew
sleep, apart from an hour of anchor
develop skills which in future will, I am
watch during the night to make sure
certain, be translated in their working
that we were staying in the same place.
environments communication and
During this time we were able to use
consideration of others, leadership and
the dinghy and explore the islands
followership, personal courage were all
before our final transit across the bay
tested.
back to the marina. We’d made it! All
crew intact and everyone in good
We arrived on the South Island,
humour, the only remaining duty was
traversing the stunning Queen
a ‘bull day’ on ADVENTURE to ensure
Charlotte Sound early in the morning
the Leg 8 crew were to take over a
and crew T-shirts were donned to
well maintained and clean boat. Final
make a smart and military arrival at
goodbyes were given after a team meal
Picton Marina, where we were able to
as the crew were to depart back to the
meet up with our sister sailing boat,
UK in 2 different parties. Was it worth
DISCOVERER which was crewed by the
it? – yes, we are so fortunate that the
Army Intelligence Corps. A day of R
and R followed, which allowed a restock Armed Forces is able to offer these sorts
of fresh bread and sea sickness tablets. of Exercises to test personnel outside of
their comfort zone: I was quite familiar
The decision taken by the Skippers to
with ‘stretch’ for the majority of the
avoid a predicted cyclone, meant that
our return leg would be back along the trip and only dipped into ‘panic’ when
sailing once! If I was asked whether I
East Coast, however different weather
would do it again, my reply straight after
conditions ensured that there were no
the trip would have been No, but now a
memories of deja-vu. The return leg
few weeks on ……. probably Yes!
offered more challenging sailing and
when one of our WATCH scalded his leg
By Sqn Ldr Joan Cawthray
following some poor PPE skills and a
OC FDS
boiling kettle we diverted into Gisbon
‘‘
’’
Aries
35
Features
BACKGROUND
Crafting what we would consider to
be the perfect Adventurous Training
(AT) programme is no easy thing. The
intervention should meet the aims of
AT as defined in RAF policy and should
also add value, a term that in itself is
hugely subjective. To me, adding value is
concerned with ensuring that the outcomes
of the AT intervention enhance the normal
daily practice of both the individuals and
the department as a whole in order to
support the organisational imperative.
This notion is supported by Spillane et al.
(2012) who describes human capital as an
individual’s ‘…knowledge, skill and expertise
that are… [the] resources available to an
organization for doing its work’ (p. 136), and
social capital which Spillane et al. (2012)
suggests is concerned with an organisation’s
interpersonal relationships that impacts
upon the outcome of tasks.
One could argue that these qualities
ought to be pursued in the classroom, or
perhaps within the workplace. Whilst this
strategy will enhance performance to some
degree, what I have learnt is that if the
intervention is tagged to a quality process
where participants share an experience to
be proud of, the learning becomes all the
more powerful. The experience serves as
an anchor that is often revisited, keeping
the process fresh and ensuring it remains
forward leaning. This as opposed to another
one of those classroom sessions that is
quickly forgotten. In sum, given the right
circumstances, a quality experience will
lead to quality learning and enhanced
performance. As an Adventurous Training
Instructor (ATI) it is my job to create and
deliver these experiences.
When we reflect upon the successes of
the Force Development Squadron (FDS)
over the past few years, I am convinced it is
because we have taken the time to create
a strong culture that we are all proud to be
a part of. We take time to sharpen the saw
rather than falling into the all too familiar
trap of continuing to attempt to fell a large
tree with a blunt tool. As the Leadership
coach Marshall Goldsmith would offer, ‘After
living with their dysfunctional behaviour for
so many years, people become invested in
defending their dysfunctions rather than
changing them’.
Alpine Skiing
Exercise ‘Dendrite
SHAPING AN INTERVENTION
So, as ATIs, it was both mine and Cpl
Chris Smith’s challenge to add value
through the delivery of a robust
adventurous training intervention
that was to serve as the quality
experience. As the starting point,
we had identified that there was
one area of our performance within
the PEd dept that still concerned us;
after investing in Innovation Days,
new initiatives were either slow to
come to fruition or sometimes were
simply never completed. We therefore
wanted to take time to explore this in
order to identify a more productive
way of working. We were also keen
to practice what we preach by taking
time to use the Strength Deployment
Inventory (SDI) to good effect. The
SDI is an awareness framework that
enables individuals to take stock of
their strengths, regardless of their rank,
in order to deploy them to their best
advantage. Finally, in order to learn
from our own experiences, we thought
it prudent to evaluate our performance
throughout 2015. Therefore, to assist in
this process, three titles were set for the
expedition’s participants to research
whilst working in pairs:
‘Beyond innovation - refining the
process’, ‘Optimising performance
through the Strength Deployment
Inventory’, and ‘Critically evaluate PEd /
FD’s performance throughout 2015’.
After months of planning, Chris
received the all-important approval
letter from Warrant Officer AT at 22
Training Group whose job it is to ensure
that expeditions not only meet the
aims of RAF policy, but that they will
be conducted within the mandated
safety guidelines. With approval
FS Mark Owen
and Cpl Chris
Smith enjoying the
inclement weather
conditions
granted, the expedition members,
along with their usual core tasks, then
busied themselves with researching
their titles and putting together
their presentations and workshops.
Christmas arrived and immediately after
the break, the expedition members
assembled on a dark, wet Sunday
morning at the Main Guard Room ready
for one of Shawbury’s drivers to drop
us off at Liverpool Airport. After a day
of economy travelling we finally arrived
at our destination; Val Thorens in the
French Alps.
THE MOUNTAINS
The format of each training day
remained constant. After breakfast and
making packed lunches, Chris and I
met to discuss the day’s activity and to
complete the daily risk assessments. As
it transpired, the importance of the risk
management process was underlined
by the unusually high number of
fatalities reported by the world’s media
as a result of avalanche activity in the
Alps – a sobering reminder of the
possible outcome of decisions that
we were making whilst in
the mountains. The day then
consisted of the delivery of
the Ski Foundation (SF) 1
syllabus for those who had not
previously completed it and
valuable log book experience
for those who were aspirant
ski leaders. The SF1 syllabus
Left: Sgt ‘Stick’ Ballard
identifies the points of
potential instability within
the snowpack that may
trigger an avalanche.
36
Aries
Cpls Kelly Collins and Adam Roberts lead a discussion
on the Strength Deployment Inventory
Briar’ – Adding value
covers a wide range of topics designed
to elevate the complete novice to
becoming competent moving around
the mountain on piste. Additional to
polishing ski technique, avalanche
awareness and snowpack stability was
explored through practical workshops,
along with how to conduct a post
avalanche search for a casualty using
personal transceivers.
The ski conditions were varied
throughout the week, being for
the most part reminiscent of classic
Scottish winter conditions; windy, poor
visibility and occasionally wet when the
freezing level lifted above our location.
Overall this made for some very
challenging skiing in testing conditions
that accorded perfectly with the aims
of AT in the RAF.
After a full day of skiing working
towards the SF1 syllabus and coping
with some interesting mountain
weather, it was a weary team that
returned to the accommodation
each evening. As is often the case,
without prompt the quality experience
during the day typically served as
the catalyst for some interesting
discussions centred upon performance
and coaching. It was here also that,
sat around the meal table, plans
and adjustments were made for the
following day.
PERFORMANCE WORKSHOPS
Immediately after the evening meal it
was time for the work on the research
titles to be delivered by the respective
pairings.
The first session of the week was
delivered by Flt Lt Fay Jordan and FS
Mark Owen who used a SWOT Analysis
(Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities
and Threats) as a framework to lead a
discussion focussed upon evaluating
the PEd / FD Depts’ performance
throughout the previous year.
Guided by Fay and Mark, the topic
was debated at length and of note
the process highlighted the need
to circumnavigate the perceived
threats whilst also addressing the
dept’s weaknesses. The process also
revealed some previously unidentified
opportunities that could be exploited
to enhance performance. Overall, the
session served as a great foundation for
dept’s work to be done in 2016.
The second research topic was
delivered by Cpls Kelly Collins and
Adam Roberts who facilitated an
exploration of the SDI and how it may
be applied to our contexts. Primarily an
awareness tool, the work that evening
highlighted individual’s preferred ways
of working and perhaps equally as
importantly, what the triggers are that
places them in conflict. Each team
member is placed on the inventory
map according to these traits and so
a visual reference is created. With the
inventory complete, team members
can be utilised more effectively and
according to their strengths rather
than relying on the more traditional
hierarchical rank structures of the
Services that don’t take into account a
person’s particular strengths. The SDI
created during this session now adorns
our office wall and will serve as a visual
reference to be used to work more
efficiently during projects.
The last evening programme was
presented by Sgt Neil Hitchens and
Cpl Robin Griffiths and addressed
the research title ‘Beyond Innovation
– refining the process’. Through a
programme of Innovation Days during
the past few years, the PEd and FD
depts have worked hard to advance
their practice in their primary roles.
However, despite our best intentions,
we had noted that new initiatives were
sometimes not completed in a timely
manner. The evening session run by
Neil and Robin would therefore address
this short coming. Several recognised
methodologies were discussed that
would provide a framework to manage
the process of future Innovation Days,
with the Lean 6 Sigma process of
Define, Measure, Analyse, Improve,
and Control being identified as the
most appropriate. In order to highlight
this new strategy Neil demonstrated
a value stream analysis that breaks an
entire process down into individual
With the introduction of a skier’s weig
ht from above, a
released block indicates a weakness
in the snowpack
components to assess their value
towards achieving the end product.
Through this leaning and continuous
improvement process wasteful
elements in industry can be removed
such as defects, over processing, over
production, waiting times, motion, and
transport. Through guided discussion,
Neil and Robin were able to lead the
group into considering how we could
apply this process to our own situation.
OUTCOMES
All too quickly our time in Val Thorens
drew to a conclusion. Several of
the party were awarded their SF1
whilst others gained the valuable log
experience required to progress onto
becoming qualified Ski Leaders. All of
the team skied in some challenging
conditions that demanded careful risk
management, sound leadership and a
robust determination; qualities that are
well aligned to Service life. But perhaps
more importantly, after taking the
time to sharpen the saw, the FDS has
identified the processes and strategies
required to tackle the challenges of
2016 and that will assist us in adding
value to our operational effectiveness.
By Sgt ‘Stick’ Ballard, PEd Flt, FDS.
Aries
37
Sport
West Midlands InterService Football League
Match Result
RAF Shawbury v Kineton
Shawbury went into the match full of confidence following
the team’s previous result; however this didn’t reflect in the
teams first half performance. With difficult pitch conditions,
both teams struggled to get the ball down and play. Kineton
had some good chances but some brilliant saves from Sgt
Fellows kept Shawbury in the game. The opening goal came
from a corner which was cleared to the edge of the box,
where Fg Off Morris was, there to smash the ball into the top
corner. After some more resolute defending and midfield
battling, the score remained 1-0 until the half time whistle.
A poor first half display from Shawbury, who could count
themselves lucky for entering the half-time break with a 1-0
lead.
Half time, RAF Shawbury 1 – 0 Kineton
To ensure the match would result in victory, Shawbury
had to step up their game and that’s exactly what they
did. Some neat play from Fg Off Wright down the left wing
saw him bear down on the goal; however, he unselfishly
squared the ball across the box where SAC Alder was, to tap
the ball in from close range. S/Sgt Barrett was putting in a
shift on his return to the middle of the park and constantly
won possession back for Shawbury. As Kineton began to
throw more players forward, more gaps began to appear
in the Kineton defence. Fg Off Wright played a nice ball
through the heart of their defence, which was perfect for the
onrushing Flt Lt Steele, who finished nicely into the top right
corner to make it 3-0. Shawbury’s win was complete when
some quick thinking between SAC Alder and Fg Off Wright
at a short corner made it 4-0. Kineton’s defence switched off
at the corner and SAC Alder played a short corner down the
goal line to Fg Off Wright who closed in on goal and struck
the ball into the back of the net.
Full time, RAF Shawbury 4 – 0 Kineton
Overall, a much improved second half performance saw
Shawbury run out comfortable winners, with impressive
displays from Sgt Fellows (GK), Sqn Ldr O’Flaherty (CB) and S/
Sgt Barrett (CM).
SAC Alder
38
Aries
RAF OFFICER DEFENDS
INTER-SERVICE SKI TITLE
Congratulations from all staff at RAF Shawbury to Sqn Ldr
Caitlin Wroe, Medical Officer, RAF Shawbury who successfully
defended her title as Ladies Inter Services Alpine Ski Champion
2016.
Caitlin was presented with the gold medal at the night slalom
race by HRH the Countess of Wessex (Royal Patron of the
Combined Services Winter Sports Association) in Meribel on 4th
Feb 2016.
RAF Shawbury
BOWLS A WINNER!
Shropshire Cricket selected 40 players to undergo leadership training
as a result of a new partnership deal with RAF Shawbury.
The event took place at RAF Shawbury on Wednesady 17th Feb 2016,
courtesy of RAF Shawbury’s Station Commander, Group Captain Jason
Appleton.
Physical Training Instructor FS Mark Owen and Shropshire Cricket Board
staff Luke Sharples and Ian Gregory
delivered an unforgettable oneday training session to Shropshire’s
young cricketers. The young
cricketers were put through their
paces and learnt about teamwork,
decision making and leadership as
well as how to perform in a high
pressure environment. These guiding
principles are important to success in
both the military and sport - and in
particular cricket.
Cricket stars problem solving
Blindfold challenge
Mr Richard Cox (General Manager)
said: “This is a wonderful opportunity for some of our
cricketers to see what life is like “under pressure” and how to make decisions and to
communicate with others in a team environment. We are extremely grateful to Group
Captain Appleton and Flight Sergeant Owen for this day and hope it will be the first of a
number we can roll out to players, coaches and managers of our teams”
Aries
39
As well as having been recently
awarded the title of RAF
Sportswoman of the Year, Sqn Ldr
Joan Cawthray has now paddled
her way to win the highest
sporting military award! She has
been awarded the coveted title of
UK Armed Forces Sportswoman
of the year, beating off stiff
competition to win the title.
Sqn Ldr Cawthray, has dominated
the sport of Service Slalom Kayaking
throughout her RAF career. During
2015, she won every single ladies
Inter-Service title across 4 extremely
diverse kayaking disciplines against
much younger opposition. In
the last 12 months, this talented
sportswoman has added 8 Inter
Service Gold Medals to her tally and
is the most successful female RAF
Kayaker in living memory.
The award was presented to Sqn Ldr
Cawthray by Matt Dawson at the RAF
Club, London on 1 March 2016. Matt
Dawson was a key part of England’s
successful winning team in the 2003
Rugby World Cup, which capped an
impressive rugby career at both club
and international level.
Sqn Ldr Cawthray said: “I was very
honoured and shocked to be
awarded the title of UK Armed
Forces Sportswoman of the Year;
I am extremely grateful for the
continuous support given by the
units I have served at, RAF Sports, RAF
Sports Lottery and the RAF Canoe
Association.”
Matt Dawson presents Sqn Ldr Cawthray with her
award.
GET INVOLVED WITH CHALLENGE EVENTS
Are you looking for a new challenge,
an incentive to get into shape or
just a fundraising opportunity with
a difference? The Royal Air Forces
Association has plenty lined up in
2016 no matter what your fitness level.
Challenges including, skydiving and
Snowdon Multi Activity weekend,
as well as overseas challenges such
as climbing Mount Kilimanjaro and
trekking the Great Wall of China to
name a couple.
Challenges include running in
Edinburgh, Liverpool or the Great
40
Aries
North Run or testing your skills in our
Snowdon Multi Activity weekend,
where you will be cycling, running and
canoeing through the beautiful Welsh
countryside of the Snowdonia National
Park. For thrill seekers we run a range of
skydiving challenges in collaboration
with the RAF Falcons at various
locations throughout the UK.
There will be something for everyone
with our fundraising challenges and
the money you raise helps us to
support members of the RAF family in
need. The spread of events throughout
the year means that there is no excuse
not to sign up to something!
Each challenge event comes with a
minimum fundraising target, which
we realistically expect you to hit within
a few months after the event and our
challenge events team will give you
all of the support they can for this.
Whether you want to set yourself a
personal goal, or join as a group for
some team building, the Association
has lots of challenges to offer. For more
details, contact Baz or Amanda on
challenge-events@rafa.org.uk to see
what your challenge will be in 2016.
CO’s Cup
Spt, Admin and ATC have finally
won a CO’s Cup event (other than
the Quiz!). Although it was the first
win in very a long time, we won with
ease! Participants for Unihoc were
Cpl Ned Kelly (upfront), SAC Smudge
Smith (midfield) and Mr Gary Jones
(midfield) all from PSF. Defending
were Flt Lt Alice Hamling, Lt Dawn
Tingle, Fg Off Aaron Greenwood and
Sgt Steve Bradley (keeper) from the
tower and the team leader, Cpl Paul
Savage from PCRF.
Having not prepared well
for the competition, the
first game was a scramble
to say the least, as we spent
most of the game working
out our best positions.
Luckily we won 1 - 0 with
our keeper taking a puck to
the hand during the game
but soldiering on to keep the
clean sheet.
won them both 1 - 0. The fifth game,
though, was not. It was game of the
tournament against the favourites for
the CO’s Cup itself, 660 Sqn (AAC).
Straight from the off, 660 Sqn piled
on the pressure. Thanks to gallant
and brave defending from everyone,
but especially Flt Lt Hamling, Fg Off
Aaron Greenwood and Cpl Paul
Savage, the game ended 0 – 0 but
we felt that this was the turning
point. If we could just win the
last two games then surely the
tournament was ours. The next
game was easier than we expected
and we ran out comfortable
winners 2 – 0.
So the last game was upon
us, just one more win needed.
It was a nervy affair but was
eventually settled with a solo
effort from top scorer Cpl Ned
Kelly that gave us the 1 – 0
win.
The second game was a
closely fought affair with
us losing 1 - 0 to a highly
contentious goal (shenanigans
I tell ya!). The next few games
where uneventful but we
CO's Cup Round
One Uni Hockey
winners
Great effort from all that
played and a special mention
to Lt Dawn Tingle and Gary
Jones for some tenacious
tackling and SAC Smudge
Smith for some great build
up play and his partnership
with Cpl Ned Kelly resembled
Mahrez and Vardy.
Bring on the Netball…
By Cpl Ned Kelly
PSF
Aries
41
42
Aries
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Aries
43

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