the chairmans column - The British Berlin Airlift Association

NEWSLETTER No.39
Website:- www.bbaa-airlift.org.uk
Formed 9th September 1994
December 2013
Chairman, Geoffrey W. Smith
Committee: Secretary: Mrs Hannah Angel. Treasurer: Mrs Janet Howard Media & Website: Colin R. Cottle, David Hildred: NMA Laison & Ceremonial
THE CHAIRMANS COLUMN
Introduction.
Editor:Geoff Smith.
12 Tyesdale Court, Bretton,
Peterborough PE3 9XZ.
Tel:- 01733 262599
Email:- geoffsmith@supanet.com
Website:- www.bbaa-airlift.org.uk
Tempelhof Airport:
The people of Berlin are delighted with their new, yet old-established recreation area. The former Tempelhof airport is
now a public park. Not for the first time in its history. Originally the Tempelhofer Feld was a parade ground.
At the weekends and on public holidays, as soon as the military cleared from the site, the locals would come along in
their thousands to Tempelhof to enjoy their leisure time. Whole families would come with their baskets full of food,
deckchairs and sunshades to have picnics there.
BBAA Website:
The BBAA Website has now had more than 10,650 hits. The numbers of people looking at the site in the last twelve
months have increased rapidly. We now receive numerous enquiries and complimentary comments via this route.
Several people have said that they find it very informative & most useful when looking for information & details about
the Berlin Airlift.
Fassberg Berlin Airlift Museum.
We have heard from Paul Hicks ,the Curator at the Fassberg Berlin Airlift Museum that they have been closed for the
winter period. The museum had more than 8,500 visitors in 2012 and the construction works for the new car park has
now been completed and is ready for the start of the 2013 season.
The museum has also appointed a new Liaison officer, Malcolm Cross who will also be involved in finding participants
for the TREATY exercises to be held at Fassberg
The Allied Museum, Berlin:
A report from Herr Bernd Von Kostka at the Allied Museum in Berlin says that the Handley-Page Hastings they have on
display at the Museum was cleaned and repainted last year. They are looking forward to seeing BBAA members in 2014
for the 65th Anniversary of the end of the Berlin Blockade.
Remembering the 28th June 1948:
The 28th June 2013 was the 65th anniversary of the start of the British contribution to the Berlin Airlift when Royal Air
Force Dakota aircraft flew from RAF Wunstorf in the British Zone to RAF Gatow with supplies for Berlin.
We were hoping that we could have marked the occasion with a Remembrance Ceremony at the BBAA Memorial
located at the National Memorial Arboretum, but with the improvement works now under way there, this Ceremony was
not possible.
THE CHAIRMAN’S COLUMN
Air Service, Berlin may replace the crashed DC3 Dakota:
Air Service - Berlin are hoping to raise the necessary funds to be able to replace the Dakota that crashed on the 19th June
2010 at a construction site at Berlin Schoenefeld.
The replacement Dakota would be from Air Atlantique based at Coventry and funds to help buy the aircraft are being
supported by the Berlin retailer KA-DE-WE selling 1,000 stuffed Teddy Bears dressed in a Air Service Berlin uniform.
Geoffrey W. Smith. Chairman.
==============================================================================
THE COMMITTEE WISH ALL MEMBERS OF THE BBAA
A MERRY CHRISTMAS & A HAPPY & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR
2
Page 12
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
WEEKEND
REUNION
2014
Secretary’s
Notes
.
The Weekend Reunion will be held at the St John’s Hotel, Solihull, near Birmingham from Thursday 18th to Sunday 21st
September 2014
If another application form is required please contact Janet Howard at 80 Park Street, Kings Cliffe, Peterborough PE8
6XN. A booking form will also be published on the BBAA Website at www.bbaa-airlift.org.uk.
————————————————————————————–————————————————————
SUBSCRIPTIONS
Members are reminded that subscriptions are due on the 1st January
each year. The Annual Rate is now £15.00, wherever situated.
Cheques should be made payable to the BBAA and sent to:The BBAA Treasurer, Mrs Janet Howard,
80 Park Street, King’s Cliffe,
Peterborough PE8 6XN
However, if you wish to pay by Bankers Order. The details are as
follows:Payable to:
British Berlin Airlift Association.
Bank:- Lloyds/TSB Bank PLC Maidenhead.
Account No. 1223532
Sort Code: 30-95-36
——————————————————————————————
EMAIL DATABASE
Inside This Issue
Chairman’s Column - Page 1.
New BBAA Secretary, Mrs Hannah Angel - Page 2.
Weekend Reunion 2014 - Page 2
Subscriptions - Page 2.
BBAA Email Database - Page 2
A Soldier’s Airlift by G.V. Freeman - Page 3.
Vince Gavin - An appreciation - Page 3.
Berlin Airlift. On the Fringe - Terry Crowley - Page 4..
Proposed redevelopment of the BBAA Memorial site at
the National Memorial Arboretum, - Page 5.
May 12th 2014 - 65th Anniversary in Berlin - Page 5
Legasee 65th Anniversary event at Flixton - Page 5
Centre Spread Photo’s - Pages 6/7.
BBAA Shop details - Page 8.
2012 Annual General Meeting at Horwood House - Page 9
An evening at RAF Brize Norton - Page 9.
Derek Roskell - An Appreciation - Page 9
We have now set up a database of members Email addresses and
telephone numbers. This will enable us to contact members more
Aircraft & Airbases Booklet - Page 10.
10 Years of the BBAA & Briefing Booklets - Page 10
easily and also help to reduce the cost of mailing letters etc.
Many members have indicated their willingness to be included in the National Memorial Arboretum Appeal Fund and
Customer Service volunteers required - Page 10
database.
If you are willing to have your Email address on our database would Royal Air Force Station Gatow, Berlin - A brief history
of the British Airlift Airbase - Pages 11/12
you please contact Colin Cottle the co-ordinator.
His Email address is: cottle.c@talktalk.net
————————————————————————————————————————————————–
BRIEFING BOOKLET
We have upgraded our popular Briefing Booklet on the Berlin Airlift. It is now 16 pages and includes photos of the
BBAA Memorial at Alrewas, together with some of the British Airlift aircraft. It also includes details of Berlin Airlift
museums and lists the British and Commonwealth casualties. The cost is £3.00 each,
————————————————————————————————————————————————–
NEW BBAA SECRETARY:
We welcome our new Secretary, Mrs Hannah Angel who has taken over from John Collier.
John was a founder member of the Association and had been the Association Secretary for many years, having taken over
the position for a second time during the past few years.
Hannah, whose late husband Raymond was a loyal supporter of the British Berlin Airlift Association and both of them
have attended many of the BBAA events both un the UK and in Germany.
Our thanks to John for his contribution and also his knowledge of Airlift history and we wish him well and a speedy
recovery from his recent medical problems.
OBITUARIES
Derrick Roskell - Gatow - FMA - Flight Lines - Died 26th February 2013
Ken P. Petrie - Buckeburg, Schleswigland - RASC/RASO - Died 22nd February 2013.
Jack Simpson - Schleswigland - Pilot Hastings aircraft - Died June 2013.
Ervin John Eddy - Lubeck - Pilot No. 10 Squadron - Died July 2013.
Vincent Gavin - Wunstorf/Fassberg/Lubeck - Signaller No. 62 & 27 Squadrons - Died July 2013.
Alain Jackman - Wunstorf - F/Eng - Halton aircraft - British American Air Services - Died July 2013
Air Marshal Sir John Curtiss KCB KBE FRAeS - Wunstorf - Navigator - No 59 Sqn - Died 15th September 2013
Page 311
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
A SOLDIER’S BERLIN AIRLIFT
By G.V. Freeman - 1st Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers.
In 1947 the Battalion was stationed outside Dűsseldorf in Germany. We were stationed at a place called Hübbel­
rath, in a former German Flak Kaserne (Anti Aircraft Barracks).
Here we did all things relevant to the daily duties of a British Army Infantry Regiment until one day I was told to
report to the Regimental Sergeant Major’s office.
He said “Pack your kit, you are off to Heidelberg attached to the U.S. Army Headquarter’s Euro command.”
I was to be a Driver to Major J.R.Orr Royal Welch Fusiliers who was the British Army Liaison officer to the U.S.
Army.
We were not aware at the time that big manoeuvres were taking place, so we had advance warning of what was to
come. On our return to our Regiment we were then posted to Berlin and settled down to the routine of army life
in the city. The Russian soldiers that we met were a hostile suspicious lot. There was no Berlin Wall at this time
although the city was divided into four sectors, American, French, British and Russian (Soviet).
When the Berlin Blockade began we now realised that we were cut off from the three Western zones, British,
French and American. All entry and exit points were closed except Checkpoint Charlie which we all knew about.
We got used to many aircraft flying overhead, Dakotas, Vikings, Yorks and Skymasters and I believe that there
were some rare Tudor aircraft as well.
I flew out of and back to Berlin as a Courier on a Skyways Dakota.
The weather during the winter of 1948 was simply terrible and I believe that there was a number of aircraft crashes. Russian
Yak fighters beat up our barracks to let us know that they knew where we were.
When the Airlift finished were were posted overseas and I finished my regular service by being flown home in a Skyways
“York” transport aircraft from Kingston in Jamaica with other troops due for “demob” .
We flew home via a stopover in Gander, Newfoundland and eventually landed at Bovingdon airfield in the U.K.
I was then demobbed at Woking in Surrey with 57 days Demobilisation pay and overseas pay.
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
Vince Gavin - Died July 2013
Vince was born 90 years ago, in rural County Armagh, and
left school at the age of fourteen.
After a succession of farming jobs and factory type stuff, he
came to England in 1940, as the Second World War was
creating more opportunities for a young man with his background than his native Ulster. He blagged a job as a tipper
driver following the bombing of Coventry and a career in
transport was born.
Vince joined the Royal Air Force on his 19th birthday in
December 1941 (retiring exactly 26 years to the date later),
as a ground-based trainee signaller. Through hard work,
decent exam results and sheer doggedness, he obtained a
transfer to aircrew,
over the years rising through the ranks to become a Master
Signaller and Warrant Officer. Along the way serving in India, Burma, Egypt and
Arabia –as well as many parts of the UK and Europe.
His proudest work achievement was being actively involved in the Berlin Airlift in the late 40’s, effectively keeping Berlin within the West.
After retiring in 1967, he spent some time as a Radio Officer in the Merchant Navy – before his wife Mary reminded him that with six children at home to look after, she could do with a little help. Vince spent the rest of his
working life with Lloyds Bank in Hull and Cottingham, finally retiring for good in the mid - eighties.
He regarded himself as a very lucky man, for living the life that he had, in many of the places he’d been sent to
by the RAF.
His wife, children and grandchildren though regard themselves as the fortunate ones, for being able to share much
of that long, long life with him.
And finally, despite the deeds and the locations, Vince’s proudest achievement in life– and we know he’s looking
down right now with that smile (and ever present moustache) on his face–was the whole of his family.
As Mary says: “There was only ever one of him
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4
Page 12
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
THE BERLIN AIRLIFT - ON THE FRINGE.
By Terry Crowley
I had been in the Royal Air Force for two years and had qualified as a Aircraft Engine Fitter. It was April
1948 when I was sent to my first operational airfield in Norfolk, East Anglia.
When I had settled in I reported to a specific hangar to carry out major engine overhauls on Avro Lancaster
aircraft.
In the middle of June I was notified that I had to report to RAF Burtonwood situated near to Manchester.
No one seemed to know why I had been uprooted again, but I soon discovered that many of the new arrivals at
Burtonwood were all Aircraft Technicians. The explanation for this came when we were told to muster on the
parade ground.
A senior officer addressed us, explaining that we were to travel to Germany and would be posted to various
airfields in the British Zone in preparation for a possible crisis. He explained that there were clerks sitting at
tables in the Airmen’s Mess ready to issue the necessary documents for us to travel to Germany and to a holding unit in the British Zone.
I stood in line at the table marked “C” for surnames beginning with that initial.
“What is all the fuss about”? I asked the clerk. He shrugged his shoulders and replied. “All I know is that you
are to go to Germany and report to RAF Guterslöh. Here are all your documents, pack all your kit and draw
a .303 rifle from the Armoury and wait at the Guardroom for transport to the railway station.”
Within a few hours I had arrived at Harwich, Essex for transportation by troopship to the Hook-of-Holland.
Little did I realise that I would be travelling on the London Underground carrying a .303 Service issue rifle.
I boarded a Troopship and found a spare bunk for the night. Fortunately the North Sea remained calm and I
arrived at the Hook-of-Holland ready for what was to be a long train journey to RAF Guterslöh.
The next morning found me on another train heading for Hamburg. My final destination I hoped would be
RAF Utersen. This was achieved and what a pleasant surprise it was. The barrack blocks were a revelation.
Two airmen to a room, double-glazed windows and hospital type beds.
A further surprise awaited me when I reported for duty at the hangar. The RAF was and possible still is full of
surprises. Inside the hangar was an Avro Anson low-wing monoplane fitted with twin radial air-cooled
engines, two Percival Proctor aircraft fitted with single Gypsy Major in-line engines, also some other lowwing monoplanes and an Auster V high-wing aircraft fitted with a flat-four Lycoming air-cooled engine.
Making furher enquiries via the team of technicians I was informed that I was now a member of No. 85 Group
Communications Flight. Later, when welcomed by our Commanding Officer (Flight Lieutenant) he informed
me that I should not be taken in by the small number of aircraft at the Station.
He went on to explain that RAF Utersen was to be used as a diversion airfield to meet the possible needs of
the looming crisis in Berlin.
——————————————————————————————————————————————–
ANNUAL RE-UNION 2014.
The 2014 Re-Union is to be held from Thursday 18th September to Sunday 21st September.
The Committee has been able to book the St John’s Hotel near Solihull, this hotel is part of the PrincipalHayley Group whom we have used several times recently. Our reason for choice of venue is easy access by
road and rail and having visited the hotel we are satisfied with the facilities and location. We are mindful of
costs and will try and keep the price of the weekend as near as possible to those charged in 2013.
On Friday coaches will be organised to take us to visit Stratford upon Avon and possibly Warwick.
On Saturday we propose to visit the National Arboretum Memorial where plans are underway to hold in the
Chapel a 65th Anniversary Commemoration Service to recognise the end of the Berlin Blockade in 1949.
After the service there will be free time to look around what has now become an excellent visit for many
people and for those who find it difficult to walk far, the Arboretum now has a small train which will take you
around the site. If you have visited the NMA before you will know that in The Visitor Centre there is a
Restaurant where a meal or light snacks can be purchased.
On Sunday morning the 21st September the Annual General Meeting will take place.
The Committee sincerely hope that you will be able to join them at this Re-union and will send out Booking
Forms in the New Year.
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BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM
Proposed BBAA Site Redevelopment
In the BBAA Newsletter No 37 we showed he proposals for the new BBAA Memorial site to be located
near to the main entrance to the Arboretum
At the time of going to print the existing BBAA site is still virtually untouched. We have now been told
that the original redevelopment contract has not been agreed and it will now have to go out to re-tender, but
some ground works have begun. What is the overflow car park at the present time will be adapted to create
an improved Arboretum car park for all visitors to use throughout the year. The new car parking area will
be situated past the existing main entrance further along Croxall Road and will then finally operate as the
main parking area in the future.
There will be a number of spaces provided for disabled parking and also a “Drop off” point located outside
the Arboretum main entrance. Further preparatory work, including the widening of the main entrance to the
Arboretum and the relocation of Office Staff will also be necessary
The current Visitor Centre will remain operational throughout the building process and the 150 acre site
will be open all year round as usual.
We have been told that we will now be able to have a 65th Anniversary Service at the Arboretum in 2014
commemorating the end of the Berlin Airlift. See the item on page 4 reference the Annual Reunion.
—————————————————————————————————————————–
THE LEGASEE CELEBRATORY EVENT
Legasee invited BBAA members to their Celebratory event on Friday 13th September 2013 at the Norfolk
& Suffolk Aviation Museum, Flixton, Near Bungay in Suffolk. The event was to mark the end of their 12
month British Berlin Airlift project. The project has been supported by their partners the Heritage Lottery
Fund, the British Berlin Airlift Association, the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation Museum, Bungay High School
and the Scouts Association. The event was their way of thanking all the veterans, partners, volunteers and
students who have helped enormously with the project. It was very well attended with excellent presentations and also a superb luncheon in the Restaurant near the entrance to the Museum.
Legasee are also creating a permanent digital film archive of the experiences and observations as seen
through the eyes of British Airlift veterans and the archive will be held at the Norfolk & Suffolk Aviation
Museum.
——————————————————————————————————————————-
65th ANNIVERSARY OF THE END OF THE BERLIN BLOCKADE
COMMEMORATIONS IN BERLIN
To commemorate the 65th Anniversary of the end of the Berlin Blockade on the 12th May 2014 there will
the traditional service of Commemoration at the Airlift Memorial in Luftbrucke Platz, Tempelhof, Berlin.
A number of BBAA members have indicated that they will be present at the service and a small group of
fifteen members and friends will be travelling by a luxury mini-coach from the UK, which will depart from
the Union Jack Club in London. If you are intending to go to Berlin for this event, please let Janet Howard
know so that she can prepare a list of all those attending for submission to Heinz- Gerd Reese, and to be
able to involve as many as may be possible to the planned events. The British group also intend to link up
with a group of American airlift veterans.
——————————————————————————————————————————–My Wonderful Unique Flying Experience - By the late Brian Franklin:
The Imperial War Museum, Duxford 4th June 2002.
Flying briefing was at 10.00 hrs. Kitted out in a flying suit and parachute I walked across the tarmac to the Control
Tower. Sitting there on the grass was “The Perfect Lady,” the Grace MkIV Spitfire ML407, converted by the Irish
Air Corps in 1947 to a two seat trainer. It was fully restored by the late Nick Grace in the 1970’s.
Strapped in the rear seat, helmet and headset on we taxied across the grass and then after take-off we turned away
from the airfield. Flying at about 3,000 ft we headed for the Airship hangars at Cardington. The pilot on the headset
stated “You now have control.” I found the controls very light & easy, the aircraft being a delight to fly.
The pilot regaining control took the aircraft up to 6,000 ft with a “victory roll” at the top.
We then flew over the former RAF Oakington, which during my BAFO & Airlift days was an airfield that I had
flown into. Now, only about half the runway remained. Flying back to Duxford we made a fast low pass and another
victory roll before landing and completing a wonderful unique flying experience.
———————————————————————————————————————————————
6
Page 12
Autumn Reunion 2013
Saturday morning. The group left Eastwood Hall near
Nottingham to travel to the Spa town of Buxton in the
hills of Derbyshire. It has an Opera House and the
large Pavilion Gardens, where there was a huge
“Craft Fair” on the day of our visit.
Autumn Reunion 2013
After visiting Buxton we carried on to the Derbyshire
village of Castleton, where it was time for a rest and
Ice Cream refreshments.
We did not have enough time to go underground and
visit the famous caverns and look for the well known
“Blue John” stones
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
Autumn Reunion 2013
The Friday Day-Trip - We started with a visit to the
Newark Air Museum, where they have an excellent
display of vintage aircraft including the Handley-Page
Hastings shown above, which was on the Berlin Airlift
as TG517.
Autumn Reunion 2013
After visiting the Newark Air Museum we travelled on
to the City of Lincoln and walked down the hill from
near to the Cathedral, where after the traditional walk
around the local shopping areas we travelled back to
our hotel at Eastwood.
Page 711
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
Berlin Airlift 1948/49 - Photographic Memories.
The BBAA Eagle being made by the Essex Woodcarvers
Tegel, Berlin 1948– Berlin women working on the new airfield
RAF Gatow, 1949 - Avro Lancastrian fuel tanker.
1948 - RAF Dakotas at Fassberg
Photo above - Hamburg.
Avro Lancastrian
Fuel Tankers at Fuhlsbuttel
Above: Ladies on the Airlift
Corporal Alison Fisher, WRAF, Engine Fitter,
working at RAF Gatow on an RAF Dakota.
Cpl Fisher from Poole, Dorset, England, aged 23
years was awarded the British Empire Medal after
being cited in the 1949 New Year’s Honours list
for ‘devotion to duty’
Photo Left: RAF Gatow 1948.
A horse is grading the grass on
the airfield with a U.S. C54
Skymaster and the Air Traffic
Control building in the
background.
8
Page 12
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
A Unique Day in RAF History
BBAA Shop. Items for sale
Friday `11th July 2008
The Royal Air Force marked its 90th anniversary in style with its biggest ever parade for the presentation of new
Queen’s Colours to the RAF in the United Kingdom and the RAF Regiment.
Months of dedicated preparation and weeks of drill for around 800 personnel fell into place for the presentation
made by the Queen, accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh, during a visit to the Royal International Air TatCloth
too at RAF Fairford, Gloucestershire. Rain which had plagued parade rehearsals for most
of Badge
the week even
(Members
only)
stayed away for most of the day – although a quick drenching was unfortunately in store for personnel
and
Large £2.00 UK - £3.00 overseas
Association
Tie
spectators during the final five minutes.
Small £1.50 UK - £2.50 overseas
Cravat (Members only)
With magnetic clasp
on display on the parade
ground
the Queen in the pres£2.50
UK and personnel welcomed
£3.00 UK - £4.00 overseas
which included proud£3.50
families,
overseas
serving members of the RAF and its various asso-
(Members only)
£11.50 UKwere
61 Squadron Standards
£12.50 overseas
ence of 5,000 invited guests
ciations and charities.
To place an order, write to BBAA Treasurer Mrs Janet Howard, 80 Park Street, Kings Cliffe, Peterborough PE8 6XN
The event was the largest RAF parade since the Queen conducted a ‘Silver Jubilee’ Review of the RAF at RAF
——————————————————————
Finningley,
Yorkshire in 1977. After the Royal salute four Typhoon aircraft flew past in formation, and the —
———————————Queen was invited to review the Parade.
The Colours were then escorted by the Queen’s Colour Squadron (63
Squadron
RAF
Regiment),
augmented
by
otherAIRPORT
Royal Air Force
Regiment squadrons
and 34 DELAYED
Squadron RAF
BERLIN BRANDENBURG
- OPENING
STILL
Regiment. They were supported by two further squadrons made up of RAF personnel from around the United
With over 25 million passengers per year, Berlin is Germany's third-largest airport location. In order to create the capacities
Kingdom.
required for the future, the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport Willy Brandt is currently being built.
AAlldrumhead
service
held
new Queen’s
ColoursThe
followed
by awill
short
speech from
the
air traffic inblessing
Germany's
capitalwas
region
willfor
be the
concentrated
at Schönefeld.
new airport
be designated
the IATA
Queen.
“I am
to be
presenting
myairport.
ColourBER
to the
RAF
in this,
your
90thinfrastructure
anniversaryfor
year.
code BER
– thevery
threepleased
trademark
letters
of the new
will
secure
the air
traffic
the BerlinBrandenburg
andproud
thus replace
existing
airport
The
RAF canregion
be truly
of the the
level
of service
it system.
provides and the considerable successes it has achieved.
first steptotowards
this goal was
the closure
of Tempelhof Airport on 30 October 2008. The closure of Tegel Airport is
ItThe
continues
be an example
to other
Air Forces.
due to follow when the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport opens.
————————————————————————————————————————————A new-generation
airport:
Peter
G. Marriott writes:
The concept for Berlin Brandenburg Airport envisages a modern airport with all facilities within easy reach and a terminal
I believe I was the youngest Civil Ground Engineer on the Berlin Airlift serving with Sir Alan Cobham’s Flight
located between two parallel runways. BER represents a new generation of airports: functional, cosmopolitan and featuring
Refuelling
Ltd, based at Tarrant Rushton, Dorset during 1948/49.
contemporary architecture. The capital region will be able to provide business travellers, tourists and companies with a new
In
Maythat
1948
I was
years
old, but now
at aged flights,
seventy-seven
I still remember
it awell!
airport
offers
the17
best
connections,
international
direct motorway
access, and
railway station directly beneath
the terminal.
TO ALL THOSE WHO TOOK PART IN THE AIRLIFT
—————————————————————————————————————————————————–
WITH FOOD AND OTHER
SUPPLIES
THEY HAD TO SHIFT
AIRLIFT
WEBSITES
TO SAVE A CITY WAS THE TASK
There are numerous Websites with reference to the Berlin Airlift Some of those which may be of interest to members are
AND TO HAVE A LIFE WAS ALL THEY DID ASK
listed below. You may know of others that could be useful - Please let me know. Ed.
COMING TOGETHER IN THIS TIME OF NEED
You know ours of course - bbaa-airlift.org.uk
WHO WERE INVOLVED HAVE SOWN THE
SEED
Alliierten Museum, Berlin -ALL
www.alliiertenmuseum.de
Gatow
Old Boys - www.gatow.org
NO
ONE
STOOD
BACK
AND
SAID
‘NO,
NOT
ME’
Find a friend - www.servicepals.com
Forces Reunited - www.forcesreunited.org.uk
ALL WERE
AS ONE
TO HELP THEM STAY FREE
The Berlin Airlift TelevisionBUT
documentary
1997-1998
- www.kcl.ac.uk/lhcma/cats/berlinairlift/xb20-01.htm
ALL DID
OUR BIT,
SOME
FROM
A LONG
WAY OFF Details of Headquarters NoWE
46 Group,
Wunstorf,
Fassberg,
Gatow,
Lübeck
and Schleswigland
SENDING OUR LANC’S TO WUNSTORF AND TO TEMPELHOF
www.britains-smallwars.com/cold-war/berlin-airlift.htm
HQ BAFO & 2nd TAFTHE
- Bad
Eilsen Association
& Reunion
- www.badeilsen.org.uk
- Contact
Geoff Lipscombe
FORCES
FROM THE
EAST THEN
PUT UP A GREAT
WALL
Interpreters Dilemma - www.tonycunnane.co.uk
TO PREVENT ANY ESCAPE, BECAUSE IT WAS SO TALL
Royal Air Force Regiment Service
- www.easynet.co.uk/feeley/history_halwarren.htm
WHENClub
ATTEMPS
WERE MADE, TO FOIL THE PLOT
—————————————————————————————————————————————————
FEAR MADE THE PEOPLE AFRAID TO BE SHOT
BBAA
- THE
FIRST
TEN
YEARS:
BUT, WITH
THANKS
FROM
ALL ON
A JOB
WELL DONE
SIXTY
YEARS
ON,
THAT
MEANS
EVERYONE!!
We have produced a booklet describing the first ten years of the BBAA:
It contains a potted history from 1994 to 2004 and a number of photographs, which include the May 2004 group visit to Germany to commemorate the 55th Anniversary of the end of the Berlin Blockade. The cost is £5.00P.G.M.
each and includes postage.
Booklets are available from:- Geoff Smith, 12 Tyesdale Court, Bretton, Peterborough
PE3C.I.
9XZ
Jersey,
.========================================================================================
2008
9
Page 11
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
AUTUMN REUNION & ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2013.
The Autumn Reunion was held at Eastwood Hall near Nottingham. It is a popular venue with BBAA members and had
been once again suggested by members.
It was held from Thursday the 19th to Sunday the 22nd of September 2013.
The format was similar to our previous reunion with the Annual General Meting being held on Sunday morning of the
22nd September 2013.
We remembered the 65th Anniversary of the start of the Berlin Airlift at this Reunion.
One important item at the Annual General Meeting which was discussed was the proposed closure of the Association in
2014. John Collier also stated that he wished to stand down as Association Secretary and as a Committee Member with
immediate effect
It was proposed at the AGM held at Tillington Hall, Stafford in 2009 that the Association should carry on for up to a
further five years to 2014.
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Derrick Noel Roskell RAF - Died 26th February 2013
This is a perspective from outside direct involvement: Most of you who are reading this have been involved at the “coal
face” with the Berlin Airlift and the organisation that represents and supports you.
I would ask that, once in a while you spare a thought for those like me that have come to gain knowledge of the airlift
through contact of persons that have served or assisted in the action.
My own involvement came through marriage, my darling wife Karen had a great auntie and uncle who had a major influence and involvement with her younger years and as her new boyfriend , she was keen to present me as a nice guy and responsible. I can confess that it didn’t go well, I was so nervous I had a few to “help the nerves” and it showed!!
What a start!!!
Well Karen and I got married and I was accepted, I came to call my wife’s relatives as “Aunty Marg” and “Uncle Derrick”
and I came to love them both. They took an active part in all of my children’s education and the future career’s of all, with
the eldest subsequently playing a major role in the Ministry of Defence.
Over the years Uncle Derrick and I came to talk extensively and we started to realise that there was so much in common, I
had served over 20 years with the Air Training Corps and I held and can use the rank of Flight Lieutenant. The Royal Air
Force was a common bond between us both. Derrick knew that his father had received the Military Medal which had been
lost, however, we succeeded in retrieving his father’s medals from auction less than twelve months before his death, I witnessed him kissing their return.
So what has this to do with the Berlin Airlift Association? Over the period of thirty years we talked, discussed and conversed about the earlier life of Uncle Derrick in the Airlift and his first arrival at Berlin Tegel when it was a green field. We
talked about his friends in particular a certain Geoff Smith who he had worked with extensively and served with at RAF
Gatow in Berlin and we set about finding out about the remaining personnel and the story of those involved with a major
part of his life.
During the months and years that followed, I took Derrick to various events that were associated with the Berlin Airlift,
Newark, RAF Cosford and ultimately RAF Fairford.
Derrick and I went to RAF Fairford with the express action of going to our newly discovered organisation, The BBAA and
Derrick had in mind who he wanted to meet…. Mr Geoffrey Smith. The meeting was electric and I know that Derrick was
ecstatic with the meeting and subsequently joined the Association, wearing his tie and Blazer with pride. This was the first
time I was introduced as Derricks “nephew” an honour that was repeated regularly and it is one that to me is higher than
any that could be placed on me by any authority and was my introduction till Derrick died. This will never leave me and I
will hold this till I die.
So what do you ask, has this to do with all of you? I would ask you all to remember that although we in the present and the
future, who were not there, we never served, we did not endure and we did not toil as you did, and do not know, we must
realise that…………through innovation, through hard work, through knowledge, through communication and through education, your endeavours overturned adversity and obstruction to ensure that the people of Berlin and the ideology of the
free world survived.
I thank GOD and all of you, that you prevailed.
This was the lesson I was taught and I know that Uncle Derrick was proud of what he accomplished and his involvement
with the Royal Air Force and the Berlin Airlift.
Thank You All and especially Uncle Derrick
Flt Lt Peter Summers CMISH MIIRSM RAFVR (T) Ret’d
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Page 12
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
A NEW BBAA BOOKLET
We have a new Booklet entitled AIRCRAFT & AIRBASES of THE BERLIN AIRLIFT 1948 - 1949.
With personal recollections by Air & Ground Personnel. It is A5 size and has a total of 62 pages and has been compiled over the past eighteen years by our late Chairman Sqn Ldr Frank Stillwell & current Chairman Geoff Smith from
the time the BBAA was first formed in 1995. It includes stories and also photographs supplied by many members of the
BBAA, some of whom however, sadly are no longer with us. The booklet is available from - Geoff Smith, 12 Tyesdale
Court, Bretton, Peterborough PE3 9XZ. The cost is £7.00 each including postage
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THE NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM
The Arboretum recently welcomed its millionth visitor and two years ago on the 17th May 2011 celebrated the 10th
year since it was first opened by the Duchess of Kent in 2001. Following the opening of the Armed Forces Memorial by
HM The Queen in October 2007 the visitor numbers have increased dramatically from around 20,000 to now 300,000
per annum and the NMA is now fully managed by the Royal British Legion. The increase in numbers has caused the
Arboretum to plan for the future by submitting a scheme to redevelop the car park and entrance area , enlarge the Restaurant, and create an “Armed Forces Pavilion & Heroes Square”. An appeal for donations to help fund the new concept was launched this year by HRH Prince William, who is now the Duke of Cambridge. The appeal is going very
well with donations & pledges being received from trusts, companies and also many of the Royal British Legion
branches. If you wish to make a donation it can be made through the Arboretum’s website www.thenma.org.uk
A cheque can be sent to the NMA Appeal Office, 1 Fitzgerald Road, London SW14 8HA.
Cheques should be made payable to the NMA Appeal.
The Armed Forces Memorial now carries the names of over 16,000 Service men & women who have lost their lives
since 1948, including some of those who were lost during the Berlin Airlift in 1948-1949.
CUSTOMER SERVICE VOLUNTEERS,
With the present ongoing conflict in Afghanistan more names are being added all too frequently.
The Arboretum are looking for new volunteers to join their present team of volunteers. The new recruits will join an
award winning team of over 180 volunteers.
They are a vital part of the Arboretum; contributing both time and energy to ensuring visitors have a memorable experience, and helping the site to flourish and grow for the benefit of future generations.
Reflecting the broad cross-section of the UK population it serves, the Arboretum will be particularly welcoming of applications from people in currently under-represented groups, including those with a disability or
from diverse cultural backgrounds.
Customer service volunteers get involved in all aspects of meeting and greeting visitors, leading guided tours
of the Arboretum and providing information to visitors. Successful applicants will receive training and advice
from both senior volunteers and external bodies and the chance to work alongside an experienced volunteer
mentor. Volunteering opportunities are also available in other areas of the Arboretum, including the education, retail, catering and grounds departments. There are also limited weekend places for Duke of Edinburgh
students who are working towards their silver or gold award.
People decide to get involved in volunteering at the Arboretum for a variety of reasons but all find it a rewarding and inspiring experience. Sharon Mee, daughter of a Jamaican immigrant, has been volunteering there for
three years:
“Talking to my father about the hardships he endured when he first came to the UK caused me to reflect on
my life here and how my parents worked so hard to ensure that my brothers and I integrated and adopted the
freedom and lifestyle it offered us, she said. “Having visited the National Memorial Arboretum a few times, I
felt I wanted to give something back in gratitude for the lifestyle I am able to enjoy. I now volunteer every
other Sunday and the Arboretum has given me so much passion and energy - I am proud to be a part of what it
stands for - and that, for me, is freedom”.
Managing director of the National Memorial Arboretum, Sarah Montgomery, said: “We are very proud of our
dedicated team of volunteers whose contribution to Arboretum is of paramount importance. We look forward
to welcoming new volunteers to the team in 2014 in order to strengthen our visitor offering even more.”
For further information or an application form, email Kim Riley, Volunteers & Training Co-ordinator:
kriley@thenma.org.uk or call 01283 792333
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Page 11
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
RAF GATOW: A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE BRITISH AIRLIFT AIRBASE.
Luftwaffe use, 1934-1945. The airfield was originally constructed in 1934 and 1935 by the Luftwaffe as a staff and
technical college, Luftkriegsschule Berlin-Gatow, in imitation of the Royal Air Force College at RAF Cranwell.
The initial personnel came partially from the naval officer college in Mürwick. Opened on 1 April 1936, the air force
college was renamed Luftkriegsschule 2 on 15 January 1940.
Its satellite airfields were Güterfelde and Reinsdorf. Airborne flying training ended in October 1944, due to fuel shortages. From 5 March 1945, aircrew officer cadets were retrained for ground operations and had very high casualties.
Clues to the airfield's original use survive in the barrack block accommodation and each block was named after a
famous German airman of the First World War, with the airman's bust above the entrance door. The architect was Ernst
Sagebiel, an architect who worked full-time for the Luftwaffe and also designed Berlin Tempelhof Airport.
Other surviving features during the entire period of the airfield's use as RAF Gatow (1945 - 1994) included the light
bulbs in the main hangars, many of which dated from the 1930s.
UK Royal Air Force and Army Air Corps use 1945-1948.
Late April 1945, towards the end of World War II in Europe, the airfield was occupied by the advancing Red Army.
Following the division of Berlin into four sectors, Soviet forces relinquished part of the airfield and access roads, the so
-called Seeburger Zipfel to the British after the Potsdam Conference in exchange for West-Staaken on 30 August 1945.
On 25 June 1945, 284 Field Squadron, RAF Regiment, arrived at Gatow by land via Magdeburg. Their reception by
Soviet troops was extremely hostile, the Soviets attempting to confine 284 Field Squadron behind barbed wire fences, as
the Squadron was said to have arrived "too early".
This set the pattern for future relations, with Soviet checkpoints being set up beside the airfield manned by fully armed
and unfriendly troops. RAF Regiment officers occasionally surveyed Soviet positions by air from Avro Ansons, and the
tour of duty of RAF Regiment detachments at Gatow was limited to six months, because of the constant activity occasioned by the Soviet presence and the Berlin Airlift. U.S. Army Generals Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lucius D. Clay
were at RAF Gatow during the Potsdam Conference in 1945
The first landing by a Royal Air Force aircraft was by Avro Anson serial number PW698 on 2 July 1945 at 11.55 hours.
Initially, Gatow was called Intermediate Landing Place No. 19, but on 19 August 1945 was renamed Royal Air Force
Station Gatow, or RAF Gatow for short. The Station was given the Latin motto “Pons Heri Pons Hodie”, which may be
translated as “A bridge yesterday, a bridge today”.
RAF Gatow was also used as a civilian airport for a limited time. In 1946, British European Airways (BEA) inaugurated
an RAF Northolt – Hamburg – Gatow scheduled service at a frequency of six flights a week, using Douglas DC-3
("Pionair" in BEA terminology) and Vickers Viking piston-engined aircraft.
Berlin Airlift, 1948-1949
During the Berlin Airlift, the Station was modernised with a 2,000 yards (1,800 m) long concrete runway, built using
794 German workers, in March 1947. This was alongside the temporary PSP shorter runway, which was badly damaged
during the Airlift when a U.S. Air Force Strato-freighter aircraft burst it’s tyres making an emergency landing causing
the runway to be replaced by a 2nd 2,000 yards long concrete runway. Along with the American airfield of Tempelhof
and the French airfield of Tegel, built in 1948, RAF Gatow played a key role in the Berlin airlift of 1948. Initially, about
150 Douglas Dakotas and 40 Avro Yorks were used to fly supplies into Gatow. By 18 July 1948, the RAF was flying
995 tons of supplies per day into the airfield.
Alongside the Royal Air Force and various British civil aviation companies and the United States Air Force, aircrews
were supplied by the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF), the Royal New Zealand Air Force (RNZAF) and the South
African Air Force flying supplies into RAF Gatow during the Airlift using Royal Air Force aircraft .
On 20 June 1980, the Royal Australian Air Force presented a Douglas Dakota to RAF Gatow in commemoration of its
role in the Airlift. Its aircrew included Air Marshal David Evans, an Australian airlift veteran. As only British, French
and American aircraft were allowed under international law to fly inside the Allied Air Corridors, the Dakota received
the RAF serial number ZD215. The Dakota is still at Gatow, inside the Luftbrucken Air Museum..
After the Berlin Blockade, RAF Gatow served as an airfield for the British Army's Berlin Infantry Brigade, and it was
always ready to revert to its role as a supply base, if another Berlin Airlift to West Berlin ever became necessary.
BEA moved to Tempelhof Airport in 1951, where most of West Berlin's commercial air transport operations were now
concentrated from then on. Gatow's non-military use after 1950 included several official visits by Queen Elizabeth and
members of the British Royal Family, which frequently took place over the years. The airport also handled trooping
flights operated by British independent airlines such as British United Airways, Britannia Airways and Autair/Court
Line under contract to the MoD. The RAF Gatow Station Flight used two De Havilland Chipmunk T10s, one of which
is now in the Alliiertenmuseum, to maintain and exercise the British legal right under the Potsdam Agreement to use the
airspace over both West and East Berlin, as well as the air corridors to and from West Germany to the city. Following
the reunification of Germany, the British ceded control of Gatow Airport on 18 June 1994, and it was handed back to
the German Air Force on the 7th September 1994.
Continued on Page 12.
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Page 12
BRITISH BERLIN AIRLIFT ASSOCIATION
RAF Gatow - Continued from page 11.
The closest military neighbour to RAF Gatow was a tank unit of the National People's Army (NVA) of East Germany.
This was located immediately opposite the airfield, behind the section of the Berlin Wall which ran along the western
side of the airfield, and was clearly visible from RAF Gatow's control tower. The Berlin Wall section opposite Gatow
was not in fact a wall, but a wire fence. East Germany claimed that this was a "military courtesy", but nobody at RAF
Gatow believed this, thinking that it was instead intended to make a military invasion easier.
On 15 July 1987, a young East German, Thomas Krüger, defected from East Berlin by flying a Zlin Z-42M light aircraft
of the Gesellschaft für Sport und Technik (GST – an East German paramilitary training organisation) to RAF Gatow
from Schönhagen near Trebbin, in the Teltow-Fläming district of Brandenburg. His first words to the RAF Police were a
request for political asylum. He was handed over to the civil authorities and received West German citizenship.
RAF Gatow was from 1970 also used by the UKs Army Air Corps, 7 Aviation Flight AAC, later renamed 7 Flight AAC
being based at the station initially flying four Westland Sioux (UK-built Bell 47) and later three Aérospatiale Gazelle AH
1 helicopters. A Signals Unit (26SU) was also based at RAF Gatow and on the Teufelsberg in the Grunewald. 26SU was
a specialist Signals Intelligence unit operated by the RAF on behalf of GCHQ at Cheltenham tasked with monitoring
Warsaw Pact military communications.
RAF Handley Page Hastings:
In November 1948, the latest RAF transport aircraft, the Handley Page Hastings, was added to the squadrons
flying into RAF Gatow and some aircrews and aircraft were redeployed to train replacement aircrews. Many of these
were based at RAF Schleswigland, near Jagel, which is currently used by the German Air Force and the Marineflieger.
A Hastings aircraft, which served on the airlift and was later RAF Gatow's 'gate guardian' until the station's closure and is
now preserved in the Alliierten Museum. By mid-December, the RAF had landed 100,000 tons of supplies. In April
1949, commercial airline companies involved in the airlift were formed into a Civil Airlift Division (co-ordinated by
British European Airways) to operate under RAF control. Apart from BEA itself, these included a number of Britain's
fledgling independent airlines as well, such as the late Sir Freddie Laker's Air Charter, Harold Bamberg's Eagle Aviation
and Skyways. By mid-April, the combined airlift of all nations operations managed to make 1,398 flights in 24 hours,
carrying 12,940 tons (13,160 t) of goods, coal and machinery, beating their record of 8,246 (8,385 t) set only days earlier.
RAF Gatow has the unique and unlikely distinction of being the base for the only known operational use of flying boats
in central Europe, during the Berlin Blockade, on the nearby Großer Wannsee in the Havel river. On 6 July 1948, the
RAF began using 10 Short Sunderland and 2 Short Hythe flying boats, flying from Finkenwerder on the Elbe near
Hamburg to Berlin. These were supplemented by the flying boat operations of Aquila Airways, an early post-war British
independent airline that became an operating division of British Aviation Services. The flying boats specialty was
transporting bulk salt, which would have been very corrosive to other aircraft, but was not as corrosive to the flying boats
because of their anodised skins.
The novel Air Bridge by Hammond Innes is partially set in RAF Gatow at the time of the Berlin Airlift, and is notable
for its accurate descriptions of the Station, including corridors and rooms within it. Some of the descriptions were still
accurate some 40 years after the book's publication.
To commemorate Australian participation in the Airlift, the Royal Australian Air Force presented RAF Gatow with a
retired Douglas Dakota in the 1980s, to use as a gate guardian. The aircraft was flown into Berlin with RAF markings to
comply with the four power agreement and took part in the upcoming air day. The aircraft was then handed over to RAF
personnel who then inhibited (mothballed) the still serviceable engines. The Luftwaffenmuseum der Bundeswehr now
preserves this aircraft on the airfield.
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Members are reminded once again that subscriptions are due on the 1st January each year.
The Annual Rate is £15.00, wherever situated. Cheques should be made payable to the BBAA and sent to:The BBAA Treasurer, Mrs Janet Howard, 80 Park Street, King’s Cliffe, Peterborough PE8 6XN
However, if you wish to pay by Bankers Order, the details are as shown on page 2 of this newsletter:Payable to: British Berlin Airlift Association.
Bank:- Lloyds/TSB PLC, Maidenhead. Account No. 1223532 Sort Code: 30-95-36
Note! Would you please remember to amend your existing standing order if it is still paying the
earlier subscription amount of ten pounds.
A small number of members are still having to send a separate amount of five pounds to the Treasurer
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Photographs
We would like to thank the following for supplying photographs for this issue of the newsletter:
Colin Cottle - Geoff Smith
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Note! The views and opinions expressed by contributors within this newsletter are not necessarily those of either the
Editor or the British Berlin Airlift Association.
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