7th/8th July saw my final duty as the Chairman of the RAFSC & TSW Association – the annual Reunion Dinner and AGM, which was held at MOD Stafford, courtesy of TSW. The events followed a now well-rehearsed format; Reunion Dinner on the Friday night followed by the AGM and TSW Families Day on the Saturday. Once again, the events were very well supported with 100 Association members attending the dinner but not quite so many at the AGM the following morning! With the transport and guardroom issues of the previous year a dim and distant memory, the assembled members were herded like lemmings to the steps of the WO and Sgt’s Mess for the customary pre-dinner photograph. Not a bad effort from Dave Perry considering the early evening sun was shining directly into our eyes!

As you will no doubt remember, last year we lost one of our elder statesmen in Des Spruce, a former RAF Servicing Commando and D-Day Veteran. Des had only been known to the Association for a short period, but during that time he made a huge impression. Those who attended the unveiling of the memorials at the National Memorial Arboretum will remember the moment that Des saw Alan MacQuillan for the first time since they were demobbed after the war. Des was heard to shout ‘MacQuillan, you old bugger’ across the Arboretum café! Des and Alan had joined the RAF Servicing Commandos on the same day, trained together, deployed to France as part of the D-Day invasion and then served in the Far East together. Having lost touch after leaving the RAF, this was a surprise meeting for them both! Following his death, Des left the Association a legacy in his will and this financial gift was matched by the Spruce family. We wanted to mark the contribution made by Des and the other Servicing Commandos, so we decided to commission a piece of Association Mess Silver as a permanent reminder that could be used at both Association and TSW functions. After much though, we agreed on a silver scale model of the memorial stones. The official photos were taken prior to the dinner of Mick and Bev Spruce presenting the piece of silver to the Association President, Vice-President and Chairman, with the silverware taking pride of place on the top table at the start of the dinner.

Mick and Bev Spruce presenting the silver replica of the Association Memorials to President,
Vice-President and Chairman
The dinner passed off with no major incidents apart from the usual barracking of the Top Table speeches (mostly by the committee members!). With dinner complete and the port flowing freely, CO TSW gave an operational update on TSW activities over the past 12 months and future challenges which was followed by the presentation of the annual TSW awards. The recipients were as follows:

Aviator of the Year Award
(Sponsored by David Packman)
Air Specialist 1 (AS1) Craig George

AS1 George being presented with his award by AVM Graham Howard

Alan Matthews Sword
(Sponsored by Alan Matthews in recognition of the JNCO of the Year)
Cpl Brynn Parry

Cpl Parry being presented with his award by the Alan Matthews

The Craven-Griffiths Cup
(In recognition of the Most Improved Individual)

Cpl Chris Wraight

Refueller of the Year Award

Cpl Chris Wraight

Best Shot Award

Cpl Nathaniel Webb

The Inferit Cup

Flt Lt Jan-Luke Taylor

The AGM on Saturday morning was held in TSW’s AV Suite / Conference Room due to another function in the Mess. After the actions from the previous minutes were discussed, Committee Member Reports were presented by the Treasurer and the Events, Membership and Welfare Secretaries with the remaining reports being summarised by the Chairman. Gp Capt Cromarty gave an update of the proposed purchase of an Association Standard, the details of which are summarised in the AGM Minutes. As this was my last AGM as Chairman, one of my last pieces of business was to propose Andy Waters as the new Chairman, which thankfully was carried unanimously! Full details of all the points covered in the AGM can be found in the AGM Minutes on the Association website.

The TSW Families Day started shortly after the AGM finished so members made their way over to the HLS where a visiting Royal Navy Merlin took centre stage. They were greeted to a sight similar to a small Olympic Village; tents, tee-pees, the Association marquee, TSW beer tent, the ‘Dunk Tank’ and some NATO green 12’ x12’s for added colour. As usual, the Association marquee was selling a wide range of merchandise from T-shirts, polo shirts, hoodies to mugs, flasks and commemorative coins. Business was brisk and sales for the afternoon reached over £1400, so thank you to everyone who made a purchase!

As I step back from the Committee into obscurity, my personal thanks go to the following people:

• CO TSW, the Wing WO and TSW personnel for supporting the Association’s activities.
• The Association Committee Members for their efforts leading up to and during the weekend and during the last 3 years.
• Alan MacQuillan and Stu Goss for their generous donations,
• All the Association members who attended the Dinner, AGM and Families Day, without which we could not run such events.

Chairman