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51 Sqn RAF Regiment ( 30 Aug 2007)
Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge
SAC Christopher Bridge, aged 20, from Sheffield joined the Royal
Air Force on 12 June 2005. After successful completion of his
Trainee Gunner Course, undertaken at RAF Honington, he was
posted to 51 Squadron RAF Regiment at RAF Lossiemouth on 18
November 2005. During his time on the Squadron he served in
Southern Iraq between January and June 2006 providing Force
Protection for Basra International Airport.
More recently, SAC Bridge had been deployed on Operation HERRICK
providing Force Protection for Kandahar Airfield since April
2007. His role took him into the local community to deliver
enhanced security, not only for the Airfield but also for the
Afghan population. At the time of his death he was providing
security for his colleagues as a top cover sentry for a mobile
patrol.
SAC Bridge was an extremely popular and professional Gunner. He
was relatively junior in rank; however, he was immensely
dependable and hard working. His infectious sense of humour made
him stand out amongst other Squadron personnel and he could be
relied upon to raise a smile in adversity.
Squadron Leader Tony Brown, Officer Commanding 51 Squadron
RAF Regiment, said:
"Senior Aircraftman Chris Bridge was a very competent Gunner,
unassumingly professional and with a promising career ahead.
Following operational service in Iraq, Chris had consolidated
his position on the Squadron as a capable and enthusiastic
Gunner whose likeable personality and witty sense of humour made
him engaging to serve with. Passionate about travel, he had
clearly made his mark on the Squadron and will be sorely
missed."
Flying Officer Matt Jupp, Officer Commanding C Flight, 51
Squadron RAF Regiment, said:
"Chris Bridge was a very well liked, motivated and hard working
member of the Flight. A once quiet young man he grew into an
adventurous, charismatic and intelligent Gunner. He was a high
calibre member of the Royal Air Force Regiment and a generally
good bloke. I will miss him."
Sergeant 'Oz' Bailey Senior Non Commissioned Officer, C
Flight, 51 Squadron RAF Regiment, said:
"Chris Bridge was a member of C Flight for the best part of 18
months. He was a quiet and confident young man and well liked by
all on the Flight. His one outstanding trait was his dry sense
of humour, which always had us in fits. Never one to complain he
worked hard for everyone. He will be missed by me personally and
the rest of the gunners on C Flight."
Senior Aircraftman 'Parky' Parkhouse, C Flight, 51 Squadron
RAF Regiment said:
"He was a good mate and when we worked together, Chris was
nothing less than totally proficient and hard working. He was
liked amongst the whole Flight and Squadron. He will be missed
so much by everyone and forever in our thoughts."
Senior Aircraftman 'Burky' Burke, C Flight, 51 Squadron RAF
Regiment said:
"Chris was a top lad and liked by everybody. He was always happy
in a quiet way. Very well known throughout the Squadron for his
dry sense of humour. Chris was on C Flight as a specialist
machine gunner and will be missed and remembered forever. He
will always be with us in our hearts."
Ms Nicolette Williams, mother of Christopher Bridge, said:
"Christopher was my pride and joy; everybody is heartbroken who
knew him. He touched so many lives. He died courageously serving
his country and Queen and we are all very proud of him."
Defence Secretary Des Browne said:
"Senior Aircraftman Christopher Bridge was held in very high
regard by his comrades and officers. His death is a tragic loss
which is being felt by all who knew him. My thoughts and prayers
are with his family, friends and comrades at this most difficult
of times."
II Sqn RAF Regt 85th anniversary
22 June 07
II Sqn RAF Regt celebrated a landmark anniversary in
typically unglamorous military style yesterday - by completing
an exhausting summer day's march with loaded rucksacks.
More than 70 past and present members of the RAF Regiment's II
Squadron took to the country roads around RAF Honington, near
Bury St Edmunds, to mark the 85th birthday.
The airmen, who recently returned from a six-month deployment in
Afghanistan, warmed up for yesterday's festivities by completing
the 10-mile “tab” - a forced battle march - with a 40lb rucksack
on their backs.
The squadron members were then joined by more than 200 II
Squadron veterans and their families for an afternoon of fun and
games before ending the birthday celebrations with an evening
hangar party.
Warrant Officer Mike O'Hara, of II Squadron RAF Regiment, said
the 10-mile tab was “hard graft”, but “fitting” for the 85th
anniversary because it was a march that every airman and woman
had to complete before joining the historic squadron.
“Every year we celebrate the anniversary of the squadron
wherever we are in the world, but every fifth year we celebrate
in style. We have just had a successful tour protecting forces
at Kandahar Airbase and we are set to be deployed to Basra in
February for the fourth time since 2003. In terms of the RAF and
RAF Regiment, we set benchmarks for people to follow,” he said.
The squadron has been protecting airbases and military forces
since it was formed as the II Armoured Car Company in 1922 in
the Middle East. It moved to RAF Honington with the rest of the
RAF Regiment in 1994 and has since served in Yugoslavia, Albani a,
Kuwait, Kosovo, and Sierra Leone.
Former armoured car driver Geoff Plester , who served with II
Squadron in Iraq in the 1950s, said yesterday: “We thought the
squadron would wind up as it went on, but it has got stronger.
When you leave the RAF and get a job and family, you forget
about it, but over time you realise what a brilliant squadron it
is. Its history is fantastic.”
Source eadt24
RAF Regt :
KANDAHAR , Afghanistan
This
week, eight Royal Air Force Regiment service members were
awarded U.S. Army medals in recognition of their excellent
service while working to safeguard the International Security
Assistance Force’s main operating base in the South, Kandahar
Airfield.
British Wing Commander Andy Knowles, Squadron Leaders Steve
Carter and Matt Stowers and Warrant Officer Mike O’Hara received
Army Commendation Medals. Flight Lieutenant Mark Folley, Flight
Sergeant Andy Smith and Sergeant Carl Nunn received Army
Achievement Medals. All members are part of the Kandahar
Airfield Force Protection Team.
“These fine soldiers demonstrated exemplary dedication and
commitment to the protection of Kandahar Airfield and upheld the
highest ideals of military service,” said Army Col. Richard
Stephen Williams, Commander, 207th Infantry Brigade and U.S.
National Command Element South. “Their service is a credit
to themselves, the 207th Infantry Brigade and the Royal Air
Force Regiment.”
The Kandahar Airfield Force Protection Team is composed of
soldiers from Romania, Canada, the U.S., United Kingdom,
Netherlands and Denmark. The team was responsible for
substantially increasing security around NATO’s Kandahar
Airfield; the largest operating base in the South as well as
conducting numerous village outreach projects in the surrounding
area which benefit the neighboring local population areas.
Tigercats
to Central America Book Research
Rowland White
is currently researching a book about a fairly
obscure episode in January 1972 when it was thought that
Guatemala was on the verge of invading British Honduras. Troops
were flown in, HMS Ark Royal was diverted, and an RAF Regiment
Tigercat squadron was flown in to defend the airfield. It was,
he believes, the only Tigercat squadron in the RAF Regiment at
the time.
He knows that there were many subsequent RAF Regiment
deployments to BH/Belize over the years that followed, but my
particular interest is in that emerging crisis and the urgent
efforts to get those Tigercats to Central America.
if you are ex-RAF Regiment personnel who remembered the episode
- especially those who actually deployed with the missiles in
the last week of January 1972 - Rowland hope is
that he will be able to track one or two people down who he can
then interview for the book, because, at the moment, having
spoken to RAF Canberra pilots, Grenadier Guards, Fleet Air Arm
aircrew and even the ex-Governor of the colony, the RAF
Regiment's contribution feels like the missing part of the
jigsaw
If you can help please contact me and ill pass on the
information
Back to News Page one
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II
Sqn RAF Regiment
06 March 2007
Attacks on a military air base critical to the NATO operation
Afghanistan have fallen dramatically after personnel from East
Anglia were drafted in to beef up protection.
Kandahar Air Base suffered sustained rocket attacks virtually on
a nightly basis from the Taliban until troops from 2 Squadron of
the RAF Regiment from Honington and 3 Force Protection (FP) Wing
from Marham moved in during the middle of last year.
Wing Commander Andy Knowles, who commands 3FP Wing, said: “Since
June 2006, the airbase has suffered no casualties and no
significant damage. And last week a number of very senior
Taliban leaders were captured by my men.”
But his troops do much more than merely guard the perimeter
wire: in the past the base has regularly been targeted by
mortars and rockets which can be fired from over five miles away
so the FP Wing aims to “sanitise” the area around the outside of
the huge air base, which hosts 12,000 personnel from UK, Canada,
USA, Netherlands, Estonia, Denmark and Romania.
In total, Wing Cdr Knowles maintains the security of an area of
some 400 square kilometres with about 700 troops under his
command.
“The Force Protection operation at Kandahar is probably the
biggest and most sophisticated of any air base in the world,” he
said.
The base is a key air hub for NATO with RAF Harriers, Hercules
and Chinooks operating from it as well as US fast jets,
helicopters and supply planes.
When the RAF Regiment arrived last May it was usual for the base
to come under rocket attack two or three times every night. Once
the Squadron arrived and started to patrol outside the wire, the
number of rocket attacks dropped to two or three per week and
has now fallen to a couple each month.
The troops also interact with local villagers and were involved
in a Civil Military Co-operation project building six wells and
a 'karez' deep-trench irrigation scheme for the village of
Kalantar Kalay, about four miles from the airfield.
Honington's 2 Squadron has been accompanied to Kandahar by 16
members of 2620 Squadron of Royal Auxiliary Air Force Regiment
based at Marham.
Senior Aircraftsman Stuart Goodwin, 37, from Norwich, who has
been an auxiliary for eight years, said: “I was called up during
the first Iraq war and our squadron went to Kuwait but there, we
only operated inside the wire. This is very different - we are
working outside the wire which has its dangers but we're well
trained and well prepared to take on anything that happens.”
Squadron Leader Steve Carter, 40, from Wisbech, is
second-in-command of 3FP Wing after 19 years in the RAF
Regiment. “Seeing the work that we've done here, it makes me
proud to be a member of the RAF Regiment,” he said.
Flight Lieutenant Matthew Carter – Royal Air Force Regiment –
Military Cross
"On 4 June 2006, Flight Lieutenant Matthew Carter of the Royal
Air Force Regiment was deployed with 16 Assault Brigade on an
operation against a suspected Taliban compound outside the town
of Now Zad in Helmand Province. During the first of three
contacts, he coordinated and directed close and accurate Attack
Helicopter fire support with devastating results for Taliban
ground troops. During the last contact, he left his vehicle
fearlessly exposing himself to significant risk as he forced his
way to the front of the fire-fight to join the forward troops.
This enabled him to direct aerial cannon fire against a
determined enemy 30 metres in front of him. This risk was
essential given the ferocious weight of the incoming fire from
the Taliban.
"His direction of these engagements proved critical, destroying
the enemy location completely on one occasion. He remained with
the lead dismounted elements of Patrols Platoon and took part in
the immediate compound clearance. During this time Carter
repeatedly exposed himself to a significant chance of being
killed and, because of this gallant behaviour in supporting his
unit he enabled the Patrols Platoon to regain the initiative.
"On 14 July Carter participated in a Battle Group operation
to capture or kill a high value Taliban leader. During the
insertion to the helicopter landing site the first wave of
Chinook helicopters were heavily engaged by Taliban machine gun
and RPG fire causing the aircraft to lift off again, after only
20 seconds on the ground. Fearing being left behind on the
aircraft, Carter jumped some 15 feet from the tail ramp into the
darkness, realising the vital role he had to play in calling in
air support to suppress the enemy. Immediately he got into the
cover of a nearby ditch and called in an aircraft to destroy the
principal threat of an enemy machine gun. He controlled the
aircraft's heavy attacks, which were close to his own location
and destroyed the Taliban position only a few metres away. This
significant and gallant contribution by Flight Lieutenant Carter
proved to be decisive by allowing the remaining aircraft to land
the rest of the Battle Group to complete the mission
successfully. For this act of selfless bravery he is awarded the
Military Cross."
Baghdad: THE usual number of UK special forces in Baghdad is
close to 400 men: a single 60-man SAS “sabre” squadron; a
company of paratroopers, Royal Marine commandos and RAF Regiment
from the Special Forces Support Group; a squadron from the
Special Reconnaissance Regiment; and a squadron of radio
monitoring experts from 18 (UKSF) Signal Regiment. They also
have specialist signallers from 264 (SAS) Signal Squadron,
specially fitted-out RAF Chinook helicopters from 7 Squadron and
C-130 Hercules transport aircraft from 47 Squadron.
1 Sqn RAF Regiment
A promising Suffolk-based RAF gunner, who was killed in a fierce
battle against Iraqi insurgents, was set to get married on his
return home next month.
 Tributes
were yesterday paid to Leading Aircraftman Martin Beard, of 1
Squadron RAF Regiment, based at Honington, near Thetford, who
died after a small arms fire attack in Basra on Tuesday night.
The 20-year-old, from Rainworth, near Mansfield, in
Nottinghamshire, was taking part in a routine foot patrol at
8.30pm local time, near Basra Air Station, when his patrol came
under fire.
The MoD yesterday confirmed that the serviceman suffered a
gunshot wound while in the Al Waki district of the Iraqi city
and was evacuated by helicopter, but died later at a field
hospital.
LAC Beard, who had just turned 20 and was nicknamed 'Beardy',
had been a member of 1 Squadron RAF Regiment for just under a
year after graduating from basic training at RAF Honington with
flying colours.
His commanding officer, Squadron Leader Jason Sutton, said the
young gunner was a "strong, fit, exceptionally gifted
infantryman", who had a "bright future" and was due to marry his
fiancée Nic on his return from Iraq in September.
"Though he was with us for less than a year, he had made his
mark and on this most demanding of operations his were the
qualities - loyalty, courage, dependability - that make success
in our mission possible. In Martin the RAF Regiment has lost one
of its most promising young men who will be terribly missed by
us all.
"As we grieve for him, we here in Iraq can draw some comfort
that he fell, weapon in hand, fighting for and alongside his
comrades, doing the job he loved so much. For all of us, there
can be no greater inspiration to continue to do our duty with
renewed determination and fighting spirit, to live up to his
legacy and our regimental motto: Per Ardua - Through Adversity,"
he said.
The latest fatality comes three weeks after two 1 Squadron RAF
Regiment Senior Aircraftmen Matthew Caulwell, 22, from
Birmingham, and Peter McFerran, 24, from North Wales, were
killed in a rocket attack at Basra Airbase on July 19. A third
SAC, Christopher Dunsmore, from 504 Squadron Royal Auxiliary Air
Force, based at RAF Cottesmore, in the Midlands, who had been
attached to 1 Squadron since August, was also killed instantly.
The squadron is due to return to its Suffolk home base on
September 1.
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