RAF Regiment - Veterans pages pictures from pre 1980

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The RAF Regiment From WWII to the Present Day

These pages are dedicated to all those ex RAF Regiment, Armoured Car Sqn personnel who have kindly donated their stories and photographs
There is also some personnel pictures from Ron Fairweather on the Armoured Car Sqns Pages

Jim Rudd with the 2 ACS insignia

(Picture from Ted Bishop)

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Many Thanks to Paul Lewis for these pictures of C C Organ ex Sqn Ldr 26 Sqn RAF Regt

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26 Sqn Presentation of the Standard 28th Nov 1979 RAF Laarbruch with the reception at the LL Club

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24th Jan 1957 no further details

Thanks Ted Marston for these pictures Ted was with 1 Squadron when it was formed at El Adem, Libya. His flight Commander at the time was a P/O Witherow, who later ended up as Air Commodore
Witherow (RAF Regiment) taken 1959

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The Squadron also helped to recover some WW2 bodies from a crashed South African bomber in the desert, Ted was also involved in a lot of mine clearing with a view to BP/Shell prospecting for oil, also were involved in the Suez Crisis in 56

Tony Haynes RAF Regiment 1961 - 68

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HQ 38 Group, Odiham, 48 Field Sqn, Catterick 26 LAA Sqn, Singapore 26 LAA Sqn Bicester.

I jumped (parachuted) out of Hastings, Argosy and Beverley aircraft for three years. Dug trenches on the North Yorkshire moors in mid-winter with most of the squadron getting frost bite on the face. Sweat it out in Libya, down in the sand sea. Spent nights upcountry in Malaya, soaking wet and sometimes lost, well only for 24 hours until Sarge got his bearing right. Stood for 6 hours in front of St. Paul's, part of the honour guard for Churchill's funeral.

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1: Weston-on-the-Green, Beverley drop. Clean drill, 1200 ft. Alternate sticks. Date: 23-7-1962.

2: Observation Post 74 Charlie. Tampinis Cross Roads, Singapore. 1965/67. As OP Commander, my home from home. A helicopter crate turned upside down. Tar paper roof with all the trimmings. A long three years for me and the following: Sanderson, MaCaffery and Stevenson my oppos.

3: JNCO Course, Catterick 1962. Tony on Far Right

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1: "FAREWELL PARADE"

1: Singapore, Jan. 1967. Group Capt. J.E.P. Thompson the Station Commander of RAF Changi, inspects a farewell parade of No. 26 LAA Squadron which is returning to Britain this month.

At the height of the confrontation, the Squadron was responsible with the Royal Artillery, for manning gun positions around the Changi base to cope with any low level attack on the airfield. The Squadron has been at Changi for three years the longest continuous deployment of an RAF Regiment unit since World War II. The Squadron has also served in Iraq, Jordan, and Cyprus.

(That's me front right - right marker)

2: C&R Flight, 26 LAA Sqn. RAF Changi, Singapore. 1966

Bottom row center FO Gilsennan (Pronto) Facing picture.....bottom row, extreme right me, Cpl Tony Haynes. To my left Cpl. Harry Sayers. Left of Gilsennan, Cpl. George Fisher (Fishwick). To the left of Fisher, Cpl. Bob Tanner. Right of Gilsemman Sgt Les. Manning. A great bunch of guys. The photograph was taken outside "Pop's Canteen" A place where the drink of the period was called "Tops", bottled "Tiger" with a dash of lime juice poured carefully on the top. Slurp! I can taste it now.

3: "On the alert" Observation post. 26 Laa Sqn. RAF Changi. Singapore 1966

RAF Wilmslow Ground Combat Training Section May 1956. Photo sent in by George Anderson who is in middle row fourth from right.

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Samuel Holt (With thanks to Michael F Dixon for the following information)

Samuel Holt served with the RAF from July 1941. After basic training at Padgate near Warrington, he was transferred to Perdiswell near Worcester where he joined 790 Squadron. It was while serving at Perdiswell that the RAF Regiment was formed, and ‘Sammy’ served with the Regiment (initially 2790 Sqdn) until his demob at Hednesford in July 1946.

A group photograph taken outside Perdiswell Hall (1942)

He was an AA gunner involved in airfield defence and served at over 20 airfields in England before transferring to Belgium, France, Holland and Germany following D-Day and the advance through western Germany.

The airfields include Padgate, Worcester, Digby, Filey, Upottery (2896 Sqdn), Honiton, Feltwell, St Athens- Llantwit Major, Felixstowe, Folkstone, Poole, Weymouth, Swanage, Bagington, near Coventry (Unit 4135 AA Flight),Fairwood Common- Swansea, Cardiff, Davidstow- Cornwall, Penclawdd- Swansea, Hednesford (2878 Sqdn), Cranwell, Redruth, Truro, Boscombe, Locking- Weston-super-Mare, Clyst Honiton- Devon, Biggin Hill and Warmwell-Dorset, in England; Ghent in Belgium; Lille in France; Eindhoven in Holland; Bückeburg, Hameln, Hannover and Oldenberg in Germany.

LAC Samuel Holt (left) with his friend Frank Terry from Barsby in Leicestershire taken in 1943;

photograph taken in the former German canteen in Eindhoven following liberation where RAF personnel mingle with the local girls ! (1944)

He was at Hannover when the armistice was declared but was to remain in Germany for a further year.

Pictures from Ted (Taffy) Bishop ex 2 (Armoured Car) Squadron 1951

No 2 Armoured Car Company incorporated into the RAF Regt and re-numbered 2702 Squadron 3rd October 1946 in Palestine. Re-Numbered 2 ( Armoured Car) Squadron 25th February 1947 at Ramleh (Palestine).

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1: 2:

1: Jim, UK, Jock and Taff Lewis 2: 2Flt 2ACS

Ted Bishop

2 Armoured Car Squadron was going strong when I left it in 1951 at RAF Habbanyia Iraq, I remember painting the registration plates from two numbers, two letters, two numbers to RAF and numbers apart from the usual messing around in the dessert, We did a parade along with the Army and the Navy in Kuwait when we were showing the flag after the death of the ruler,

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A lot of happy times on here, Kuwait was a dodle, the food we had there and waited on at table, wonderful experience...Ted

In Kuwait

Pictures From Dennis Sibson, Im waiting for further information on these Pictures and ill update as soon as possible, I have tried to restore the pictures and remove scratches as much as possible.

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The RAF Regiment.net web © site and The RAF Regiment from 1984 © Web site have been created by Glen Beavis, both sites contain pictures and information gathered from many sources, including my own personal knowledge.

Where possible I have given credit to the originators of the information, if I have infringed any copyright laws then please contact me