Fly past for 500 on parade in Torquay
THE distinctive sound of Rolls Royce Merlin engines filled the skies over Torquay as a 500-strong parade through the town prepared to get under way.
The Hurricane and Spitfire aircraft of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight carried out several fly overs as a prelude to 530 air cadets of Devon and Somerset Wing Air Training Corps parading through the town with a special royal guest.
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TAKING SALUTE: Officers and cadets from 200 (Torquay) Squadron march past the Duke of Gloucester. Inset: The original 1942 march past King George VI and Queen Elizabeth Steve Pope
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MARCH: Seven of the original cadets from the 1942 parade. From left, Max Embury, Jack Raymond, Gerald Frederick, Harry Travis, Tony Best, Edward Lee and Gordon Screech. Left: Fly past by a Spitfire and Hurricane of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight Steve Pope
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DRUMS: Former Torquay air cadet Harold Travis, who was a drummer in the 1942 parade, meets cadets, from left, Cpl Iona White, Sgt Ben Tanner and Cadet Warrant Officer James Tanner Guy Newman
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ON PARADE: Cadets parade for the Duke of Gloucester Andy Styles TQAS20120505G-010_C
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INSPECTION: The Duke of Gloucester and Wing Commander Brian Wills-Pope inspecting ATC standard bearers Steve Pope
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The Duke of Gloucester inspected the cadets and later took a salute from a garden in Beacon Hill where a memorial plaque marks a similar parade in front of King George VI and his wife Queen Elizabeth in 1942.
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That parade consisted of RAF airmen and the newly formed Air Training Corps.
The Duke and Lord Lieutenant of Devon, Mr Eric Dancer, and civic dignitaries attended a reception at the Royal Torbay Yacht Club where the Duke met original members of the parade and current members of staff from Devon and Somerset Wing ATC.
Among the ex-Torquay cadets present at the original parade were Edward Lee and Gordon Screech, now in their 80s.
They both joined the RAF from the Air Training Corps on reaching their 18th birthday.
Edward Lee joined the RAF as a wireless mechanic, then signaller and later to flying training.
He returned to Torquay in 1946 and became a stone mason.
Gordon Screech joined the RAF as a wireless operator serving in Italy and North Africa. He worked for the Herald Express for 50 years.
He said: "It brought back many memories, especially the sound of those engines. I didn't expect so many people to be in the parade.
"It was also an honour to be introduced to the Duke."
Comments
by Chunder123
Friday, May 11 2012, 4:42PM
“there's good having respect for world war 2 times people but i think now encouraging children into war which is what this is effcitly doing is not good. THere are american ex pilots who think what is happening in afghanistan is sickening and not tempting. We must discourage people from joining to fight this messed up war in afghanistan otherwise more and more people will be injured and die unnecesarily. It bothers me that nobody seems to care or is to blind to see. DOn't be violent.”
by nicold
Friday, May 11 2012, 3:41PM
“Why on earth would anyone be honoured to meeting this Duke? His only claim to fame is resigning as president of the Institute of Advanced Motorists, after being banned from driving for six months and fined for speeding in 2004, his fourth similar offence in three years. He potentially could have killed someone!”
by RocketRon_
Friday, May 11 2012, 2:30PM
“Ohhhhhh how boring.”
by ThisisSDevon
Friday, May 11 2012, 1:31PM
“Hi SeductiveSam,
Sorry if we didn't meet your expectations there, but this preview did appear last week
http://tinyurl.com/d9o5nvt
following on from this one
http://tinyurl.com/c279as2
and this gallery of pictures was published on Monday morning
http://tinyurl.com/c92kvyr”
by SeductiveSam
Friday, May 11 2012, 11:17AM
“Why do we never hear of these event until after they have taken place - come on HE, pull yourself together. Start reporting stories and advertising events in the Bay as and when they happen, not years later as appears to be the case here in this poorly written article which contains no hint of a day or time this took place, just some old photos. I can only establish the HE has done its cleaver trick of regurgitating a story from years ago. If this event was such a big thing, why is there not much of a story to it?”