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Welcome to the
FAA Buccaneer
Association web site
The
Association is open to all personnel who maintained, flew or
supported the Buccaneer aircraft during its service with the
Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy in the sixties and
seventies.
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LATEST NEWS
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More
pictures available from the 2010 Reunion
provided by Alex Muir and also some pictures
from the Weymouth Veterans Day held on
the 13th June (Donated at the Reunion). Details
of Cdr G. R. Higgs book "Frontline &
Experimental Flying with the Fleet Air Arm" on
the 'Books' page (Ex C Sqdn). |
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Culdrose Air Day 2010
Thrill Seekers – Step
Onboard!
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On Wednesday 28th July, we are opening our gates –
come and meet the Fleet Air Arm, the Royal Navy’s
flying force, at the 2010 Culdrose Air Day.
Air Day is the only day of the year when the public
can step into the world of Culdrose and experience
the sights, sounds and smells of a working military
Naval Air Station.
Famed for heroic rescues and with frontline
helicopter Squadrons supporting the Navy across the
globe, Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose is home to
almost 100 aircraft including Merlin helicopters,
Sea Kings and Hawk Jets.
You will be blown away by awesome flying displays,
be able to meet the heroic Aircrew who fly our
helicopters around the world, get up close to
state-of-the art aircraft and learn all about life
in the Royal Navy.
More information required on Aircraft etc click here |
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An Action Packed
Day – Whatever the weather!! |
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COVENTRY REUNION JUNE 2010 |
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800 Squadron Aircraft Maintainers from 1970 -
1972 aboard HMS Eagle attended the recent FAABA
10th Reunion
40 years later to catch up and have a drink
together (Click on images to see them full size)
1. Mario DeMarco, 2. Nigel Garbett, 3. Tony
Wiffin, 4. Chris Walsh, 5. Dave Morgan, 6. Gary
Perkins |
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More 800 Squadron Maintainers meet again
Alistair Gilbert and Allan (Jimmy) Green decided
to recreate their pose of sitting on the edge of
a Buccaneer cockpit previously carried out
during HMS Eagle's Far East Tour during 1967/68.
Thanks go to Guy Hulme who supplied a
Buccaneer at Bruntingthorpe on Saturday
afternoon 19th June for the two friends to
recreate the photo.
A
Health & Safety risk assessment found they were
too old to use the ladders without falling off
so we had a platform provided. |
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| COVENTRY 2010 DECLARED A
RESOUNDING SUCCESS |
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All FAABA Members and Guests who attended the
10th Annual Reunion at the Royal Court Hotel at
Coventry voted it a resounding
success; many new faces were seen and found to
be enjoying themselves. The price of drinks had
risen to £2 a pint but even that was not enough
to put a damper on the weekend as can be seen
from the happy faces of drinkers in the photo
below. |
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On the left are another group of
happy faces (from the 'Happy Hermes' of
1967/68); these are some of the aircraft
maintainers from the Fleet Air Arm's longest serving
Buccaneer Squadron (809).
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| Taff Davis +
Don Cockle |
Johnny Tuke + Mal Drinkwater |
Left to Right: Jimmy
Andrews, Johnny Tuke, Don Cockle, Alex
Muir, Billy Boyd. Missing is Mal
Drinkwater who must have been sent for
the next round of drinks; he was
definitely at the reunion having
travelled from Texas two years running. |
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Three FAABA
Members who
joined up together at HMS Ganges
in 1964 as part of Frobisher 781
Class also got together over the
weekend to remember how long ago
they had first met and to drink
to 46 years as friends.
Left to Right: Jim Reynolds,
Al McGurk, Phil Glover |
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CAN YOU SOLVE THE
PUZZLE OF THE "CAIRD CHALLENGE CUP" |
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Chris Adams (Ex Lossie &
849HQ/Bflt) has passed on a story that appeared
in the Northern Scot Newspaper in January
& February this year; has anyone heard of this
cup?
Sergeant Tony Carlin, station
historian at RAF Lossiemouth, is appealing for
help to solve a puzzle. In November, a trophy
arrived in the post in a package addressed to
the station museum. There was no letter
accompanying it, nor any information about who
had sent it - the only information available was
the inscription on the trophy and its name - the
“Caird Challenge Cup”.
Sgt Carlin says: “I have done some research and
found out that Midshipman Caird died in a flying
incident at RNAS Lossiemouth in 1952; his plane
crashed into the sea. But I don't know anything
about The Caird Challenge Cup. If we could find
out a bit more about the trophy we could decide
if the cup should stay in the museum at RAF
Lossiemouth. Also, it would be interesting to
know who sent me the trophy.” |
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The
trophy, which is silver and stands 22cm high,
was sent in a package that was postmarked
Thetford (Norfolk). The inscription on the lid
reads: In memory of Midshipman A.J. Caird from
his parents Lt Col & Mrs G.A. Haward and Family
24th June 1952.
On
one side of the trophy is the inscription: The
Caird Challenge Cup, RNAS Lossiemouth.
And on the reverse side is a list of
recipients/winners from 1952 to 1962 including
RAF Kinloss, Sgt Parsons, CPO Cox, CPO Moore and
CPO Lillington RNSA. |
Click here to
view
Article 1 &
Article 2 |
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THE FLY NAVY
FEDERATION BLACK TIE CHARITY DINNER |
All of the organisation for this event is
now in place and we are now at the point of
asking everyone who wishes to attend to
commit and buy a ticket. It will be held on
Saturday 23rd October at the
Limes Country Lodge which is set in rural
Earlswood yet is less than half a mile from
junction 3 of the M42. (postcode is B94
5JZ).
The evening will begin with Up Spirits and
a champagne reception followed by a four
course meal. The main act of the evening is
Bobby Davro the well known comedian and
Impersonator who has had his own TV shows in
the past who will be giving up 50% of his
fee to put on the show. In addition Paul
Burrell who is well known to a lot of us,
will entertain us with his version of well
known game shows, act as MC and provide the
music for the evening. Paul is a very
talented entertainer and also has his own
show on Radio Wolverhampton. An organist
will play during the meal and a table
magician will also be entertaining the
tables. Outside in the main marquee will be
a casino which will run all evening with all
profits being donated to the charity. There
will be a top table with honoured guests
including the Mayor of Birmingham and
representatives from Selly Oak.
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UPDATE: So please
register your interest and send a cheque
for £49.95 pp to me at the address
below. Please make the cheque out to the
FAABA as the Association will make a
block booking and provide payment.
Please support this event, it is one of
our own members who is organising this
so let’s see a good association turnout.
If anyone is willing to donate something
for the auction please let Dave know at
david@thepremiergroup.co.uk
As usual all the latest news and any
updates to the evening will be posted on
this website.
There is a travel Lodge les than 15mins
away from the Limes and Dave is liaising
with the manager ref overnight
accommodation. It is hoped to extract a
discount from them and the booking code
to book the accommodation will be sent
to you shortly.
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To download the latest (10th) minutes of the Fly
Navy Federation Click here............... |
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THINGS TO LOOK
FORWARD TO IN 2010 |
A
Happy and Healthy New Year to you All
Things to look forward to in 2010 ……………………………….
Hopefully the magazine will be finalised by the end of January
in Electronic form and a printed version shortly after. Remember
you do need to be a full member to receive the full version of
the magazine.
The
10th Reunion, our first milestone, will again be held
in the Royal Court Hotel on the 18 to 20th June
2010. Further details on our website together with a link to
the hotel website for those who have not yet been.
TBF
- A Fly Navy Federation Dinner for all the Associations who are
members of the FNF which include the Armourers, FGC, Handlers,
SE, Phot, FAAOA, Cloud Observers (Met) Channel Dash and of
course the FAA Association. Tickets will be limited to this
event to about 40 per Association in the first instance with a
reserve list. This will be towards the end of the year possibly
late October.
The
next meeting of the fly Navy federation will be held this month
and a full wash up of the Centenary Year will be available for
inclusion in the magazine. A final newspaper will also be
published.
We
are hoping to plan a visit to the National Memorial Arboretum
during the reunion weekend to see the new FAA Memorial. During
the course of this year I will be asking for donations for the
purchase of a plaque which will be engraved with our name and
logo and will be attached to the memorial. I have closed the
donation appeal for the memorial as we have already presented a
cheque for £500 to the Memorial steering committee, and have
allocated a third of the profits from the Centenary Whisky to
the upkeep fund.
So
Again all the very best to you and your families, and I hope to
see as many of you as possible at the RCH in June.
Yours Aye,
Dave
Secretary FAABA
Founder Member of the Fly Navy Federation
Air Power from the Sea
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FAABA 11TH REUNION 2011 - COVENTRY |
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Full details will be published shortly on the arrangements
for next year's reunion at Coventry and plans for a
different venue in 2012 |
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The Accommodation cost will be:
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£ pp for 1 night
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£ pp for 2 nights
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£ pp for 3 nights
Price includes
Dinner, Bed & Breakfast with Gala dinner on the Saturday
night.
Supplement for Tot and Entertainment:
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Anybody wishing to make an early booking can contact me
(Brian sharrock) on 01305 834112 or e-mail sharrockb@hotmail.co.uk,
if anybody from any other association wishes to attend they
are more than welcome at the same supplement as ordinary
members.  |
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RAISE MONEY FOR THE FLY NAVY
HERITAGE TRUST WHEN YOU SHOP ONLINE |
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We are pleased to announce that you
can now raise money for the Trust at no cost to yourself
when you shop online. All the major on-line outlets,
Amazon, Currys, M & S, Tesco, John Lewis, Boots, Argos
etc etc have pledged to donate a percentage of all money
you spend through their websites to a charity/cause that
you nominate. All you have to do is register as a user
at
www.easyfundraising.org.uk and then find ‘Fly Navy
Heritage Trust’ as your cause. You then go straight to
whichever on-line store you wish and make your
purchase. We then receive a quarterly cheque for the
full amount that has been donated by the companies you
have used. It’s a simple as that...............please
use easyfundraising whenever you purchase anything
on-line; the money you help raise goes directly to keep
our Historic Aircraft in the air.
Join the FNHT Supporters Group for an annual subscription
of £20 (minimum) and help to sustain the Royal Navy Historic
Flight and thus perpetuate our living memorial to all who
have served in the Fleet Air Arm, particularly those who
gave their lives in the service of their country. More can
be pledged annually or monthly, of course. A single donation
is very welcome, or perhaps even a legacy in your will. We
sincerely hope that the sight and sound of our aeroplanes
provides a source of inspiration to the youth of today, and
may encourage them to rise to the challenges met by our
predecessors.
Click here to download the Standing Order Mandate. |
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LATEST NEWS FROM THE
BUCCANEER ASSOCIATION AND THE FLY NAVY FEDERATION |
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Please read the new
article on the 'Events & News' page for the FAABA's
latest news and on what has been organised by the Fly
Navy federation for the next few months. |
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Click here to
go straight to the article |
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FAA MEMORIAL AT THE NATIONAL
ARBORETUM |
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The cost of the FAA Memorial has
been quoted as £25,000 and I would ask that all members
support this excellent idea financially. We have been asked to provide a plaque to
commemorate the FAA Buccaneer Association that will
probably be positioned on the memorial plinth and I
would hope that the FAABA can raise at least £1000 to
help with this project, I have donations to the value of
£200 at present.
Please
send your donations to Dave Clark making the cheque
payable to the FAABA and marking the reverse of the
cheque 'Nat. Arboretum Fund'. If everyone in the
Association sent £5 we would meet and exceed our target
and send out a clear message of support to the FNF.
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THE FLY NAVY
FEDERATION COMMEMORATIVE LIMITED
EDITION OF A 50 YEAR OLD AND 25 YEAR
OLD SINGLE MALT WHISKY FROM THE
SPEYSIDE REGION OF SCOTLAND |
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As
part of the celebration of the
Centenary of Naval Aviation we have
commissioned a Centenary Malt Whisky
as a memento of
the year.
Prices are as follows.
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Limited Edition (numbered
1-50) 50 year old Malt
£179.00 |
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Limited Edition (numbered
1-250 ) 25 year old Malt
£60.00 |
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Each bottle will be
labeled and numbered with a
specially designed label, front and
back in a commemorative tube and a
certificate of authenticity issued
with each bottle. Orders for bottles
are now being taken with delivery
very being made from June 2009.
Demand for these products is
expected to be high so early
bookings are advised. A quantity of
each will be held back for industry
and sponsorship etc and requests for
bottles for auction will also be
considered.
If you would like to
reserve one or more of these bottles
please contact Dave Clark by Email
faaba@tiscali.co.uk
or by phone 01935 704580 (day) or
01935 474862 (evenings) to be
entered on the respective list.
Postage and packaging to UK
addresses only will be charged at
cost in addition to the prices
displayed above. Overseas ships and
Establishments prices on
application. |
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All profits from the sales of this
venture will be shared equally
between three worthy causes:
1. RN Benevolent Fund
2. The FAA Heritage Fund
3. To contribute to the cost of an
"All Ranks" memorial stone at the
National Arboretum |
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Why not buy a bottle and raffle it
off at your local golf club, Round
Table or other organization you may
have an interest in!
Click here to print out or
download details of this offer |
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Membership. We now have over 600 names on
the list although some names have dropped off as Email addresses
change. Full membership is still disappointingly low at about
120. It is now £10 per year payable by Bank
transfer or £20 for a two year period if paying by cheque, so please, if
you are not a fully paid up member please consider joining. It
is getting increasingly expensive to meet all our commitments to
you the membership, with magazines, newsletters and other
communication briefs etc and every penny counts with any excess
being ploughed back into the Association.
Join the FAABA now: Download the
membership form here, the price of membership changed to £10 in
January
For applications to join or information contact:-
Dave Clark, Secretary FAABA, 1 Hampton Close, Stoford, Somerset,
BA22 9UN
Any queries to
the FAABA Secretary by
email -
FAABA@tiscali.co.uk
or
Telephone -
01935 474862
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FAABA Whisky. We have a few 70cl bottles
at £25 each and a quantity of the 50cl minis with the four
individual front line squadron crests on the labels. The cost of
these is £3:50 each or £12 for a set of all 4 squadrons plus
p&p.
To download or read a full copy of recent
FAABA magazines,
click on one of the buttons below...
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