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.

LATEST NEWS -  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).

Culdrose Air Day 2010

Thrill Seekers – Step Onboard!

 

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

An Action Packed Day – Whatever the weather!!

COVENTRY REUNION JUNE 2010

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

FAABA Reunion Photographs 2010   Bruntingthorpe Photograhs 2010
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.

 

 

COVENTRY 2010 DECLARED A RESOUNDING SUCCESS

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.

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).

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.

   

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

CAN YOU SOLVE THE PUZZLE OF THE "CAIRD CHALLENGE CUP"

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.”

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

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.  

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.

To download the latest (10th) minutes of the Fly Navy Federation Click here...............

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

FAABA 11TH REUNION 2011 - COVENTRY

Full details will be published shortly on the arrangements for next year's reunion at Coventry and plans for a different venue in 2012

 

The Accommodation cost will be:

  • £ pp for 1 night

  • £ pp for 2 nights

  • £ pp for 3 nights

Price includes Dinner, Bed & Breakfast with Gala dinner on the Saturday night.

 

Supplement for Tot and Entertainment:

  • £0 for full members

  • £5 for full members guests

  • £10 for ordinary members and their guests.

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. 

 Link to Royal Court hotel Website

RAISE MONEY FOR THE FLY NAVY HERITAGE TRUST WHEN YOU SHOP ONLINE

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.

To read the FNHT Newsletter for October 2009 Click Here

To read the FNHT November 2009 Newsletter Click Here

 
LATEST NEWS FROM THE BUCCANEER ASSOCIATION AND THE FLY NAVY FEDERATION

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.

  Click here to go straight to the article
   

FAA MEMORIAL AT THE NATIONAL ARBORETUM

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.

<-- Completed Monument on 11th September.

 

Thanks go to Alan & Vicky Breward for the pictures on the left of the completed memorial which were taken  after the dedication ceremony at the National Arboretum.

Click here to see recent other photos of the construction taking place

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

 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.

1. Limited Edition (numbered 1-50) 50 year old Malt     £179.00

2.

Limited Edition (numbered 1-250 ) 25 year old Malt     £60.00

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.

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

 
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

FAABA MEMBERSHIP

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 Download Form

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

 

FAABA BANNER

Click here for large image

FAABA NEWS

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...

Coolhard Bull 06/07

Coolhard Bull Jan 08 Coolhard Bull May 08 Coolhard Bull Sep 08 Coolhard Bull Aug 09

Coolhard Bull Jan 2010

FAABA Committee

Chairman

Brian Stanley

defstan1@hotmail.com

Secretary Dave Clark

faaba@tiscali.co.uk

Treasurer

Les Smith

les.smith779@talktalk.net

Assistant Treasurer

Robin Harper

RobinH@fleetairarm.com

Events Organiser

Brian Sharrocks

sharrockb@hotmail.co.uk

Merchandising

Harold Williams

hedwinwilliams@btinternet.com

Webmaster

Phil Glover phil@allglover.freeserve.co.uk

if you have any information, images, photos, names, links, etc. or comments/suggestions or you want to be added to a page, please let me (Phil Glover) know at phil@allglover.freeserve.co.uk. If you want to contact anyone on the Squadron/RN Unit pages and they have a "Yes" under the email column just drop Dave Clark a line at FAABA@tiscali.co.uk .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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