RAFBF ANNIVERSARY CAMPAIGN
At the Bomber Command Memorial Annual Service in June this year, our Association Chairman Mike Westwood met the Controller of the RAF Benevolent Fund (RAFBF), AVM David Murray, son of the late trade unionist, Lord Len Murray.
AVM Murray asked if we could spread word to our Association members about the RAF Benevolent Fund’s Anniversary Campaign, whose aim is to increase the support given to RAF family members, who may need urgent financial help - particularly WW2 veterans.
In this day and age of the internet and social media, many veterans and/or their families who might need support, have ‘fallen off the radar’ by them not having smart-phone or computer expertise and hence their plight is unknown. It is the RAFBF’s Campaign aim to learn of these unknowns who have served their country in the past and who might now need financial help.
THE 10 SQUADRON ASSOCIATION WEBSITE
CHAIRMAN’S MESSAGE
A warm welcome to the 10 Squadron Association website. The Association was created 31 years ago with the aims of preserving the spirit and comradeship formed during service on the unit and developing a close relationship with the present day Squadron. Membership is open to all who have served, or continue to serve, on 10 Squadron and also to relatives and friends of former Squadron members.
Our membership includes those from the Whitley and Halifax days, through the Dakota, Canberra, Victor and VC10 eras and now the new A330 Voyager.
Based at RAF Brize Norton, as part of the AirTanker Hub, 10 Squadron operates the magnificent Voyager aircraft in the AT (Air Transport), AAR (Air-to-Air Refuelling) and VVIP roles and is co-located with the second unit to fly the type, No 101 Squadron. The two squadrons employ a joint manning strategy on flying tasks, without losing a strong sense of individual unit identity. This close relationship between the squadrons can be traced back to 1984 when 101 Squadron reformed at Brize Norton to fly VC10 tankers alongside 10 Squadron's VC10 transport aircraft. Between 2005 and 2011, whilst 10 Squadron was disbanded, 101 Squadron was still operating the VC10 and the Association was privileged to be hosted by the unit during our annual visits to the station.
The Association organizes two main events during the year. We hold a reunion at Brize Norton held each May, to promote a strong fellowship amongst our members. In November a Remembrance Day Service takes place at the 10 Squadron Memorial located near the entrance to the former RAF Melbourne in Yorkshire, where the Squadron was based in WW2. The ceremony preserves the memory of the personnel who sacrificed their lives when serving on the Squadron. All are welcome to attend.
10 Squadron was formed at Farnborough on 1 January 1915 and the comprehensive Centenary celebrations in 2015 included a parade at RAF Brize Norton on 30 January, during which HRH The Princess Royal presented the Squadron with a new Standard.
Please browse through our website which is administered by Dick King, a former VC10 captain on the Squadron. As a potential Association member, the committee hopes you enjoy reading the information on this site. After joining the Association, access to the Members' Area, where many past records and other items of interest await and will then be made available to you.
Michael Westwood
Chairman The 10 Squadron Association
MESSAGE FOR OUR GMAIL MEMBERS
GMail subscribers - We Are Not Sending Spam Emails............
It appears that recent Mass Mailings sent by the Association to our Members who have Gmail addresses are being returned to us as 'Undeliverable'. Research into this matter shows that Gmail is considering our Mass Mailings to be Spam. Clearly this is not the case.
Whilst we suggest that Gmail addressee members should correct this matter via their Spam filters we are considering how we too may overcome this undesirable situation from our end.
Some time in the near future we are hoping to utilise a new system called Mailchimp, for the sending of mass mailings which will resolve this issue.
SOCIAL MEDIA - TWITTER & FACEBOOK
There are now Twitter and Facebook accounts which reflect the trend towards social media covering some aspects of 10 Squadron and the Association.
These are totally separate from the Association website and both are managed by non-ex-RAF members.
Any posts on these accounts by subscribers do not reflect any official views nor those held by the Association Committee. The posting of photographs there may also be subject to copyright issues which are outside the Association’s control. Classified information should never be posted on social media as this will incur security issues also outside the remit of the Association. A word of caution in using these aspects of social media is to be encouraged.
Nevertheless we welcome this move into the social media world and are grateful to those who are helping spread the word. Assistance in helping administer these facilities would be appreciated by those involved. Visit the sites to learn more.
For Twitter see: https://twitter.com/10Association
This may be viewed by all but non-subscribers to Twitter will be unable to interact.
For Facebook see: www.facebook.com/10SqnAssociation
Facebook subscribers are invited to ‘follow’ and ‘ like’ the page to enable a wider distribution.