Tornado Tribute Tour of England stops to remember at National Memorial Arboretum 

On day five of their ten-day, 690 mile cycle from St Eval in Cornwall to Washington, Tyne and Wear, RAF veterans Mal Craghill and Martin Wintermeyer visited the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) in Staffordshire.

They were joined on the day’s ride by former prisoners of war Dave Waddington, Robbie Stewart, Bob Ankerson and John Peters, all of whom were captured and held by Iraqi forces. They, and family members of those lost training for and during the Gulf War, came together to pay their respects at the Gulf War Memorial and the Armed Forces Memorial.

The act of remembrance at the NMA was a private event, but you can view our Gulf War Service of Remembrance here.

Speaking at the NMA, Martin said:

“This ride has always been about those guys we lost and commemorating their sacrifices. Today has really brought those losses home to me. Just stopping to reflect on all the family members who never saw their loved ones again was an incredibly poignant moment.”

Mal was equally moved and said:

“We are halfway through our ride and have both had plenty of time to think about not just loss, but the great times we shared with those we are remembering. We didn’t know all of them, but some were really close friends. It is hard to believe that they haven’t been with us for over 30 years, but they are most certainly not forgotten. Today and always, we will remember them.”

John Peters added:

“Families go to war and days like today are deeply personal and moving to anyone who has served. The 30 years since Gulf War 1 have passed in a flash and we stand here very lucky to have survived and seen our children grow up. We miss our friends who paid the ultimate sacrifice and are here to support and pay our respects to their families who bear the greatest loss. Through this wonderful, poignant memorial cycle ride, Martin and Mal have led the way in demonstrating the simple feeling shared by all the Gulf aircrew for our buddies. A bittersweet balance between a smile remembering their vibrant love of flying and love of life with a reflection on the loss of being unable to share a beer and banter with them. We will remember them”.

You can follow the TTTE progress on Facebook or Twitter and you can make a donation via JustGiving. 

Mal and Martin would like to thank the following sponsors and supporters, without whom they could not have ridden so far and achieved so much already…  

Thank you Collins, Nova Systems, Endura, Affinity Flying Training Services, Inzpire, Blue Bear Systems Research, MASS, On Pole, Leonardo, 2Excel, Riverview Wellbeing Therapies and Garmin.