“Here, I’ve got a life”
RAF veteran Ian Oldfield was living alone and at a very low ebb when he signed up to the RAF Association’s Connections for Life service. Little did he know the impact that decision would have.
Your RAF Family History
What's your RAF Family history? By September 1945 the RAF had grown from relatively small pre-war numbers to over 940,000 serving members. Tens of thousands more had seen service and been killed or discharged, so it isn’t surprising that many of ...
Battle of Britain: pilots’ memories
In 1953, on the eve of the 13th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, veterans met the then-new Commander-in-Chief of Fighter Command. Between lunch and reminiscences, Air Mail’s editor spoke to a handful of pilots for a brief interview while the ...
Warren’s story
“I’d gone from being a serviceman fighting on the front line, to fighting to put food on the table.” 48-year-old Warren King, from West Yorkshire, served in the RAF for 15 years. A Senior Aircraftman, working in close protection, his ...
Donald Campbell: “I wanted to see a bigger world”
We spoke to Warrant Officer Donald Campbell about his childhood in Jamaica, life in the RAF, and his new project which highlights the contributions of British African and Caribbean people to the UK. Warrant Officer Donald Campbell was a Survival Equipment ...
Winston Alleyne: from Barbados to Britain
Arriving from Barbados in 1958, Winston Alleyne found England to be a less than welcoming place for a young black man – until an RAF recruitment poster caught his eye. In 1996 he retired from active service as the first black man to reach the rank of Squadron ...
Colin Hodgkinson
Colin Hodgkinson: the ‘other Douglas Bader’ To mark the 80th anniversary of the forming of the Guinea Pig Club – set up for those who underwent pioneering plastic surgery during WWII – we retell the story of Association and club member, ...
Chinook 40
Chinook 40 - celebrating 40 years uninterrupted service by the Chinook CH-47 helicopter. We speak to Flight Sergeant Liz McConaghy about her love at first sight of the aircraft, and her record-breaking service on it. At 21 , Liz was the ...
A noble job
A noble job Ray Brasier saw distressing air crashes and mid-air collisions during his 23 years as an RAF crash rescue firefighter, a truly noble job. Now living alone in Chelmsford, confined to a wheelchair with his memories, post-traumatic stress disorder ...
New Royal Air Force Association Cadet Bear
We’re thrilled to announce the arrival of our Royal Air Force Association cadet bear, the newest member of the RAFA bear collection! These fluffy friends are just one of the ways in which the Association has raised money to support the RAF ...
Cecil Chandler, Bomber Command veteran dies aged 96
The RAF Association is sad to learn of the death of Bomber Command veteran Cecil Chandler (96), who was honoured by the French Government for his involvement in the D-Day landings. Cecil, a member of the RAF Association’s Alton branch in Hampshire for over 20 years, joined the RAF at the age of 18. He ...
