Royal Air Force at the Field of Remembrance - Friday 6 November 2009

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Royal Air Force personnel met the Duke of Edinburgh as he officially opened the Royal British Legion Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Thursday.

The Field is set up each year, and is planted with Poppy Crosses, Stars and Crescents, each of them marking the memory of a loved one, friend or comrade.

As 11 o’clock approached, veterans, families and serving members of the RAF gathered around the areas of the field set aside for the Royal Air Force. One veteran planted a cross and placed in front of it a set of medals. He stood to attention, head bowed, in a moment of silent contemplation. Then he picked up the medals, and turned away.

Among the veterans was Peter Greening, a former Royal Air Force Regiment Corporal, a Suez veteran who served from 1952 to 1964. He described the event as ‘quite emotional’.

He said: “You wait for the silence and then you remember people you knew, people you lost.”

Peter had nothing but praise for the Royal Air Force of today, commenting:

“The training today is just as tough, if not tougher. If I was young and fit I’d be back tomorrow.”

At 11 o’clock, the Duke of Edinburgh stepped forward and planted his cross, to a trumpet fanfare. As the chimes of Big Ben echoed across Parliament Square, the crowd, whether serving or veterans, stood to attention for the silence. A light drizzle blew across the Field, falling on bowed heads, as each person spent a moment with their own special memories.

For the serving members chosen to represent the Royal Air Force, the event was no less emotional.

Emma Batt, a Senior Aircraftswoman at RAF Northolt, was representing the women of the Royal Air Force and their predecessors in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force and Women’s Royal Air Force.

She said: “It’s an honour to be here, a privilege.”

In her three years of service, she has already been to Iraq, where she was for Remembrance last year. She admitted that that experience of service in theatre made the event more poignant.

Flight Lieutenant Belinda Mollan is responsible for training the aeromedical personnel at RAF Lyneham. These RAF nurses and medics bring back injured soldiers from theatre. She represented the Princess Mary’s Royal Air Force Nursing Service. She said:

“It’s very humbling. It’s lovely to see all the people here.”

The next generation was also represented, with Flight Lieutenant Simon Constable, an Air Cadets officer from Gutersloh in Germany, and Cadet Sergeant Shaiek Miah from 291 (London) Squadron.

Flt Lt Constable said: “I feel very honoured and very humble to be asked to do the ceremonies this week.”

His cadets are mainly from service families and five of them have parents in Afghanistan already. He explained: “Sometimes, when it comes to a deployment you see a change in them. And what we do is try to carry on life as normal for them.”

Cadet Sergeant Miah said: “I’m very honoured to be here, to see all these people coming to pay their respects to those who gave their lives. As the only Air Cadet here, it feels very special. There’s not enough words to explain it.”

Many of the personnel will also represent the Royal Air Force at other events during Remembrance Week, remembering the men and women of the RAF who gave their lives both in the air and on the ground.

More information about the Field of Remembrance and other Remembrance events can be found at: http://www.poppy.org.uk/remembrance/

Editor: Tom Calver

Top image: His Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh talks to members of the Royal Air Force at the opening of the Royal British Legion Field of Remembrance.

The Field is set up each year, and is planted with Poppy Crosses, Stars and Crescents, each of them marking the memory of a loved one, friend or comrade. The whole field is a tribute to the memory of ex-servicemen and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.

Images: SAC Neil Chapman

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