RAF Honington supported the cyclists of the Tornado Tribute Tour of England (TTTE) as they passed through Cambridgeshire on 23 June to pay their respects in honour of fallen comrades laid in the County.
Mal Craghill and Martin Wintermeyer, both RAF Tornado veterans, decided to cycle the 670 mile ‘Tornado Tribute Tour’ across England visiting every resting or remembrance place in memory of their fallen comrades from the 1991 Gulf War – Operation GRANBY. They started their journey at St Mawgan in Cornwall and over 10 days cycling they are raising funds for the Royal Air Forces Association in the process.
Pilot Major Dennis Wise, a USAF Exchange Officer, died alongside Navigator Flight Lieutenant Stan Bowles when their Tornado from RAF Honington collided with a two-aircraft formation from RAF Laarbruch over the Wash in August 1990. Dennis is laid to rest at the Cambridge American Cemetery.
Wing Commander Nigel Elsdon died on the first night of the Gulf War Air Offensive on 17 January 1991 when his Tornado aircraft was shot down by anti-aircraft fire during a raid on an Iraqi airfield. He is laid to rest at St Vigor and All Saints Church, Fulbourn and was remembered later in the day by his sister Mrs Rosie Norman and close friends. Nigel was the most senior of the UK losses in the Gulf War and had deployed leading 27 Squadron from RAF Marham. The family lived in Fulbourn for many years and Rosie’s father had flown in the Battle of Britain and the Far East and her Grandfather flew with the Royal Naval Air Service in World War 1. Nigel’s crewman, Flight Lieutenant Max Collier died alongside him and will be remembered at a ceremony at RAF Marham.
RAF Honington Station Commander Group Captain Dutch Holland attended the Service at Fulbourn, and Reverend (Squadron Leader) Buchan, Senior Padre at RAF Honington officiated at both Services alongside Reverend Alice Goodman of St Vigor’s and Reverend Nigel Uden Chaplain to Fulbourn Royal British Legion.
Martin said:
Mal and I want to thank everyone who has supported us so far, from our sponsors, to those who joined us virtually on our training rides, to those who have kindly made donations to the RAF Association and most of all to the families of the guys we lost. Their support has meant so much to us.
Mal added:
We have been preparing for this ride for almost a year, so it is great to finally get going. The ride will give us both the opportunity to think and reflect, and process the grief we weren’t able to confront 30 years ago.
2021 marks the 30th anniversary of the 1991 Gulf War. The RAF deployed a large force of Tornado GR1 and Jaguar attack and reconnaissance aircraft to the Middle East for Op GRANBY and sadly not all of the aircrew made it home.
TTTE remembers 14 Tornado/Jaguar aircrew lost in preparation for or during Op GRANBY
You can follow the TTTE progress on Facebook or Twitter (@TTTE1991)
RAF Honington was home to the first operational GR1 Tornado Squadron when IX(B) Squadron returned to the Station in 1982 flying alongside the Tornado Weapons Conversion Unit (Later 45 (R) Squadron.
Flying Operations stopped at RAF Honington in 1994 when the Station was handed over to the RAF Regiment as it combined training and operational squadrons mainly from Catterick in North Yorkshire and West Raynham in Norfolk. Today RAF Honington is the home of RAF Force Protection.
