Compiled by Bob Cossey

See us on the Internet at www.74squadron.org.uk

It is a continuing feature of Tiger News that we include items of Members news. This also encompasses, of course, stories and anecdotes which you may wish to share with us - I know from personal experience that you all have a wealth of these! I look forward to hearing from you. I may not be able to include all of them immediately but rest assured they will find a place in time......

In this issue

Reunion 2002 Reminder: Membership Matters: Congratulations!: Do You Remember?: www.ejectorseats.co.uk: Books for Sale: The Airshow: Where Are They Now?: XS897: D Day Squadron: Horsham St Faith April 1956 to October 1958: We Have Squadron Ties!

Thanks to all of you who have booked! For those who have yet to do so this is the customary gentle reminder that the Falcon Hotel can only guarantee to hold rooms until the end of January after which time it will be pot luck as to whether any rooms will be available for late bookers. If there are not, you could be looking elsewhere in Stratford for accommodation!

The Reunion itself will follow the tried and tested formula with the AGM on the Saturday afternoon where you can catch up on Association business and put forward any ideas and suggestions. At the AGM there will be a small selection of Association sales goods available. There will also, for the first time, be Squadron ties in maroon or blue - something for which many of you have been asking for some time.

So please let me hear from you. If you have mislaid your booking forms or want information about the weekend please give me a call or send me an E Mail.

As always, I look forward to seeing as many of you at Stratford as possible. There'll be lots for us all to catch up on!

Membership Matters

Our President Boz Robinson is now based in South Africa flying Hunters for Mike Beachy Head (as reported in the last issue) during their summer months.

James Brook. Hugh Rees is now contactable by E Mail on HughRees@aol.com.  Kevin Wooff has new E Mail addresses as well - at home find him on kcw@onetel.net.uk and at work on kwooff@dda.gov.uk. And Trevor MacDonald Bennett is now on macdb@onetel.net.uk

New member James Waterworth was with the Squadron between 1947 and 1949 serving at Marham before moving to Horsham St Faith and the Tigers. James shot at Bisley for the Squadron and then the RAF.  Jack Mellon was a Tiger between 1966 and 1970 as an LAC on first line servicing. He also helped run the squadron football team at Tengah as well as the Tengah Herons swimming team. 

Finally, Doug Tidy is back in the UK!

To Ian Hargreaves and his wife Liz. It's a girl! Abigail Victoria was born on November 4th. Mum and daughter doing well: dad and big sister still in shock!! And to Iain and Kate Walsh who became the proud parents of twin girls - Eleanor and Rosalind - on December 3rd. The Ward on which they were born at Bristol? Ward 74! What a start in life!

An appeal from Jim Griffiths of Aberystwyth who is compiling a website on ejector seats and ejections and is asking whether any members can supply a story about them, concerning their use, the servicing of etc etc. E Mail Jim on JIMGRIFF or look at his website - address above.

Bryan Rose was an aircraft radio fitter who served with 74 at Horsham St Faith. We're not sure of the dates but it could have been towards the end of the Squadron's tenure there. We do know that Bryan served in the RAF for fourteen years from 1953 to 1967 and apart from a period in Malaya, operating on SAR duties from Penang Island immediately before he came out of the service, he spent most of his time in the Norfolk area. A clue to his time as a Tiger is the fact that he was on active service in Cyprus at the end of the 1950s - when 74 were there with their Hunters perhaps? Bryan died recently and his widow, his second wife, is keen to know more of his time in the RAF of which Bryan spoke but which was not written down. Can anyone help?

Everyone now seated, expectant and excited

In comfortable clothes, doing it all again. Again

Some in private enclosures have been invited.

They have nice clothes, hats and sip champagne.

Human and camera lenses are adjusted for the view:

Some are telescopic, bringing the action near you.

They've been around the statics and bought the souvenirs.

We're moved by awesome splendour, some to tears.

Memories resurfaced on seeing warbirds in the rain,

Stories retold by comrades going down memory lane.

And so the display finally begins

And we see all manner of flying things.

Heavy metal, fast and furious with flames of hell.

The hovering Harrier that shows off so well.

Gliders toy with thermals, gravity and concentration -

With all their skills they win our admiration.

But whatever the craft or type of display

Thanks to all for a really great day.

PS. If you've just had your fourth beer or ice cream

And of being a pilot is your only dream,

At the end of a daydreaming day

   It's back to reality - but your dreams will stay.....

Books for Sale

The Valley Aviation Society have three books which will be of interest to members given 74`s association with the Station during the 1990s. They are:

• 25th Anniversary of the Hawk - £2.50 plus 50p p&p

• Farewell Tigers - £2.50 plus 50p p&p

• History of RAF Valley Part One - £3.50 plus 50p p&p

Titles can be purchased individually or as a pack of three for £10 including p&p.

Please contact Hilary Howarth at 7 Bro-Infryn, Glasinfryn, Bangor, Gwynedd, LL57 4UR.

All proceeds to the RAF Valley Charity Fund.

We asked in the last issue if anyone can fill in the gaps as regards the fate of 74`s F4Js. ZE350/T was flown to Laarbruch by Graham Clarke at the end of its service life for Battle Damage Repair training. When Laarbruch closed the aircraft was scrapped - but the cockpit survived and is now with a collector in the West Midlands. One of the Manston airframes has also reportedly been scrapped. (Thanks to Michael Davey for the above).

There is a lovely story from Ken Moore about the Js as well.......There I was, he tells me, manning the Aircrew Association stall at the RAF Waddington airshow this year, chatting with the public and attempting to gain new members. I was talking to one guy in particular who had travelled down from near Doncaster and he happened to mention he had a tailplane in his garden! Being a curious type I asked what it was and he said `An F4J tailplane!` So I told him I used to fly them and where did he get it? He said he saved it from a scrap yard - it was ZE351/I. As we rambled on about it being a small world etc etc his daughter came over.

He enthusiastically said to her:

"This bloke used to fly the tailplane in our back garden."

To which she replied:

"Well tell him to bloody well shift it. It's blocking my view."

Some people, says Ken, have no sense of history!

It's great to see that a number of ex 74 Squadron aircraft still survive. After the appeal in the last issue that Michael Davey made regarding Phantom F4J(UK) ZE352 (and thanks to those of you who responded to that) we now move back a little in time to tell you that Lightning F Mk 6 XS897 is being restored to static exhibition condition at Aeroventure in Doncaster. Nigel Porembski is heading the project and he is keen to find any photographs of her in the colour scheme she wore when she first joined 74 which was, we think, bare metal silver with the black fin. Whilst with the Tigers she was coded `K`.

Please have a look and if you can help contact Nigel on Nigelporembski@aol.com or write to him at 9 Cheviot Drive, Scawthorpe, Doncaster, DN5 9PF. Any costs incurred in postage, copying etc will be met by Nigel.

After 6th June 1944 74 led an eventful life on the Continent, moving bases on a regular basis as ground troops advanced and ultimately finishing at Drope in Germany having previously operated from Sommervieux, Bernay, Gamache, Lille Le Vendeville, Courtrai, Antwerp Duerne and Schijndel. At this time 74 was flying the Spitfire IXE and then the XVIE. These photos were taken at Antwerp and Schijndel and Hugh Murland has put names to faces for us. We have quite a few members who may recognise themselves !

Ian Cadwallader has a set of photos depicting life at Horsham St Faith and 74 Squadron in particular which are amongst the best I have seen. Through the pages of a couple of issues of Tiger News Ian would like to share some of them with you. Despite the limitations of the copying process we have at our disposal when including photos in the newsletter I hope that the following will conjure up memories for those of you who remember those days, or give a good insight into what Horsham St Faith was like for those who don't. If you can get to Stratford for the Reunion in March, a copy of Ian's complete album will be on display there.

Chuck & John Whitehead

Preparing for Jack's new flagpole

Tony Hilton sits in the cockpit and Ian frames the first Tiger's head he painted - minus the whiskers which made all the difference

Product Price Total Price

Blazer Badges 7.50 each Quantity............. .......................

Bookmarks 0.50 each Quantity............. .......................

Coasters 2.50 each Quantity............. .......................

Fridge Magnets 1.75 each Quantity............. .......................

Key Rings 1.50 each Quantity............. .......................

Paperweights 8.00 each Quantity............. .......................

Wall Shields 32.00 each Quantity............. .......................

Grand Total £....................

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Calling All Tigers!

Annual Reunion

Friday 1st - Sunday 3rd March 2002

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