The Veteran - May Issue

The Veteran 

In Support of The Tommy Atkins Centre 

18 May 2019 www.sandbagtimes.co.uk 

NEWS UPDATE FROM 

THE SANDBAG TIMES 

Official Magazine to AFVBC’s 

NEW DEFENCE SECRETARY CALLS FOR 

THE END OF VETERANS INVESTIGATIONS 

Penny Mordaunt vows to end historical allegations by implementing 

10 years a ‘Statutory Presumption’ against prosecution 

Story by SBT 

Image: Leon Neal/Getty Images 

The 

Sandbag 

Times 

RAF COSFORD AIR SHOW 

The 70th 

Anniversary of 

NATO Remembered 

Women in Aviation 

A Celebration of Women in 

Aviation and Military History 

Plus All The Latest Armed 

Forces & Veterans News 

Proud Sponsors of 

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Download your free copy 

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BTCC Latest News 

SBT Reports 

7 

Mrs Fox Goes To War 

The new Defence 

Secretary Penny 

Mordaunt has 

vowed to end the 

"chilling" repeated 

investigations into 

alleged historical 

offences by veterans 

who served in 

Northern Ireland. 

The statement comes 

just days after 

Plymouth MP and exarmy 

captain withdrew 

his support for the 

Conservative party 

over the prosecution 

of Soldier ‘F’who has 

been charged over the 

Bloody Sunday 

killings. 

The new Defence 

Secretary has said 

she intends to create 

and implement a 

Statutory Presumption 

which means veterans 

are protected from 

prosecution after 10 

years after events. 

Ms Mordaunt, who 

recently took over the 

role of Defence 

Secretary from Gavin 

Williamson has said 

that she intends to 

strengthen the legal 

protection for veterans 

from prosecution from 

allegations whilst 

serving on operations 

which includes the 

Northern Ireland 

conflict. 

The move has been 

supported by the 

Prime Minister who 

said that the move 

should end an 

"industry of vexatious 

claims" which also 

included Iraq and 

Afghanistan. 

However, the move 

has come up against 

stiff opposition from 

Amnesty International 

and other political 

parties including Sinn 

Fein. 

The SBT Says... 

This certainly is 

great news for veterans 

although opposition 

is very strong. 

My mind cannot help 

wandering back to 

the Good Friday 

agreement. One 

rule for one... If investigations 

for veterans 

continue then 

so should those of 

IRA actions. 

17 

Agony Aunt, Hilda Ffinch 

Answers your Letters 

Page 17 

SUBSCRIBE 

FREE TO THE 

SANDBAG 

TIMES TODAY 

www.sandbagrimes.co.uk 

info@sandbagtimes.com 


1

The Veteran 18 May 2019 

FIND US ON: FACEBOOK TWITTER LINKEDIN 

British Soldier Killed In Malawi Repatriated To UK 

Story: Forces.net 

Image: British Army 

ABritish soldier killed by 

an elephant in Malawi 

has been repatriated 

back to the UK. 

Guardsman Mathew Talbot, 

22, of 1st Battalion 

A 24-year-old household cavalry soldier 

was found hanging in his barracks, a 

coroner said yesterday (Tuesday). 

Lance Corporal Joel Robinson had been 

serving with The Household Cavalry 

Mounted Regiment, based at Combermere 

Barracks in Windsor, when he died. 

He was confirmed dead at the scene and 

a file was prepared for the Berkshire 

Coroner Heidi Connor, who opened an inquest 

into Mr Robinson's death in Reading 

yesterday. 

Mrs Connor said: “The preliminary cause 

of death following a postmortem examination 

is given as asphyxia due to hanging. 

Identification was confirmed by Tim 

Puddifoot on March 25. 

Coldstream Guards died in 

the African country earlier this 

month while deployed as part 

of the Army's counter 

poaching team. 

Gdsm Talbot's body was 

repatriated to RAF Brize 

Norton on a C-17 transport 

aircraft. 

The ramp ceremony took 

place at the RAF base, with 

six members of the 

Coldstream Guards carrying 

his coffin. 

The funeral cortege then left 

Brize Norton, making its way 

to the village. 

Malawi was Gdsm Talbot's 

first operational deployment 

where he was working as a 

Counter Poaching Operator. 

Last year, the UK expanded 

its deployments in the African 

country to Nkhotakota and 

Majete Wildlife Reserves after 

a pilot scheme in Liwonde 

National Park. 

Prior to serving with 1st 

Battalion Coldstream Guards, 

Gdsm Talbot was posted to 

Number 7 Company 

Coldstream Guards in London 

conducting ceremonial duties. 

He had also completed 

overseas training during an 

exercise in Kenya. 

Read More at Forces.net 

Young Windsor soldier found dead while on duty 

Story: Windsor Observer Reporter: Shruti Sheth Trivedi 

“I would like to record my most sincere 

condolences to his family and friends at 

this very say time.” 

A spokesman for the Household Cavalry 

said: “We can confirm that a soldier has 

died on March 25, 2019 while on duty in 

Windsor. Our thoughts are with the family 

and friends at this difficult time.” 

Mr Robinson's guardian, Dee Lockhart, of 

Walton, Brampton, north Cumbria, had 

organised a full military funeral for the 

soldier on Tuesday, April 30 at Windsor 

Garrison Church. 

The date of the full inquest was to be 

confirmed at a later date. 

Read More Here... 

GET HELP NOW 

www.tommyatkins.co.uk 

2 www.sandbagtimes.co.uk

18 May 2019 


Armed Forces & Veterans News... 

Johnny Mercer: Tory MP withdraws support for 

government over historical prosecution of servicemen 

Story: The Independant - Tom Barnes @thomas_barnes 

Conservative MP Johnny 

Mercer says he has 

withdrawn his support 

for the government over the 

historical prosecution of 

British servicemen. 

A former Army officer, Mr 

Mercer called on Theresa May 

in a letter to end the “macabre 

spectacle of elderly veterans 

being dragged back to 

Northern Ireland” to face 

possible prosecution. 

In his letter to the prime 

minister, the Plymouth Moor 

View MP said he found 

investigations into historic 

allegations surrounding exservices 

personnel “personally 

offensive” 

He said he was not to 

prepared to vote for 

Government legislation - 

except on Brexit - until the 

Government took “clear and 

concrete steps” to end the 

“abhorrent process”. 

“As you know, the historical 

prosecution of our servicemen 

and women is a matter that is 

personally offensive to me. 

Many are my friends; and I am 

from their tribe,” he wrote. 

“These repeated 

investigations with no new 

evidence, the macabre 

spectacle of elderly veterans 

being dragged back to 

Northern Ireland to face those 

who seek to re-fight that 

conflict through other means, 

without any protection from 

the Government who sent 

them almost 50 years ago, is 

too much. 

“I will not be voting for any of 

the government’s legislative 

actions outside of Brexit until 

legislation is brought forward 

to protect veterans from being 

repeatedly prosecuted for 

historical allegations.” 

Mr Mercer has campaigned 

against the pursuit of legacy 

cases from the conflicts in 

Northern Ireland, Afghanistan 

and Iraq since he entered 

Parliament in 2015. 

In March, the Public 

Prosecution Service (PPS) of 

Northern Ireland announced 

one former British solider 

would face two murder 

charges over the Bloody 

Sunday shooting in Derry in 

1972. 

Read more here... 

Arson attacks at RAF Upwood continue 

despite fire service warning Story: Hunts Post 

RAF Typhoons Scrambled Twice In Two 

Days To Intercept Russians Story: Forces.net 

RAF Typhoon fighters 

have been scrambled 

twice in two days to intercept 

Russian aircraft flying 

along the Baltic 

coast. They are the first 

Quick Reaction Alert 

(QRA) scrambles since 

the RAF took over the 

NATO Baltic Air Policing 

mission in the country 

from the German Air 

Force last month. On 

Tuesday, Typhoons were 

scrambled out of Ämari 

Air Base in Estonia in response 

to two Russian 

Flanker fighter aircraft 

and one IL-22 aircraft, 

that were flying along the 

Baltic coast heading towards 

Kaliningrad. 

A fire that engulfed a 

building at RAF Upwood 

is believed to have been 

started deliberately despite 

a fire service warning 

that was put out last 

week. 

Cambridgeshire Fire and 

Rescue Service issued a 

warning last week, after a 

"significant increase in 

arson attacks" were 

recorded in April.Figures 

in this weeks Hunts Post 

(Wednesday May 8) revealed 

that there were 19 

deliberate fires in Huntingdonshire 

in April, with 

five being at the former 

RAF Upwood site. Fire 

crews were called to another 

fire at the former 

site yesterday evening at 

5pm, where they found a 

heap of rubbish alight. 

One crew from Huntingdon 

and two crews from 

Ramsey were called to a 

fire in the open at RAF 

Upwood, Huntingdonshire. 

The crews arrived to find 

a heap of rubbish well 

alight at a scrapyard between 

derelict buildings 

and the hangars. Using a 

water carrier and two 

hose reels, they managed 

to extinguish the 

fire, before returning to 

the station by 8.35pm. 

The cause of the fire was 

deliberate. Anyone with 

information should contact 

police by visiting 

www.cambs.police.uk to 

submit an online report or 

call Crimestoppers on 

0800 555111. 

Read More here... 

Soldiers 

Rottweiler Gives 

Birth to 16 Pups 

A soldier expecting 

his pregnant pet 

Rottweiler to have 

six puppies 

watched on in 

amazement as she 

gave birth to 16 - 

the largest litter 

born in the UK. 

The pups have 

joined infantryman 

Mark Marshall, 32, 

wife Laura, and 

their five children, 

including one newborn, 

at their fourbedroom 

house on 

an army barracks. 

Read full story 

here 


3

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Leading from the front 

in 

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Patron and 3 time BTCC Champion. 

Winner of the 60th ‘Double Diamond’ BTCC Anniversary Race 

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6 

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All Eyes on Matt Neal as BTCC Moves to Thruxton 

Team Dynamics with Honda Halfords Yuasa are geared up 

for the next assault on this years Kwikfit BTCC at 

Thruxton, Hampshire this weekend. 

Hopes are high following last years successful meeting where 

Matt Neal hit pole after breaking the lap record and then went 

on to win the first race and score a 3rd in race 2. Dan 

Cammish, in only his third race also scored a podium under the 

hot Hampshire sun. 

Earlier, this season, Dan impressed the field at Thruxton during 

a testing session by being the overall fastest. 

Off The Grid 

Thruxton is the fastest track on the BTCC championship and is 

one of the most favoured track for Team Dynamics. They have 

a high success rate here and the long straights and sweeping 

bends are ideal for the Honda Civic Type R FK8. With Matt 

Neal currently lying in 7th in the championship and honda 

topping the charts, this is the ideal platform to mount an assault 

for the title. 

Thruxton is one of my favourite circuits with great viewing and 

Photo: Jakob Ebrey 

high action areas. (Big tip: Go to the chicane just before the 

start/finish while the Formula 4’s are running). A word of caution 

though, Salibury Plain is renowned for it’s openness and being 

unprotected from the weather. (Any squaddie who has served 

there will vouch for that) so weather planning is a very good 

move. Good wind breaks and waterproofs if the weather isn’t 

good and loads of sunscreen and hats if the sun is out. Ask 

Jane about that one last year! Hopefully see you all there. 

www.teamdynamicsracing.co.uk 

OUT NOW!! 

The SBT’s Team Dynamics 

2019 Season Guide. All of 

the circuits, the drivers, the 

car and so much more... 

Don’t miss it! 

BTCC 2019 

Your Guide to the 2019 BTCC Season. The 

Team, the Drivers, the Car and the Circuits 

SEASON MAGAZINE 

www.teamdynamicsmotorsport.co.uk 


7


Thruxton primed and ready for BTCC 

Article: BTCC.net Image: Jakob Ebrey 

T 

he Kwik Fit British Touring Car Championship 

arrives at Thruxton this weekend 

(18/19 May) for the first of its 2019 appearances 

at the high-speed Hampshire track, 

with the series returning in the summer (17/18 

August) for another bite of the cherry. 

Thirty top-tier drivers have battled it out in the 

opening six rounds, producing five different 

winners from the Brands Hatch Indy and Donington 

Park race weekends. Reigning champion 

Colin Turkington is the only driver to win 

more than a single race so far in 2019, and his 

victories last time out were enough to propel 

him to third in the overall Drivers’ standings 

behind BTC Racing’s Josh Cook and Subaru’s 

Ashley Sutton. The latter currently leads the 

championship having not yet taken to the top 

step, though he has notched three podium finishes. 

Closer than ever 

The 2019 BTCC is as close as ever with the 

top eight drivers in the standings separated by 

fewer than 25 points, while a total of 13 different 

drivers have already visited the podium. 

The first two meetings have been full of surprises, 

with Cook taking the honours in the 

season opener, followed by victory for BMW 

Pirtek Racing’s Andrew Jordan in the second 

encounter of the year – just days after the new 

3 Series’ build had been completed by West 

Surrey Racing. Donington Park wasn’t so kind 

to Jordan, though, with his participation in the 

weekend curtailed following a spectacular collision. 

Rory Butcher and Tom Ingram took popular 

victories in the final races at Brands Hatch and 

Donington Park respectively, the latter in front 

of 4,500 Toyota employees and their families 

all there to cheer on Ingram in the new Corolla 

with the Japanese marque making its BTCC 

manufacturer return this season. This fantastic 

result for the Cheshire-based team, coupled 

with consistent top-ten results in the previous 

8 

five races, catapulted the reigning Independents’ 

champion to sixth in the overall standings, 

just 12 points shy of the summit. 

A whole host of other drivers have shown the 

pace and potential to win so far this season, 

and as is the norm in BTCC, they are queueing 

up to take to the top step at Thruxton. The 

most noteworthy has been championship 

leader Ash Sutton, who is yet to win a race despite 

his pole position at Brands Hatch and a 

flurry of podium finishes. Another driver to 

have reached the rostrum already this year is 

Hampshire’s own Rob Collard. Tom Oliphant is 

also one to watch after his third place at Donington 

Park, while a win-double for Turkington 

highlighted the BMW’s prowess throughout 

that weekend. 

Testing, testing 

A host of Honda Civic Type Rs showed their 

intent at Thruxton’s official BTCC Test Day 

back in April. As the grid looked to prepare for 

two 2019 visits to Hampshire, the top three positions 

were locked out by Hondas. Dan Cammish 

– who is yet to find himself at the sharp 

end so far this season – led the way for the 

Halfords Yuasa Racing works team, two tenths 

clear of anyone else. Chris Smiley (second) 

and Rory Butcher (third) joined Cammish at 

the top of timesheets closely followed by Sutton’s 

Subaru Levorg. 

The Mercedes-Benz A-Class runners seemed 

to be there or thereabouts with Aiden Moffat in 

fifth and Adam Morgan in eighth. Turkington 

and Jordan in the BMWs also showed strong 

pace after posting the sixth and 11th fastest 

times respectively. 

The top 11 drivers were less than a second 

apart, giving high hopes of some close racing 

and plenty of opportunities to capitalise at the 

Hampshire speedbowl for Rounds 7, 8 and 9. 

“It’s a huge deal that we have two BTCC meetings 

at Thruxton this year,” enthused Thruxton 

Group Director, Bill Coombs. “It’s the biggest 

event of the year for us and to be able to have 

two of those over the course of the year is just 

fantastic. 

“It’s a stunning weekend out, a real family 

event. There are plenty of trade shows and 

children’s activities to keep everyone entertained 

throughout the weekend. Due to the 

high-speed nature of Thruxton, the racing is 

probably the closest you will see in the UK, 

there’s always plenty of slipstreaming and 

overtaking so it’s very hard to pick a winner.” 

“Thruxton is a very unique circuit, it’s not like 

any other on the calendar,” said Bath-based 

racer Josh Cook, who regards the Hampshire 

track as his home circuit. “We are coming here 

twice this season so that means it’s even more 

important to get the right setup during testing 

and practice, anything we can learn will benefit 

us at two race meetings. 

“There’s really only two braking points on the 

whole circuit and then around the back section 

you’re at full power for the majority of the time. 

It is tricky – Church Corner is famed for its 

high-speed nature. It’s certainly a circuit that I 

love coming to.” 

Tickets for the BTCC’s visit on 18/19 May can 

be purchased on the gate, starting at £17 for 

Saturday (qualifying) and £34 for Sunday (race 

day). Children aged 13-15 get in for £5 on Saturday 

and £10 on Sunday; accompanied children 

aged 12 and under will be admitted free 

of charge. 

For further information, see https://thruxtonracing.co.uk/racing/btcc 

or call 01264 882222. 

For more information on Thruxton’s race meetings 

and driving experiences, 

visit: www.thruxtonracing.co.uk/ 

www.sandbagtimes.co.uk

INTERNATIONAL 

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for one’s friends’ John 15:13. It almost feels like that one 

passage was actually written for service men and women. 

It is the most memorable passage in my own bible, 

But courage is still a virtue which is we all need to find during 

our lives. Even to the point where personal sacrifice is 

required. Maybe not to the point of giving our lives but 

sacrifices nevertheless. 

Never in the Field of human conflict... 

Probably the most memorable words of the second world 

war was that by Winston Churchill “Never in the field of 

human conflict has so much been owed by so many to so 

few”. We all owe our very freedom today by the courage of 

those who defended our skies all those years ago. It is sad 

to know that there are only a couple of those brave survivors 

still alive today. 

We have been told the stories of those brave individuals so 

many times, how they were on the very brink of defeat yet 

somehow found the courage to keep fighting knowing that 

everytime you take to the air could be your last, 

I see the battle that many veterans face within themselves 

almost every day which can be every bit as devastating as 

the battlefield. Indeed it is a battlefield in the mind. Thankfully 

there is help out there and this battle is becoming 

more and more recognised but overwhelming fear is often 

the sword that will strike at the heart making recovery such 

a difficult task. I often wonder to myself would the bible 

provide a way to shield from the sword. 

I am a big believer in respecting an individuals own beliefs 

and would never dream of ramming my own thought, beliefs 

and faith on to others but I also like to share the things 

that helped me back from my own brink of defeat some 

years ago. The bible was only one way but it is one that 

still guides me to this day withreally good advice and inspiration. 

Looking at our Armed Forces over the past 18 years, that 

same fear and sacrifice has been played out again and 

again with so many losing their lives in the name of peace. 

Coming to the RAF Cosford Air Show this year will be a reminder 

of those words by Churchill and by St John not 

only by those past but also those serving and those yet to 

serve, 

So I would like to finish with a small pieceof the bible which 

could somehow give a little strength in where ever our 

forces go in the hope that they all come home together and 

in peace. It also goes out to anyone who is experiencing 

any hardship in their lives no matter what. 

‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.’ 

Psalms 46:1 

If you would like to read more of my reflections then please 

do contact me at info@sandbagtimes.com for a free digital 

copy of ‘Have Faith’ 

Take care and God Bless 

Pablo 

This is a type of courage I can’t image despite my own military 

career, yet this is something that lives in us all, the difference 

being we will never be in that position where it is 

required. 

When I think of the courage, I always think of the meaning 

in a very simple way. The presence of fear yet the will to go 

on. To me that is it in a nut shell. 

But I also cant help thinking of that one passage in the 

bible that becomes what every serviceman is all about. 

‘Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life 


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OUR PASSION 

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jêë=cçñ=dçÉë 

qç=t~êKKK 

The Chronicles of Little Hope 

1939 - 1945 

Hilda Ffinch: 

The Bird With All The Answers 

Hilda Ffinch, Little Hope's very own Agony Aunt (page 5 of 

the Little Hope Herald) was easily bored and terribly rich. 

She loved nothing better than taking on the problems of 

others and either sorting them out or claiming that she'd 

never heard of them if it all went tits up and they had to 

leave the district under cover of darkness having followed 

her sage advice. 

Letter Of The Month 

ought to upset. In a man, it’s often supported / held in place 

/ petrified with the help of a waxed moustache (Colonel 

Ffinch sports a marvellously stiff example at all times) which 

adds a bit of class and derring-do to a fellow’s general appearance, 

but in a woman it really is really most unfortunate. 

I note, my dear, that you are also ginger, which can only 

queer the pitch further, as it were, as your sort are prone to 

sport a slightly more wiry, and pubic-looking mane if cropped 

too close. I speak from personal experience, having once 

been familiar with a young Lieutenant in the Royal Flying 

Corps, who was cursed with two ginger wire wool rugs and 

would never consent to being naked with one in the dark lest 

one end accidentally be mistaken for the other and – having 

seen him in ‘a state of nature’ by the light of an oil lamp, I 

could certainly see where he was coming from. 

9th April 1942 

Dear Miss Ffinch, 

Miss Edna Privet 

Badger’s Nook 

Bushy Gap 

Little Hope 

I seem to have misplaced my tweezers and am unable to source 

a replacement in the shops since the war began. As a result, I 

have an unruly growth of hair above my top lip and am now 

looking more and more like my grandfather by the day. 

I have tried tugging on the short and curlies with my fingers but 

to no avail and have even resorted to a bit of sticky tape hoping 

that it would un-root my ginger bush. I have very probably not 

helped the situation by trimming my new moustache with a 

pair of scissors - when all it has done is encouraged further 

growth. 

I fear that if this should continue, I may be in danger of being 

kidnapped by a traveling circus as a thing of curiosity. Please 

could you advise me on how I can sort this rather embarrassing 

issue of growth? 

Yours faithfully 

Edna Privet 

Do not – whatever you do - resort to trimming your lip bush 

with a pair of scissors, my young Lieutenant attempted that 

and ended up looking (and feeling) like a ginger tom that had 

been caught on an electric fence. Nor is plucking the answer, 

by now you would probably need to use a stout pair of pliers 

rather than tweezers anyway, and a broken pair of those may 

well cost us a spitfire and indeed the war. 

No, the answer, dear girl, comes in the shape of a dainty little 

tube of hair removal cream which – when applied as per instructions 

- will melt away your facial fleece and leave your 

top lip smooth and starkers. I am enclosing a newspaper cutting 

for you to have a look at and perhaps take to the 

chemist (yes, they will have it!) with you to ensure that you get 

the right thing and don’t inadvertently come away with a jar 

of mustard poultice which, with your colouring, would really 

put the tin hat on you ever daring to venture out of the house 

again. 

Price 2/6, from a chemist near you. 

Happy withering! 

Yours, 

Hilda Ffinch, 

The Bird With All The Answers 

Dear Miss Privet, 

Mrs Hilda Ffinch 

Ffinch Hall 

Little Hope 

Yorkshire 

10th April 1942 

A stiff upper lip, dear girl, is a sure sign that one is British and 

made of sterling stuff, and absolutely not the sort that jerry 

P.S. Please do not take the poses of the models in the enclosed 

newspaper cutting too literally. Stick to your moustache. 

My young Lieutenant had me do the other for him and 

was quite unfit to fly for some time afterwards and consequently 

missed his chance at potting The Red Baron from behind. 

You can catch more of Mrs Fox and Friends at 

www.mrsfoxgoestowar.co.uk or on Twitter 

@mrslaviniafox 


117


NEW LEAFLET CAMPAIGN ENCOURAGES POWERED PILOTS TO DISCOVER GLIDING 

Article & Image: British Gliding Association 

LEADING figures in the world 

of aviation are backing a national 

campaign to encourage 

powered pilots to discover gliding. 

Airline pilots, recreational flyers 

and young people pursuing a 

career in aviation and 

aerospace are among the high 

flyers encouraging more of us 

to glide in Britain. 

Pete Stratten, Chief Executive 

Officer of the BGA, said: “The 

choice of flying powered or 

non-powered within General 

Aviation depends on what you 

hope to get out of your flying, 

and to a certain extent what 

you are willing to put into it. 

Gliding offers different challenges 

and opportunities from 

flying with power. 

“Gliding is a great way of 

broadening handling skills and 

airmanship, and discovering 

the thrill and passion of pure 

flying and soaring flight. It’s incredibly 

satisfying to use the 

freely available energy in the 

sky to fly cross-country or to 

simply climb in a 

thermal after launching.” 

Andrew Perkins, Chairman of 

the British Gliding Association 

and a B777 pilot, said: 

“Gliding is like a big family; you 

work together in all the activities 

that get you 

airborne. It hones all your flying 

skills and is a great way to 

learn about engineering, 

safety, lookout and airmanship.” 

As part of the literature and social 

media campaign, pilots 

share their love of gliding 

and the reasons why they enjoy 

it. 

Former Royal Navy fighter jet 

pilot, Andrew Neofytou, now 

flies the B787 Dreamliner 

for a living but when he isn’t 

working for a major airline he 

can be seen flying his 

glider from Lasham Gliding Society 

in Hampshire where he 

uses invisible currents of rising 

air known as ‘lift’ to soar vast 

distances of hundreds of kilometres 

and at 

average speeds of around 

100mph – all without an engine! 

Andrew explained: “Once 

you’re hooked on gliding you 

will never have another day in 

your life where you don’t look 

up and try to predict what the 

sky and environment around 

you is doing!” 

Even commercial pilots with 

thousands of hours find that 

time in a glider improves their 

existing skills, knowledge and 

airmanship, as A380 pilot and 

Lakes Gliding Club member, 

Graham Sturgeon, added: “I’m 

an experienced pilot with 

around 15,000 hours and I’ve 

been flying for 35 years, but I 

learn something new about 

gliding every time I fly. It’s also 

fun and rewarding!” 

For more information, a copy of 

the latest gliding leaflets or to 

find a club near you, 

visit www.gliding.co.uk. 

The Sandbag Times 

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The Veteran - May Issue

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