ISSUE 20 Spring 2017

YOUR ROYAL AIR FORCE BENEVOLENT FUND NEWSLETTER

ALWAYS READY TO HELP OUR RAF FAMILY

INSIDE: Your support now reaches

an incredible 41,500

members of the RAF family

every year – thank you

How you helped Mark enjoy the

freedom of Exmoor

How Jack was awarded an MBE

for his work with the Guinea Pig Club

How you helped Lee’s little girl

learn about life

How you helped RAF Regiment veteran Carl build a new life after a serious accident

OVERCOMING THE ODDS

Our Unsung Hero passed away on 3rd July 2016. 570179 Squadron Leader Brian Catlin. Father, Grandfather and Great-grandfather.

When he was young, Brian was

determined to make the RAF his

career and became an apprentice

at RAF Halton at the age of 16,

despite his dyslexia.

He served in RAF Coastal

Command as an engineer until

he was sent with his squadron

to Ceylon (now Sri Lanka).

On his second day, he was shot

down by the Japanese and held

prisoner until he was eventually

released by Allied troops. He never

complained about those years,

although they left their mark.

When he returned to England he was

determined to stay in the RAF and did

so for the next 32 years, giving thanks

for every day.

A quiet devoted family man, he

remained loyal to the service, despite

suffering from what would now be

recognised as post-traumatic stress

disorder. He also loyally supported

the RAF Benevolent Fund all his

service life and after he retired –

donations that we will continue

in his memory.

He was an uncomplaining survivor

and an inspiration to us all.

Yours sincerely,

Squadron Leader Brian Catlin (1919-2016)Celebrated and remembered by the Catlin Family

OUR UNSUNG HEROWELFARE NEWS

WORKING WITH ANXIETY UK

TO SUPPORT OUR RAF FAMILY

1 IN 5VETERANS TODAY ARE LIVING WITH MENTAL ILLNESS. YOU’RE HELPING TO SUPPORT THEM.THANK YOU.

Help support veterans in their darkest hours.

A gift of £15 could help pay for an hour

of counselling.

A PLACE TO REMEMBER

Would you like to keep the memory of a loved one alive in a special place online? Our new tribute funds allow you to write about a loved one’s life, share stories and provide information about an upcoming service.

You can also choose to make donations in memory of your loved one, such as to remember a birthday or anniversary and you can even add your own fundraising activities. To find out more, please visit rafbf.org/tribute-funds

We are delighted to give you the chance to win one of ten wonderful The Bomber Command Memorial – We Will Remember Them books, telling the remarkable story from the view point of those who took part.

To enter, simply visit rafbf.org/big-draw or write with your full name and address to: The RAF Benevolent Fund Big Draw, 67 Portland Place, London, W1B 1AR.

Closes 31st May 2017.

Take advantage of closed roads on the Prudential RideLondon–Surrey 100 and join us for 100 miles of cycling through some of England’s best countryside.

Every cyclist wants to tick this event

off their list and now is your chance.

To sign up, call 07525 800138 or email challenge@rafbf.org.uk

RISE TO THE CHALLENGE

AUTUMN 2016 PRIZE WINNER

THE BIG

DRAW

David McWhirter was the winner of the Fryston watch in our Autumn 2016 Big Draw. “It was a very pleasant surprise on a dreary Friday,” he told us.

“I support the RAF Benevolent Fund in any small way I can. The airmen and women are owed a debt that cannot be repaid.”

Who’s your Unsung Hero?Who would you like to celebrate? It can be anyone – past or present, of any rank and from any station. Email us at hello@rafbf.org.uk

According to recent research, one in five veterans are living with a mental health illness.

In partnership with Anxiety UK, you are

helping us to provide a new dedicated

helpline for those who are struggling.

As well as therapy and counselling, we

offer support through email, and

self-help books and leaflets. Here is

just some of the wonderful feedback

we have received from members of

the RAF family about our new service:

“At times it was if my counsellor had waved a magic wand, helping me to realise things and come to solutions. I appreciate all your efforts. They have not been in vain.” RAF Benevolent Fund Beneficiary.

“I have not had any other treatment that has been quite so effective. I cannot praise it enough.” RAF Benevolent Fund Beneficiary.

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Flight Lieutenant Carl Harding served with the RAF Regiment for 14 years. Just one posting was as an unarmed military observer in Sarajevo during the Balkans War where he was shelled and shot at numerous times, and ambushed twice.

But it was as Carl was returning home from teaching at RAF College Cranwell that his life turned upside down. An overtaking van hit his motorbike head on, leaving him with a damaged spine, punctured lungs and multiple fractures.

Carl explains how the RAF Benevolent Fund supported him and his family during that diffi cult time, helping him to build a new life:

“ My wife Katie was pregnant and driving to see me at Stoke Mandeville Hospital almost every day of the year I spent there. The RAF Benevolent Fund helped us to get a car for the long trip.”

Thanks to our supporters, we were able to buy a suitable bungalow for the family and adapt it for a wheelchair, including installing ramps and replacing the bathroom with a wet room. With support from a Project Offi cer, Carl and Katie did not have to organise everything from a distance, and could focus on Carl’s recovery.

“The RAF Benevolent Fund stepped in and were a massive shoulder to lean on,” says Carl.

After receiving compensation through insurance, Carl was fortunate enough to buy the bungalow back from us. He has also become a skilful archer, representing Great Britain at the Invictus Games. But he has never forgotten the help he received.

“From the day you pledge your oath of allegiance, to the day you die, you can call upon support from the RAF Benevolent Fund. I think that makes them unique.”

We recently received a package at the One Heart offi ce from Mr Leslie

Dengate, from Broadstairs in Kent. Inside were some charming snaps

of RAF life, which he wanted to share in this edition. Included is a group

photo from 1943 of Mr Dengate’s friends who were posted with him at

RAF Folly, a former RAF station in Pembrokeshire, Wales.

Mr Dengate recalls: “Two weeks after that photo was taken, I celebrated my 21st birthday at RAF Folly over a cup of NAAFI tea.”

Thank you, Mr Dengate, for sharing your wonderful memories!

OVERCOMING THE ODDSAs the RAF Regiment celebrates its 75th anniversary, we talk to onelong-serving member.

“ You never expect that you’re going to need the Fund’s help.”Carl Harding

THEN AND NOW – CELEBRATING THE RAF FAMILY, PAST AND PRESENTFAMILY PHOTOS

If you would like to share your memories, please send your past and present photos to us with a stamped addressed envelope to ensure their safe return.

Help even more families when they need us. Please complete and return your donation form enclosed or call 020 7580 8343.

Your gift today can help more injured veterans copewith life after serious injury. To help RAF family

members like Carl, please complete and returnthe enclosed donation form or call 020 7580 8343.

RAF REGIMENT AT 75 – A PROUD HISTORY

BUILDING A NEW LIFE AFTER SERVICE

£2.9M WAS SPENT ON HOUSING AND ADAPTIONS LAST YEAR FOR VETERANS WOUNDED IN SERVICE AND FAMILIES LIKE THE GOSNEYS.

RAF FAMILY MEMORIES

CARING FOR OUR OWN

Jack Perry, 91, one of the youngest members of the famous Guinea Pig Club, has been awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours.

ONE FAMILY MEMBER WE

ARE ALL SO PROUD OF

Above: The young fl ight engineer Inset: Jack at Princess Marina House celebrating the news

Below: Lani in the sensory room you helped to provide

As Social Secretary of the club for over 40 years, Jack has organised many social trips and outings to keep pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe’s proud ethos alive: club members must stay together and support each other in times of trouble.

We are delighted that his incredible services to veterans have been recognised with this well-deserved award.

Jack was just 19 when his Halifax bomber exploded shortly after take off . He received treatment at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead, along with other badly burned servicemen.

Together they were known as the Guinea Pig Club, and initially, local people found their presence upsetting. But after Archibald McIndoe spoke to local organisations, East Grinstead became known as ‘the town that didn’t stare’.

Everyone at the RAF Benevolent Fund sends their warmest congratulations.to Jack for his well-deserved award.

In 2014, the Fund fi rst stepped in to

support the couple with adaptations

to their garden so Lani could enjoy

playing outside safely.

Later that year, we assisted again by

creating a sensory room for Lani, to

stimulate her senses and help her

develop speech, concentration and

hearing. The room is a space she can

call her own, that is fun but also helps

her to learn. It has made a huge

diff erence, as Olivia explains:

“She’s getting the kind of stimulation that she would normally only get in a specialist environment. The Fund has provided a safe place for our daughter, which in turn has helped to ease some of the stresses on us as a couple.”

One Heart had the

pleasure to meet the

Chief of the Air Staff ,

Air Chief Marshal Sir

Stephen Hillier,

to talk about the

RAF and the role

of RAF Benevolent Fund.

“My view of the RAF is the same as

the day I took up my new position

seven months ago: we are busy,

successful, and we have excellent

people within the RAF family.

“The RAF Benevolent Fund plays

an important role in our success,

providing a source of comfort and

security. Whether you have been in

the RAF for one day or 30 years, it’s

reassuring to know that the Fund

is there for you.

“The RAF is always changing and

adapting for the future. But I like

to think that if Lord Trenchard

were here today, and I were to

explain to him the structure of the

organisation and the spirit of our

people, he would say, ‘Yes, that’s

my RAF.’”

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier Chief of the Air Staff

RAF NEWSFrom the heart

of the RAFafter Archibald McIndoe spoke to local organisations, East Grinstead became

One Heart had the

pleasure to meet the

Chief of the Air Staff ,

Air Chief Marshal Sir

Stephen Hillier,

to talk about the

RAF and the role

of RAF Benevolent Fund.

As an ex-RAF serviceman, Mark, 48,

considers himself to be strong in mind.

But being in constant pain for ten years,

after surgery for Slipping Rib Syndrome

damaged his nerves, understandably

brought him very low.

Seeing him struggling to cope, Mark’s

wife Nadine suggested that they get a

mobility scooter. When they discovered

an all-terrain kart that would handle even

the steep paths and mud of Exmoor

with ease, it seemed like a turning point

for the family. But with Mark retired

on medical grounds, such a kart was

fi nancially out of their reach.

Thanks to your amazing support, we

were able to step in and provide Mark

with an all-terrain kart – and a lifeline.

“I applied on the off chance,” says Mark, “and it’s made such a wonderful and life-changing diff erence to what I can do and where I can go. My daughters jump on the back and we just whistle around.”

In January 1942, King George VI signed a Royal Warrant and the RAF’s ground fi ghting force – the RAF Regiment – was born.

RAF Regiment Squadrons have been deployed on operational service around the world every day since.

ROAMING EXMOOR ONCE AGAINLIFE AFTER SERVICE

Former Senior Aircraftman Mark Busby loves spending time on Exmoor with his family. But chronic nerve pain threatened to confi ne him to home.

With your support, Mark’s quality of life

has improved beyond all measure. He

has his independence and freedom

back, and feels optimistic about the

future. Mark says:

“We have loads of fun again, as a family. Life is good again.”

Below: Mark on his all-terrain kart

Do you know someone who needs our help? Call our Welfare Support Team

(Mon – Fri, 8.30am – 4.30pm) on 0800 169 2942.

THANKS TO YOU, LANI’S LIFE

OF LEARNING HAS NOW BEGUNLee Gosney joined the RAF in 1983, serving for four years inthe fl ight simulation branch. He now enjoys a quieter familylife in Dorset, with his wife Olivia and their fi ve-year-olddaughter, Lani who was born with both Down’s syndromeand a rare heart condition.

1942The Royal Air Force Regiment formed, initially for the sole purpose of defending RAF airfi elds during WWII

1945 to present dayRAF Regiment units deployed on peacekeeping operations around the world, including Malaya, the Balkans and Northern Ireland

198263 Squadron landed in the Falklands and continues to play an active role in the defence of the islands

200615 Squadron deployed in Afghanistan, with essential operations continuing to this day

1945The RAF Regiment provided vital defence in Burma, repelling Japanese soldiers for 10 days to allow air operations to continue from the airstrip of Meiktila

1974Personnel protected RAF installations and assisted with the evacuation of British citizens after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus

1994The RAF Regiment moved to its current ‘home’at RAF Honington

2017The RAF Regiment celebrates 75 proud years of service

Lani is now at school, and as she grows,

the space is growing with her. “She’s

now doing homework and drawing in

the sensory room,” says Olivia. “It’s

a really fl exible space”

“We would never have been able to do this for Lani without the support of the RAF Benevolent Fund and we cannot thank them enough for everything they have done for our family.”

CELEBRATING THE RAF FAMILY, PAST AND PRESENT1

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1 Mr Dengate’s fellow servicemen, February 1943

2 Mr Dengate,1945 3 Mr Dengate today

Source: MOD website

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