Christmas

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

/ Aviationtrails / 19 Comments

December has finally come round and what a year it has been.

The later part of this year has been spent updating older posts (apologies for repeating myself) but I felt they needed a bit of a revisit, and in some cases, to see how things had changed. This was also partly driven by big changes in my personal circumstances.

This year, I decided to depart from full time education after almost 20 years in the classroom and more recently, covering senior management – the situation becoming just too ridiculous for words. So I took early retirement and opted for Teacher supply work on odd days to supplement my pension. I also sold my house and moved in with my partner whilst we endeavour to find a new one in a housing market that has been just crazy. During all this, all my books, clothes and personal belongings have remained stored in a shipping container on a nearby industrial estate – far from ideal.

Throughout this I have endeavoured to keep the blog going and hope that soon, once things have settled again, I can turn to a more focused approach and add more trails to the 62 that I have managed to achieve so far.

In the mean time, I thank you for your continued support, and hope that you stay with me as we enter 2022 and all that it may bring – whatever that will be.

To each and everyone of you, wherever you are, have a very Happy and safe Christmas, and a truly wonderful New Year.

God bless!

Christmases past – my sister, brother and myself (in the car) at Christmas in the 1960s.

A very Happy Christmas!

/ Aviationtrails / 9 Comments

As the year draws to a close, I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to all those of you who have followed, read, commented and shared a common interest with me here at Aviation Trails. It has truly been a challenging year but with determination we will no doubt get through these difficult times and on to better ones in the months ahead.

Since starting, I have now written over 60 trails, the number of airfields I have now visited has increased to over 120 stretching from Scotland’s north west coast to Kent in the south, from the eastern regions of England to the west; a huge area but one in which there are still many, many more airfields and sites yet to visit.

As 2021 approaches I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all, wherever you are in the world, a very happy and safe Christmas and both a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Merry Christmas one and all!

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Christmas menu 324 Wing Deversoir

Wishing you all a Very Happy Christmas!

/ Aviationtrails / 12 Comments

As the year draws to a close, I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to all those of you who have followed, read, commented and shared a common interest with me here at Aviation Trails.

The last year has simply flown by, over 50 trails have now been reached, 60,000 visitors have passed by and views are approaching 130,000. The number of airfields I have now visited has increased to over 100 stretching from Scotland in the north to Kent in the south, from the eastern regions to the west of England; a huge area but one in which there are still many, many more airfields and sites yet to visit.

As 2019 approaches I would like to take the opportunity to wish you all, wherever you are, a very happy Christmas and a peaceful and prosperous New Year.

Finally in memory of my father who sadly passed away earlier this year, is one of his Christmas dinner menus, a festive feast whilst serving in 324 Wing, RAF Deversoir in the early 1950s.

Merry Christmas one and all!

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The Last Word to Guy Gibson

/ Aviationtrails / 12 Comments

I’ve just finished reading “Enemy Coast Ahead”, written by Guy Gibson VC DSO DFC, and would recommend it to anyone interested in the man or the missions.

At the end, there is a very poignant comment made by Gibson following the Dams raid when the remaining eight of the original sixteen aircraft were returning home to Scampton. It made me think, and at this festive time, I leave you with his words which are abundant with significance. One related quotation, quite often attributed to Winston Churchill, but first used by George Santayana, “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it”, reflect  in Gibson’s own words. 

“Why must we make war every twenty-five years? Why must men fight? How can we stop it? Can we make countries live normal lives in a peaceful way?” But no one knows the answer to that one. 

The answer may lie in being strong. A powerful, strategic bomber force based so that it would control the vital waterways of the world, could prevent and strangle the aggressor from the word ‘Go’. But it rests with the people themselves; for it is the people who forget. After many years they will probably slip and ask for disarmament so that they can do away with taxes and raise their standard of living. If the people forget, they bring wars on themselves, and they can blame no one but themselves.

 Yes, the decent people of this world would have to remember war. movies and radio records should remind this and the future generations of what happened between 1936 and 1942. It should be possible to keep this danger in everyone’s mind so that we can never be caught on the wrong foot again. So that our children will have a chance to live. After all, that is why we are born. We aren’t born to die.

A sincere thanks to everyone who has followed Aviation Trails. I wish you a Merry Christmas and a very peaceful New Year.

Andy

 

“Enemy Coast Ahead”, Guy Gibson, Published by Goodall Paperback from Crecy Publishing, 1986 ISBN 9780907579625