Tag: RAF Benevolent Fund

Scottish Bomber Command veteran to remember 555,573 fallen comrades

Ninety-eight-year-old Jim Marshall will join hundreds of families and friends to remember the 55,573 members of Bomber Command on Sunday at a service at the Bomber Command Memorial.

The service at the Memorial in London’s Green Park will include a virtual audience enabling many more veterans to join the proceedings. The service is held annually by the Memorial’s custodian, the RAF Benevolent Fund, to mark the unveiling of the Memorial which was first revealed by Her Majesty The Queen in 2012.

Jim, who lives in the Erskine veterans’ village at Bishopton, joined the RAF aged 18 in 1941, and trained as a navigator flying in Wellingtons with 38 Squadron, serving all over the world. He flew more than 100 operations without incident, until crash landing during a search and rescue mission a month after VE Day had been declared. Jim was the only survivor of his crew. 

Jim was so badly burned only one shoe remained and went on to become a member of the Guinea Pig Club, under the care of pioneering plastic surgeon Sir Archibald McIndoe.

He said: “The Bomber Command Memorial means everything to me. It is recognition of all my brave comrades who were forgotten after the end of the War. We did our duty and my fallen friends should always be remembered for their sacrifices.

“Although I’m not able to attend the service in person, to be able to join and take part from afar is testament to the RAF Benevolent Fund’s dedication to RAF veterans, working hard to make this happen.”

The service will be led by Reverend (Squadron Leader) Chrissie Lacey and includes wreath laying from representatives from some of the 60 nations who served in Bomber Command as well as Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston.

Fund supporter Sue Holderness, whose own father Anthony served with Bomber Command, will be narrating the livestream, for audience members at home.

RAF Benevolent Fund Controller Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot said: “We at the Fund are all hugely proud of the role we have in preserving the memory of all the young men who flew in Bomber Command.

“We are equally as proud of our work in supporting this generation of service personnel and their families, ensuring they can live with dignity and comfort into their twilight years.”

Jim is one of thousands of RAF veterans who are supported by the RAF Benevolent Fund every year. To date, the Fund has granted £125,000 to Erskine Care in support of its work providing care for RAF veterans and their partners in Scotland supporting people like Jim.

To join the Bomber Command Memorial virtual service sign up via the Fund’s website.

Letters: Emotional support for Scottish veterans

Editor,

Earlier this month the Prime Minister announced a third national lockdown. Although necessary, these measures mean many of our veterans will be facing the next several weeks – or months – completely alone.

And while the vaccine rollout out across the country provides some hope, social isolation and loneliness poses a real threat to our elderly this winter, among them many former RAF personnel and their partners supported by the Fund.

To help combat this, last year the RAF Benevolent Fund introduced a weekly Check and Chat service to support members of the RAF Family experiencing loneliness. I speak to one such gentleman every Tuesday. He lives alone and spent much of 2020 totally isolated, and for him, this service truly is a lifeline. We chat about what he’s been up to, what he’s cooking for tea, to his time in the RAF and often I’m the only person he will speak to for days.

The Fund also facilitates weekly Telephone Friendship Groups, provides access to a Listening and Counselling Service, relationship counselling support, and an online wellbeing portal to help support emotional wellbeing amongst the veteran community. 

Throughout the pandemic, many of us have learnt more about our neighbours and local community. That’s why we are calling on the people of Scotland to consider whether they know any RAF veterans, or their spouses or widows, who may be experiencing loneliness.

To refer someone to the RAF Benevolent Fund, please visit rafbf.org or call 0300 102 1919.

Yours sincerely

Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot

Chief Executive, RAF Benevolent Fund

RAF charity shines spotlight on unsung heroes on Battle of Britain Day

EDITOR –

As we all mark the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the RAF Benevolent Fund is working to highlight the role of the many who each played a critical part in securing victory. 

Many of them lived and worked in Scotland, home to not just airfields but also other critical installations such as radar. Others in the region may recall seeing the dogfights in the skies during that summer of 1940.

To pay tribute to all those who worked towards victory, we created a poignant light show projected onto two radar sites with images of a range of RAF personnel from air crew to radar operators.  These help remind us of the many who supported the few, not just during the Second World War, but right up to the present day.

The RAF Benevolent Fund is there for the many – anyone who has EVER served in the RAF. We have a duty to support them in their time of need. We all have a last chance to do our duty, just as they did theirs, by giving them and their families the support they deserve. 

In 2019, the RAF Benevolent Fund spent more than £400,000 supporting 196 beneficiaries in Scotland – but we know there are thousands more veterans out there in need of assistance.

Given the important role the RAF has played in the recent heritage of the region, we ask your readers to think if they know of any RAF veterans or their partners who may be in need of our support, particularly during this difficult time. We can help them in so many ways.

To find out more or let us know of someone we might be able to help, please visit www.rafbf.org.

Thank you, sincerely,

AVM Chris Elliot

RAF team to abseil the Forth Bridge for charity

A team of 20 RAF personnel from 612 (Reserve) Squadron at RAF Leuchars will look to complete the Forth Rail Bridge Abseil to raise money for the RAF Benevolent Fund, the RAF’s leading welfare charity, on 15 October. The unique challenge allows entrants to abseil 165 feet from the iconic Forth Bridge – a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Nick, who served for 29 years in the RAF Regulars before joining the Reserves, explained: “Every year the Squadron decide what charity they would like to support, and this year we chose the RAF Benevolent Fund. Since January we have taken part in an array of events, from cycle challenges and marathons to quiz nights and super-car events, all to raise money for the Fund. So far we have raised over £5000 and we’re hoping that this event will bring even more money and awareness to the Fund so they can continue the wonderful work they do supporting the RAF family.”

Zee Fletcher, Regional Fundraiser for the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: “Nick and the team are going to incredible lengths for the RAF Benevolent Fund and we couldn’t be more grateful! The dedication they have shown is second to none. The donations from the challenge, and indeed the whole year of fundraising, will help us to continue providing support for serving personnel and veterans, whether it’s through respite care, financial top-ups or emotional support. Thank you 612 Squadron!”