56 years ago today…

On this day in 1968, Flt Lt Alan Pollock felt that something should be done to mark the 50th anniversary of the RAF - nothing had been organised for the anniversary on 1st April 1968. The personnel of the Royal Air Force were given half a day off to mark it – but most of them, recalls Pollock “didn’t even know why”. There were no concerts in the Royal Albert Hall, no commemorations for the 38,462 RAF aircrew killed in the Second World War – or those lost before or after. And so, on that fateful day, he peeled off from his flight, pretended to have lost comms, and took his Hunter jet along the Thames. Then he tipped his wings to the War Memorials, buzzed the House of Commons with a mini-sonic boom (they were on their feet talking about aircraft noise at the time) – because he felt that “they should be reminded that we had an Air Force” – and then, on sighting Tower Bridge, realised it made a deliciously attractive target to fly through, the act of which became legendary.

I have obviously never been (caught) low-flying under any bridges as it is 'reckless, foolish, but blooming good fun', particularly under the Forth Bridges back in 2002 in a Tucano... ;)