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Archived News Items 2012  updated 11May2013



Items that have been on the News page but are no longer current are generally transferred to an archive.


24December Sadly, on the night of Tuesday 18 December, Mike Dodd died suddenly and unexpectedly. The funeral will be at St Mary's Church, Steeple Ashton near Trowbridge, Wilts, on Thursday 3rd January at 12.00 midday.

02 December Newsletter 34 (Winter) is available online.

30Nov2012 Sadly Gordon Hodson passed away Saturday night 24th November 2012. He was an inspiration to many. The funeral will take place at Guildford Crematorium at 12 noon Tuesday 18th December 2012 and you are all most welcome to join the family afterwards at Loseley Park in the Tithe Barn. Just to get a broad idea of numbers for catering purposes, please would you let Chris know if you expect to be coming back to Loseley Park. Chris Hodson, GE Aviation, Military Programme Manager, 07979 503857, Guildford Crematorium Address: New Pond Road, Godalming, Surrey, GU7 3DB. We have also heard that Ron Trowell died on 11 September.

On Wed 12 December the Xmas Lunch is at the Hawker Centre commencing at 12.30 for 1pm; NOTE the earlier time. Booking with Ken Batstone by the end of November is essential; Details and Menu. There will NOT be a committee meeting in the morning.

Colin reminiscing about his youth in "The Duke of Kent", EalingOn the 16th November sadly Colin Raisey passed away peacefully following a short illness. Funeral details.

On Wednesday 14 November Arthur Brocklehurst willl talk on ‘A personal view from St Giles Court’. There will be a committee meeting in the morning.

On Tuesday (30 Oct) to Thurtsday the Hawker Association’s Travelling Exhibition, including photos and models, will be at the Hook Centre, Chessington, KT9 1NU (on the Leatherhead A243 road a mile south from the A3 Kingston Bypass). On Tues. & Wed. David Hassard will be talking on "Harry Hawker of Hook" and Bill Downing will be doing Hawker People interviews with recording and scanning equipment; please bring any photos etc. that you have.

On Wednesday 10 October Les Palmer will talk on ‘The Inonesian Hawk Contract’. There will be a committee meeting in the morning.

8 October Sadly Charles Lamb died on Thursday 27 September. There is a Church Service on Friday 12 October 2:00pm at St Johns, Old Malden, KT4 7RY (Near junction of Church Road and Manor Drive North); website. Then the committal is at Kingston Crematorium, Bonner Hill Road, KT1 3EZ at 3:00pm; website. A reception follows at The Kingston Lodge Hotel, Kingston Hill; website. Mrs Anne Lamb would like some indication of the numbers expecting to go to the reception; if you expect to go please email the webmaster, using the link in the banner,  so I can let her know her know.

On Wednesday 12 September there will be a social gathering and Video.

Seahawk courtisy of  http://www.fnht.co.uk/royal_navy_historic_flight.htmlOn Wed 5 September Twenty Hawker Association Members, with 10 guests, had an informative and very enjoyable visit to the Royal Naval Air Station, Yeovilton. News letter story, story by Frank Rainsborough, photos by Frank Rainsborough.

  On Wed 5 September there will be a visit to the Royal Naval Air Station, Yeovilton. Limited places available, RNAS visit details, meeting coach details at Chertsey, at Farnborough.

On Wednesday 8 August there will be a social gathering and Video. There will be a committee meeting in the morning.

23July Newsletter 33 (Summer) is available online

On 20th July Patrick Webb sadly passed away aged 85 years. Patrick worked for Hawker Siddely/British Aerospace at Kingston from 1944 to 1991.

14 July Ray Grayston information required.
Ian Arnold of Binningup, Western Australia, is compiling details of all aircrew members of 617 Squadron (Dam Busters) to be lodged alongside a Lancaster in the Royal Australian Air Force Museum at Bull Creek, WA. Ray was, of course, a member of that squadron. Ian particularly wants names of family members (mother, father, siblings etc), schools attended and background information. If you can help please e-mail Ian at , copy to .

The Great Aircraft Factory, Ham. On July 11th David Hassard gave a very well illustrated talk on the complete history. More  


On Wed 11 July David Hassard will talk on The history of the Great Aircraft Factory at Richmond Road. There will be a committee meeting in the morning.

On Wed 13 June the YMCA chef prepared a super BBQ for members and it was fine so it was held outside.

On Wed 13 June there will be the annual BBQ at 12:30 for 1pm; note the earlier time. Book with Ken Batstone, by 6th June, on 01932 229938, details. There will NOT be a committee meeting in the morning.

From Saturday 2 June to Tuesday the Kingston Aviation Festival (KAF), part of the Kingston Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, was held in Kingston Market Place; it was a great success and far exceeded expectations. At times the number going upstairs to view the paintings and film show had to be restricted. Many visitors didn’t know aircraft had been built at Kingston. Newsletter 33 story.

 

Sopwith Camel from Brooklands Museum

Sopwith Camel replica








Sopwith Camel visited by Mayoress



On Saturday 2 June the first day of the Kingston Aviation Festival (KAF) was a great success and exceeded expectations. If you didn’t come Saturday there are another 3 days left to see this historic event with a theme of “Designed and built in Kingston”. There was a reception attended by Tommy Sopwith’s son and the Mayoress.

   A Sopwith Camel will be at The Kingston Aviation FestivalOn 2 to 5 June The KAF will run for the four days of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Bank Holiday Weekend as part of the Kingston Aviation Centenary Project (KACP). The Hawker Association lead the successful Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) bid made by Joint project leaders Bill Downey and David Hassard, who are Hawker Association members; this is a huge project for them and they will need help. HLF News Release (PDF), KACP Help request

 

On Wed 9 May LT Nick Cowan (RN retired) will talk on ‘Chance would be a fine thing’ (note change of title). There is a committee meeting in the morning.

On 18 April members may be interested in an evening presentation on Air to Air aircraft photography by Geoffrey Lee at Shoreham Aiport. Details, Booking Website

On Wed 11 April there is the Annual General Meeting; please support your Association. After the formal AGM business is completed videos will be shown. Notice of AGM and Membership renewal form as a PDF document. There is a committee meeting in the morning.

On 28 March we heard that John Partridge (Chief Inspector at Dunsfold) passed away peacefully at his home on the 27th March 2012. The Funeral is at Guildford Crematorium on 11th April at 2pm.

    On Thursday 22 March Hawker Association member Michael Pryce will be giving a RAeS HQ Lecture at Hamilton Place on the rise and fall of the Hawker P.1154. The talk will look at the political and technical aspects of the project as well as drawing parallels with recent events that led to the withdrawal of the Harrier from UK service. The talk starts at 6pm. All welcome. More information

Presentation of painting to Angela Garrett by David HassardOn 14 March David Hassard presented the YMCA London S Area Operation Director, Angela Garrett, with a framed print of a painting, by Mark Bromley, of Harriers over the Richmond Road site. Many of the Farnborough Harrier Team and members of the Hawker Association had added to the painting and signed it. Photo by Frank Rainsborough.

Three model HawksHighly detailed Hawk T1A 1/48  scale (236mm long) models in three versions are available to Hawker Association members from Big Box (UK) Ltd. Details.

One or more samples will be available to view at the Feb 8th meeting, and also some 1/72nd models of other Hawker aircraft, namely, Hart, Demon, Tempest, and 1/48th scale Fury.

 



On Wednesday 14 March Tim Gedge will talk on ‘Life after aviation in boat building’. Barry Pegram will host the association’s 100th committee meeting on Wednesday 7th March; lunch at 12:00.

On the 8th February Prof Ian Poll of Cranfield University gave a wide ranging talk to the Association on Aviation in the 21st Century. He started with Sir George Cayley (1772 - 1857), the "father of the aeroplane" and led the audience to the contemporary aviation problems of safety, security and the environment.

Concentrating on the latter he examined the options available to engineers and designers for reducing the deleterious effects that civil aviation has on the atmosphere; the gas turbine engine, the mode of propulsion and the airframe configuration.

He also looked at the future of military aviation, a world of unmanned aircraft, and possible spin-offs into the civil field. Newsletter 33 story.


Sadly on Sunday 5 February 2012 John L Parker (of Farnborough Heritage) died unexpectedly in his sleep. John's funeral will take place on Friday 24 February at 3.00pm at Aldershot Crematorium, Guildford Road, Aldershot, Hampshire GU12 4BP. John's family would then like to invite friends to join them for a buffet and refreshments in the Presentation Theatre, Park Centre, Farnborough. In order to get some idea of numbers for the Crematorium and Park Centre, would you please advise Simon Howison’s secretary, Lesley Crook if you are able to attend.

On Wednesday 8 February Prof Ian Poll will talk on Aviation in the 21st Century. There will be a committee meeting in the morning.

On Wednesday 11 January there will be the annual quiz by Les Palmer. There will be a committee meeting in the morning.