Avro's finest in formation over the city of Lincoln.
Photograph copyright John Dibbs. Reproduced by kind permission of the 'Vulcan to the Sky Trust'  www.vulcantothesky.org

Out of the DV Window

The winter weather was cold and overcast, ISIL continued to appal the civilised world by carrying out gruesome atrocities on its unfortunate hostages, and we were sorely in need of some news to warm the heart and lift the spirits.   It may have come in February, courtesy of Elvis, one of the few Visayan Warty Pigs left on the planet and an inmate of Bristol zoo.   Elvis and his mate Manilla, to the delight of their keepers, had produced a litter of squealing piglets.   One morning, however, Elvis really got out of bed on the wrong side: not only did he eat the entire litter of precious piglets, but he then proceeded to chew on the rump of his mate, inflicting injuries so severe that she had to be put down.   So even though the prospects remain gloomy for the Visayan Warty Pig species, for us however things have now looked up a bit.   Spring is just around the corner, the Six Nations is under way, the economy continues to strengthen, optimistic predictions assure us that the weather will soon improve, my local pub has been revitalised by a new landlord, and the annual 44 Sqn reunion looms large on the horizon.

During the long winter nights I have been digging deep into 44 Sqn Association files, searching for material to publish in this newsletter.   I have to tell you that the cupboard is bare.   So could I once again entreat you all to search your archives and send me anything that might be of interest to our readership.   A highly significant date this year is the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II and we make no apology for biassing this year’s reunion towards this momentous occasion.   We hope for a really good turn out from our WWII veterans and would like to bring them together for a group photograph at some point during the reunion weekend.   Staying with the same theme, I would be particularly grateful for any contributions from WWII members to be included in the next edition of this newsletter. Please search the attic for anecdotes, diaries and old photographs and I will do my best to reproduce them in the next edition.   If possible I would like to receive articles in Microsoft Word or Apple’s Pages but I will gratefully accept almost anything.   Any original material will, of course, be returned to its owner.

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Membership Notices

• Quentin and Kelly Snow’s 70th Wedding Anniversary. Our congratulations to that remarkable couple Quentin and Kelly Snow who recently celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary.   The couple live in Murwillumbah, Queensland, and the photograph below shows Quentin and Kelly, flanking their daughter, on that happy occasion.   Unfortunately no text accompanied the picture but Snowy’s daughter was reported as saying that Kelly is a lively 94 year old and that she has a hard time keeping up with her.

An anniversary picture of Quentin and Kelly Snow with their daughter

• Subscription Reminder. The Secretary tells me a number of subscriptions are still outstanding.   I would remind members that payment was due by 1st November 2014.

• Change of Address

• New Members

• Resigned. R B Ramsay.

• Where are they now? Several of our members have disappeared from the radar.   If you know the whereabouts of any of the following, please inform the Secretary:

In this issue: