Remembrance Day 2025
As every year, the Association paid its respects to those who lost their lives whilst serving on 44 (Rhodesia) Squadron at three different locations: wreaths were laid at the Squadron Memorial at RAF Waddington, the memorial site at RAF Spilsby and Dunholme Lodge Farm.
RAF Waddington
On Remembrance Sunday, the 9th of November, a brief ceremony took place in the Garden of Remembrance at RAF Waddington. A two minute silence was preceded by a piper’s lament, played by Mick Stuart, and a wreath was laid by committee member Tony Dale. The service was closed by Kevin Lawry who read his poem The Laying Up of the Colour. The Association is grateful to Mick Stuart for his playing and to Flt Sgt Steve Lowe who enabled our entry into the Memorial Garden and acted as our escort.
Kevin Lawry in the Memorial Garden at RAF Waddington
Walter Downes represented the Association at the impressive Spilsby memorial site on the edge of the former RAF airfield. The four Portland stone memorials there are arranged to represent the morse code symbols spelling V - synonymous with ‘Victory’ and universally familiar as the iconic four-note opening of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony. The Spilsby service was a well-attended event, and Walter laid a wreath on behalf of the Association.
To my Darling Wife
Should you read this before hostilities cease, it will be because I had no chance to say goodbye to you in person. Although those many goodbyes we said were the most painful minutes of my life, I would have preferred to have seen you in person once more, because it is so hard to say in a letter, all the things I want to say.
Foremost, is my desire to express my gratitude for your love and faithfulness, which honour is as great as any for which man could wish. You brought into my life something worth living for, and, if necessary dying for…the love of a women, the sweetest of all.
You no doubt wonder at the seeming unfairness of life. Whilst so many couples enjoy a full life of happiness, we, like others have never had the chance to share each other’s joys and sorrows for a very long period as man and wife. However, we must remember that if the cost of freedom is high for many of us, that price must be paid for the benefit of the children of this bloody world that they might not know the anguish and suffering of war for years to come.
So let not this separation be to you as a lasting sadness, my darling. If ever you fall in love with some other lucky man, I pray that he has fewer faults than I had. I put my trust in your practical character to spend no time on reminiscences of our happier days, unless they bring back to you some of too infrequent but precious happy days of love and understanding.
And so, I leave you, my darling beloved wife, pal, sweetheart, until we meet again. All that was mine is yours, to do with as you will. Though, in life I gave all to the RAF, you have my spirit forever with you.
Your devoted adoring and loving husband
Dunholme Lodge Farm
The third remembrance ceremony took place at the Dunholme Lodge memorial, generously hosted by Brian and Margaret Wykes. Following a two-minute silence starting at 11:00 am, a 44 (Rhodesia) Sqn Association wreath was affixed to the memorial’s brickwork.
