Aircrew Association, Bexhill and district branch

On conclusion of branch business, vice president Bill Lowe gave a touching account of a visit which he and his wife Chloe had made with other members of No. 106 Squadron Association to Dutch Liberation Day celebrations as guests of local civic and former resistance organisations.

The Dutch have never forgotten the part played by the RAF's presence overhead in boosting morale during four long years of Nazi occupation, not least during Operation MANNA when bomber and transport squadrons dropped food to the starving population during the closing days of the of the war. Their guests, many of whom had been involved in those operations, were overwhelmed by the generosity and gratitude displayed by local people of all ages who remain determined that the sacrifice of those who gave their lives should always be remembered.

Our next meeting on Monday, February 9 will feature a sequel to Peter Hobbs's previous talk on flying as reflected in international postage stamps in which he will cover the period of unprecedented advances in aviation from 1939 to the present day.