24th ENTRY BOY ENTRANTS
Royal Air Force
February 1955 to July 1956
55th ANNIVERSARY 1955 - 2010

REUNION EVENTS

Twenty-one members of the 24th met up over the 10th /11th May 2010 at the Ramada Hotel, Grantham, to celebrate the 55th anniversary of the Entry. The date chosen being to enable a visit to RAF Coningsby rather than to coincide with the entry formation anniversary in February.

Accompanied by wives and partners visits were made to the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight (BBMF) and 29 (R) Squadron at RAF Coningsby.

Highlights included seeing the BBMF Lancaster taken out from the hangar for an engine test and the emotions the sound of four Merlin engines evoke. Later at 29 (R) Squadron, which trains front-line pilots for current and future Typhoon squadrons, there was an opportunity look over the two-seat trainer version, including a powered-up cockpit display and to ask questions. After tea and biscuits in the Officers Mess it was back to the hotel for dinner.

Our guest at dinner was Group Captain Gary Fletcher and speaker was David Switzer, 24th Entry Cook, who shared some amusing anecdotes about a posting, soon after pass out from Cosford, to RAF Theddlethorpe, a bombing and gunnery range in Lincolnshire, which had many similarities to Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh!

This, our fourth reunion since 2005, was again superbly organised by Reg White.

PM / Evening: Arrivals at reunion hotel - the Ramada at Grantham.

10:00 - 15:30: Boys and Ladies travel by coach to visit Royal Air Force Coningsby for visits in the morning to the BBMF Photos and after lunch at a local pub to 29(R) Squadron Photos

19:00: Assemble in hotel bar for pre-dinner drinks.

19:30: Reunion Dinner at Hotel. Photos