Down South- again

The station at RAF Leeming was being transformed from a sleepy hollow into a fully blown Tornado Air Defence station with hardened shelters & nuclear proof command bunkers. I have never been so up to my neck in Fullers Earth.

My piping looked as though it would take a nose dive here, as the nearest RAF pipe bands were Leuchars in the north & Waddington in the south.

This prompted me to form a new band at Leeming so after asking around I put out a few feelers & got a meeting arranged. The result was the nucleus of a band, with 3 playing pipers, a keen learner, 2 sides & a reborn bass drummer.

Our Officer I.C. was a wannabe piper, but he could really throw a Tornado around the skies.

The newly formed RAF Leeming Pipe Band.

We worked hard on learning tunes & teaching others & managed to lead the AOC's parade in June 1990. RAF Waddington Pipe Band lent us uniforms & sent up a few players to help swell the ranks, we looked very impressive.

We were presented to the AOC during the review.

We all took our pipes to Cyprus in 1990 with 23 Sqn, which I had been a member of back in the lightning days, & entertained the troops at an end of detachment do on Lady's Mile Beach. Yet another memorable event.

I proudly took part in the massed RAF Pipe Bands parade outside Buckingham Palace during the celebration of the 50th Anniversary of the Battle of Britain in September 1990, with RAF Bands from Kinloss, Lossiemouth, Leuchars, Leeming, Waddington & Halton.

Massed Pipes & Drums of the RAF:- Battle of Britain 50th Anniversary Parade, Buckingham Palace. September 1990.
(Picture to follow)