Commander in Chief RAF Air Command praises Bexhill RAFA branch

Accompanied by his wife, Lady Alison, and in the company of his mother, Vivien, a Bexhill resident and former RAFA Wings Appeal shop volunteer, Sir Clive gave members a high-powered, fact-packed resume of today's RAF at Cooden Beach Golf Club on Tuesday.

He reminded members that the Royal Air Forces Association had its origins as Comrades Of The RAF, founded in the sergeants' mess at RAF Andover in 1929.

Today, with 79,000 members in 500 branches world-wide, RAFA had roughly twice the manpower of the RAF itself.

From being 93,000-strong at the end of the Cold War, today's RAF had 41,000 personnel.

To those who were thinking "They are not what they used to be...." Sir Clive said: "They are not.

"They are different. They are not better. They are not worse. They are different."

It was a different RAF to that which he joined as a young man; different to that when he served as a Harrier pilot.

He described how the former Strike Command and Training Command had been merged in April 2007.

"I am lucky enough to be its first Commander In Chief."

Discussing the balance between operational relevance and financial relevance, the Air Chief Marshal said the RAF had not been as busy in the last 60 years as it was today.

As of the day before, 2,962 personnel were serving in operational theatres such as Iraq and Afghanistan.

Some 47 of the RAF's 565 aircraft were in operational theatres '“ fast jets, tankers and support aircraft.

"They are working hard. And they are all in danger."

He added: "I suspect that if you are like me you get frustrated by the media which, it seems to me is rarely balanced and rarely complete in their reporting."

Misunderstandings about the RAF's role even extended to former Prime Minister Tony Blair's personal private secretary who, despite being an Oxford "first," thought Chinooks and other helicopters were flown only by Army personnel.

"When I joined the RAF it was very much one where the aircrew did the fighting. This is all changed. We are all fighters now."

All personnel in the operational theatres were in danger all the while.

"It has created a very different sort of Air Force to that which you would have known."

In addition to taking personnel in and out of the operational theatres, strategic air transport aircraft had moved 45 million kilos of freight since Air Command was formed last year and evacuated 4,300 wounded.

In addition, in scenes that some veterans would remember from the Cold War, the RAF was again shadowing Russian aircraft approaching UK airspace.

Training which had been scaled down as the RAF slimmed after the Cold War was now being "ramped up" to match the needs of the moment.

Recently a Senior Aircraftsman had had the temerity to ask him "What does a Commander in Chief actually do...?"

Sir Clive said: "I run an organisation costing 2.9bn and I have to say that it is not an easy job at the moment."

Defining "financial relevance," he said there was no point doing something which was at a cost which no government was prepared to pay.

"We are a reflection of what the Government wants to do.

"They have a choice about hip replacements or primary schools or what we do.

"We have to nurture every penny.."

But he listed the new equipment the RAF was getting.

The Eurofighter Typhoon was now cleared for air defence and next month would be cleared for multi-role use as well.

The new Reaper unmanned plane had already been used operationally with success.

Proposing the toast to Bexhill RAFA branch, he told members: "I know that over the years this branch has raised over 1m for Wings Appeal.

"That is 25,000 to 30,000 a year over the years you have been in existence....

"As a serving officer, can I say a big thank you on behalf of those still serving for all that you have done over those years."

In response, branch president Ken Igglesden said he had first been introduced to Sir Clive when his proud father had asked him to meet his son when he was made an Air Marshal.

"We are very privileged to have him as our chief guest today. I don't think any of us thought he would come or would want to come.

"We are extremely pleased that he is here with Lady Alison and his ADC Flight Lieutenant Kath Jennings.

"I am sure the Bexhill public will be thrilled to know that he has been to the town where his mother, Viv, lives and is a member of the branch and club. Viv helped for years when we used to run a Wings Appeal charity shop.

The toastmaster for the lunch was branch vice president Dick Whittington and the organising committee was headed by welfare officer Pat O'Brien.