A pleasant evening was spent by 50 members and friends of Hereford Branch RAFA at the Railway Club, Hereford. They sat down to a dinner in celebration of RAFA's 60th anniversary. The branch itself is older, as it was formed as Comrades of the Royal Air Force Association in November 1941 at RAF Hereford. Due to illness the Deputy Mayor was unable to attend. The branch president, Sheelagh Smart proposed the Loyal Toast, Wg Cdr Vince Gough, AFC, RAF Ret'd proposed a toast to the Royal Air Force. The branch chairman Mike Wigmore proposed a toast to 'New Acquaintances' and Hereford Branch RAFA. Our sincere thanks go to the ladies who provided the meal. The entertainment was provided by Ken Griffiths with his selection of music suited to the occasion, this was greatly appreciated by the members who were out in force on the dance floor. The sing-a-long was greatly enjoyed, bringing back memories of those present to the times when they first sang the songs. At July's meeting members were pleasantly surprised by the appearance of Wg Cdr RAF Ret'd LF Whittingham, OBE, Master of St. Peter's Lodge Freemasons, Bromyard and Cliff Burkett, the Freemasons' PRO. The reason for their visit was to present a cheque for £250 on behalf of Freemasons in Herefordshire and Hay-on-Wye to RAFA Welfare Funds. This was gratefully received by the Branch President Sheelagh Smart. Mike Wigmore introduced a new member, David Packham, from the now defunct North Herefordshire branch. The remainder of the evening took the form of a 'Penny' auction, the auctioneer, Tom Fitch, extracting from members the highest figure he could on a variety of items.

AUGUST'S meeting was opened by the chairman, Mike Wigmore, who reminded members of the annual Battle of Britain parade and service to be held in St Peter's Square and St Peter's Church on Sunday, September 21, commencing at 10am. He also mentioned that there is an extra meeting on Wednesday, October 8, when the branch will meet Hereford RNA in a quiz night. The secretary announced with regret that Fl/Lt KVS Caligari, a life member, from Worcester had passed away. Tom Fitch, Wings Appeal officer, announced the current state of the appeal. A collection at Rockfield DIY, organised by Stan Parkes realised £475. Our thanks to Rockfield and its customers for their generosity. A further cheque for £1,049 has been forwarded to RAFA headquarters, we are on track to achieve the target of £5,000, which we set earlier this year. The main street collections will be on Saturday, September 20, in High Town, Hereford and Ross-on-Wye. The evening continued with a light-hearted quiz on members' knowledge of football teams. This was followed by an 'in house' raffle. This had been run by Phil Warzinski and Eileen Pemberton. This event raised £285 for the 'Wings Appeal'. The branch is grateful for their hard work and also to all those who provided the raffle prizes. The evening concluded with another quiz, this time it was members' taste buds that were tested. The quiz was based on naming confectionery, e.g. 'wobbly infants' became jelly babies and so on. Advance notice, a branch Christmas lunch will be at the Holme Lacy Hotel on Thursday, November 27. Tickets at £14 can be obtained from Mike Wigmore. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, September 17, when the speaker will be Derek Foxton, his topic 'Herefordshire from the Air'. Further information on dates of meetings, which are held at the GWRSA Club, Hereford, each third Wednesday of the month, at 7.30pm, and the work of the RAFA can be obtained from Mike Wigmore 356756 or Harvey Small 268259.