RAF 100 years

I am back after a period of lassitude and suddenly I have too much to write about, which in my opinion is sod's law as I haven't done much up until now!!

As you may know I look after my great nephew, 4 year old Will, every Tuesday and as this stops at the end of August, when he goes to school I decided to give him a treat.  The date (10 July) had been booked for ages as I wanted to go before the schools broke up for the summer holidays as we were planning to go to the Science and Natural History Museums.

BUT two days before I learnt about the RAF flypast that was taking place with 100 aircraft to celebrate 100 years since they were set up.  The flypast was taking place down The Mall and over Buckingham Palace with the Royal Family watching.

So we set out by train, with my phone number written on Will's wrist (brilliant idea from No 2 son) in case he got lost.  Our first stop was to have coffee with Mummy at work - the BBC!

Will excited to see Mummy at work

We had coffee in the Media Centre where you look down on the News Room but photography not permitted. 


This band (don't know who they are!) were setting up just outside the 'One Show' studio.  The reflection is the Radio Theatre studio where the public are admitted for recording of radio shows. We hopped on an 88 bus and headed down Regent Street that was hung with banners

by Joe Tilson to celebrate 250 years of the Royal Academy of Arts.  We got off the bus at Trafalgar Square and walked down The Mall

hung with the Union and RAF flags.  Poor Will was completely surrounded by thousands of people and being little didn't see much so started asking for lunch.  When I got us near the Victoria Memorial I sat him on the kerb and provided his lunch whilst I got ready for the flypast - and so follow lots and lots and lots of photos!

Pumas and Chinooks

… and at this point came the Dakota followed by the Battle of Britain memorial flight and I couldn't get my new camera to focus ****** - bad language.  Suddenly it worked

P120P Elementary training

Basic fast jet training

Military training

Hercules

Electronic surveillance

Voyager air refuelling 



Intelligence and reconnaissance

Sentinel

Tornadoes

Lightnings

Typhoons

and finally the wonderful

Red Arrows RAF Aerobatic flying team

and watching on the balcony were all the Royal Family

(L to r. Prince and Princess Michael of Kent, Earl and Countess of Wessex, Prince Andrew, Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall, The Queen, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Princess Anne, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Duke and Duchess of Gloucester and the Duke of Kent) - phew!!  Click on the photo to get a better look.

Now it was Will's turn and we walked round St James's Park and saw various ducks, swans, a heron (in the middle of London!)  and the pelicans -

Three Pelicans

and Will told me all about how they stored fish in their beaks!!  We found this little house in the park that had a lovely garden

The productive kitchen garden

 

and a bug house

Not sure what species of duck (?) this is

A moorhen on its nest

Meanwhile we were walking past Horse Guards Parade where there was a reception going on attended by all the RAF personnel who had taken part in the day, including the arrival of the Earl and Countess of Wessex.  I did take a photo of this but it was not good.

The reception on Horse Guards with a number of aircraft on show.

I did wonder how these aircraft got there; was it under their own steam or on the back of a lorry?

Anyway as it was still 'Will time' we headed for Hamleys on Regent Street with its five floors of toys and after that met Mummy for a pizza and the fast train home very late.

NB - my apologies if I got any of the aircraft wrong as there were so many.  However do go to this link that I used RAF100 from their Facebook page.