Group Captain Derek Rake was a wartime Spitfire pilot shot down over Yugoslavia attacking a train. He was sheltered by the partisans and the Resistance movement took him over the mountains into Greece where he was reunited with his squadron. He moved to 41 Squadron in Holland in early 1945 and was in combat with Luftwaffe jets before the war ended. Post-war he served in India and in 1949 formed the Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. After working at SHAPE he commanded 51 Squadron with Comets and Canberras gathering electronic intelligence. He later commanded RAF Wyton. He was appointed OBE and was twice awarded the AFC.

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Janine was one of the last surviving heroines of the Comete Escape Line that assisted over 300 aircrew shot down behind enemy lines to escape through France and over the Pyrenees into Spain. Her family travelled to Biarritz from their home in Brussels when the German invasion began on 10 May 1940. The family became the key element of the southern section of the Belgian run Line. Janine, who was 16 years-old, escorted evaders, sometimes on trains from Paris, but more particularly in the dangerous border region between her home in Anglet and the ‘last house’ close to the border where Basque guides took the airmen across the mountains. After many betrayals and the loss of key personnel, the De Grief family continued their work under great threat. The threat became so great that MI9 arranged for her to leave France. She, and her family, received numerous decorations for their bravery.

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Sir John Baird specialised in aviation medicine and rose to become head of the RAF’s medical services before being appointed as Surgeon General of the Defence Force Medical Services. His service on two the RAF’s busiest flying stations stimulated his interest in the medical aspects of high performance flying and he attended No 1 Course at the Institute of Aviation Medicine at Farnborough. In 1970 he was selected to join the top secret USAF unit operating the Lockheed U-2 hight altitude reconnaissance aircraft worldwide. A number of RAF pilots joined the programme and Baird had a special interest in the life support system worn by the pilots. On his return from the USA he served on ‘fast jet’ stations where he took every opportunity to fly to better understand the environment they experienced. He later served at Command headquarters in Germany and the UK and commanded the RAF hospital at Ely. As the head of RAF Medical Services, he was dismayed at the enforced closure of RAF hospitals and the loss of personnel. He fought hard to minimise the effect of these cuts across the defence arena and was highly regarded. One senior colleague described him as, “the most able and distinguished Surgeon General of the late 20th century.”

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Tom Rossor flew 60 missions in his unarmed Spitfire on photographic reconnaissance sortie over Burma. He arrived in Burma in February 1942 and initially flew Hurricanes on ground attack operations. He had some experience on Spitfires and volunteered to join a new unit, 681 Squadron, when it formed. he took photographs over Burma and some parts of Thailand when he had to contend with bad weather ands large cloud build-ups making navigation difficult. Nevertheless, he photographed railways, enemy airfields and river traffic. He sometimes flew at low level to get target photographs for the Army. He flew his last sortie in May 1944 when he was awarded the DFC. He was described as an exceptional flight commander.

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Ken Goodwin established a reputation as one of the RAF’s finest post-war fighter pilots and solo aerobatic pilot. Beginning his career on the Meteor, he later joined 118 Squadron in Germany to fly the Hunter. His brilliance resulted in his selection as the official aerobatic pilot for the whole of the Second Allied Tactical Air Force. He performed at many air shows across Europe where the local papers gave him rave reviews. He was awarded the AFC . Whilst serving at the Central Fighter Establishment he helped bring the Lightning into RAF service and later commanded the Lightning Conversion Unit. He later became the CO of 74 (Tiger) Squadron, first at Leuchars and then in the Far East. He was the station commander at Wattisham where he continued to fly the Lightning. His final appointment was as Air Officer Air Cadets when he was appointed CBE.

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DAILY TELEGRAPH – OBITUARY AIR VICE-MARSHAL BARRY NEWTON

AVM Barry Newton flew a Canberra bomber during the British nuclear and hydrogen bomb test when he gathered samples of the atmosphere following the radiation fall out. He operated out of South Australia during the first tests in the summer of 1956 and a year later was at Christmas Island for the drops of the first hydrogen bomb. He then had a series of tours in the flying training role. His later career centred around policy appointments in MoD and the Cabinet Office. He served as the senior RAF member at the Royal College of Defence Studies and then Commandant of the Joint Services Staff College. After retiring from the RAF he was appointed a Gentleman Usher to HM the Queen, a post he held until 2002. He held senior appointments in the UK reserve force and was president of the UK Reserve Forces Association. He was appointed CVO and OBE.

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