Ralph
Hooper was reminded of the visit to Avro recalled by Ron Williams in
the last Newsletter. Ralph was also on the visit and rode
uncomfortably, three abreast on the back seat of the taxi, with Camm
and Ron, to the 'hotel' which, he remembers, was much like 'Cold
Comfort Farm'. They were met there by a quite unapologetic Sir William
Farren, the then Managing Director of Avro. None of this improved Sir
Sydney's frame of mind. As to the Avro design people present at the
meeting, they included Chief Designer Roy Ewans and Peter Robinson,
later to move to the Advanced Project Group at Kingston. Roy Chadwick
could not have been there as he died in the Tudor 2 crash in August
1947
Red Arrows Petition
The petition asking the Prime Minister to "Allow the Red Arrows to
fly at the 2012 Olympics", following the report that the Department of
Culture, Media and Sport had deemed the RAF Red Arrows as unsuitable
because they are too British, brought forth the
following response from 10 Downing Street:
"This allegation is not true. The Government has not banned the
Red Arrows from the London 2012 Olympic Games. The organising committee
of London 2012 will decide what to include in the opening ceremony and
other celebrations - but with almost five years to go decisions are yet
to be made on what these will look like."
Don't
hold your breath because this response just passes the buck from the
Government to the organising committee which can decide to do whatever
it likes. If, as is probable, the committee is loaded with
representatives of the liberal left we can expect the Red Arrows to be
absent. The petition should have asked the Government to instruct the
organising committee to include the Red Arrows.
