A night shot ....

Dambusters2012's Help for Heroes Teddy No.2 is in this Tornado GR4 of 617 Sqdn as it taxis towards the runway at Kandahar Airbase, Afghanistan during the 'Dambusters' recent deployment.

After a 5 hour night flight and three air to air hook ups with tankers our gallant bear and his crew returned to base in the early morning light.

This H4H Bear is one of two that will be auctioned at the Birmingham Help for Heroes Ball which will be held on 3rd November 2012 at the Metropole Hotel, Birmingham. All the proceeds of their auction will go directly to Help for Heroes.

You can't wait that long???? Visit www.bmycharity.com/dambusters2012 and make a donation to Help for Heroes on-line!

New Poster for Teddies Auction .....

Dambusters2012 at http://alittlebitofstone.com

My thanks to www.alittlebitofstone.com for their article highlighting Dambusters2012 and the effort to raise money for www.helpforheroes.org.uk .

See the full article at :  http://alittlebitofstone.com/2012/07/26/dambusters-2012-raises-thousands-for-heroes/

www.alittlebitofstone.com is a great website for keeping up to speed with what is happening in Stone and the surrounding district, what's on, where to eat etc . If you are a local to Stone it should be saved in your 'Favourites' without a doubt!!

New night shots from 617 Sqdn's recent Afghan' tour

Tonight I have three new images from 617 sqdn's recent tour of duty in Afghanistan flying the Tornado GR4 fast jet in support of coalition forces on the ground.

The first two are 'fly on the wall' shots of the base to give an impression of the scene as the sortie which flew our boy help for Heroes teddy on active service over Afghanistan was being prepared. The third image shows our daring teddy bear completing his pre-flight cockpit checks!

Did you enjoy these images .... maybe smile at the last one? Then please show your appreciation for the images and your support for our troops by visiting www.bmycharity.com/dambusters2012 and make a donation to Help for Heroes today! Thank you.

Dambusters2012 Teddies - Lt No.2 ....

Lot No. 2: Our ‘boy’ Teddy.
According to Tia, one of 617 Squadrons armourers and the guardian of Teddy No. 2, you can tell he is a boy as he has a bit of a stomach on him! That said he is still a handsome thing to be behold!

This teddy flew in 617 Sqdn Tornado GR4 ZA609 on a five hour active duty sortie on 10^th April 2012 which was entirely flown with the aircrew using Night Vision Goggles!

The flight was in support of a US Tactical Air Controller call sign ‘Driftwood 43’ near the Kajaki Dam which is a highly hostile area. As with our Girl Teddy, the aircraft refuelled in flight three times during the sortie! The Tornado was flown by Flt Lt Stew Campbell and Weapon Systems Operator Squadron Leader Darren Lownds.

 

www.bmycharity.com/dambusters2012 for Help for heroes. Donate on line today!

Dambusters2012 Teddies for Help for Heroes! Lot No. 1 ...

Lot No. 1: The ‘Girl’ Teddy!
You can tell she is a girl because she is slim, unlike our other Help for Heroes Teddy who has a bit of a stomach on him! More importantly, you can recognise here as the team at 617 Sqdn kindly sewed a Tornado badge onto her Help for Heroes Rugby Shirt – quality!

Teddy No. was looked after during her stay by one of 617 Sqdn’s armourers, Allana... 

and taken flying personally by the Dambusters‘boss’, Wg Cdr Keith Taylor and his Weapon Systems Operator Flt Lt Jane Pickersgill.

The mission flown was in support of ISAF Forces providing Close Air Support in the area of the Kajaki Dam and Laskar-Gah. The flight for our Girl Teddy also included three in-flight re-fuelings from a KC10 tanker aircraft.

Dambusters2012's Help for Heroes teddies will be auctioned at the Birmingham Help for Heroes Ball which is to be held on on 3rd November at the Metroploe Hotel, Birmingham. For more details on how to attend the ball and so bid for one of these unique teddy bears contact me at dambusters2012@gmail.com

Both of these wonderful teddies come with their own Certificate of Authenticity signed by the Pilot and Weapon Systems Operator that flew them on their active sortie over Afghanistan which gives details of the sortie and the area in which it was flown. They also have with them a CD with over 150 photographs taken during their time with 617 Squadron at Kandahar Airbase in Afghanistan. The images provide a wonderful glimpse into the operations of 617 Squadron and just how much they took our teddies into their hearts!

Do not miss out – this is a never to be repeated opportunity to for you either own or be able to give as an absolutely ‘one-off’ gift to that special some-one, wife, daughter or grand-daughter. A Teddy Bear that is completely unique, has had the most exciting life and is now looking for someone to love it and cherish it now that it is back in the UK and out of harm’s way!! You know it has to be done......

Unique Help for Heroes Teddies to be auctioned ...

Two very special, unique even, Help for Heroes Teddy Bears which are being auctioned as separate lots in the 2012 Birmingham Help for Heroes Ball Auction of ‘Things Money Cannot Buy’! The ball will be held on 3rd November 2012 at the metropole Hotel, Birmingham. Our two heroic teddies travelled from Staffordshire all the way to Kandahar Airbase, Afghanistan to be part of the Royal Air Force’s most famous bomber squadron, 617 Sqdn, the Dambusters!

Whilst on detachment with the ‘Dambusters’ our two adventurous teddies were part of the flight-line crew working under the guidance of Flt Sgt Paul Peden. They even were taken on active duty sorties over Afghanistan in one of 617 Sqdn’s Tornado GR4 fast jets! These are the only Help for Heroes to have flown on active service over Afghanistan with the famous Dambusters of the Royal Air Force!! You cannot buy anything like this anywhere else ….. and the best bit is that every penny raised in this auction will be going directly to Help for Heroes.

Both of these wonderful teddies come with their own Certificate of Authenticity signed by the Pilot and Weapon Systems Operator that flew them on their active sortie over Afghanistan which gives details of the sortie and the area in which it was flown. They also have with them a CD with over 150 photographs taken during their time with 617 Squadron at Kandahar Airbase in Afghanistan. The images provide a wonderful glimpse into the operations of 617 Squadron and just how much they took our teddies into their hearts!

Do not miss out – this is a never to be repeated opportunity to for you either own or be able to give as an absolutely ‘one-off’ gift to that special some-one, wife, daughter or grand-daughter. A Teddy Bear that is completely unique, has had the most exciting life and is now looking for someone to love it and cherish it now that it is back in the UK and out of harm’s way!! You know it has to be done......

www.bmycharity.com/dambusters2012 - donate on line to Help for Heroes. Thank you.

617 Sqdn, The Dambusters, return home to Lossie from Afghanistan

I am delighted to report that my friends in 617 Sqdn, the Dambusters, have returned home to Lossiemouth after a four month tour of duty in Afghanistan flying the Torado GR4.

It was just after 8pm last night when the plane carrying 617 Squadron touched down on the runway at the Moray base. The 130 men and women were welcomed back to Scottish soil by a cool breeze, the sound of the pipes, and a handshake from Station Commander, Group Captain Ian Gale. Emotional scenes followed as the party reunited with their families and friends.

Officer Commanding 617 Squadron, Wing Commander Keith Taylor, said morale was high throughout the 16-week tour. The picture below shows Wg Cdr Taylor as he set off with one of Dambusters2012's Help for Heroes teddies on active service over Afghanistan.

Wg Cdr Taylor commenetd: "I’ve been really impressed with how the guys and girls have just got on with it. They’ve knuckled down, done the hard work, but always tried to keep a smile on their faces... they’ve done me proud."

During deployment, 617 Squadron completed more than 600 missions, spending over 2,200 hours in the air.

Flt Sgt Paul Peden ....

I heard this morning, by email, that my day to day contact in 617 Sqdn has arrived safely in Cyprus for 24 hours of 'decompression' after completing his tour of duty with 617 sqdn, the Dambusters, at Kandahar Airbase, Afghanistan.

Despite the pressure and the workload of his 'day job' Paul has kept up a steady flow of pictures and information for the Dambusters2012 blog, organised for our two Help for Heroes teddies which will be auctioned at the 2012 Birmingham Help for Heroes Ball in November to be flown on active service sorties over Afghanistan and also taken part in his own charitable efforts too!

What a man! RESPECT. I cannot wait to meet him in person, shake his hand and buy him a very large beer. People, I give you Flt Sgt Paul Peden, 617 Sqdn, Royal Air Force - what a completely top bloke!

Dambusters2012 Teddy Bears - to be auctioned!

Just in case you had forgotten!! Dambusters2012 actually started as a charity motorcycle ride to raise money for Help for Heroes. Our 'friendship' with the real Dambusters, 617 Sqdn, came about when they heard what we are doing and the 'news' and 'photos' from them on this blog was the result.

Our next big charity push is when our Help for Heroes teddies go up for auction in the 'Auction of things you cannot buy' at the 2012 Birmingham Help for Heroes Ball in November.

The Tornado GR4 - the 'Tonka'. 617 Sqdn. Kandahar.

Two differing images of 617 Squadron Tornado GR4 aircraft taken at Kandahar airbase, Afghanistan.

The first is just a nice atmospheric shot of the aircraft as the sun rises behind it early on an Afghanistan morning.

The second gives some impression of the heat of the day - at least I think the light in the image does anyway! We forget that our men and women are working in the mi 30 degrees centrigrade range day after day in Afghanistan. Top people.

Please support them by visiting www.bmycharity.com/dambusters2012 and donate on-line to Help for Heroes. Thank you.

What happened next to Flt Lt Jane Pickersgill ....

Following on from my posting of yesterday evening you will recall that Flt Lt Jane Pickersgill had completed her final sortie with 617 Sqdn before her posting on to XV (R) Sqdn, RAF Lossiemouth.

What happened next ??? This did..........

Followed by this ...........

with the end result of this!!!

I give you a soggy, but clearly happy Flt Lt Jane Pickersgill, WSO with 617 Sqdn, and companion for the first of our Help for Heroes teddies on active service over Afghanistan!! Thank you Jane!

Flt Lt Jane Pickersgill did her bit to support Dambusters2012 raise much needed cash for Help for Heroes - you can see Jane in the image directly above these words with our Teddy in the back seat of a 617 Sqdn Tornado GR4 taxiing towards the runway at Kandahar for our teddy's active service sortie!

Please do the same and support our efforts for Help for Heroes by visiting www.bmycharity.com/dambusters2012 and making a donation of whatever size you want on line. It is easy, absolutely safe and your donation goes directly to Help for Heroes.
Thank you.