The ANNUAL REUNION of
43(F) SQUADRON
"The Fighting Cocks"Association
took place at The RAF Club
1800 for 1900hrs on Saturday 13th May 2023

Another splendid evening held in the RAF Club Piccadilly.  Although numbers were quite heavily affected by train strikes over the weekend, those who were able to make it had a great evening. Reduced attendance allowed people to strike up longer conversations with old friends and colleagues. Most pleasingly, we saw some faces from out-with the usual cohorts joining us.
The meal was, once again, up to a very high standard and the service from the Club staff impeccable.  The usual toasts were made with both Karl Byrne and Keith Boyd being co-opted into speaking parts.
The Presidents address focussed on the importance of youth to the Royal Air Force and society as a whole.   He was particularly impressed by the commitment and enthusiasm of the youngsters who attend Air Cadets, much to the delight of Steve Richards and Alan Shaw who are Cadet instructors of many years standing.  No 43 Squadron ATC is still going strong and regularly represented at the Association doo by these stalwarts.
Unfortunately, Mandy Singleton who was to be the guest speaker had to withdraw at the last minute, so the Chairman had the wonderful idea of getting a nominee from each table to say a few words on their foremost memory of their time on the Squadron.  The stories were varied and hilarious, and in my opinion this idea is well worth carrying forward.
Post meal we retired to the bar where The Mixologists, Tina Campbell and Steve Smith were awaiting us with copious amounts of ‘Fighting Cocks’.  
“Is there a Fighting Cock in the house?” was heard numerous times; always followed by a resounding “You bet your sweet arse there is” and a rather loud smacking of lips as the liquid gold was downed in one.
As the evening drew to a close, I think that everyone present could reflect on another very successful night with all looking forward to the next one.

THE 43(F) SQUADRON ASSOCIATION

The 43(F) Squadron (Fighting Cocks) Association was founded at Klagenfurt in Austria in 1945 immediately following the end of the Second World War. Some of the ground crew had served together on 43 Squadron continuously since the early days of the Battle of Britain in 1940 and many had subsequently experienced all five invasions in which the Squadron had been involved, those of North Africa, Sicily, Salerno, Anzio and the South of France. The founding members of the Association decided that the spirit and comradeship that had built up between all the personnel - Officers, Non Commissioned Officers and Airmen, both groundcrew and aircrew - should not be lost when its personnel dispersed to peacetime roles. Some remained in the Royal Air Force and others returned to their civilian occupations. The Association has stayed true to the aims of its founding members and this remains the case despite the disbandment of the squadron in 2009.

The aims of the 43 Fighter Squadron Association are to foster the Fighting Cock spirit of good fellowship among the squadron’s former members and to continue to celebrate its heritage as one of the Royal Air Force’s foremost fighter squadrons. An annual reunion is held each year to provide the opportunity to further these aims in a convivial atmosphere.

See our Events page for details of the next reunion.