Ray Hanna Memorial Service Reminder

Forgot to say

And lots of photos.

There are some wonderful descriptions of the Memorial Service here –

Click this link

Thanks Albert Ross.

Your wonderful description sets the scene beautifully and makes up a bit for us not being able to get there to pay our respects.

By the way, Tudor Owen used to fly a Harvard with the OFMC years ago.
That’s how they became friends.

Just in case people think Ray Hanna got in trouble and needed a lawyer!! 🙂

PS.

Could we change the title of this thread to take out ‘reminder’?

Or maybe join it with the other threads about Ray Hanna as one permanent tribute to the greatest pilot most of us have seen and probably will ever see?

…oh and I forgot to mention that when we came out of the church, there was a certain chief photographer from a certain aviation magazine….so you may well see a photo or two!

AR,

Thanks for taking the trouble to write this account, given the emotional nature of the memorial service.

Septic.

Ray Hanna’s Memorial Service

Here is the Order of Service booklet. The church was absolutely packed. All the old faces were there from the Red Arrows thoughout the ’60s and ’70s. Superb and poignant addresses by Tudor Owen FRAeS, also by Sir Adrian Swire, Lee Proudfoot and daughter Sarah. A VERY moving service and excellent tribute to such a fine man.

This was one thing that I just felt compelled to do – to make a pilgrimage to London to show my respect for a man who I have greatly admired for 40 years. I first met Ray when the “Red Arrows” first formed at Fairford in 1965, but didn’t really get to know him until the team moved to Kemble the following year. I was a mere 16-year old ATC cadet and one telephone call to Ray was all it took to be invited over to Kemble by him to watch rehearsals. He always had time for me and never let me leave without giving me the latest brochure, publicity material and photographs. I lost track of him when he went to fly for Lloyd International and Cathay Pacific, but caught up with him again in the late ‘70s when he formed the Old Flying Machine company at Duxford. Amazing-he remembered me and was still the same man! I made a point of just saying ‘hello’ on every occasion I saw him, with the last chat being at Biggin Hill Air Fair in 2005 when he was part of the Red Arrows 40th Anniversary celebrations.

Yesterday’s service was packed out, the church being filled with lovely choir music. There were tributes by Sir Adrian Swire, whom he acquired Spitfire MH434 from, from Lee Proudfoot of the Old Flying Machine Company and a lovely poem entitled “The Airman” from daughter Sarah. However, the best tribute came from Tudor Owen, who is a pilot and London barrister specialising in aviation law and who got to know Ray through various dealings with him in this capacity. He related Ray’s love of aviation from his days watching Tiger Moths in New Zealand, followed by learning to fly, then working his passage to England and continuing flying lessons. He was then accepted by the RAF and Tudor went into great detail about certain ‘exploits’ when Ray was leader of the Red Arrows, to much amusement. His whole aviation life was related and personal life touched on, with reference to the sad loss of son Mark. Finally, after relating the magnificent Spitfire and warbird flying Ray executed during his final years, Tudor came full circle, back to that young boy that was stood watching Tiger Moths by the fence in Auckland – ‘THAT was Ray Hanna’, he said!

On that note, a bit of emotion overcame me!

At the end of the service, everyone started filing out and there were all the old faces I had known from the “Red Arrows” of the ‘60s and ‘70s, ‘Dinger’ Bell, his No.2, Henry Prince, Peter Evans, the very first Team Manager Dick Storer and subsequent leaders, Dickie Duckett, Ian Dick and Brian Hoskins, the last leader when the team flew Gnats.

I met up with them all afterwards and made a special point of personally thanking Tudor Owen for his Address.

Well done and a wonderful tribute!

Due to work commitments, i am unfortunately unable to attend the service today. 🙁 I cannot believe it has been 3 months already since he passed.
I am certain however that he will be in our hearts and memories forever. Rest in Peace Ray.

I shall be there tomorrow and have arranged to meet up with former members of the original 1965-68 Red Arrows. Is anyone else going?

Just to update this sticky thread:

There’s an announcement here saying they’ve made extra spaces available so you can now just turn up even if you haven’t booked a place.

Details on this link

Could we not make this thread a sticky. Anna

I will try my absolute best to get there.

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