RAF Centenary Service

The Queen attended a service to mark the centenary of the RAF held yesterday in Westminster Abbey.

The Prince of Wales and the Duchess of Cornwall were present.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex also attended.

The Duke of York, the Earl and Countess of Wessex and the Princess Royal, accompanied by Vice-adml Sir Tim Laurence, were also present.

The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, the Duke of Kent, Prince and Princess Michael of Kent and Princess Alexandra attended.

The Very Rev Dr John Hall, Dean of Westminster, officiated. Air Cdre Mark Hunt read from The

Birth of the Royal Air Force by Mr Richard Overy and Wg Cdr Nikki Thomas read High Flight by Plt Off John Gillespie Magee, Jr.

The RAF Ensign was paraded through the Abbey, received by the Dean and placed on the Altar, and later, recovered and paraded to the east end of Quire.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Hillier, Chief of the Air Staff, and Mrs Theresa May, MP, Prime Minister, read the lessons. The Archbishop of Canterbury gave an address.

Prayers were led by Dr the Hon Katharine Campbell, Sqn Ldr Joan Ochuodho, RAF Benson, Officer Cadet David Taylor, RAF College Cranwell, and the Rev Prof Vernon White, Canon in Residence, during which candles were lit by Officer Cadet Mandeep Kaur, Civilian Chaplain to the Military and Trainee Reserves Chaplain, Senior Aircraftman Kia Sandvig and Senior Aircraftman Simon Cunningham. The Ven Jonathan Chaffey, Chaplain-in-chief, RAF, led the Act of Rededication.

The Band of the RAF College, directed by Sqn Ldr Richard Murray, took part.

The Rt Rev Tim Thornton, Bishop to HM Forces, the Rev Dr Isabelle Hamley, Chaplain to the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Rev Mark Birch, the Rev Jennifer Petersen, the Rev Christopher Stolz, the Rev Anthony Ball, the Rev Jane Sinclair and the Ven David Stanton were robed.

The Leader of Her Majesty’s Opposition attended, accompanied by Mrs Corbyn.

The First Minister of Scotland, accompanied by Mr Peter Murrell, was present.

The Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Lindsey Hall, accompanied by her Consort, Mr Robert Hall, attended.

The Lord Mayor was represented by Ald Nick Anstee, accompanied by Mrs Anstee.

The Chief of the Defence Staff and Lady Carter, the Vice Chief of the Defence Staff and Lady Messenger, the First Sea Lord and Chief of the Naval Staff and Lady Jones, and the Chief of the General Staff attended. Among others in the large congregation were: Members of the Diplomatic Corps, Earl Howe, Minister of State, Ministry of Defence, and Countess Howe, Viscount and Viscountess Trenchard, Marshal of the RAF Lord Craig of Radley, Marshal of the RAF Lord and Lady Stirrup, Baroness Garden of Frognal, Air Vice-marshal Lord Beaverbrook, Commandant General RAUXAF, and Lady Beaverbrook, Lord and Lady Dowding, Lord and Lady Newall, Mr Philip May, Mr Gavin Williamson, MP, Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Tobias Ellwood, MP, Minister for Defence, People and Veterans, and Mrs Ellwood, Col Mark Lancaster, MP, Minister of State for the Armed Forces, and Mrs Lancaster, Dr Julian Lewis, MP, Sir Alan Duncan, Minister of State for Europe and the Americas, and Mr J. Dunseath, the Hon Sir Nicholas Soames, MP, and Lady Soames; the Controller, RAF Benevolent Fund, and the Hon Mrs Murray, with the Chairman and Mrs Haynes; Lady Hillier, Marshal of the RAF Sir Peter Harding, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael and Lady Graydon, Gen Sir James Everard, Deputy Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and Lady Everard, Air Chief Marshal Sir Richard and Lady Johns, Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn and Lady Torpy, Air Chief Marshal Sir Stephen Dalton, Lieutenant Governor of Jersey, and Lady Dalton, Air Chief Marshal Sir Andrew and Lady Pulford, Air Chief Marshal Sir John Cheshire, Air Marshal Sir Simon Bollom, CEO, Defence Equipment and Support, Air Marshal Sir Graham Stacey, Chief of Staff to Supreme Allied Commander Transformation, and Lady Stacey, Air Marshal Sir Chris and Lady Harper, Lady Squire, Lady Thomson, Lady Willis, Lady Moran, Lady Kennedy.

Mr Guto Bebb, MP, Minister for Defence Procurement, and Mrs Bebb, Air Marshal Sean Reynolds, Deputy Commander Capability and Air Member for Personnel and Capability, Air Marshal Julian Young, Chief of Materiel (Air), Defence Equipment and Support, and Mrs Young, Air Marshal Stuart Atha, Deputy Commander, Operations and HQ Air Command, and Mrs Atha, Air Marshal Philip Osborn, Chief of Defence Intelligence, and Mrs Osborn, Air Marshal Stuart Evans, Deputy Commander, Nato’s Allied Air Command, and Mrs Evans, Maj Gen B. Bathurst, GOC London District and Major General Commanding the Household Division, Air Vice-marshal Michael Wigston, Assistant Chief of the Air Staff, and Mrs Wigston, Prof Hugh Durrant-whyte, Chief Scientific Adviser, Mr Stephen Lovegrove, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Defence, and Mrs Lovegrove, the Secretary General, RAFA, and Mrs Bunting, Ms Cressida Dick, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

The Ven Ian Wheatley, Chaplain of the Fleet, the Rev Dr David Coulter, Chaplain General, HM Land Forces, the Rev J. Ellis, Chaplain-in-chief (Raf-designate) and Mrs Ellis, the Rev Dr A. and Mrs Wakeham-dawson, the Rev Dr G. and Mrs Legood, the Rev I. and Mrs Brown, Father James Caulfield, the Rev P. and Mrs Mellor, Dr S. Kariyakarawana, Mrs M. Kaur, Rabbi Reuben Livingstone, Imam Ali Omar, Imam Asim Hafiz, the Rev Dr Robert Jones, the Rev Michael Fava, the Rev Dr M. Maclean, the Rev Jonathan Woodhouse, Mr Peter Campbell, the Rev Jane Chaffey.

Representatives of Joint Helicopter Command, The Royal Parks, RAF 100 Team, 601 Sqn, RAF Museum, RAF Charitable Trust Enterprises, Royal British Legion, Polish Airmen’s Association UK, Air Cadets, Royal Observer Corps Association, RAF Halton Apprentices’ Association, Coastal Command and Maritime Air Association, United Kingdom Reserve Forces Association, Shackleton Association, RAF Ex-prisoners of War Association, Bomber Command Association, RAF Widows’ Association of GB, RAF Cosford, RAF Halton, John Egging Trust, Never Such Innocence, IAAF World Indoor Athletics, Institute of Physics and the Historical Association, together with representatives of other organisations associated with the RAF, and other members of the RAF, serving and retired.