Speaker - Angus Peters - Battle of Britain Memorial Squadron

President John Spittal got the proceedings underway with a donation to Home Start East Fife.

Accepting the cheque for £300, Isobel Clifford told how that organisation provides assistance to vulnerable families and children in the area. Whether the families’ difficulties are medical, financial or otherwise, Home Start aims to help and support them wherever possible.

As main speaker for the evening Angus Peters opened his remarks by turning the clock back to September 1946 when he and his family were introduced by friends to a young man in RAF uniform. He was William Reid, a World War II Lancaster bomber pilot, aged only 21, who had been awarded the Victoria Cross for his conspicuous bravery in bringing home a severely damaged aircraft in 1943.

As an awestruck child, Angus had asked for and was given the hero’s autograph.

Then turning the clock forward to 2008, Angus told the company that William Reid’s VC medal had in that year come up for auction – and was purchased for the world-record sum of £348,000.

Clearly, William Reid was a special person and that was confirmed three years ago when Angus visited the aircraft museum at RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

Among many other historical items on view was a resume of William Reid’s flying career, his period in the famous Dambusters squadron, subsequent capture and time spent as a POW.

Angus also had the opportunity to see and inspect a Lancaster bomber which is housed at Coningsby and still is capable of flying at airshows and other exhibitions. There are also examples of Hurricane fighters and the one Spitfire which has survived from the Battle of Britain. More than 20,000 Spitfires were built during World War II, so this particular remaining example is regarded as priceless.

During his presentation, Angus displayed a photographic record of his trip, with a variety of pictures showing other historic aircraft, such as the Dakota, probably the most successful and well-used transport aircraft ever built.

In proposing a vote of thanks, Jim Douglas was delighted to reveal that in 1966, his trip by air from Belfast to Edinburgh had indeed been in a Dakota aircraft being operated by the now-defunct British European Airways.