Destroyer hms racecourse as part of force 63. Whilst on the ship, he witnessed a kamikaze attack on hms squirrel. Once the crew were rescued, the ship had to be scuttled in order to preserve darkness as it was a glowing blaze. Thank you, dad, for what you and your fellow sailors helped to achieve whilst serving, and thank you for finally sharing your experiences with me before you passed away seven years ago. I will make sure that your grandchildren will always acknowledge what you and your comrades did, by reminding them worse things happen at sea. Very shortly, we will hear the fly past of five Royal Air Force aircraft from the second world war. And of course, we rememberjust how vital those aircraft were, because they helped to turn the tide of the war in the far east. Men who previously would have been encircled, trapped by the japanese, without supplies of ammunition, food or medicine, could now wait, could stand and fight. And have supplies dropped for them. And here we see now,
Air Chief Marshal Sir John Day, head of Strike Command in Afghanistan and build-up to Iraq – obituary telegraph.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from telegraph.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Air Chief Marshal Sir John Day, who has died aged 76, was one of the RAF’s leading helicopter pilots and commanders who rose to become the Commander-in-Chief of Strike Command during the early operations in Afghanistan and in the build-up to the Iraq War in 2003.