Pat Butler Memorial Award
The late Philip Insley (a
previous Chairman), came up with the idea of an annual bursary
presented to ATC (Air Training Corps) cadets.
You can read about Pat Butler, our first
Chairman, here:
Two cadets are chosen by the Officers
Commanding, London & South Eastern Region, Central and East
Region Air Cadets and presented
with their awards (£400 each plus a certificate and membership
of the Spitfire Society) at the Eastern Region AGM held at Old
Warden. Presenting the awards this year is Sqdn Ldr Ian Blair
DFM.
The first recipient for 2009 is
Cadet Warrant Officer Julia Robson of 2524 (Oakington)
Sqdn.
The second recipient for 2009 is
Cadet Flight Sergeant Jennifer Munn of 1254 (Godalming)Sqdn.
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2008 winners: Cadet Flight
Sergeant Charlotte Emily Hunt of 2409 (Halton) Sqdn.
Cadet Flight
Sergeant Jonathon Maflin of 444 (Shoreditch) Sqdn.
Other recent recipients:
2007
Cadet Warrant
Officer Antoni Otulakowski of 134 (Bedford) Sqdn.
Cadet Warrant Officer Matthew Winn of 1015
(Horsham) Sqdn.
2006
Instructor Cadet Warrant Officer
Paul Fothergill of 241 (Wanstead & Woodford) Sqdn.
Cadet Warrant
Officer Erik Clark of 1379 (Leiston) Sqdn.
2005
Cadet Flight Sergeant David Goldman of 241 Sqdn.
Cadet Flight Sergeant Lyndsay McGregor of 2331 Sqdn.
Pat Butler
First Chairman of Eastern Region
Pat Butler was born on 17th
March 1922 and volunteered for Aircrew duties with the RAF in
1941 when he was 18. He finished his flying training as a pilot
at 53 OUT, Llandow, flying his first Spitfire on 6th
July 1942 – a Mk 1, R6914. Operationally, Pat is best
remembered for his time with 1435 Sqdn in Malta but he also
served with 130, 256 & 153 Sqdns taking him through N.Africa,
Sicily and Italy.
He was a Founder-member of The
Spitfire Society in 1984/85 and made an offer to David Green
shortly thereafter to organise an Eastern Region when the right
time came. As many current Members will remember, that time
arrived in September 1989 when Pat organised our first Regional
Meeting in the Mess at The Squadron, North Weald Airfield.
It must not of course be thought
that nothing had been happening in the Society during the middle
years of the nineteen eighties: Group Captain David Green was
very much a hands-on Founder-chairman of the Society. In fact he
and his wife, Diana, frequently and single-handedly set up a
stand at Air Shows round the Country during those earlier days,
to publicise the formation of The Spitfire Society and to sell
appropriate artefacts to help fund its running.
Returning to Pat Butler and
Eastern Region, Pat’s first task was to recruit Members to serve
with him on the Regional Committee and, although it would be
invidious to name individuals, it is very heartening to see how
many of the originals are still around to help run the shop and
to promote the Spirit which Pat first injected into this
Region. Even more importantly, younger Members are now
willingly being recruited to fill important positions on that
Committee.
Pat Butler, after battling with cancer for three
months, died in hospital on 23rd May 1993.
L.D.N.
