RAF Lyneham wins 'Wilkinson Sword of Peace' Wiltshire's premier airbase wins one of the highest accolades among military units. An outstanding achievement which reflects, Lyneham's true value and the painstaking efforts the station personnel put into their day-to-day workload. 'Team Lyneham' demonstrates the professional importance of the base. “To win it once is no mean feat, but to win it four times is an incredible achievement, and one of which I am immensely proud”, said RAF Lyneham Station Commander, Group Captain Paul Oborn, on hearing that the Station had just been awarded the Wilkinson Sword of Peace for 2004. The Sword is awarded each year to the RAF Station that has contributed the most to humanitarian causes and community work throughout the year, and throughout the world. It is a keenly fought award and to be chosen as the winner is a great accolade amongst all RAF Stations.

The Air Member for Personnel, Air Marshal Sir Joe French wrote to Group Captain Oborn congratulating the Station on receiving the award. He said “Despite strong competition from a number of other Stations, the panel of judges were unanimous in deciding that this highly coveted prize should be awarded to RAF Lyneham. We noted in particular that these activities involved all areas of the Station, across all ranks, so please pass on my admiration for their continued hard work and commitment.”

Group Captain Oborn went on to say, “There are many, many people working tirelessly behind the scenes to achieve the humanitarian successes that we have, including many aeromedical evacuation flights, the Tsunami relief effort and transporting pilgrims from Iraq to Mecca for the Haj. At the same time our personnel devote their energies to charitable projects in the local community and overseas, such as running local Scout groups and building schools and bridges in Kenya. I am so pleased that their efforts have been recognised by the award of this beautiful sword.”

The first sword was awarded to RAF Lyneham in 1973 to recognise the work the Hercules fleet undertook in delivering aid to Nepal during a severe drought, which demanded some skillful flying in hazardous conditions, and where maintaining the aircraft was particularly difficult in challenging weather conditions. In the same year, 2400 tons of seed and grain was delivered to drought-stricken Senegal and Mali which prevented a humanitarian disaster.

The Station’s second sword was presented for it’s outstanding achievements in Op Bushel, the Ethiopia Famine Relief operation of 1984. Not only did the aircraft deliver aid directly to the outlying communities that were hardest hit by the famine, but back at home, the Station launched it’s own nationwide appeal to raise extra funds to supplement the aid being provided from official sources. Throughout this time, the Hercules fleet also maintained the air bridge down to the Falkland Islands.

The picture above shows the Station Commander, Group captain Paul Oborn, in front of the sword awarded to the Station in 2000, which recognised RAF Lyneham’s contribution to the Sarajevo airlift. The citation for that magnificent award:

Wilkinson Sword of Peace 2000 RAF Lyneham Citation RAF Lyneham is home to 3,000 service and 273 civilian personnel who aim to provide air transport, air transport support, aeromedical evacuation and tactical air movements in support of all three Services and other government departments. As a lodger unit of the station, the Tactical Medical Wing supports the station with over 600 aeromedical missions carrying nearly 1,000 personnel, with critical teams used on 22 occasions. The United Kingdom Air Movements Squadron provides tactical air movements and has been involved in activities as diverse as providing a team to assist with the rescue attempt for the Russian Kursk submarine, to much larger-scale deployments as the support of operations in Sierra Leone.

The 5 squadrons that operate the Hercules fleet support almost every deployment conducted by the United Kingdom Armed Forces. In 2000, operations to Sierra Leone, for example, accounted for 40% of the Station’s operational tasking. As well as supporting combat operations, personnel from RAF Lyneham have given their time to support humanitarian aid operations providing, for instance, aid relief to an orphanage in Romania and visiting a child care centre in Kenya. Personnel have also made substantial financial and practical contributions to local and national charities and community groups. Contributions have ranged from time and energy given to improve footpaths in conservation areas to raising funds for the ‘Albert Project’, a charity supporting Kenyan orphanages and hospitals. The total amount of funds raised amounted to a remarkable £253,142. In essence, RAF Lyneham has continued to enhance and promote the good name of the Royal Air Force throughout 2000, through their involvement in a wide variety of projects that have helped to maintain and cultivate links with the local community and under-developed areas of the world.

The Wilkinson Sword of Peace is made to a standard RAF pattern, but is then beautifully engraved with the RAF Station details, and will be presented to RAF Lyneham in 2006.

Wilkinson Sword winners 2003
RAF Lossiemouth were recognised for its contribution at home in the UK, in Iraq, and in Sierra Leone. The station is home to a Search and Rescue Flight of Sea King helicopters, who flew 196 missions in 2003, saving 197 lives. It is also the homebase for 51 Squadron Royal Air Force Regiment, which, like 3RHA, rapidly switched from a combat role in Iraq to providing humanitarian relief, averting a serious crisis in the vicinity of Safwan airfield, and providing security for aid convoys in southern Iraq. RAF Lossiemouth has also maintained over several years close links with the Milton Margai School for the Blind in Sierra Leone, after one of its officers served there as a United Nations Observer. Despite the pupils' disabilities, the school has an outstanding choir, and Lossiemouth was able to organise for the children a two-week concert tour of England and Scotland in August 2003, culminating in a performance for over 2,500 people in Westminster Abbey; a once in a lifetime opportunity for some very disadvantaged young people.

	RAF Lyneham www.raf.mod.uk/raflyneham with special thanks to the Corporate Communication and Media Office for the information and pictures.