Spotlight - "Flying High" The story of Richard Allaway.
Richard was born in the village of Datchet, Berkshire in 1956.
At 18 Richard received his English and Philosophy degree at Exeter University where he met Helen. On the first day he arrived at the university, Richard saw Helen going up the steps, they became friends and got engaged during the last year of University. As soon as they got their degrees they got married.
Richard taught for a year in Bambridge School on the Isle of White. He soon discovered that teaching was not for him. In his first term he was appointed as career master and organised visits from the armed forces. However it was Richard that was poached by the RAF not his pupils.
Richard and Helen's first son Rory was born in October 1980 and on 28th Dec that year Richard went to the RAF college in Cranwell, Lincolnshire. After basic training he was commissioned the following year and as a Flying Officer he was sent to his first unit at RAF Waddington.
Richard recalls, “I was living at the college on the camp and Helen was in quarters there. I went for a training run every night just so that I could pop in and have tea with Helen”.
Their second son Barney was born in 1986. Helen and family travelled all over the world with Richard during his 2 to 3 year tours of duty. They both decided that it would be better for Helen and the children to stay in one place so they bought a house in Hereford which they use as their base.
During Richard's career he has been promoted and given more and more demanding roles and responsibilities. One such job was Station Adjuntant which was to manage essential support services for the RAF, another was Security around Harriers at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire. He commanded the RAF Tactical Medical Wing which was responsible for air evacuation of injured servicemen and their families. Richard has been involved with air lifts during the Falklands war and more recently Bosnia and Iraq. He has rescued servicemen from both gulf wars and Afghanistan.
Richard remembers on one tour of duty, a joint operation with the RAF and the Gurkha's Hong Kong was handed back to China. The Chinese built housing on the cricket pitch in the base camp at Sek Kong. They were mortified, what sacrilege!
Richard also recalls when he was attacked by a land crab in the Ascension Islands. “I was walking around the Green Mountain (which is at the center of the island) and came across a hole in the volcanic rock. A very large land crab jumped out and attacked me. These crabs don't see many humans so they don't fear us.”
Richard has been posted to Italy, Cyprus and Germany but a favorite was Hawaii. He won a RAF traveling Fellowship which enabled him to study abroad. He was based in Honolulu and from there visited San Francisco. He learned how the Americans carried out their evacuations from all over the world. Some of the operations were easy but some were during hostile environments.
Click on this photo to see a bigger picture. Richard is front row - center.
At the end of 2006 Richard was posted to Whitehall and bought a flat in Queens Club Gardens. Richard is currently the Assistant Director of Strategic Change in the Ministry of Defence. He is involved in the re-organisation of the way the MOD does it's business and the re-location of its forces. He describes his job as a 3D jigsaw puzzle.
2006 was also the year that Richard and Helen discovered St Andrew's church. Richard remembers hearing the bells and walking over to the church and the warm welcome he received. He and Helen feel very much at home at St Andrew's. He says, “The incense reminded me of the smell of Frankincense in Oman.”
Richard has recently joined the PCC.
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