Was a Hawker Hunter good in a dog-fight?

herb payne Fri, 01/02/2013 - 14:12

You know what it's like. You pluck up the courage to ask. You are completely taken aback when they say “yes”. You are dizzy with dis-belief when they still want to come and are ready when you pick them up. You arrive and, horror of horrors, everyone there has suddenly gone “weird” - religious weird. The guys refuse to communicate normally and in everyday English. The promised breakfast is pathetic and there's an awkward hush. To top it all the advertised subject has warped beyond recognition and the speaker drones on in a soporific monologue. You're so relieved when it's all over, you apologise, shake hands and shuffle home thoroughly embarrassed.

The Men's Breakfast on Saturday 26th January was not like that at all!

The welcoming smell of bacon as you approach the building, the friendly, non-threatening, first name welcome as we approached the Shaftesbury room. Everyone seems happy, there's a merry buzz, there's a choice of cereal, toast and beverage straightaway. Everyone appears to be comfortable. Clear instructions and conversations in bloke-speak. This all bodes well! Immediately my guest finds someone to talk to and makes new acquaintances...

The breakfast is all you might have come to expect under the direction of the Izzard / Markey management and their kitchen elves. Topping!
Replete and relaxed we push aside the eggy plates and it's easy to give our attention to Martin. As an ex-RAF officer and, now, man-of-the-cloth he communicates in a gracious and softly-spoken way. He is easy and interesting to listen to.

He was an hedonistic atheist until middle life and he tells his tale from cadet force, through flying scholarships and his recruitment into the RAF, his career, his near misses and jolly japes, his lost comrades - all interspersed with pictures of planes and helicopters and with anecdotes until, totally un-churched and “out of the blue”, he meets God whilst looking through the garden window whilst stationed in Belize. He is surprised, his Padre is surprised, and, reading between the lines, his wife and family are still surprised.

Part two of his talk concentrates on his faith and beliefs, evangelical and eschatological. “Jesus died to save you, he is risen, he is coming again...” - I think it was easy to listen to.

He now lives in Odiham and is a Curate there but, although even having been based there for a period in his career, has little to do with the RAF base now.

Finally there was a question and answer session. “Is it true that a Lightning intercepted and surprised Americans at 55,000 feet over our airspace?”,  “but what IS faith?”, “was a Hawker Hunter good in a dog-fight?” - a good mixture, well and thoroughly answered.
I came away encouraged and looking forward to the next one (even though it's something to do with sport).

By the way chaps – I am confident it'll be safe to invite people to come along with you.

• herb payne's blog
• Log in to post comments