Jim Shortland

Sadly we break the news that IX(B) Squadron Association Member, Historian and Tirpitz expert – Jim Shortland – passed away on 30 December 2023.

New book – IX Squadron Profile by Chris Ward & Dicky James

Our book about IX Squadron from September 1939 to May 1945 has been published:

 

https://www.aviationbooks.org/

 

Please tell your friends, family and neighbours about the book.

 

It would make a super Xmas present!

Margaret Caven, RIP

With much regret, it has been announced that Association Member Margaret Caven passed away on 21 May 2023.

Margaret was a regular attendee at our Annual Reunions and will be sorely missed by all. Our thoughts go to her family and friends.

New Book: From The Battle of Britain to Bombing Hitler’s Berchtesgaden

Wing Commander James ‘Jim’ Bazin, DSO, DFC

Bombing Hitlers Berchtesgaden New Book

Written by Fenella and Michael Bazin.


Pages: 248
ISBN: 9781399066907
Published: 6th April 2023

From the publisher:

It was Tuesday, 17 October 1939. Britain had been at war with Germany for more than a month and for only the second time the Luftwaffe had dared to enter British airspace – and at last James ‘Jim’ Bazin’s chance had come.

After joining the RAF in 1935, Jim was an experienced pilot when war broke out and he was eager to test his skills against the enemy. This first combat was the start of a career which saw Wing Commander Bazin, as he was to become, being posted to France with 607 (County of Durham) Squadron. He fought there until the last days of the Battle of France. In the course of the campaign, Bazin had battled his way to becoming an ace. He was also shot down behind enemy lines, but successfully evaded capture to return to his squadron and resume the fight.

There was no respite for Bazin as he was once again in the air defending Britain’s skies in his trusty Hurricane as the Luftwaffe sort to destroy Fighter Command in the summer of 1940. With ten ‘kills’ to his name, Jim Bazin was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in October that year. But merely driving off the Luftwaffe was not enough for him. He was posted to Inverness where he served as a Controller in 14 Group’s Operations Room, which gave him a taste for offensive operations.

In time, Bazin volunteered to move to Bomber Command. He duly undertook a conversion course in 1943, eventually joining 49 Squadron as a Lancaster pilot to take the war to the very heart of the enemy.

After commanding 49 Squadron, including taking part in Bomber Command’s support of the D-Day landings, Bazin was promoted to Wing Commander, leading 9 Squadron on many attacks on special targets such as U-boat pens, viaducts, refineries and, most notably, operating with the famous Dambusters against Hitler’s great battleship Tirpitz.

Unrelenting in his efforts against the enemy, Jim Bazin was involved in operations against targets in Poland and Germany right up until the end of the war. This culminated in the last major RAF operation of the Second World War when, on 25 April 1945, Bomber Command attacked the Berghof, Hitler’s Alpine retreat, and other targets in Berchtesgaden. Jim Bazin was awarded the DSO in September 1945 – rightful recognition for a man who had done so much to bring about the defeat of the enemy.

2023 Association Reunion!

The 2023 IX(B) Squadron Reunion will be held on 22-23 September, at RAF Lossiemouth.

More details will follow shortly, including travel options for members.

John Fox, RIP.

With much regret, it has been announced that our friend and Association Honorary Member John Fox died on Friday 29 April 2022, having been in Hospital for some weeks.

John was a brilliant Technical Illustrator, Graphic Designer, artist, photographer and more.

 

In 2017, John designed the amazing IX(B) Sqn memorial, seen above. His design notes are:

The monument’s 3 colours are as follows:

Polished brown granite derived from the Khaki of the RFC at the Squadron’s formation in Dec 1914.

Polished green granite derived from the bat on the Squadron’s Official Crest.

Sandstone derived from the Squadron’s history of operations in desert regions throughout its history.

 

The monument’s shapes are as follows:

The square footprint represents a IX(B) Squadron aircraft First World War reconnaissance camera plate.

The triangular shape represents the Geodetics used for navigation and the Wellington’s airframe.

The 4-sided pyramid represents the bomb sight of a Second World War IX(B) Squadron Lancaster.

The monument’s design angle is the travel sweep of the Tornado wing.

 

The monument’s orientation is as follows:

The Second World War panel is North facing, so not directly lit by the sun, to rep Second World War night operations.

The main Dedication panel is South facing and lit by the sun throughout during the day, to represent IX(B) Squadron’s achievements throughout its unparalleled history.

The First World War panel is West facing and lit by the setting sun, to represent western front operations.

The final panel is East facing and lit by the rising sun, to represent operations in the Middle East.

 

Below are some more of John’s work. Originals and prints are still available.

If you are interested in purchasing any, please contact association.historian@9sqn.co.uk

John’s brilliant “OP ELLAMY” painting of a Typhoon and Tornado. Signed and unsigned prints still available.

It was John’s idea to depict the Lancaster, Canberra, Vulcan, Tornado and Typhoon in plan form for Reunion table runners and booklets.

John’s recent drawing of a Johnny Walker mine, as used in OP Paravane.

John was a master at telling a story in graphics. He positioned the crests of IX(B) Sqn and 617 Sqn, straddling a Tallboy bomb facing the Tirpitz crest.

John Fox’s painting of a Tornado GR4 loaded with two Stormshadow missiles.

John’s depiction of a Lancaster crossing the coast line.

He was a stalwart of the association reunions, and fiercely loyal to IX(B) Squadron. He was a friend to many and we will miss him dearly. 

2021 Bardney Remembrance

Association members,

The annual Bardney Remembrance service on 14th Nov is looming, if anyone is interested in attending the service and the lunch afterwards, please see the attached document for all the details and reply to the Chairman by COP Friday 5th Nov.

Also, if you’ve moved house or changed email address in the last 12-18 months, please let me know so we can update our databases!

We hope to see some of you next month.

Stay safe,

TABS

Swanny

IX(B) Sqn Association Sep Sec

 

20211008IX(B) Assoc Remembrance

617 & IX(B) Squadron Associations ‘Tirpitz’ Reunion Dinner

This year members of No IX(B) Squadron Association have been invited to join the annual 617 Squadron Association annual Tirpitz Dinner at the Petwood Hotel in Woodhall Spa. Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach, recently retired from the RAF and previously a member of IX(B) Squadron, has been invited to be the Guest of Honour.

The Dinner will be held on the evening of Saturday 13 November. The following day members of both Associations and their guests are invited to St Peters Church in Woodhall Spa for a Remembrance Day Service. This will be followed by a parade to the centre of Woodhall Spa and the laying of wreathes on the town War Memorial and the 617 Squadron Memorials.

Members and guests are then invited to travel independently to Woodhall Spa Airfield for a further short service and wreath-laying ceremony.

There will be sandwiches and cake available for a small charge in the Petwood Hotel after the visit to the Airfield.

Members are advised that the Hotel continues to take anti-Covid precautions and encourages guests to do likewise. In particular, any meals other than the Dinner on the Saturday evening and the Sandwich/Cake lunch on the Sunday must be booked in advance directly with the Hotel.

Please complete the attached a booking proforma as soon as convenient and not later than 30 September. If you have any questions please contact me, Ian Dugmore, by e-mail or phone: Sec617@outlook.com 07889 150836

IX(B) Squadron Association Members may wish to know that their Project Officer for the event is Lenny Nixon at association.vicechairman@9sqn.co.uk

2021 Association Reuinion

Dear Assn members,

 
I am afraid it is my sad task to once again inform you that the planned reunion weekend in October, at RAF Lossiemouth, has been postponed until July 2022, exact date to be confirmed in due course.
 
A combination of stricter COVID restrictions in Scotland and the continuing uncertainty around the rising numbers of infections across the UK were already putting plans in doubt. At our Committee meeting this week the final TABS moment appeared when we were informed by the Squadron representative that the Squadron will now be deployed away from Lossiemouth during October.
 
It is the Committee’s aspiration to enhance the links between the Assn and the Typhoon era personnel and with very little chance of meeting them in numbers, the decision has been taken to postpone the weekend and reunion dinner.
 
The good news is Alfie Ferguson has again volunteered to be the Project Officer as we roll things into 2022, so all of his hard work and contacts will not be wasted.
 
In light of this cancellation, some of you may now wish to attend the Tirpitz Dinner with the Junior Sqn Assn on 13 Nov 21 at the Petwood Hotel, Woodhall Spa. If you would like to take up that option, could you please contact Lenny Nixon at association.vicechairman@9sqn.co.uk
 
Dean Wood
Association Secretary

ACM Sir Stuart Peach Retires.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach has been greeted at Royal Air Force Northolt by a Guard of Honour to mark his retirement from the RAF and leaving his NATO position as the Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, a role he has held since 2018.
 
 
On arrival at RAF Northolt Sir Stuart was greeted by a Guard of Honour formed by the @RAF Regiment and escorted from his aircraft by the current Chief of the Air Staff, Air Chief Marshal Sir Mike Wigston who congratulated Sir Stuart on his astonishing career and on behalf of the RAF, and indeed the whole of the Armed Services, thanked him for his service and wished him the very best for his retirement.
 
 
Reflecting on ACM Peach’s career, ACM Sir Mike Wigston said: “Sir Stuart Peach is one of the great military leaders of modern times. He has served the Royal Air Force, the UK, NATO and the international community with distinction for nearly 50 years. Today he finishes his stellar career and returns home from NATO; but something tells me he won’t stop there.”
 
“I would like to thank the RAF for looking after me for all these years.  I started my flying career in 1974 and I flew on an AWACS mission last week which was an excellent way to bring almost 50 years to a close.  I was a Tornado Navigator and squadron commander for a chunk of my life.  I flew that aircraft for 20 years and most of those missions were in support of NATO.  NATO matters.”

Air Chief Marshal Sir Stuart Peach