On April 1 the Royal Air Forcecelebrated its 100th birthday. The event is being celebrated by special events and activities across the UK running fromApril to the end of fall2018. The main celebration event of RAF100 will take place on July 10 with a service in Westminster Abbey, followed by a parade in The Mall and a flight over BuckinghamPalace.
A breakfast reception held at the site of the former Hotel Cecil, the first headquarters of the newly formed RAF in 1918, started events on April 1. A message from Her Majesty the Queen was read by 16-year-old Aircraftsman Adam Wood, the youngest serving member of theRAF. This was followed bya Founders’ Day Service at the official church of the Royal AirForce. Guests were then encouraged to watch the launch of the RAF100 batonrelay. The baton, designed by RAF apprentices to represent the RAF’s century of service to the nation, will visit every region of the UK and several overseas locations from April 1 to July 10, 2018.
Long March survivor and veteran of the RAF, Air Commodore Charles Clarke, had the honor of being the first person to pass thebaton to Aircraftsman AdamWood. “I’m really proud to have been chosen to read out the message from the Queen and then, as one of the youngest airmen in the RAF, to receive the baton from Air CommodoreClarke,” said Aircraftsman Adam Wood, who played a major role in the day’s celebrations.
The April 1 events begin a series of celebrations called RAF100,a national campaign that will feature events, activities and other initiatives running throughout the UK from April to the end of fall 2018.
