From: "Phil Payne" 

> Planespotter hat on:

Wing Commander William Henry McCormack Bonner MBE RAF, my uncle and
ex-father-in-law, flew Canberras for well over ten years and was at one
time Commanding Officer of 51 Squadron, which flew the PR9 from Wyton
before the airfield was closed and the aircraft were taken over by 39, 51
Squadron re-equipping with Nimrods.  Wyton was one of the three bases -
Alconbury had the Dragon Lady and Blackbird, Brampton the JARIC processing
centre.

I asked him for his daughter's hand while he was digging the flower bed at
the CO's house at Wyton.  She couldn't bring herself to look, but her
younger sister watched and called out to her: "Sarah!  Daddy's just
hit Philip with the spade!"

Staying at his house in the 1980s at Great Stukely, almost at the end of
Alconbury's runway, we frequently watched DLs coming in from missions.  You
could cook and eat breakfast, and wash up while a DL made its approach.
They were in sight for up to an hour during final approach and landing.
With a stiff headwind, they went over the garden fence at something like
50mph.

At this very instant I'm wearing the old dark green thick fleece pullover
he used to wear in the (unheated) Canberra.  Incredibly warm.

--- BBBS/NT v4.01 Flag-5