By Adrian Hughes
Orkney Armed Forces’ & Veterans’ Breakfast Club – 16th December 2023
Every month, since 2017, somewhere in Orkney, a group of men and women, young and old, do something really quite mundane; they have breakfast together. What makes this group interesting is, they are all veterans of the armed forces, or are close relatives whose lives were also affected by service life. This is the Orkney Veterans’ Breakfast Club, and they’ve all got a story.
One veteran is former RAF pilot, Angus Ross-Thomson. Originally from Sussex, he moved to Kirkwall in 2020, after he and his wife, Ruth, who grew up in Orkney, spent over eight years circumnavigating the world in their own yacht…
Angus’s desire to fly came at a very early age:
“As a lad, I dreamt of flying, but both my parents lost brothers in Bomber Command, during the war, so they had no wish for their son to join the Air Force. I wanted to fly helicopters so my initial plan was to sneak into the Army, but that didn’t quite work out for me.
Through some contacts, I actually started work as a barman, out in the Virgin Islands. I was spending all the money I was earning, working on boats in the daytime and bars in the evening, buying myself flying lessons. Whilst I was doing this, I met some retired RAF Phantom pilots and they said, ‘well, you seem to be enjoying it, why don’t you go and join the Air Force’, so I thought I’d give it a go”.
After basic training, followed by the flight selection process, where he flew various small fixed-wing aircraft, Angus eventually found himself at RAF Shawbury, Shropshire, learning to fly helicopters:
“I’d joined up when the RAF had just bought Chinooks, so they were looking for pilots for them. I started off on single engined Gazelles, lovely machines that have just been pensioned off after about 50 years; they’re the sports car of the sky. I got about 70 or 80 hours on them before moving on to a twin engined trainer, the Wessex, then went to an operational conversion unit to fly the new Chinook. After that, I went to my first front-line unit”.
This was 1982 and, shortly after the fighting had finished, Angus found himself in the Falkland Islands, tidying-up in the aftermath of conflict. He was then sent to RAF Akrotiri, in Cyprus, flying his aircraft in and out of Beirut, in support of the U.S. led Multinational Force operating in Lebanon:
“You had to be very careful; they were all fighting each other and would probably have happily taken a pot-shot at us, but we tried not to upset anybody. Eventually, after about four months, we pulled out and let them get on with it; we were withdrawn back to the UK. After that, I got sent out to Germany, to be a ‘Cold War Warrior’ at RAF Gütersloh”.
Over the next few years, Angus continued to gain valuable flying experience, including another tour in the Falkland Islands and time in Northern Ireland, ferrying troops in and out of hot spots, during the Troubles. He then went on to train at the prestigious, Empire Test Pilot School, (ETPS) and become a test pilot at Boscombe Down, Wiltshire.
“People think it’s about testing new aircraft, but in fact, new aircraft are very rare. Pilots on a squadron have a set of limits they can push an aircraft to, but Boscombe Down is where those limits are set, and to do that we have to see how far it can really go. We’d get to do things that would get you slung out of the Air Force, if you dared try them on the front line”.
Unfortunately, Angus started to feel unwell towards the end of his test pilot’s course and, following several tests, he was eventually diagnosed with leukaemia. Over a period of twelve months or so, whilst continuing to fly, he underwent an, ‘autologous stem-cell transplant’, meaning his own stem cells were harvested and ‘cleaned up’, to be given back to him at a later date.
“About 90% of the people that get what I had are over sixty. I was about 35, and at the time it was considered incurable; manageable, but incurable. The treatment I was given was experimental; they couldn’t have given it to a sixty-year-old because it would probably have finished them off.
“They basically rebooted me. They gave me a massive dose of X-rays and a massive dose of Chemo, then locked me in a [sterile] room for about four weeks and gave me back the stem cells they had taken off me in the preceding months. After about 30 days I was sent home to recuperate; I was absolutely exhausted, but I was flying again about five months later.”
After seven years as a working test pilot, Angus returned to the ETPS as staff and, after a year, became its Principle Helicopter Tutor; the pinnacle of his career. But, after 25 years service, in April 2005, and despite the fact he was still enjoying his flying, he decided it was time to hang up his flying helmet.
“My wife and I met through sailing. We met in Greece, on sailing boats, and we had this dream; we were watching people sailing around the world and thought, ‘why can’t we do that?’
“Most people wait until they’re retired, but I thought that might not be a good idea as, technically, the leukaemia is considered incurable and will always be there; I’m classed as immunosuppressed and still on pills. So, I thought, let’s leave the RAF and do it; time to live the dream whilst I still can. We did an eight-and-a-half year sail around the world, in a 42ft boat, and we had a fantastic time!”
These days, Angus is what he describes as, ‘self-unemployed’. He keeps himself busy doing voluntary work; he works on the St Magnus Way, does wood-working projects at the Orkney Men’s Shed, in Stromness, and ‘does music’. He plays ukulele, harmonica and keyboard, and was in a band before he moved here. He is, of course, also a Breakfaster:
“I heard about it and have been coming along for a few months, now; the Breakfast Club is inspired! You get to reminisce and swap, ‘war stories’; it’s a brilliant idea. I’d recommend it to any other veterans”.
Although it was early this month, due to the festive season, the Orkney Armed Forces’ & Veterans’ Breakfast Club usually meet on the last Saturday of each month, between 0930 and 1100 (ish), at various eateries around the county. This time they were at the St Magnus Café, Kirkwall, where they were well looked after by the staff. There were 31 attendees, which, it turns out, was a new record for them. Clearly, the group is thriving!
If you’re the manager of a restaurant, café or a bar, and would be interested in hosting the veterans, please do get in touch; they really want to hear from you. With an ever increasing membership, finding suitable premises is becoming more difficult for them, restricting the number of venues they can use. It is fair to say that, in some ways, they are a victim of their own success.
The group welcomes veterans and those currently serving, from any of the armed forces, regulars or reserves, including their immediate families. The invitation to join them is also extended to those who serve, or have served, any other country, even if they’re just visiting the islands. There’s no admin fees or paperwork, (although you might be asked little about your service). The only thing they pay for is their breakfast.
More details can be found on the group’s Facebook page, or contact Simon, the group’s co-ordinator: 07909 640884 – orkneyveteransbreakfastclub@outlook.com.
