Pat Butler Memorial Award
The late Philip Insley (a
previous Chairman), came up with the idea of an annual bursary
presented to ATC (Air Training Corps) cadets.
You can read about Pat Butler, our first
Chairman, here:
We are currently reviewing our
award scheme and will be posting details shortly.
2016 winners:
Cadet Warrant Officer Benjamin Mutch (2520 Tonbridge
Squadron)
Cadet Warrant Officer Jack Webb-MacLeod (2070
Glenfield Squadron)
The Len Stillwell Award went
to:
Cadet Warrant Officer Jade Cox (1360 Stapleford &
Sandiacre Squadron)
2015 winners:
Cadet Flight Sergeant Benjamin
McMillan (73 Huntingdon Squadron)
Cadet Warrant Officer
Kynan Fletcher (1349 Woking Squadron)
The Len
Stillwell award went to:
Cadet
Flight Sergeant Katherine Hill (2461 Sawston Squadron)
2014 winners: Cadet Warrant Officer Alexander Down (795 Harpenden Squadron)
and Cadet Flight Sergeant Yvette Lawrenson (328 Kingston upon
Thames Squadron).
The Len Stillwell award went
to Cadet Warrant Officer Thomas Joseph (47F Grantham Squadron).
2013 winners: Cadet Warrant Officer Chris
Perkins 1101 (Kettering) Squadron
and Cadet Flight Sergeant Tom
Lawlor 1349 (Woking) Squadron.
The Len Stillwell
Award for 'Most Promising Cadet' went to Cadet Warrant Oficer
Sandra Scott 2470 (Sudbury) Squadron.
2012 winners: Cadet Warrant Officer
Anthony David Snook 1096 (Bishop's Stortford) Sqdn.
Cadet Flight Sergeant Shaun
Joseph Kellam 2313 (The Chalfonts) Sqdn.
Cadet Sergeant Harley James Crisp 1070 (Diss)
Sqdn.
2011 winners: Senior Cadet
Warrant Officer Andrew Monk of 85 (Enfield & Southgate) Sqdn.
Cadet Warrant Officer Henry Wisdom 1066
(Hitchin) Sqdn.
2010
Cadet Warrant Officer
Sophie Stachera
Cadet Warrant Officer Elodie
Marsh
2009
Cadet Warrant Officer Julia Robson of 2524 (Oakington)
Sqdn.
Cadet Flight Sergeant Jennifer Munn of 1254 (Godalming) Sqdn.
2008
Cadet Flight
Sergeant Charlotte Emily Hunt of 2409 (Halton) Sqdn.
Cadet Flight
Sergeant Jonathon Maflin of 444 (Shoreditch) Sqdn.
2007
Cadet Warrant
Officer Antoni Otulakowski of 134 (Bedford) Sqdn.
Cadet Warrant Officer Matthew Winn of 1015
(Horsham) Sqdn.
2006
Instructor Cadet Warrant Officer
Paul Fothergill of 241 (Wanstead & Woodford) Sqdn.
Cadet Warrant
Officer Erik Clark of 1379 (Leiston) Sqdn.
2005
Cadet Flight Sergeant David Goldman of 241 Sqdn.
Cadet Flight Sergeant Lyndsay McGregor of 2331 Sqdn.
Pat Butler
First Chairman of Eastern Region
Pat Butler was born on 17th
March 1922 and volunteered for Aircrew duties with the RAF in
1941 when he was 18. He finished his flying training as a pilot
at 53 OUT, Llandow, flying his first Spitfire on 6th
July 1942 – a Mk 1, R6914. Operationally, Pat is best
remembered for his time with 1435 Sqdn in Malta but he also
served with 130, 256 & 153 Sqdns taking him through N.Africa,
Sicily and Italy.
He was a Founder-member of The
Spitfire Society in 1984/85 and made an offer to David Green
shortly thereafter to organise an Eastern Region when the right
time came. As many current Members will remember, that time
arrived in September 1989 when Pat organised our first Regional
Meeting in the Mess at The Squadron, North Weald Airfield.
It must not of course be thought
that nothing had been happening in the Society during the middle
years of the nineteen eighties: Group Captain David Green was
very much a hands-on Founder-chairman of the Society. In fact he
and his wife, Diana, frequently and single-handedly set up a
stand at Air Shows round the Country during those earlier days,
to publicise the formation of The Spitfire Society and to sell
appropriate artefacts to help fund its running.
Returning to Pat Butler and
Eastern Region, Pat’s first task was to recruit Members to serve
with him on the Regional Committee and, although it would be
invidious to name individuals, it is very heartening to see how
many of the originals are still around to help run the shop and
to promote the Spirit which Pat first injected into this
Region. Even more importantly, younger Members are now
willingly being recruited to fill important positions on that
Committee.
Pat Butler, after battling with cancer for three
months, died in hospital on 23rd May 1993.
L.D.N.
