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IN REMEMBRANCE TO CORPORAL JONATHAN BAYLISS, RAF
Dennis Pritchard • 23 March 2021
IN REMEMBRANCE TO CORPORAL JONATHAN BAYLISS, RAF
Saturday, 20 March 2021 marked the third anniversary of the tragic death of Corporal Jonathan Bayliss, when Red Arrow Hawk T Mk 1 XX 204 crashed at RAF Valley in 2018, while departing for RAF Scampton.
Corporal Bayliss had joined the Royal Air Force in 2001 and was to become a member of the Red Arrows as a highly trained engineer in January 2016, before proceeding to the Circus in 2018.
As a member of the Circus, who wear blue flight suits, he had travelled with the Reds to various air show venues, together with successful tours to the Middle and Far East, including China. In this capacity he would sometimes provide direct technical support to his aircraft, which had been his duty when XX 204 temporarily deployed to RAF Valley. In this capacity and on that fateful day, he had unfortunately not managed to eject from the aircraft.
While recognising the ongoing Covid -19 protocols, a brief ceremony was held on and about the time that the incident had occurred, three years ago. Conducted by Reverend Squadron Leader Mike Hall; following a brief period of silence, RAF Valley Station Commander Andy Turk, DFC together with Squadron Leader Steve Morris, Red Arrows Executive Officer and Valley Aviation Society Vice-chair Ron Williams were to place relevant wreaths at the memorial in Spotters Car Park.
Also in attendance were Station Warrant Officer Loz McMillan and Mrs Aby Turk; together with Valley Aviation Society Secretary Dennis Pritchard, Treasurer Mrs Iris Pritchard and committee members LLoyd Jones, Jim LeCras and Ian Walker.
Before departure, Sqn Ldr Steve Morris provided a brief summary, explaining how the Red Arrows were coping with the ongoing pandemic and the unfortunate lack of air shows.
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