OPERATION GRANBY.
Text of an article from the Royal Gazette, 1990 or 1991.
Flying Officer Graeme Hunter, a 22-year-old former Saltus Grammer student was aboard a Tornado F-3-one of nearly 168 aircraft that flew over Buckingham palace in the greatest Flypast Salute since Coronation day, 1953.
Mr. Hunter, the son of Mr. John and Mrs, Sheena Hunter of Smiths Parish, was in the back seat of the two-man aircraft, which carries guided missiles and flies at twice the speed of sound.
Mr. Hunter said his son's "Eagle Squadron" had fought in the Battle of Britain, and was entitled to be present in the flypast.
Both Mr. and Mrs. Hunter were in London to witness the emotional ceremony, which drew hundreds of thousands of people to various spots around the City to witness the spectacle.
They said theirson took it all very much in his stride.
"He seemed to think it was simply his job," Mrs. Hunter said,"though at a party on Saturday night he was pretty excited about it all."
Mrs. Hunter said Graeme had decided at age 15 he would be an RAF pilot, and had worked with single-minded determination to win his goal.
After leaving saltus he attended schoolin scotland where he won an RAF scholarship when he was 16. By the time he was 17 he had his pilot's licence, she said.
He attended the Royal Air force College at Cranwell before finally being accepted into the small, elite circle of men who are licenced to fly the RAF's multi-million dollar aircraft.
Mrs. Hunter said about one third of her son's squadron were already in the Persian Gulf to back the US military build-up.
She said he expected to join his comrades at any moment, but was well prepared for the ordeal.
"Again, he just sees it as being another part of his job," she said.
with photograph.