Air Gunners'
Association

The Association was formed in March 1949 as a result of an advertisement in the R.A.F.A magazine 'Air Mail' by Jack O'Hara, an ex Air Gunner residing in London.

100 ex Air Gunners and Wireless Operator/Air Gunners responded and a meeting was arranged at which G.W. (Howie) Wing was elected Chairman, Freddie Sutton Hon. Gen. Secretary, G. Peake Treasurer with Jack O'Hara and E.D Brooks as supporting committee, later joined by Bill Dart.

Meetings were arranged for the London No1 Branch at the 'Pillar of Hercules' Public House in Soho on the last Friday of each month.

In May 1949 the first news sheet entitled 'THE TURRET' was produced. In this first issue the Objects of the Association were set out.

  1. To foster good fellowship.
  2. To encourage and promote social gatherings among members.
  3. To facilitate service by members to one another.
  4. To perpetuate and enjoy the comradeship born and bred in His Majesty's Air Forces in time of war.

Membership increased to 500 by the end of 1949 and by June 1950 9 branches had been formed in other parts of the country from Bristol in the South to Leeds in the North.

In 1949 Sir Basil E. Embry accepted an invitation to become the Association's first President.

The YORK branch was formed in 1976 as a result of an advertisement in the Yorkshire Evening Press.

At the time of the 40th anniversary in 1989, the Association had grown to a membership of 1714, 140 of whom resided overseas, with 24 active branches.

1989 also saw the opening of the original small Air Gunners' Memorial Room at the YORKSHIRE AIR MUSEUM AND ALLIED AIR FORCES MEMORIAL at Elvington near York.

On Thursday 10th July 1997 the new AIR GUNNERS' MEMORIAL ROOM at the Yorkshire Air Museum Elvington was opened by the Association President Mr Norman T Storey. 

In 1999 the 50th anniversary year the membership stoods at c.a 1800 despite the ravages of 'Old Father Time'. The numbers have been helped in the past year or so due to the influx of members resulting from the 'AIR GUNNERS' DATABASE' project. 

The Association was an exclusive one, with membership restricted to airmen who trained and qualified as AIR GUNNERS in any of the three armed forces of the Crown, though the vast majority served in the R.A.F and Air Forces of the Commonwealth. Since training of Air Gunners ceased in 1955, it is obvious that the majority of the members are beyond the age of 'Three score years and ten', it is therefore evident that the Association has a finite life.

The Association was wound up at the end of March 2003, all surplus monies being transferred to the Air Gunners' Memorial Room Fund. Since then the fund has been transferred into the safe keeping of the Yorkshire Air Museum, a registered charity. The fund is 'ring fenced' and may only be used for the maintenance and development of the Memorial Room.

Any donations would be welcome, cheques to be made payable to the 'YAM AG Memorial Fund'.

The majority of the branches of the Association continue as social organisations.

The 'Turret' the official organ of the Association is now published on a subscription basis, in an effort to provide a continuing link between members of the former Association. See the 'Turret' page.