BARRY Simon, a retired RAF officer from Swindon village was our latest guest speaker with a presentation entitled, ‘A History of Gloucestershire Aviation’.

At an early age he became interested in flying and from the age of thirteen had been a volunteer helper in Blackpool where Polish pilots, who had served alongside the RAF during the war, were providing short flights for holiday makers.

We were then taken back in time to 1783 when the first hot air balloon flight took place in the county, and the following year Thomas Hillier Parry together with Dr Edward Jenner, the discoverer of the smallpox vaccine, took off from Berkeley Castle grounds.

The balloon came down at Kingscote, but undaunted Parry obtained more hydrogen and they lifted off once more only to be grounded at Bisley.

This flight resulted in the naming of the 'Air Balloon' public house.

Barry's slide show depicted how over the years the County has been associated with the development and construction of numerous aircraft to the extent that Cheltenham was subjected to several bombing raids by German planes in an attempt to disrupt the war effort.

Gloucestershire saw the first flight of the Meteor jet fighter, which was the first of its kind.

He mentioned the British fighter which was most successful in World War One, the Gloucester Gladiator and the Gloucester Javelin jet fighter and many more.

A slide of the County showed the location of the many airfields dotted about, many of which have now reverted back to agricultural use.

On a local note he mentioned Aston Down airfield was formerly known as Minchinhampton, however locals objected on the basis the Germans would bomb the village, hence the name change.

Due to the interest this humorous talk generated, it went well past the allotted time, and the president Peter Nairn thanked him for an entertaining morning.

The next meeting is at 10.15am on Wednesday, August 13, 2014 at the Cotswold Indoor Bowling Centre, Dudbridge, and is open to all retired men.