RAF flies the flag for Queen's birthday
IT WAS Dick Barton, and he was on the radio, but the shout ''for Queen and country'' had nothing to do with the fictional 1930s British special agent.
This was Squadron Leader Dick Barton - ''Yes, I do get a bit of stick about my name'' - with final instructions for his crew on a special and very British occasion - the Queen's official birthday.
''Come on boys, mustn't grumble,'' he said, as he climbed into the cockpit of his Wessex helicopter. ''This is for Queen and country.'' At 12 noon exactly when Squadron Leader Barton gave the command to lower the Union Flag out of the helicopter's side door, the Royal Navy fired a 21-gun salute and the band of the Hong Kong Military Service Corps played the National Anthem at a ceremony on Stonecutters Island, 65 metres below.
''Well, I thought the timing was pretty good,'' said Squadron Leader Barton, as the puffs of smoke from the gun salute receded into the distance.
''A little on the early side, but then we had the wind behind us.'' He said as far as he knew, the RAF had not done anything quite like it before.
''Nobody seemed to be doing anything to mark the Queen's birthday this year,'' he said.
''So the commander of the RAF suggested that we do something and I thought a fly-past would be a good idea.'' As the Wessex made it's final pass along the length of Victoria Harbour, crewman Sergeant Carl Brown prepared to lower the flag a second time.
''We'll put it out round the Sek Kong Bowl - for the people in the base.'' he said. ''The Gurkhas are very patriotic.''
