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Heli-surprise for depots birthday colonel. Lt Colonel John Wright was surprised by a trip in a helicopter over Graven Hill, Bicester, where a happy birthdauy message was laid out in tyres.

Image details

Access number
Cat by
Cat date
Copyright
File 232
File 2
File key 7232
File MB 600 3.2
File megabytes 3
File resolution 300
File resolution 600 300
File size 29 x 25
Folder 7
Home loc
ID 632
Object ID RAO/56/32
Object name newspaper article
Other number
Provenance
Reverse
Reverse 2
Reverse key
Status In Store
Status by AJA
Updated 2nd September 2015
Updated by AJA
X date 1992
Equipment registration mark (ERM)
Full name Lt Col John Wright
Early date 1992
Late date 1992
Transcription OFFICERS m ( SS
Bicester Advertiser
OUR 113th YEAR
RAO / 56 / 32
AND MID - OXON CHRONICLE INCORPORATING THE BICESTER HERALD AND THE BRACKLEY OBSERVER
HAPPIN
SOTH COLONEL
22p
GIRL'S 4 - HOUR AGONY SCHOOL TRIP
DURING
Then he was driven by Rolls Royce to his office at No 2 Sub Depot at Bicester Ordnance Depot to be greeted by col leagues and a 50th birthday
cake .
Heli - surprise for depot's birthday colonel
Lucy , 15 , who were also in on the surprise .
John Wright had the sur prise of his life when the Army pulled a stunt to cel ebrate his 50th birthday .
Lieut Col Wright thought he was beginning a spell of leave , but instead found himself be ing in the FOX FM Unipart helicopter being flown over Graven Hill , Bicester , to view a special message Happy 50th Colonel spelled out in tyres .
" It was a wonderful sur prise , " sald Col Wright after he landed with Sally Low - Hur ry , Fox FM's roving traffic re porter .
He was reunited with his wife Judy and their daughter ,
The stunt was dreamed up by Major Rick Attard , his sec
ond in command .
Major Attard arranged for tyres stored at the depot for all three of the armed services to be used to spell out the mes sage on waste ground .
" We used 18 to 20 tyres for each letter . The only problem was that for the best effect John had to see the message from the air . So that's where Fox FM came in , " said Major Attard ..
To ensure John would be around for the stunt he was telephoned and told he was re quired for a briefing that morning .
Early Monday morning John was picked up from his home at Ambrosden by a police car and driven to a sports field at
St George's Barracks , Arncott .
A. V. BOWNE & SON
MARKET
SQUARE ,
John said : " I thought at first
I was being driven the wrong way to the meeting , but I was told the venue had been changed . When I saw an am bulance and a Defence Fire Service fire engine waiting at the field I still did not realise what was going on , not even when the helicopter landed . It was a marvellous surprise . "
He was also flown over the house he is building at Horton cum - Studley ..
BICESTER
Tel . Bicester 252059 .
YOUR LOCAL GENTS HAIRDRESSER AND TOBACCONIST
FRIDAY , July 17 , 1992
Col Wright and Sally Low Hurry leave the Flying Fox