Dad's fitting tribute
As of the 23rd May 2022 this website is archived and will receive no further updates.
understandinguncertainty.org was produced by the Winton programme for the public understanding of risk based in the Statistical Laboratory in the University of Cambridge. The aim was to help improve the way that uncertainty and risk are discussed in society, and show how probability and statistics can be both useful and entertaining.
Many of the animations were produced using Flash and will no longer work.
A few years ago when my dear old Dad was dying my thoughts turned to the funeral arrangements and fitting tributes. Dad has spent twenty years as a navigator in the RAF and I had daydreamed that I could organise some sort of flypast. I mentioned this to a friend of mine but otherwise kept it to myself.There were several airfields close by and it was not beyond the realms of possibility but would have meant changing the funeral venue from Cheshire to Warwickshire.
However when Dad finally died, I was too exhausted to contemplate this and rather dissapointedly conceded that it wasn't going to happen. The funeral took place in Sandbach,Cheshire with a transfer to the crematorium in Crewe. I was at least able to give the tribute. The service was pleasant if a little quiet but it was a reasonable send-off albeit not the one I had hoped for. The cortege assembled and we set off for Crewe.
The cortege came to a halt in Crewe due to traffic. How we came to be in that exact spot at that precise moment we'll never know. Anything might have happened to cause us to pass minutes earlier or later.
Looking straight ahead I saw some lights in the sky spaced out horizontally. I had seen them any times before and to my utter astonishment realised instantly what they were. The commentator at airshows would usually introduce them something along the lines of "ladies and gentlemen, approaching the airfield to your right...... The Red Arrows"
Unbelievably flying straight towards us, along the line of one of Crewe's straighter thoroughfares was indeed the Red Arrows. They passed over the top of the cortege divided into two V formations,obviously in transit as there was no smoke. However, incredibly the second V or vic as it is known, was flying with one plane fewer on one side. All aviators around the world know this formation as "missing man". Their tribute to a fallen comrade.
Uttertly astonishing.For me so far beyond mere coincidence (which I've no doubt it was), bordering on miraculous. Dad got his flypast and then some.
Date submitted:Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:19:48 +0000Coincidence ID:5913
