"Red, White & Blue" Concert 1941

 Obtained on 'Ebay' in April 2021, this Concert Programme shows that shortly after RAF Ouston became operational (on 10th March 1941) the Station was able to organize and stage a charity concert, held in Newcastle upon Tyne on Sunday 20th April 1941.

The Concert was organised and produced by Naomi Thynne, wife of the Station Commander Brian Thynne AFC.

The airfield did not receive its first operational fighter squadron until 29th April 1941, a week after this concert was held, although the still unfinished airfield had been in use by Group and Station Flight aircraft  for some months previously.

Just two weeks after the Concert was held the airfield received its first attack by the Luftwaffe, on 7th May 1941.  Dangerous times indeed, both for those who took part in the Concert, and for the people of Newcastle who attended.

The cover of the Concert Programme.  The RAF Roundel has its colours the wrong way round (aka a French Air Force roundel), but it as not known if this was deliberate, or a mistake.  The phrase "Red, White & Blue" was commonly used to describe the Union Flag (and still is), so it may be that this well used phrase did indeed result in a mistake at the printers.

The programme identifies RAF Ouston's Station Commander as Wing Commander Brian Thynne, husband of the Concert's producer Naomi Thynne (nee Waters), they had only recently married in October 1940.  Brian Thynne was previously the Squadron Leader of 601 Squadron R Aux AF, and there is a detailed biography plus photographs for him on the 601 Squadron website http://601squadron.com/men-of-601-squadron/s-through-w/thynne-brian-sheridan/

His photo albums (on the 601 Sqdn website) contain photographs of various civil aircraft that he flew pre-war, these aircraft often associated with the very wealthy volunteer pilots who were typically members of the London based 601 Squadron.  Famous names such as Philip Sassoon; Loel Guiness; Max Aitkens; Noel Coward; T.E.Lawrence; and Whitney Straight were among the members of that squadron.  Therefore it may not be a co-incidence that some of these aircraft can be found among the early equipment of RAF Ouston's 13 Group Communications Flight from 1940 onwards; i.e. the Percival Vega Gull, the Percival Q6, and the Miles Whitney Straight.

The other names on the programme have not yet been researched, they include mainly Aircraftsmen (A.C.) and Women's Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) members.

View of the exterior of the Paramount Theatre, Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne, September 1931 (TWAM ref. DX1677/1/1). The Odeon Cinema opened on Pilgrim Street, Newcastle upon Tyne on 7 September 1931. It as originally known as the Paramount Theatre but was taken over by Odeon in 1939. The Odeon’s luxurious décor made it one of the country’s finest cinemas and arguably the North East’s best loved. This author was a cadet with 131 (F) Newcastle Squadron Air Training Corps, and in November 1962 the whole squadron (in uniform) went to this cinema to see the newly released film "The Longest Day" about the D-Day landings of 6th June 1944. Sadly the cinema closed in 2002 and was demolished in 2017. This image is from an album which was kindly donated to the Archives by the Northumberland & Newcastle Society. (Copyright) This digital image is shared within the spirit of The Commons, courtesy of 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums'.  

The interior of the Odeon Theatre, a photo taken in 1940.  This digital image is shared within the spirit of The Commons, courtesy of 'Tyne & Wear Archives & Museums'.