Quelle Surprise, Monsieur le President!
In a well-planned, well-coordinated and highly sensitive operation in South Stoke, on Saturday 17 February 2018, a 60-strong group of Sandbaggers, ex-Puma and ex-SH mates, old friends and close family managed to surprise the Association President, Air Commodore Paul Lyall, and mark the occasion of his forthcoming retirement in March after 38 years’ Service with the RN and RAF.
After five weeks of extremely secretive plotting and planning between the Chairman and Mrs Lyall, involving lots of cryptic messages, texts, phone calls and emails, one face-to-face brief and a short notice change of location due to the increasing number of guests, the plan was ready. Having accepted an invitation to lunch with Dave and Lorraine Stewart at the Perch and Pike, the scene was set for a steady stream of invited guests from near and far to arrive and gather quietly in the backroom restaurant area of the pub while the unsuspecting President enjoyed his meal in the bar. After finishing two courses the Chairman suggested that coffee should be taken in the backroom on the comfy chairs in front of the log fire. Paul readily agreed, entered the backroom to find a huge crowd waiting to welcome him with a loud cheer and a round of applause!
Although Colin and Caroline Would won the prize for the longest journey, having flown in from RAAF Butterworth in Malaysia, the Chairman was most surprised to see Reggie Pattle in the crowd, having been speaking to him in Dubai a couple of days before the party. Reggie had been sending messages from Dubai saying that he was on his way to India for a business meeting and would not be able to attend .However, the meeting was cancelled and Reggie got back to the UK in time to drive up and join in with the surprise.
There were even more surprises later, when Paul’s son, Christopher, and his son-in-law, Andrew, revealed a large coffee table and clock that they had designed and made out of donated Turmo 3C4 engine parts from a Puma HC Mk1. They had been made with the help of a local craftsman, hidden in various locations around the village and smuggled successfully into the pub. It was with great relief that I can report that everything arrived safely and in one piece back in France. Despite being known as a man who disliked surprises, Paul said during his speech that he was pleased to see so many close friends there and was relieved to discover that this surprise party was the reason for his wife’s unusual behaviour in the last few weeks whenever a message popped up on her phone. He said during his speech that suspicions of an affair had crossed his mind, but as the planning was revealed later that evening the trust among the Lyall family was restored!
A number of Sandbaggers and ex-33 colleagues were unable to attend due to a variety of pre-arranged family and work commitments, but several of them sent congratulatory messages and cards to Paul via the Chairman, including Bill Denehan, John Alexander, Mikey Kay, Duncan Trapp, Skippy Harvey and James Vellacott, the former Daily Mirror journalist, who had been sent out by Piers Morgan to cover Gulf War Two and attached to the Puma Force. In a recent email Paul said that he was touched that people had taken the time and trouble to write to him and he would like to thank them for their kind words.
The Association membership would like to take this opportunity to wish Paul and Lynne a very happy retirement in France; while the Sandbaggers are already looking forward to a Reunion in Bordeaux in the future.
