Latest news with #BattleOfBritain
BBC News
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- BBC News
Special traffic arrangements planned for air show
Measures are being put in place to help thousands of visitors get to the RAF Cosford Air Show next organisers have said they expect a crowd of more than 50,000 people again, with many of them due to arrive by car and more by Highways said it expected the M54 and the area around the show to be busy, and it would open the hard shoulder around junctions two and three to cope with the extra Midlands Railway said it planned to put on extra trains to take people in and out of Cosford station. Highlights at the show this year include a Battle of Britain Memorial Flight along with aerial displays by the Typhoon, Chinook, Airbus A330 and a Great War Display air show has advised people to allow extra time for their Highways said the relaxing of the restrictions on the M54 would mean traffic could use the hard shoulder adjacent to the westbound carriageway of the M54 from its junction with the entry slip road at junction two, to its junction with the exit slip road at junction will be between 07:00 BST and 14:00 BST on 8 said there would also be traffic management on the slip roads and around the roundabout at junction three to help keep traffic flowing during the Midlands Railway advised the early morning services into Cosford and the ones leaving after 17:00 were likely to be busy and were often said it would have queuing systems in place for passengers trying to get on trains at Cosford and of the one-way restrictions around the air show, it said taxis would be unable to drop off or pick up at the station. Follow BBC Shropshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
BBC News
4 days ago
- General
- BBC News
Lancaster Bomber built at Broughton marks 80th anniversary
A 99-year-old who worked on the first Lancaster bombers to be built at an aerospace factory is returning to watch a flypast by one of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight will mark the 80th anniversary of the plane's creation in north Shield lived in Broughton, Flintshire, and worked at the town's aerospace factory at the start of the World War Two, fitting instruments to the joining the Welsh Guards, his skills were later put to use as one of Prime Minister Winston Churchill's security team. Ken began working at Broughton in 1940 aged 14 with his dad Fred, who was foreman at the site. He initially worked on Wellington bombers but soon the production line was filled with Lancaster bombers. Ken was uniquely qualified to fit the instruments in the said: "I was very small and you had to crawl down the plane's interior to fix certain instruments. "I could do it but if you were broad, you couldn't. "That was my introduction to the Lancasters." Despite war raging, Ken said life went on even though "death was around the corner".He worked alongside a woman called Marjorie at Broughton. "She worked on the outside skin of it and I'd pop the stuff inside," is how he described their roles on the production sharing a dance at a local pub the couple began dating, and were later married for 75 years until Marjorie's death in 2023. Ken has been invited to the Broughton factory, now owned by Airbus, for the Battle of Britain Memorial flight marking the 80th anniversary of the Lancaster will watch a flypast by the aircraft as well as a Spitfire and Hurricane to mark the Lancaster's return to where it was built in May Ken, it will bring back memories of watching the first one leave the said: "Most of the factory crept outside to watch the first one going up. "It took off and everybody was there waving. The foreman realised there was no work being done and he was playing hell with us. "We went back inside but the moment we heard the plane was landing we went out again." Ken left Broughton in 1943 to join the Welsh Guards. After surviving a bomb attack at his base in London, his expertise with aircraft radio equipment meant he was soon recruited to join Churchill's security team at Chequers - the prime minister's country retreat."They'd have very big conferences with generals and field marshals," he said. "My job, with others, was to arrange security. I was allowed to stop anyone going in if I didn't like them."He said Churchill was "very off-handed" with the military security officials and had a nickname for one general."He used to call him pug," he said. "He'd shout 'Pug!' and the general would go running down the alley to the office."Now, 80 years after the end of the war, the Airbus factory in Broughton is still producing will have a front row seat to witness the historic aircraft he helped build as it pays a rare return visit to its birthplace.
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Sport
- The Sun
‘Ready and fully charged' – Anthony Joshua breaks silence on Tyson Fury retirement confirmation and hints it's STILL ON
ANTHONY JOSHUA is refusing to give up on a Battle of Britain with Tyson Fury - despite his rival's doubling down on retirement. Fury, 36, called time on his career for a FIFTH TIME in January just weeks after his second straight loss to Oleksandr Usyk. 4 4 4 The Wythenshawe warrior unsurprisingly performed a U-turn late last month but has since doubled down on his latest hanging up of the gloves. But AJ isn't buying what The Gypsy King is selling and is confident their long overdue domestic dust-up will come to fruition. Along with a picture of Fury in the ring, he wrote on his private Snapchat: "One of these days it'll be standing in the opposite corner. "Read and fully charged spiritually." THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY.. The Sun is your go to destination for the best football, boxing and MMA news, real-life stories, jaw-dropping pictures and must-see video. Like us on Facebook at and follow us from our main Twitter account at @TheSunFootball. THIS IS A DEVELOPING STORY..
The Advertiser
15-05-2025
- Sport
- The Advertiser
Walls rode VFL's tough transition to national league
Robert Walls personified the glory and the hard yards as the suburban VFL evolved into the national AFL. As a player, coach and commentator, Walls was at the league's coalface from 1967 until well into the 2000s. He was a premiership player and coach at Carlton, the last mentor at Fitzroy with a winning record and experienced first-hand the pains of national expansion at Brisbane. After his coaching career ended with an unhappy tenure at Richmond, Walls became a respected commentator - and always with the forthright and fierce demeanour that had marked his lengthy tenure inside the game. Walls, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer, has died at the age of 74. Thanks to his mother, Walls grew up an Essendon supporter. But that changed immediately once the Blues recruited him and true to his lengthy Carlton involvement, Walls and the Bombers were often bitter rivals. A wiry and tough centre half-forward, Walls played 259 games for the Blues and Fitzroy through to 1980, kicking 444 goals. He was a three-time premiership player at Carlton, including kicking six goals in the 1972 grand-final win over Richmond. Asked in a 2012 interview with Fox Footy if he was a dirty player, Walls bluntly replied "yes". After one incident in a game against St Kilda, Walls heard opposition players telling each other he was not to leave the field on his feet. "And I didn't," Walls said. After leaving Carlton in 1978, he had eight years at Fitzroy as a player and coach, a time he said he cherished. Walls' playing career ended in 1980 when he left Essendon's old Windy Hill ground with a knee injury. The reception from Bombers fans as Walls went off was another marker in his long antipathy with Essendon. Walls was still a primary school teacher when he took over as coach at Fitzroy in 1981 and led them to the finals, where they beat Essendon in an elimination final. But by the end of 1985, the lure from Carlton was too strong and Walls left in strained circumstances. The straight swap with David Parkin paid immediate dividends - Carlton lost the 1986 grand final to Hawthorn and beat the Hawks for the '87 flag. But then came the infamous Battle Of Britain - the exhibition game in London after the '87 season against North Melbourne that was marred by a succession of on-field brawls. In the rooms post-match, Walls was critical of club president John Elliott for advocating the match and the coach felt that marked the beginning of his end at Carlton. Walls also acknowledged his time was up when the Blues sacked him in 1989, but added he could have done with more support. "I deserved to get the sack ... the players would have had a gutful of me," he said. Then came coaching Brisbane from 1991-95, when Walls was a key figure as the expansion club matured from the Bad News Bears in pre-fab huts at Carrara to a much more professional team at the Gabba. Six years later, Brisbane would start their premiership three-peat. "I could write a book about it ... it was tough," he said. "Having said that, it was five of the most satisfying years of my footy career." Walls's tenure was also marked by Nathan Buckley's playing debut before he inevitably went to Collingwood and the infamous Shane Strempel story. Years after their time at Brisbane, a documentary told the story of how Walls had ordered Strempel to box against multiple teammates at training as a disciplinary measure. Walls claimed he was set up in the documentary, adding: "I never lost a second's sleep over that". Another straight coaching swap, this time with John Northey, took Walls to an unhappy time at Richmond when the Tigers were notorious for eating coaches alive. "I shouldn't have taken the job," he said. Walls was sacked during the 1997 season after 347 games as a coach - 18th all-time in the AFL. His lengthy commentary career then gave him something in the game that coaching never did - enjoyment. "I never really enjoyed coaching ... it was always the stress, the pressure, the strain," he said. "I didn't give myself the chance to relax and I regret that." Walls had a much-publicised TV spat with then-Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, which had its origins in their fierce rivalry when Sheedy played for Richmond. Years later, Walls admitted to a grudging respect for his fellow old warhorse. Walls was inducted into the Australian Football Hall Of Fame in 2006 - his wife Erin attended the function, only months before she died of cancer. They had three children. Walls was inducted into Carlton's hall of fame in 1990 and elevated to legend status at the Blues in 2011. Robert Walls personified the glory and the hard yards as the suburban VFL evolved into the national AFL. As a player, coach and commentator, Walls was at the league's coalface from 1967 until well into the 2000s. He was a premiership player and coach at Carlton, the last mentor at Fitzroy with a winning record and experienced first-hand the pains of national expansion at Brisbane. After his coaching career ended with an unhappy tenure at Richmond, Walls became a respected commentator - and always with the forthright and fierce demeanour that had marked his lengthy tenure inside the game. Walls, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer, has died at the age of 74. Thanks to his mother, Walls grew up an Essendon supporter. But that changed immediately once the Blues recruited him and true to his lengthy Carlton involvement, Walls and the Bombers were often bitter rivals. A wiry and tough centre half-forward, Walls played 259 games for the Blues and Fitzroy through to 1980, kicking 444 goals. He was a three-time premiership player at Carlton, including kicking six goals in the 1972 grand-final win over Richmond. Asked in a 2012 interview with Fox Footy if he was a dirty player, Walls bluntly replied "yes". After one incident in a game against St Kilda, Walls heard opposition players telling each other he was not to leave the field on his feet. "And I didn't," Walls said. After leaving Carlton in 1978, he had eight years at Fitzroy as a player and coach, a time he said he cherished. Walls' playing career ended in 1980 when he left Essendon's old Windy Hill ground with a knee injury. The reception from Bombers fans as Walls went off was another marker in his long antipathy with Essendon. Walls was still a primary school teacher when he took over as coach at Fitzroy in 1981 and led them to the finals, where they beat Essendon in an elimination final. But by the end of 1985, the lure from Carlton was too strong and Walls left in strained circumstances. The straight swap with David Parkin paid immediate dividends - Carlton lost the 1986 grand final to Hawthorn and beat the Hawks for the '87 flag. But then came the infamous Battle Of Britain - the exhibition game in London after the '87 season against North Melbourne that was marred by a succession of on-field brawls. In the rooms post-match, Walls was critical of club president John Elliott for advocating the match and the coach felt that marked the beginning of his end at Carlton. Walls also acknowledged his time was up when the Blues sacked him in 1989, but added he could have done with more support. "I deserved to get the sack ... the players would have had a gutful of me," he said. Then came coaching Brisbane from 1991-95, when Walls was a key figure as the expansion club matured from the Bad News Bears in pre-fab huts at Carrara to a much more professional team at the Gabba. Six years later, Brisbane would start their premiership three-peat. "I could write a book about it ... it was tough," he said. "Having said that, it was five of the most satisfying years of my footy career." Walls's tenure was also marked by Nathan Buckley's playing debut before he inevitably went to Collingwood and the infamous Shane Strempel story. Years after their time at Brisbane, a documentary told the story of how Walls had ordered Strempel to box against multiple teammates at training as a disciplinary measure. Walls claimed he was set up in the documentary, adding: "I never lost a second's sleep over that". Another straight coaching swap, this time with John Northey, took Walls to an unhappy time at Richmond when the Tigers were notorious for eating coaches alive. "I shouldn't have taken the job," he said. Walls was sacked during the 1997 season after 347 games as a coach - 18th all-time in the AFL. His lengthy commentary career then gave him something in the game that coaching never did - enjoyment. "I never really enjoyed coaching ... it was always the stress, the pressure, the strain," he said. "I didn't give myself the chance to relax and I regret that." Walls had a much-publicised TV spat with then-Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, which had its origins in their fierce rivalry when Sheedy played for Richmond. Years later, Walls admitted to a grudging respect for his fellow old warhorse. Walls was inducted into the Australian Football Hall Of Fame in 2006 - his wife Erin attended the function, only months before she died of cancer. They had three children. Walls was inducted into Carlton's hall of fame in 1990 and elevated to legend status at the Blues in 2011. Robert Walls personified the glory and the hard yards as the suburban VFL evolved into the national AFL. As a player, coach and commentator, Walls was at the league's coalface from 1967 until well into the 2000s. He was a premiership player and coach at Carlton, the last mentor at Fitzroy with a winning record and experienced first-hand the pains of national expansion at Brisbane. After his coaching career ended with an unhappy tenure at Richmond, Walls became a respected commentator - and always with the forthright and fierce demeanour that had marked his lengthy tenure inside the game. Walls, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer, has died at the age of 74. Thanks to his mother, Walls grew up an Essendon supporter. But that changed immediately once the Blues recruited him and true to his lengthy Carlton involvement, Walls and the Bombers were often bitter rivals. A wiry and tough centre half-forward, Walls played 259 games for the Blues and Fitzroy through to 1980, kicking 444 goals. He was a three-time premiership player at Carlton, including kicking six goals in the 1972 grand-final win over Richmond. Asked in a 2012 interview with Fox Footy if he was a dirty player, Walls bluntly replied "yes". After one incident in a game against St Kilda, Walls heard opposition players telling each other he was not to leave the field on his feet. "And I didn't," Walls said. After leaving Carlton in 1978, he had eight years at Fitzroy as a player and coach, a time he said he cherished. Walls' playing career ended in 1980 when he left Essendon's old Windy Hill ground with a knee injury. The reception from Bombers fans as Walls went off was another marker in his long antipathy with Essendon. Walls was still a primary school teacher when he took over as coach at Fitzroy in 1981 and led them to the finals, where they beat Essendon in an elimination final. But by the end of 1985, the lure from Carlton was too strong and Walls left in strained circumstances. The straight swap with David Parkin paid immediate dividends - Carlton lost the 1986 grand final to Hawthorn and beat the Hawks for the '87 flag. But then came the infamous Battle Of Britain - the exhibition game in London after the '87 season against North Melbourne that was marred by a succession of on-field brawls. In the rooms post-match, Walls was critical of club president John Elliott for advocating the match and the coach felt that marked the beginning of his end at Carlton. Walls also acknowledged his time was up when the Blues sacked him in 1989, but added he could have done with more support. "I deserved to get the sack ... the players would have had a gutful of me," he said. Then came coaching Brisbane from 1991-95, when Walls was a key figure as the expansion club matured from the Bad News Bears in pre-fab huts at Carrara to a much more professional team at the Gabba. Six years later, Brisbane would start their premiership three-peat. "I could write a book about it ... it was tough," he said. "Having said that, it was five of the most satisfying years of my footy career." Walls's tenure was also marked by Nathan Buckley's playing debut before he inevitably went to Collingwood and the infamous Shane Strempel story. Years after their time at Brisbane, a documentary told the story of how Walls had ordered Strempel to box against multiple teammates at training as a disciplinary measure. Walls claimed he was set up in the documentary, adding: "I never lost a second's sleep over that". Another straight coaching swap, this time with John Northey, took Walls to an unhappy time at Richmond when the Tigers were notorious for eating coaches alive. "I shouldn't have taken the job," he said. Walls was sacked during the 1997 season after 347 games as a coach - 18th all-time in the AFL. His lengthy commentary career then gave him something in the game that coaching never did - enjoyment. "I never really enjoyed coaching ... it was always the stress, the pressure, the strain," he said. "I didn't give myself the chance to relax and I regret that." Walls had a much-publicised TV spat with then-Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, which had its origins in their fierce rivalry when Sheedy played for Richmond. Years later, Walls admitted to a grudging respect for his fellow old warhorse. Walls was inducted into the Australian Football Hall Of Fame in 2006 - his wife Erin attended the function, only months before she died of cancer. They had three children. Walls was inducted into Carlton's hall of fame in 1990 and elevated to legend status at the Blues in 2011.
West Australian
15-05-2025
- Sport
- West Australian
Walls rode VFL's tough transition to national league
Robert Walls personified the glory and the hard yards as the suburban VFL evolved into the national AFL. As a player, coach and commentator, Walls was at the league's coalface from 1967 until well into the 2000s. He was a premiership player and coach at Carlton, the last mentor at Fitzroy with a winning record and experienced first-hand the pains of national expansion at Brisbane. After his coaching career ended with an unhappy tenure at Richmond, Walls became a respected commentator - and always with the forthright and fierce demeanour that had marked his lengthy tenure inside the game. Walls, who had been undergoing treatment for cancer, has died at the age of 74. Thanks to his mother, Walls grew up an Essendon supporter. But that changed immediately once the Blues recruited him and true to his lengthy Carlton involvement, Walls and the Bombers were often bitter rivals. A wiry and tough centre half-forward, Walls played 259 games for the Blues and Fitzroy through to 1980, kicking 444 goals. He was a three-time premiership player at Carlton, including kicking six goals in the 1972 grand-final win over Richmond. Asked in a 2012 interview with Fox Footy if he was a dirty player, Walls bluntly replied "yes". After one incident in a game against St Kilda, Walls heard opposition players telling each other he was not to leave the field on his feet. "And I didn't," Walls said. After leaving Carlton in 1978, he had eight years at Fitzroy as a player and coach, a time he said he cherished. Walls' playing career ended in 1980 when he left Essendon's old Windy Hill ground with a knee injury. The reception from Bombers fans as Walls went off was another marker in his long antipathy with Essendon. Walls was still a primary school teacher when he took over as coach at Fitzroy in 1981 and led them to the finals, where they beat Essendon in an elimination final. But by the end of 1985, the lure from Carlton was too strong and Walls left in strained circumstances. The straight swap with David Parkin paid immediate dividends - Carlton lost the 1986 grand final to Hawthorn and beat the Hawks for the '87 flag. But then came the infamous Battle Of Britain - the exhibition game in London after the '87 season against North Melbourne that was marred by a succession of on-field brawls. In the rooms post-match, Walls was critical of club president John Elliott for advocating the match and the coach felt that marked the beginning of his end at Carlton. Walls also acknowledged his time was up when the Blues sacked him in 1989, but added he could have done with more support. "I deserved to get the sack ... the players would have had a gutful of me," he said. Then came coaching Brisbane from 1991-95, when Walls was a key figure as the expansion club matured from the Bad News Bears in pre-fab huts at Carrara to a much more professional team at the Gabba. Six years later, Brisbane would start their premiership three-peat. "I could write a book about it ... it was tough," he said. "Having said that, it was five of the most satisfying years of my footy career." Walls's tenure was also marked by Nathan Buckley's playing debut before he inevitably went to Collingwood and the infamous Shane Strempel story. Years after their time at Brisbane, a documentary told the story of how Walls had ordered Strempel to box against multiple teammates at training as a disciplinary measure. Walls claimed he was set up in the documentary, adding: "I never lost a second's sleep over that". Another straight coaching swap, this time with John Northey, took Walls to an unhappy time at Richmond when the Tigers were notorious for eating coaches alive. "I shouldn't have taken the job," he said. Walls was sacked during the 1997 season after 347 games as a coach - 18th all-time in the AFL. His lengthy commentary career then gave him something in the game that coaching never did - enjoyment. "I never really enjoyed coaching ... it was always the stress, the pressure, the strain," he said. "I didn't give myself the chance to relax and I regret that." Walls had a much-publicised TV spat with then-Essendon coach Kevin Sheedy, which had its origins in their fierce rivalry when Sheedy played for Richmond. Years later, Walls admitted to a grudging respect for his fellow old warhorse. Walls was inducted into the Australian Football Hall Of Fame in 2006 - his wife Erin attended the function, only months before she died of cancer. They had three children. Walls was inducted into Carlton's hall of fame in 1990 and elevated to legend status at the Blues in 2011.
