Joint Service Family Team! Purple Warriors! Lt Cdr Mark Jameson, 727 NAS and his family representing all three Services!

The Fleet Air Arm Charity Shoot at Purdey at the Royal Berks on 26 June 2025 was a highly enjoyable and successful event for Navy Wings, raising over £28,000 for the charity!

Sponsored by James Andrew International, the day was attended by Charity Ambassadors, supporters and their guests, together with teams from the Fleet Air Arm and wider military, bringing the Navy Wings community together for a prestigious and fun day out in the Berkshire countryside raising vital funds to keep our historic aircraft flying.

Team ‘Junglies’ from 846 NAS

Flushes and Bubbles!

“PRB really spiced things up for us this year and the four-man flush finale was brilliant with clays coming from all directions!” said Navy Wings Trustee Commodore Bill Covington.

Eleven teams battled it out for top prizes with many non-shooting guests joining the guns for the reception and lunch.

Top Team was awarded to Alistair Mclaren’s team, Record Breakers, winning for the second year running! A well deserved Top Man went to Luke Knowles and Kate Davies made a tremendous come back as Top Lady.

West End Boys, Thunderbolts, Junglies and Purple Warriors all scored strongly and many of the younger guns also shot with great skill including Navy Wings engineer, Ash Rollett.

The winner of the Sweep, the competition to guess the total number of points accrued during the day, was Navy Wings Ambassador Charlotte Kleberg! Charlotte’s guess was very nearly spot on and she won a well deserved magnum of Bollinger!

Navy Wings Ambassador Charlotte Kleberg won a magnum of Bollinger in the Sweep!

‘I truly had the best time at the Charity Shoot. It was such a fun day out and the atmosphere was unmatched. A highlight was of course very unexpectedly winning the Bollinger!’

Top Nosh

The warmth of hospitality at Purdey at the Royal Berks was second to none with first-class instruction, top nosh (incredible scran!) and great company, making the whole day a highly enjoyable and unforgettable experience!

Utter Shambles enjoying elevenses!

VE|VJ Day 80

The theme of the day was this year’s 80^th anniversary of the end of WW2. Months after Victory in Europe was declared, Fleet Air Arm Squadrons serving with the ‘forgotten’ British Fleet were carrying out intensive air strikes and facing Kamikaze attacks. Between VE and VJ Day over 200 naval aviators lost their lives. To find out about the Fleet Air Arm in the Far East and Pacific read more here.

Swordfish Flypast

A highlight of the day was the emotional flypast by the Swordfish flown by Navy Wings Chief Pilot, Andrew ‘Mum’ Davis.

As the Swordfish circled overhead, 1940s tribute singers, the Memphis Belles sang Dame Vera Lynn’s poignant wartime classic, ‘We’ll Meet Again’, the last strains of the song dying away as the aircraft slowly flew off down the valley – an enduring memory and lasting legacy to the service and sacrifice of the Royal Navy and Fleet Air Arm in WW2.

The Memphis Belles

Courage and Resilience

A huge positive impact of the day was the opportunity to give guests a greater insight into the work of Navy Wings and the history and heritage of the Fleet Air Arm.

Guest of Honour Rear Admiral Anthony Rimington gave an outstanding speech about the courage and resilience of the Fleet Air Arm Squadrons serving in the thick of the action in the Far East and Pacific in the summer of 1945.

“The whole day was amazing and it was a great privilege to be there” said the current serving team from 846 Squadron.

“We could not be more grateful to our sponsors, everyone who donated auction prizes, and the generosity of all who supported and attended the day” said Sue Eagles, the Charity’s Director of Fundraising. “We would particularly like to thank Harvey Soning and James Andrew International, the Britten Family Foundation, Charlotte Kleberg and the Soya Group, Dylan Williams our brilliant MC and Auctioneer and Purdey at the Royal Berks for their tremendous and very great support!”