Bill's Beard

HMS Hermes  (R12) was a conventional British aircraft carrier and the last of the Centaur class. In service with the Royal Navy from 1959 until 1984 she served as the flagship of the British forces during the Falklands War. After being sold to India in 1986 the vessel was recommissioned and remained in service with the Indian Navy as INS Viraat until 2017. In 2020 it was announced that Hermes was to be scrapped. These are photographs taken when I was aboard HMS Hermes on my way to Gibraltar in the mid-1960s. The aircraft carried at that time were  Fairey Gannets and Westland Whirlwinds. HMS Hermes flying the Union jack when moored in Gibraltar. Fairey Gannet having just landed on HMS Hermes. The aircraft was developed for the Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm. Fairey Gannet on the flight deck of Hermes. It was used in an airborne early warning (AEW) role on carriers. This aircraft carried a crew of three. The Westland Whirlwind served the Fleet Air Arm. Anti-submarine, and sear

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In March 2021  Rangers Football Club  became Scottish Premiership Champions. Scotland's greatest football club have now won a record-breaking 55 league titles. In fact, since their formation in 1872, Glasgow Rangers have accumulated more domestic trophies than any other football club in the world. It has been a difficult decade for Rangers fans, but we are back in our rightful position as the dominant force in Scottish football.