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A4 Force warrant officer retires from RAF Wittering




Logistics warrant officer Si Bervoets retired from the Royal Air Force after 33 years of service to his Queen and country.

Mr Bervoets came to RAF Wittering in May 2018 as the A4 Force Elements and headquarters warrant officer.

It is a complex and demanding role, which covers operational planning, equipment capability, training and a significant amount of networking between different parts of the RAF.

Warrant Officers Si Bervoets and Al Little.
Warrant Officers Si Bervoets and Al Little.

Warrant officer Bervoets said: “The Royal Air Force is changing all the time, so we have make sure that we’re in step today and also ready for operations in the future.

"Yesterday it was the Tornado and tomorrow it will be the F-35, so our capabilities have to evolve with the RAF.”

Mr Bervoets started his basic training at RAF Swinderby in Lincolnshire in January 1986 and since has carried on working in logistics.

WO Bervoets leaving the station after 34 years service
WO Bervoets leaving the station after 34 years service

Warrant officer Bervoets has served on operations in Afghanistan, Cyprus, Iraq and Belize. In the UK his postings have included RAF Wittering, Cottesmore and Odiham and to Air Command.

As is traditional for retiring Royal Air Force warrant officers, he was presented with a black bowler hat to mark the beginning of civilian life, escorted by his colleagues before leaving the station in an Oshkosh truck.

Warrant officer Bervoets said: “It’s the people you work with that make all the difference. I’ve been to some amazing places over the years, and worked with some brilliant people, but to finish my career here is a real blessing.”

Returning to Royal Air Force Wittering, warrant officer Al Little will formally take over the job later this year. Until then warrant officer Daz Rose from No 3 Mobile Catering Squadron will fill in.

Warrant Officer Si Bervoets with Station Warrant Officer Hywel Greening
Warrant Officer Si Bervoets with Station Warrant Officer Hywel Greening

Group captain Jo Lincoln, the station commander at RAF Wittering and the A4 Engineering and Logistics Force Elements commander, said: “Firstly and most importantly, it is our privilege to thank warrant officer Bervoets for his long and distinguished service to his country.

"His experience and expertise have made him invaluable in so many ways, not just to me as a newly arrived A4 Force Elements commander, but to everyone he has worked with throughout his 33 years in the RAF."

Group Captain Lincoln concluded: “All of us at RAF Wittering, across the A4 Force and especially the supply trade wish him a happy and healthy retirement.”

From left to right: Wing Commander Beverley Cartwright, Warrant Officer Si Bervoets, Wing Commander Dan Penter
From left to right: Wing Commander Beverley Cartwright, Warrant Officer Si Bervoets, Wing Commander Dan Penter

He will be spending the next chapter of his life in Yorkshire.

Si said: “My wife comes from Scotland and I am from Devon, so we wanted to meet somewhere in the middle.”



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