RAF Wittering warrant officer dons bowler hat as he retires after 40 years service

Warrant Officer Ian Coates joined the RAF in 1980 at the age of 17. Since then he has seen service at home and abroad, notably in the former Yugoslavia and at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, as well as working on the iconic Harrier, Jaguar and Tornado aircraft.

But yesterday, he joined the tradition of wearing a bowler hat as he left the station.

Mr Coates said: “It’s odd to think that the Royal Air Force has been around for a hundred years, and that my career has amounted to nearly 40 percent of that time. I’ve been really fortunate to have worked with some wonderful people and been to amazing places, hopefully I’ve made a difference too.”

Over the years Mr Coates has built up a strong association with RAF Wittering, the Station from which he retired on Thursday, and has had engineering roles with the Harrier and its Royal Navy counterpart, the Sea Harrier.

Mr Coates’ skills, however, extend well beyond engineering. Ian has worked as an instructor, as part of a contract monitoring team and worked in an executive

warrant officer post during his time in Afghanistan. He is also a highly proficient diving instructor, the Joint Service Expedition Sub Aqua Diving supervisor, and the Diving Officer for RAF Wittering.

In his spare time Mr Coates is a powerful advocate for adventurous training; he organises and delivers various UK and overseas based diving expeditions for all personnel. A service instructor for the local RAF Cadets squadron, he gives the majority of his own time to training nights and weekend activities to develop the cadets.

He said: “People learn so much about themselves from adventurous training, whether they are regular RAF personnel or cadets, you can see the difference it makes almost immediately. It is a real privilege to be able to give something back and enrich people’s lives.”

The next phase of Mr Coates’ career will be at RAF Wittering as a full-time reservist with Operations Wing, as the wing warrant officer. Ops Wing is responsible for the safety of the Station’s airfield and airspace. As wing warrant officer, Mr Coates will see to the smooth day to day running of the wing.

Group Captain Jo Lincoln is the Station Commander at RAF Wittering and Commander of the A4 Force Elements. She said: “Wow! 40 years of exceptional and unbroken service in the Royal Air Force, a tremendous achievement, it is the achievement of a lifetime. We are lucky to retain Warrant Officer Coates’ previous experience at RAF Wittering.”