AN AIRMAN from Trellech told of his pride after he raised the RAF Ensign at Cardiff Castle recently.

The RAF Ensign was hoisted at Cardiff Castle earlier this month highlighting the RAF National Aircraft Tour.

Newport-born Corporal Tom Woodward was part of a team raising the RAF flag in the Welsh capital to mark the 100th anniversary of the air force and to highlight the RAF National Aircraft Tour which arrives in Cardiff next week.

The 29-year-old joined the RAF Regiment in 2007 and completed three tours of duty in Afghanistan before becoming a reservist with Number 614 (County of Glamorgan) Squadron. He said: “It was really special to play my part in marking the RAF’s 100th birthday.”

On 1st April, the Royal Air Force launched RAF100, a national campaign to mark its 100th year. The centenary features events, activities and other initiatives running nationwide from April to the end of September. One of the biggest events, the RAF100 National Aircraft Tour, arrives in Cathays Park, Cardiff on 18th May.

Iconic aircraft commemorating 100 years of the world’s first independent air force, will be on display outside Cardiff City Hall along with science-based activities giving youngsters the chance to enter an exhilarating world of technological adventure featuring aerobatic quadcopters, cyberspace missions, hand-skill challenges and virtual-reality flight.

Among the famous aircraft on display will be a Second World War Spitfire and a Typhoon jet from the present day.

The Spitfire, kindly loaned by IWM Duxford (part of the Imperial War Museums), wears the markings Number 19 Squadron which served during the Battle of Britain. Representing the present and the future will be a Typhoon fighter jet – the aircraft that is on alert 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, ready to scramble in defence of the UK. The RAF100 Tour will be a Cathays Park, Cardiff between 18th and 20th May, and entry is free.