The RAF pilot’s story:
RIP Alan Pollock, RAF Hawker Hunter pilot who in 1968 famously flew through Tower Bridge in protest at defence cuts. This ended up being his last flight as an RAF pilot and ended his Air Force career. It is now the stuff of Legend.
Rest in peace Sir, we salute you.
The first time I heard the Alan Pollock Hunter story was from a friend who was working as a RAF flight line mechanic at West Raynham on the day this happened 57 years ago. As the pilots landed they were arrested by RAF police who were initially unsure who the culprit was.
The last pilot to land was Alan Pollock who arrived in style with an inverted low pass over the hangars. He also happened to have an AA street map of London in the cockpit. Well and truly busted out the RAF 'the Tower Bridge Incident' has gone down as a legendary piece of RAF history.
Interesting fact not often mentioned about the incident, the 1 Squadron ground crew at Tangmere who dispatched the aircraft packed toilet roles behind the airbrake at Flt Lt Pollock’s request so he could drop them over Parliament! He buzzed the Houses of Parliament creating a mini-sonic boom just as MPs were debating the problem of aircraft Jet noise!