WW2 Bomber Command veteran takes to the skies aged 102 in glider flight over Cambridge

A 102-year-old Second World War veteran who served with RAF Bomber Command has returned to the air in a glider flight over Cambridgeshire.

Robbie Hall, who joined the Women's Auxiliary Air Force at the age of 17, flew from Cambridge Gliding Centre, fulfilling a long-held wish to experience flight once again.

During the war, Ms Hall worked as a plotter with Bomber Command at High Wycombe, then known as Southdown, the headquarters' wartime codename used to preserve secrecy.

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Plotters were responsible for tracking RAF aircraft during operations, marking the progress of bombing raids and monitoring returning crews.

Ms Hall enlisted underage, lying about her age to join the WAAF, and went on to serve during some of Bomber Command's most intense operational periods.

She was engaged to RAF Flight Sergeant Frank Arthur Vincent, a bomb aimer with 75 (NZ) Squadron, based at RAF Mepal in Cambridgeshire. He was killed on 25 August 1944 when his Lancaster bomber suffered a catastrophic mid-air explosion over Germany, killing all seven crew members.

The glider flight was provided by Cambridge Gliding Centre after Ms Hall expressed a desire to fly again, having previously taken part in a Spitfire flight last year. The flight was facilitated with support from the Taxi Charity for Military Veterans.

David Guest from the Cambridge Gliding Centre said: "The club saw it as an absolute privilege to welcome Robbie to our airfield and give her the opportunity to fly with us.

"Her story, her spirit and her service are truly inspiring, and we were honoured to play our part in creating such a memorable experience for her."