The exact date of the photo remains unknown, but it appears to be a practice parade for the handover of 1 Air Division from A/V/M Wray to A/V/M Bradshaw - probably during the summer of 1963.
My memory of the real handover parade is that of a very hot day with the Honour Guard lined up for an extended period behind the Chateau awaiting the arrival of all the dignitaries and their ladies from Paris, Ramstein, Brussels, and other locations.
Before the speeches began, Ray Rouleau fainted and hit the ground with a loud thud and a clatter of his rifle. It was amusing to me that many of the sedate ladies sitting in the shade on the terrace of the Chateau immediately leaped to their feet, whipped out their cameras, and began taking pictures of the downed airman.
Of course that was the picture that ran in the Metz newspaper the next day - apparently the by-line mused as to whether it was the heat or the emotion over saying goodbye to his beloved Commander that felled the airman. We really got our kicks out of that.
Updated: February 16, 2005