1.
Sembawang Air Base
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Sembawang Air Base is a military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force located at Sembawang, in the northern part of Singapore. The base motto is Dare and Will, after the Japanese capture of Singapore during World War II, the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service took over the two RAF stations of Sembawang and Seletar. Singapore was split into north-south spheres of control, and the Imperial Japanese Army Air Force took over RAF Tengah and it was not until September 1945 that the two airfields reverted to British control following the Japanese surrender. The base was renamed Sembawang Air Base in 1971 when it was handed over to the Singapore Air Defence Command, from 1971 to 1976, under the auspices of the Five Power Defence Arrangements, Sembawang housed British, Australian and New Zealand forces. In 1983, the became a full-fledged rotary-wing air base when the first resident helicopter squadron –120 Squadron – was permanently relocated from Changi Air Base. Currently, there are approximately 100 helicopters based in Sembawang Air Base, almost all are operating in support of the Singapore Army, recently added to the base are the AH-64D Longbow Apache attack helicopters. Data current as of October 2006, RSAF web page on Sembawang Air Base Background history of R. N. A. S
2.
Republic of Singapore Air Force
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The Republic of Singapore Air Force is the air arm of the Singapore Armed Forces. It was first established in 1968 as the Singapore Air Defence Command, in 1975, it was renamed the Republic of Singapore Air Force. In January 1968, the British announced the imminent withdrawal of all their troops east of Suez by the end of 1971, the predecessor to the RSAF, the SADC, was formed in September 1968. The SADCs immediate task was to set up the Flying Training School to train pilots, qualified flying instructors were obtained through Airwork Services Limited, a UK-based company specialising in defence services. Basic training for pilots was carried out using two Cessna light aircraft hired from the Singapore Flying Club, finally, the first batch of six pilot trainees were sent to the United Kingdom in August 1968 to undergo training in various technical disciplines. The training was based on the Hawker Hunter, the SADCs first air defence fighter, the following month, another pioneer group of technicians, this time from the rotary wing, were sent to France to begin their technical training on the Aérospatiale Alouette III helicopter. In 1969, a number of local RAF technicians were released to join the fledging SADC, eight Cessna 172K aircraft – the SADCs first – arrived in May 1969 to be used for basic pilot training. By December, the first batch of students completed the course, of these, six were sent to the UK to receive further training. On their return to Singapore in 1970, they were ready to operate the newly acquired Hawker Hunter fighter aircraft. The pace of training pilots and ground crew picked up gradually, on 1 August 1969, Minister for the Interior and Defence, Lim Kim San, inaugurated the Flying Training School at Tengah Air Base. The inauguration of FTS brought SADC closer to its goal of fulfilling the heavy responsibility of defending Singapores airspace. The subsequent arrival of the BAC Strikemasters in 1969, used for advanced flying training. The first batch of locally trained fighter pilots were trained at the FTS, amongst this batch was 2LT Goh Yong Siang, who later rose to the appointment of Chief of Air Force on 1 July 1995. Gradually, the SADC had its own pilots, flying instructors, air traffic controllers, when Britain brought forward its plan to withdraw its forces by September 1971, the SADC was suddenly entrusted with a huge responsibility and resources. Britains former air bases – Tengah, Seletar, Sembawang and Changi – were handed over to the SADC, as well as its air defence radar station, in 1973, the SADC procured Shorts Skyvan search-and-locate aircraft and Douglas A-4 Skyhawk fighter-bombers. With a reliable mix of fighters, fighter-bombers, helicopters and transport aircraft, on 1 April 1975, the SADC was renamed the Republic of Singapore Air Force. One of its first commanders was LTC Ee Tean Chye, wars involving Singapore Air Force, 2004-2008 Multi-National Force – Iraq. Aircraft participated in the Iraq War and returned home after two or three months deployment in the Persian Gulf without any ground troops involved, Singapores withdrawal was acknowledged on 23 December 2008
3.
Boeing AH-64 Apache
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The Boeing AH-64 Apache is an American four-blade, twin-turboshaft attack helicopter with a tailwheel-type landing gear arrangement and a tandem cockpit for a two-man crew. It features a nose-mounted sensor suite for target acquisition and night vision systems and it is armed with a 30 mm M230 chain gun carried between the main landing gear, under the aircrafts forward fuselage. It has four hardpoints mounted on stub-wing pylons, typically carrying a mixture of AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, the AH-64 has a large amount of systems redundancy to improve combat survivability. The Apache originally started as the Model 77 developed by Hughes Helicopters for the United States Armys Advanced Attack Helicopter program to replace the AH-1 Cobra, the prototype YAH-64 was first flown on 30 September 1975. The U. S. Army selected the YAH-64 over the Bell YAH-63 in 1976, after purchasing Hughes Helicopters in 1984, McDonnell Douglas continued AH-64 production and development. The helicopter was introduced to U. S. Army service in April 1986, the first production AH-64D Apache Longbow, an upgraded Apache variant, was delivered to the Army in March 1997. Production has been continued by Boeing Defense, Space & Security, American AH-64s have served in conflicts in Panama, the Persian Gulf, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. Israel used the Apache in its conflicts in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip, British and Dutch Apaches have seen deployments in wars in Afghanistan. Following the cancellation of the AH-56 Cheyenne in 1972, in favor of projects like the U. S, the Army wanted an aircraft better than the AH-1 Cobra in firepower, performance and range. It would have the maneuverability for terrain following nap-of-the-earth flying, to this end, the U. S. Army issued a Request For Proposals for an Advanced Attack Helicopter on 15 November 1972. As a sign of the importance of project, in September 1973 the Army designated its five most important projects as the Big Five. Proposals were submitted by Bell, Boeing Vertol/Grumman team, Hughes, Lockheed, in July 1973, the U. S. Department of Defense selected finalists Bell and Hughes Aircrafts Toolco Aircraft Division. This began the phase 1 of the competition, each company built prototype helicopters and went through a flight test program. Hughes Model 77/YAH-64A prototype first flew on 30 September 1975, while Bells Model 409/YAH-63A prototype first flew on 1 October 1975, after evaluating the test results, the Army selected Hughes YAH-64A over Bells YAH-63A in 1976. Reasons for selecting the YAH-64A included its more damage tolerant four-blade main rotor, weapons and sensor systems were integrated and tested during this time, including the laser-guided AGM-114 Hellfire missile. In 1981, three pre-production AH-64As were handed over to the U. S. Army for Operational Test II, the Army testing was successful, but afterward it was decided to upgrade to the more powerful T700-GE-701 version of engine, rated at 1,690 shp. The AH-64 was named the Apache in late 1981, keeping with the Armys traditional use of American Indian tribal names for its helicopters, in 1983, the first production helicopter was rolled out at Hughes Helicopters facility at Mesa, Arizona. Hughes Helicopters was purchased by McDonnell Douglas for $470 million in 1984, the helicopter unit later became part of The Boeing Company with the merger of Boeing and McDonnell Douglas in August 1997
4.
Singapore National Day Parade
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Singapore celebrated its first National Day as an independent nation in 1966, one year after Singapores separation from Malaysia on 9 August 1965. The first National Day Parade started in the morning at 9,00 a. m. that day, People came as early as 7,00 a. m. in order to get good vantage points. Singapores first President, Mr Yusof bin Ishak and Singapores first Prime Minister, when the parade began,6 military contingents, a mobile column from the SIR, and various schools and civil contingents marched past City Hall and then into the city streets. Three military bands accompanied the parade inspection and later the march past with military music, the Singapore Fire Brigade also took part in this first parade with its firetrucks included in the mobile column. Rounding it all was a lion and dragon dance performance from drum. The following year, the contingents increased to 76, including those of the then established Singapore Armed Forces, street performances by various groups also debuted in that years parade. 1969s parade, the one where the Mobile Column made its first drivepast, on the August 9,1970 NDP edition, the Flypast of the State Flag and the Republic of Singapore Air Force Flypast debuted. A combat simulation performance by Singapore Army personnel was one of the new highlights for that year, the 1971 NDP was the first to include the iconic mobile parade floats from various organizations. Choirs also debuted on that years edition, the 1973 parade was held from the afternoon to early evening for the first time to attract more attendance from the public. The next year, colour broadcasts of the parade on television began, the 1975 parades, held to celebrate Singapores 10th year, were for the first time decentralized into 13 parade venues for more public participation. Almost all of them lasted for an hour and all of them even had route marches on the streets to the participating venues, 1977s parade was a decentralized event like two years before while 1978 would see the parade back at the Padang grounds. 1979s parade was yet another decentralized one, held in high schools. The 1980 parade, held at the National Stadium, almost rained at the start and this was the first parade in which the feu de joie of the Guard-of-Honour contingents made its inaugural appearance. 1981s NDP was the very first parade appearance of the then SPF Civil Defense Command, presently the Singapore Civil Defense Force and they were held in two decentralised venues, Jurong and Queenstown Sports Stadiums for further increase public attendance and participation in the celebrations. 1983 would be the year that the NDP was held in multiple venues. The 1986 edition was the first true evening edition of the parade, 1987s parade, held at the Padang, was the first ever evening event held there and featured the first appearance of the massed military bands of the SAF. The parade returned to the Padang in 1990 to honor the nations silver jubilee year, in 1997, for the first time, there was a National Education Show, where Primary 5 students watch NDP rehearsals. The government set up the electronic voting ticketing system in 2003 in order to tackle the problem of overcrowding, such ticketing system enables citizens to stand a chance at winning the tickets by registering their e-mail addresses or mobile numbers at the NDP website or phonelines
5.
Boeing CH-47 Chinook
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The Boeing CH-47 Chinook is an American twin-engine, tandem rotor heavy-lift helicopter. Its primary roles are troop movement, artillery placement and battlefield resupply and it has a wide loading ramp at the rear of the fuselage and three external ventral cargo hooks. With a top speed of 170 knots the helicopter was faster than contemporary 1960s utility helicopters and attack helicopters, the CH-47 is among the heaviest lifting Western helicopters. Its name is from the Native American Chinook people, the Chinook was designed and initially produced by Boeing Vertol in the early 1960s, it is now produced by Boeing Rotorcraft Systems. It is one of the few aircraft of that era – along with the fixed-wing Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft – that remain in production and frontline service, with over 1,200 built to date. The helicopter has been sold to 16 nations with the U. S. Army, in late 1956, the United States Department of the Army announced plans to replace the Sikorsky CH-37 Mojave, which was powered by piston engines, with a new, gas turbine-powered helicopter. Turbine engines were also a key feature of the smaller UH-1 Huey utility helicopter. Following a design competition, in September 1958, a joint Army–Air Force source selection board recommended that the Army procure the Vertol medium transport helicopter, however, funding for full-scale development was not then available, and the Army vacillated on its design requirements. Vertol began work on a new tandem-rotor helicopter designated Vertol Model 107 or V-107 in 1957, in June 1958, the U. S. Army awarded a contract to Vertol for the aircraft under the YHC-1A designation. The YHC-1A had a capacity for 20 troops, three were tested by the Army for deriving engineering and operational data. However, the YHC-1A was considered by most of the Army users to be too heavy for the assault role, the decision was made to procure a heavier transport helicopter and at the same time upgrade the UH-1 Huey as a tactical troop transport. The YHC-1A would be improved and adopted by the Marines as the CH-46 Sea Knight in 1962, the Army then ordered the larger Model 114 under the designation HC-1B. The pre-production Boeing Vertol YCH-1B made its initial hovering flight on 21 September 1961, in 1962 the HC-1B was redesignated the CH-47A under the 1962 United States Tri-Service aircraft designation system. It was named Chinook for the Chinook people of the Pacific Northwest, the CH-47 is powered by two Lycoming T55 turboshaft engines, mounted on each side of the helicopters rear pylon and connected to the rotors by driveshafts. Initial models were fitted with engines rated at 2,200 horsepower each, the counter-rotating rotors eliminate the need for an anti-torque vertical rotor, allowing all power to be used for lift and thrust. The ability to adjust lift in either rotor makes it sensitive to changes in the center of gravity. If one engine fails, the other can drive both rotors, the sizing of the Chinook was directly related to the growth of the Huey and the Armys tacticians insistence that initial air assaults be built around the squad. The Army pushed for both the Huey and the Chinook, and this focus was responsible for the acceleration of its air mobility effort, improved and more powerful versions of the CH-47 have been developed since the helicopter entered service
6.
AGM-114 Hellfire
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It was originally developed under the name Heliborne, Laser, Fire and Forget Missile, which led to the colloquial name Hellfire ultimately becoming the missiles formal name. It has multi-mission, multi-target precision-strike ability, and can be launched from air, sea. The Hellfire missile is the primary 100-pound class air-to-ground precision weapon for the forces of the United States. The Hellfire can be deployed from rotary- and fixed-wing aircraft, waterborne vessels, most variants are laser guided with one, AGM-114L Longbow Hellfire, being radar guided. The development of the Hellfire Missile System began in 1974 with the U. S. Army requirement for a tank-buster, production of the AGM-114A started in 1982. The Hellfire II, developed in the early 1990s is a missile system with several variants. Predator, Reaper and AH665 Tiger, UCAVs carry the Hellfire II, but the most common platform is the AH-64 Apache helicopter gunship, which can carry up to 16 of the missiles at once. It also works in adverse weather and battlefield obscurants, such as smoke, each Hellfire weighs 47 kilograms, including the 9 kilograms warhead, and has a range of 8,000 metres. The AGM-114R Romeo Hellfire II entered service in late 2012 and it uses a semi-active laser homing guidance system and an integrated blast fragmentation sleeve warhead to engage targets that previously needed multiple Hellfire variants. It will replace AGM-114K, M, N, and P variants in U. S. service, in October 2012, the U. S. ordered 24,000 Hellfire II missiles, for both the U. S. armed forces and foreign customers. The Joint Common Missile was to replace Hellfire II by around 2011, the JCM was developed with a tri-mode seeker and a multi-purpose warhead that would combine the capabilities of the several Hellfire variants. In the budget for FY2006, the U. S. Department of Defense canceled a number of projects that they no longer warranted continuation based on their cost effectiveness. A possible new JCM successor called the Joint Air to Ground Missile is under consideration, the only known operational air-to-air kill with a Hellfire took place on 24 May 2001. A civilian Cessna 152 aircraft entered Israeli airspace from Lebanon, with unknown intentions, an Israeli Air Force AH-64A helicopter fired upon the Cessna, resulting in its complete disintegration. In 2008, the usage of the AGM-114N variant caused controversy in the United Kingdom when it was reported that these thermobaric munitions were added to the British Army arsenal, thermobaric weapons have been condemned by human rights groups. The UK Ministry of Defence refers to the AGM-114N as an enhanced blast weapon, in January 2016 the Wall Street Journal reported that one training missile without a warhead was accidentally shipped to Cuba in 2014 after a training mission in Europe. The dummy missile was later returned, a US official said that this was an inert dummy version of the Lockheed system, known as a Captive Air Training Missile. It is stripped of its warhead, fuse, guidance equipment, AGM-114A Basic Hellfire Target, Tanks, armored vehicles
7.
Seletar Airport
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Seletar Airport is a civilian airport located at Seletar, in the northeastern region of Singapore, and is managed by the Changi Airport Group. Originally, the airport was completed in 1928 as a flying Royal Air Force station and was also Singapores first international airport. There had been a proposal to extend its runway to 2,000 metres, however, after considerations by the Singapore Government and the CAAS, they decided to build a Budget Terminal in Singapore Changi Airport instead. RAF Seletar was a Royal Air Force station in Singapore between 1928 and 1971, plans for establishing an airfield, flying boat and naval base in Singapore were first agreed by the RAF in 1921. In 1923, two sites in the region of the island were approved. The first planes to arrive at the base were four Supermarine Southampton seaplanes on 28 February 1928, RAF Seletar served as a civil airport from 1930 before the opening of Singapores first civil airport at Kallang on 12 June 1937. With the threat of war in the area, the RAF started building up their forces in the Far East in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Seletar airfield was the target of carpet bombing when Japanese navy bombers conducted the first air raid on Singapore and it was abandoned when the Japanese took Johore Bahru, which brought their artillery in range of the airfield. These units stayed until Jan–Feb 1942, soon before the surrender to the invading Japanese, from 1942 through 1945, a number of IJN squadrons were based or transited through Seletar mainly, for training. Among the units known to be based at Seletar during this time were 936th Kōkūtai, the 601st Kōkūtai was also stationed there for training in early before its destruction on board Japanese aircraft carriers during the Battle of Philippine Sea in June. Seletar’s present runway was built during the Japanese Occupation, among the many squadrons based there during this time were Nos 60,81 and 205 Sqns of the RAF. The base was also the home of 390 MU – the Maintenance Base for the whole of the Far East Air Force, all three Squadrons were involved with support of operations in North Borneo during the Indonesia-Malaysia confrontation. The helicopter squadrons provided a search and rescue service for the Singapore area, the station was also, at that time, home to 209 Squadron, equipped with Single and Twin Pioneer aircraft. Auster aircraft were flown during the Emergency and Confrontation periods in troop/enemy spotting patrols. In December 1966, three Andover CC Mk1 arrived to replace the ageing Vickers Valetta C1 aircraft of 52 Sqn.52 Squadron was later reformed in March 1967 after the arrival of a three aircraft. By now, Confrontation had finished and with no purpose the squadron moved to Changi in 1968 before being disbanded in January 1970. The RAF station closed at the end of March 1971 and Seletar was handed over to the Singapore Air Defence Command, the Short Sunderland flying boats started in RAF service from Seletar on 22 June 1938 with 230 Sqn, a sister squadron of 205 Sqn. Seletar Airport now operates as a general aviation airport, mainly for chartered flights, currently, the airport is open 24 hours a day, has a single runway with 27 aircraft stands, has 100 square metres of warehouse space and can handle 840 tons of freight per day
8.
Kuantan
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Kuantan is the state capital of Pahang, Malaysia. It is near the mouth of the Kuantan River and faces the South China Sea, Kuantan is the ninth largest city in Malaysia. The National Physical Plan 2005 identified Kuantan as one of the future growth centres, Kuantan is considered the social, economic and commercial hub for the East Coast of Peninsular Malaysia due to its strategic location. Rapid development has transformed and modernised Kuantan, recently, the introduction of Malaysias first Special Economic Zone at Kuantan is designed to boost the regional economy, tourism and growth. Kuantan in the first century was a part of Chih-Tu empire, in the 11th century, this piece of land was conquered by another small empire called Pheng-Kheng before being taken over by the Siamese during the 12th century. During the 15th century, Kuantan was ruled by the Malacca Empire, Kuantan is said to have been founded in the 1850s. The word Kuantan was mentioned by Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir circa 1851/2 as below. On Thursday night came a boat from Kuantan. Then they told the ships crew theres a pirate ship at Tanjung Tujuh, forty of them and at Pulau Kapas, in its early days, it was known as Kampung Teruntum. The village was situated at the mouth of Teruntum River which is in front of the current hospital and it was established by Haji Senik, early primary economic activities included fishing and small businesses. The main evidence of the establishment of the village is the cemetery that is situated near Taman Esplanade in front of the current Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan. Towards the late 19th century, arrival of Chinese miners and traders saw the establishment of a township in Kuantan and nearby tin mining areas such as Gambang, similar to what occurred in other states in Peninsular Malaysia, rubber plantations attracted Indian settlers as well. The sinking of HMS Prince of Wales and HMS Repulse took place off the coast of Kuantan on 10 December 1941, the Pahang state government shifted the administrative centre of Pahang from Kuala Lipis to Kuantan in 1955. Kuantan will see new developments including, Relocation of the state administration centre to its proposed site in Bandar Indera Mahkota. Kuantan Port City consist of Kuantan Port expansion, Malaysia-China Kuantan Industrial Park, Kuantan Waterfront Resort City at Tanjung Lumpur. Kuantan features a tropical rainforest climate under the Köppen climate classification, usually, the area experiences two seasons per year, i. e. the Dry and Hot season and the Rainy season. The Dry and Hot Season occurs when seasonal south-west winds blow from Sumatra toward the West Coast of Peninsular Malaysia but are blocked by the Titiwangsa Mountain Range, the temperature may reach 40 degrees Celsius. The Rainy season usually occurs between October to March, during this season, the north-east winds bring rain to Kuantan. It can get very cloudy with an amount of rainfall
9.
Malaysia
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Malaysia is a federal constitutional monarchy located in Southeast Asia. Peninsular Malaysia shares a land and maritime border with Thailand and maritime borders with Singapore, Vietnam, East Malaysia shares land and maritime borders with Brunei and Indonesia and a maritime border with the Philippines and Vietnam. The capital city is Kuala Lumpur, while Putrajaya is the seat of the federal government, with a population of over 30 million, Malaysia is the 44th most populous country. The southernmost point of continental Eurasia, Tanjung Piai, is in Malaysia, located in the tropics, Malaysia is one of 17 megadiverse countries on earth, with large numbers of endemic species. Malaysia has its origins in the Malay kingdoms present in the area which, from the 18th century, the first British territories were known as the Straits Settlements, whose establishment was followed by the Malay kingdoms becoming British protectorates. The territories on Peninsular Malaysia were first unified as the Malayan Union in 1946, Malaya was restructured as the Federation of Malaya in 1948, and achieved independence on 31 August 1957. Malaya united with North Borneo, Sarawak, and Singapore on 16 September 1963 to become Malaysia, less than two years later in 1965, Singapore was expelled from the federation. The country is multi-ethnic and multi-cultural, which plays a role in politics. About half the population is ethnically Malay, with minorities of Malaysian Chinese, Malaysian Indians. The constitution declares Islam the state religion while allowing freedom of religion for non-Muslims, the government system is closely modelled on the Westminster parliamentary system and the legal system is based on common law. The head of state is the king, known as the Yang di-Pertuan Agong and he is an elected monarch chosen from the hereditary rulers of the nine Malay states every five years. The head of government is the prime minister, since its independence, Malaysia has had one of the best economic records in Asia, with its GDP growing at an average of 6. 5% per annum for almost 50 years. The economy has traditionally been fuelled by its resources, but is expanding in the sectors of science, tourism, commerce. Today, Malaysia has a newly industrialised market economy, ranked third largest in Southeast Asia, the name Malaysia is a combination of the word Malay and the Latin-Greek suffix -sia/-σία. The word melayu in Malay may derive from the Tamil words malai and ur meaning mountain and city, land, malayadvipa was the word used by ancient Indian traders when referring to the Malay Peninsula. Whether or not it originated from these roots, the word melayu or mlayu may have used in early Malay/Javanese to mean to steadily accelerate or run. This term was applied to describe the current of the river Melayu in Sumatra. The name was adopted by the Melayu Kingdom that existed in the seventh century on Sumatra
10.
Changi Air Base
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Changi Air Base or Changi Air Base, formerly RAF Changi, is an airfield military airbase of the Republic of Singapore Air Force located at Changi, in the eastern tip of Singapore. Together, the two airfields house 121 Squadron,112 Squadron, No 145 Squadron, the Field Defence Squadron, the Air Logistics Squadron, the air base badge carries the motto, Together in Excellence. First completed as a British artillery camp in 1940, it was used together with the nearby Changi Prison for housing many of the Allied prisoners-of-war after the fall of Singapore in 1942. The airfield facility became a Royal Air Force station and was renamed RAF Changi in 1946 after the Japanese surrender, imprisoned Japanese troops were then made to improve the runways, reinforcing the north-south runway for military aircraft and adding perforated steel plates to the east-west runway. Completed post war, RAF Chia Keng — a GCHQ radio receiving station, was a station of RAF Changi until the British Forces withdrawal from Singapore. Upon the withdrawal of British forces from Singapore, RAF Changi was renamed as Changi Air Base and was handed over to the SADC on 9 Dec 1971. Thereafter, the received its first flying squadron of SADC - the Alouette Squadron. With the arrival of the first Shorts Skyvans in 1973, SADC began to form the 121 Squadron at Changi Air Base, the novel The Sound of Pirates by former RAF airman Terence Brand is based in the 1960s both on the airfield and in the surrounding areas. The east-west runway was almost erased from the map, currently surviving as a taxiway to the area which has remained operational as part of Changi Air Base. Following the opening of the new Changi Air Base on 29 November 2004, the flying squadrons now are,112 Squadron with 4 Boeing KC-135R Stratotankers, &,121 Squadron with 4 Utility Transport Aircraft and 5 Maritime Patrol Aircraft versions of the Fokker F50. Data current as of October 2006, history of RAF Crest Badge and Information of RAF Changi Memories of Singapore - RAF Changi
11.
New Year's Day
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New Years Day, also called simply New Years or New Year, is observed on January 1, the first day of the year on the modern Gregorian calendar as well as the Julian calendar. In pre-Christian Rome under the Julian calendar, the day was dedicated to Janus, god of gateways and beginnings, other global New Years Day traditions include making New Years resolutions and calling ones friends and family. Mesopotamia instituted the concept of celebrating the new year in 2000 BC, celebrated new year around the time of the vernal equinox, the early Roman calendar designated March 1 as the new year. The calendar had just ten months, beginning with March and that the new year once began with the month of March is still reflected in some of the names of the months. September through December, our ninth through twelfth months, were positioned as the seventh through tenth months. Roman legend usually credited their second king Numa with the establishment of the months of January and February and these were first placed at the end of the year, but at some point came to be considered the first two months instead. The January Kalends came to be celebrated as the new year at some point after it became the day for the new consuls in 153 BC. Romans had long dated their years by these consulships, rather than sequentially, still, private and religious celebrations around the March new year continued for some time and there is no consensus on the question of the timing for January 1s new status. Once it became the new year, however, it became a time for family gatherings, in AD567, the Council of Tours formally abolished January 1 as the beginning of the year. These days were also astronomically and astrologically significant since, at the time of the Julian reform, March 25 had been understood as the spring equinox and December 25 as the winter solstice. Medieval calendars nonetheless often continued to display the months running from January to December, among the 7th century pagans of Flanders and the Netherlands, it was the custom to exchange gifts on the first day of the new year. This custom was deplored by Saint Eligius, who warned the Flemish and Dutch, make vetulas, little deer or iotticos or set tables at night or exchange New Year gifts or supply superfluous drinks. Because of the leap year error in the Julian calendar, the date of Easter had drifted backward since the First Council of Nicaea decided the computation of the date of Easter in 325, by the sixteenth century, the drift from the observed equinox had become unacceptable. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII declared the Gregorian calendar widely used today, the Gregorian calendar reform also restored January 1 as New Years Day. Although most Catholic countries adopted the Gregorian calendar almost immediately, it was gradually adopted among Protestant countries. The British, for example, did not adopt the reformed calendar until 1752, until then, the British Empire – and its American colonies – still celebrated the new year on 25 March. Most nations of Western Europe officially adopted 1 January as New Years Day somewhat before they adopted the Gregorian Calendar, in Tudor England, New Years Day, along with Christmas Day and Twelfth Night, was celebrated as one of three main festivities among the twelve days of Christmastide. There, until the adoption of the Gregorian Calendar in 1752, Pope Gregory acknowledged 1 January as the beginning of the new year according to his reform of the Catholic Liturgical Calendar
1971, an Alouette III of the squadron on detachment to Changi Air Base
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