SIMON THE LION

Simon the lion, visiting from Longleat, perched on the starboard wing of a Sea Vixen FAW2 of 892 Squadron at Yeovilton.

Several photos — in particular, those from a shoot for the Daily Mirror — show Simon’s Sircus aircrew with a lion cub mascot. This young animal, perhaps inevitably called ‘Simon’, was a great PR success. Tim Miles says, „Once we knew we had a team, we looked at what we could do to be different. I sent a letter to Lord Bath asking if the team could have a lion as a squadron mascot, and he wrote back with his agreement. The letter was signed ‘Bath’. Just that — ‘Bath’.”

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