Former national serviceman Brian Smith took a trip down memory lane by visiting RAF Shawbury, where he served 60 years ago.

A squadron leader at the Shropshire RAF base where Princes William and Harry earned their stripes was today awarded an MBE in the Queen’s New Year’s Honours List.

The airbase where Princes William and Harry learned to fly helicopters has been contaminated by radioactivity from World War II military hardware, it emerged today.

Father Christmas found time in his busy pre-Christmas schedule to drop in to see youngsters at a Shropshire school.

Parents today said they had been left ‘deflated’ by the announcement that their school would be closed to make way for a larger one on a different site as part of budget cuts.

Meet Shropshire world record holder Lieutenant Jim Fraser who has entered the Guinness Book of World Records for running the quickest ever half marathon – while wearing a gas mask.

A UFO scare was sparked on national radio – because officials at a Shropshire airbase were carrying out night exercises.

RAF Shawbury held its annual reception for members of the community to thank them for the support they have given the airbase over the last 12 months.

The loss of jobs at the Shropshire airbase which trained Princes William and Harry is “a blow” to “the best helicopter training pilots anywhere in the world”, officials said today.

The rain may have soaked the grounds of Cholmondeley Castle, but it didn’t dampen the mood as thousands of spectators flocked to the North Shropshire border for the annual Pageant of Power.

A round-up of this week’s Shropshire Star nostalgia pictures.

Daredevil aerobatic display team the Red Arrows will be turning the skies over Shropshire red, white and blue when they perform at a county airbase.

Shropshire was basking in soaring temperatures today, but forecasters warned thunderstorms could bring the short-lived heatwave to an abrupt end. Residents woke to a blue, cloudless sky with temperatures due to reach 27C (80F) this afternoon.

A team of helicopter instructors from a Shropshire airbase can now officially call themselves the best pilots in Britain after showcasing their skills on the national stage.

A round-up of this week’s Shropshire Star nostalgia pictures.

A team from a Shropshire airbase is taking part in a gruelling bike ride to raise vital funds for the Royal British Legion.

England football stars Joe Hart and Joleon Lescott teamed up with Shropshire armed forces personnel for a photo shoot to celebrate a new fundraising link in time for St George’s Day.

The Government is to axe about 11,000 jobs in the armed forces, it has been announced.

Voluntary sector workers needed a head for heights when they tackled a day of leadership exercises at a Shropshire airbase.

Fifty trainee pilots jobs could go at airbases in Shropshire and North Wales because of cuts to military spending, it was reported today.

A crackdown on speeding motorists is due to begin on a rural road in north Shropshire today after shock new figures showed two-thirds of drivers ignore the limit.

Staff at a Shropshire airbase will start off 2011 flying high after being named on the New Year Honours list.

Snow and freezing conditions have forced the scrapping of a string events across Shropshire and Mid Wales today as the region began to buckle under Britain’s Big Freeze.

Prince William is to marry Kate Middleton next year, Clarence House said today.

A fly past by Second World War fighter planes and parades marked the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, as celebrations took place across the UK, including Shropshire, to mark the pivotal battle.

A Spitfire took to the Shropshire skies last night to kick off a weekend of events in the county to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain.

Chinook helicopters have been a regular sight in the skies over Shropshire this week – find out why.

A Shropshire airbase has been praised by former students who have returned to train on Chinook helicopters as they prepare to deploy to Afghanistan.

Shropshire residents have backed the preparations for frontline operations in Afghanistan – despite facing the prospect of disrupted sleep as large helicopters fly overhead in the early hours of the morning.

Helicopters will be in the skies above Shropshire until the early hours of the morning as RAF personnel prepare for their deployment to Afghanistan.