A potted history of my father….joined the Fleet Air Arm and went through RAF Halton in the August 1939 FAA intake, passed out May 1941, as an Aircraft Artificer, joined the CAM ship Sea Hurricane unit, then pictured on HMS Dasher with 804 Sqdn Sea Hurricane IIc during Operation Torch…he recalls the roundels being quickly overpainted with US markings to avoid upsetting the French….luckily he disembarked from Dasher before she blew up with huge loss of life in the Clyde. Went on through Barracuda and Swordfish squadrons, joined 1831 Sqdn operating Corsairs on HMS Glory in the Far East, came back post war up the coast of Australia on HMAS Ping Wo….went on to serve with the Attacker trials unit, then Sea Hawks, Sea Venoms, Gannets and Avengers on 831 at Culdrose, Meteor TT20s with 728 as AEO at HalFar, and is pictured hauling down the White Ensign at HalFar for the very last time in May 1967.He retired as a Two and a Half in the mid 70’s and joined the BAC management side on the RSAF Lightning contract for a few years.
Last weekend at Old Warden (huge thanks to Toby and Steven) we recreated the snap taken of him (R) on Dasher during Operation Torch…73 years on…and still going strong!
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