RAF Local Residents

Exhibition research by Joan West

The Royal Air Force was formed from the Royal Flying Corps in 1918. Several men who trained in those early days had homes here during WW2, by then high ranking officers.

A full history of each was given at an exhibition by The Local History Group in 2018 giving photographs, details of their lifetime careers, their honours and awards, families and their association here with other details such as the planes they flew.

Wilfred Brown. Lived at The Crown, Church Lane, Lacey Green.

Wilf Brown was called up during WW2 into the RAF. He spent most of the war in India. He was taken ill when his body stopped sweating in the heat. In order to save his life he was sent to high altitude Kashmir to recover. Research Note. Barry Macey told me that Wilf always told what a beautiful place it was and that his recovery time was the best days of his life.

AIR VICE MARSHAL LESLIE WILLIAM CANNON RETIRED TO “CAIRNDALE” MAIN ROAD, LACEY GREEN                                                                  

1920 JOINED RAF, BOY MECHANIC, no 2 TECHNICAL TRAINING, CRANWELL

1932 ENGINEERING OFFICER, RAF CRANWELL

1932 ENGINEERING OFFICER, HQ RAF INDIA

1935 FLIGHT COMMANDER, No.60 SQUADRON

1937 OFFICER COMMANDING, No.5 SQUADRON, NORTHWEST FRONTIER, INDIA

1938 ADMIN/PERSONNEL STAFF, HQ TRAINING COMMAND

1939 STAFF, DIRECTORATE of OPERATIONS (HOME)

1940 WING COMMANDER, ENG. STAFF OFFICER, HQ BOMBER COMMAND

1941 CHIEF TECHNICAL OFFICER, HQ No 21 GROUP

1942 OFFICER COMMANDING, RAF WATTON

1943(Mar) DEPUTY S.A.S.O. HQ No 83 COMPOSITE GROUP

1943(Nov) OFFICER COMMANDING No 138 WING

1943(Dec) SOA, HQ No 2 GROUP

1944 AOA, HQ No 2 GROUP

1946 GROUP CAPTAIN, AOC, No 2 GROUP

1948 ASSISTANT COMMANDANT, RAF STAFF COLLEGE, ANDOVER

1949 AIR COMMODORE, DIRECTOR of ORGANISATION (ESTABLISHMENT)

1951-55 ACTING AIR VICE MARSHAL, COMMANDER in-CHIEF, ROYAL PAKISTAN AIRFORCE.   (1953 made AIR VICE MARSHAL).

1955 DIRECTOR-GENERAL of ORGANISATION.

He continued to fly on operations as OFFICER COMMANDING, WATTON and AOA, 2 GROUP with both the RAF and USAAF, for which he was AWARDED the US SILVER STAR.

He represented the RAF in athletics, boxing and pistol shooting.

ON RETIRING from the RAF, he RETURNED to the INDIAN SUB-CONTINENT as SENIOR REPRESENTATIVE of ROLLS ROYCE LTD.

He was the first apprentice to ATTAIN the RANK OF AIR VICE MARSHAL.

HONOURED 1952 COMPANION of the ORDER OF THE BATH

HONOURED 1945 CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire)

MENTIONED in DESPATCHES, Feb 1938, Sept. 1941, Jan. 1945, Jan 1946                                                          

---

William Bernard Frederick. Circa 1938/9, he and his wife, Laura Matilda Frederick moved to the newly built house on Main Road in Lacey Green, which they named “Mandara”, a Hindu word meaning “Lantern of Peace”

1939 William Bernard Frederick who had retired from the RAF was granted a Commission in the RAF, Class CC as Flight Lieutenant

He died in 1941 aged 54. His name is on the WW2 War Memorial in St. John's Church, Lacey Green.

 Arthur Harris, 1st Baronet. Air Chief Marshal.   Stationed at Bomber Command, Walters Ash, WW2.

Researcher’s note.   Born 1892, being inspired by stories of Southern Rhodesia, he ducked out of boarding school aged 17 and in 1910 emigrated to Umtali, South Rhodesia, eventually establishing his own farm.    Being in the bush at the time, he only learned about WW1 a month after it was declared.

Service Career

1914 Harris joined the 1st Rhodesian Army Regiment serving with South African forces in South West Africa, where Germany was inflecting heavy bombing.

1915 sailed for England with 300 South African volunteers.

He applied for the Cavalry and Royal Artillery with no luck but was accepted for the Royal Flying Corps in November 1915. After learning to fly he was a second lieutenant.

1917 Flight Commander on the home front and in France. Nov. 1918. Awarded the Air Force Cross for Distinguished service.

Post WW1

Having married in 1916 to Barbara Money and now with a child, Harris, although he now thought of himself as a Rhodesian, decided to stay in England and remained in the newly formed RAF.

1920 Commander RAF Digby No.3 Flying Training School, followed by North West Frontier troubles in India and bombings and uprisings in Mesopotamia, (under British occupation) and Persia.

May 1922 He offered his resignation, wanting to go back to Rhodesia, but was persuaded to stay.                                                                                  1923.  He helped devise Area Bombing in Iraq

1924.  Air Commanding, first post-war Heavy Bombing Squadron, No 58, developing Night Training.

June 1927  Awarded OBE (order of the British Empire)

July 1927 promoted Wing Commander of a Flying-Boat Squadron, also developing Night Flying Operation Techniques.

June 1933 promoted to Group Captain

1934-1937  Deputy Director of Plans in the Air Ministry, with postings to Middle-East Command, Egypt as Senior Staff Officer.

Also in 1936, he helped Southern Rhodesia set up its own Air Force.

July 1937  Promoted to Air Commodore.

1938 Air Commanding no.4 Bomber Group.  He went on a purchasing mission in the USA. Then Officer Commanding the RAF in Palestine and Trans-Jourdan

July 1939 Promoted to Air Vice Marshall and with others pressured for Large Strategic Bombers             

WW2                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      Sept 1939  Command No 5 Group

Nov 1940 Deputy Chief Air of Staff                                                                                                                                                            Feb 1942   Appointed Commander-in-Chief of Bomber Command

JUNE 1942 Appointed Knight Commander of the Order of the Bath

1942  The War Cabinet passed "The Area Bombing Directive" which advocated the area bombing of German cities.

Harris was directed to carry out this task. It became an important part of the total war waged against Germany

Maybe because it was not wholly endorsed by all in Government, including Churchill, who considered the policy distasteful, it appears that the general public were not told the full extent of the targets and official statements maintained they were only industrial and economic with civilian casualties being unintentional but unavoidable.  Harris urged the Government to be more honest with the public, although he himself did believe in the area bombing policy.

Aug 1944  Promoted to Air Chief Marshall

Awards 

Feb 1944  Awarded the Russian Order of Surorov, First Class

Jan 1945 Awarded the American Legion of Merit

Jun 1945  Awarded the Polish Order of Polonia Restituta, First Class

Jun 1945 Advanced to Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Bath  

Nov 1945 Appointed Knight Grand Cross, Southern Cross of Brazil

Jun 1946 Awarded the Distinguished Service Medal by the USA

Retired September 1946              

Bomber Command's crews were eligible for the Air Crew Europe Star, France Star and German Star, but because the late bombing of Dresden was considered by many to have been unnecessary, they were denied a separate Campaign Medal.

Harris refused a peerage in 1946 in protest to this snub to his men.

He was the sole Commander-in-Chief not to become a peer.

Post WW2

1948 Harris moved to South Africa to manage the South African Marine Corporation from 1946 to 1953.  In 1953 He returned to live in England.

Feb 1953  Winston Churchill, once again Prime Minister, insisted that Arthur Harris accept a Baronetcy

Sir Hugh Pughe LLoyd, Air Chief Marshall. Family home in WW2 'The Thatched House' Church Lane, Lacey Green

1915  Royal Engineer Sapper

1917 Royal Flying Corps (became Royal Air Force in 1918)

Jan 1918 Pilot no.52 Squadron. Reconnaissance / attack over France.

Sept 1918 Flight Commander no 52 Squadron

1924 Flight Commander no 16 Squadron

1939 Group Captain, Officer Commanding RAF Marham

WW2

1940  Senior Air Staff Officer, HQ no 2 Group                                                                                                                                                       1941 Air Officer Commanding RAF Mediterranean/ Air HQ Malta   

Jul 1942 Air Officer Commanding (Naval Co-Operation Group and Senior Air Staff Officer HQ Middle-East Command

Mar 1943 Air Officer Commanding North-west African Coastal Air.

Dec 1943 Air Officer Commanding, Mediterranean Allied Coastal                                                                                                                           Nov 1945  Commander Designate, Tiger Force (Heavy bombers against Japan). Force never implemented after atomic bomb on Hiroshima ended war.

Post WW2

Dec 1945  Senior instructor, Imperial Defence College.

1949 Commander in Chief, Air Command Far East Air Force.

1950 Air Officer Commander in chief, Bomber Command, Walters Ash.                           

Retired 1953                                                           .

Honours and Award

June 1918 Military Cross

Sept 1918 Croix De Guerre

Feb 1919 Distinguished Flying Cross

May 1936 Mentioned in Despatches

Sept 1941 made Commander of the British Empire (CBE)

Jan 1942   made Companion of the order of the Bath.

July 1942  made Knight of the British Empire (KBE)

1944  French Legion d'Honeur

1944  Legion of Merit, USA

June 1951 Upgraded to Knight Commander of the Bath

June 1953 Upgraded to Grand Knight Cross Order of the British Empire

Researcher’s notes.  It was reported that “Hugh Pughe did not “abide by the book, and proved extremely successful during his tenure as AOC, Malta. He seemed to have an eye for selecting the right people.  At one point he commissioned a Sergeant Pilot, who rose to become Air Marshall. He believed in improvisation and would support his subordinates to the hilt”.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      

Vic Southon. Lived at Beggar's Roost, Foundry Lane, Loosley Row.

Vic joined the RAF in 1949. After basic training he trained as a radio technician.

1851 Officer training as a pilot at Cranwell, then posted to Egypt, flying fighter Gloster Meteors.

Several postings followed in the Cold War. UK postings flying Javelins, which had replaced the Meteor in 1956. He was posted to Bomber Squadron flying Vulcans, but his heart remained in Fighter Command.

Training on Bloodhound Missiles at RAF Scampton, may have decided Vic to leave the RAF in order to be able to continue "hands-on" flying - his great love.

POST RAF. In 1967 having obtained his Airline Transport Pilots' License he joined British Airways, flying Boeing 707s, VC10s and 747s worldwide. Having to retire at 55 he then became one of Richard Branson's original pilots for Virgin Atlantic, until his retirement.

Vic died in December 2017 aged 88

John Timothy "Timmy" Tempest.   Lived at Virginia Cottage, Main Road, Lacey Green.

Timmy joined the RAF Volentry Reserve. After basic training he became a flying officer. In WW2 he was a navigator in bombers over France.

In 1943 WW2. Based Nr. Misrata, North-West Libya (recently taken from the Italians).   Timmy was Navigator in a crew of seven, under Pilot Micky Vertigan when an accident occurred - - -  

Rearcher’s Notes from the book ‘Down in the Drink’.  On a night bombing mission to cut off roads converging on Tunis in, order to finally push the German Afrika Korps out of Africa, they took off from Misrata, in a Halifax.    A “freakishly” hot air temperature, caused the 4 engines to fail, one by one.   They put down in the Mediterranean, where they escaped into their dinghy, Timmy Tempest only able to estimate their position. They drifted ashore on the eleventh morning onto a desolate coast, weak from lack of water and food and very sunburnt. They were rescued by local, (friendly) Arabs.

Timmy awarded the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross)

Douglas Tilbury. Lived at Parslows Hillock Cottages no 2

1952 - 1954 National Servce in the RAF.

Served on 56 Squadron Fighter Command, fitting. refuelling and servicing the engines on the Meteor Mk 8. The Gloster Meteor was the first operational jet fighter. It went on to become a Fighter Bomber and Reconnaissance Fighter.

click Doug Tilbury for Doug's life story