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.

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