RAF Local Residents
From Lacey Green History
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 Marshall Leslie William Cannon . Retired to 'Cairndale, Main Road, Lacey Green
Service Career
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 Marshall, Commander-in-chief, Royal Pakistan Air Force (1953 made Air Vice Marshall)
1955 Director-General of Organisation.
He continued to fly on operations as Officer Commanding, Watton and AOA, no 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.
Retirement
Retiring from the RAF, he returned to the Indian sub-continent as Senior Representative of Rolls Royce Ltd.
Honours and Awards
He was the first apprentice to attain the rank of Air Vice Marshall
1952 made Companion of the Order of the Bath.
1945 made 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.
GROUP CAPTAIN DONALD OSBORNE FINLAY
RETIRED TO “CHIPPINS”, MAIN ROAD, LACEY GREEN
RESEARCHER’S NOTE. “DON” FINLAY WAS BEST KNOWN TO THE PUBLIC AS AN ATHLETE. AN ALL ROUND ATHLETE COMPETING IN LONG JUMP, SHOT PUT and JAVELIN BUT MOST REMEMBERED AS A HURDLER. HE COMPETED IN THE OLYMPICS IN 1932, 1936 and 1948 WHEN HE WAS CAPTAIN OF THE BRITISH TEAM and CHOSEN TO TAKE THE “OLYMPIC OATH”. IN 1934 HE WON GOLD AT THE EMPIRE GAMES and COMPETING IN 1950 (aged 41) HE STILL FINISHED 5TH.
1935 JOINED RAF 1936 SCHOOL AERONAUTICAL ENGINEERING 1939 COMMANDING OFFICER RAF HORNCHURCH, (Battle of Britain Spitfires) AUG 1940 SHOT DOWN and WOUNDED SEPT 1940 OFFICER COMMANDING 41 SQUADRON 1941 PROMOTED WING COMMANDER, ENGINEERING OFFICER 11 GROUP 1942 COMMANDED no 608 SQUADRON (LOCKHEED HUDSONS in MIDDLE-EAST 1943 Dec- July 1944 GROUP CAPTAIN, SENIOR AIR STAFF OFFICER, 210 GROUP 1945 OFFICER COMMANDING 906 WING in BURMA
POST WAR SENIOR TECHNICAL TRAINING OFFICER, HALTON 1959 RETIRED
HONOURS and AWARDS
June 1942 DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS. His victory tally flying fighters was 4, with 2 shared, destroyed, 3, with 1 shared, damaged.
Sept 1944 AIR FORCE CROSS
1966 MOTOR ACCIDENT in which HE BECAME PARALYSED. The family moved to Lacey Green for a few years but he could not settle. He died in 1970.
MEMORIALS. STAINED GLASS WINDOW in RAF ACKLINGTON CHAPEL. REPLICA TORNADO at RAF CONINGSBY. REPLICA SPITFIRE at ENTRANCE TO RAF HIGH WYCOMBE at WALTERS ASH GYMNASIUM, RAF HALTON.
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