When did last person to see ww2 leave the RAF?

[Entropy]

With all the chit chat about RAF 100 and everyone on TV mainly talking about WW2 plus thinking about some of the stories on here. I was wondering if it was officially noted when the last RAF person to serve in WW2 left the service.

Discounting the cadets, My thoughts would have been that this would have been mid to late 70's unless some airship in a staff position was allowed to continue into their 60's and so made it the 80's.

Any ideas?

 

[justintime129]

With all the chit chat about RAF 100 and everyone on TV mainly talking about WW2 plus thinking about some of the stories on here. I was wondering if it was officially noted when the last RAF person to serve in WW2 left the service.

Discounting the cadets, My thoughts would have been that this would have been mid to late 70's unless some airship in a staff position was allowed to continue into their 60's and so made it the 80's.

Any ideas?

I suppose someone could have joined up in 1945,aged 16 and served for 40years, that would have taken you to the mid 80s

 

[FOMz]

My first boss when I joined the RAF in '87 was an ex-Lancaster Navigator who joined the RAF at the end of '44. The couldn't discharge him due to the fact he had cancer of the spine from the nuclear tests at Christmas Island and they were still treating him.

 

[Downsizer]

More importantly has the last JT tapped out yet?

 

[Oldstacker]

IIRC, (I need to check the book about the raid) the CAS who had the final say-so on the Black Buck raids during Op Corporate had himself flown bombing raids over Germany during the last unpleasantness with them... (and possibly earned 1 of his gongs there as well)

Edited to add https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Beetham I joined in 1976 and obviously never knew him, but I remember the Beetham years as a good time for the RAF. To have someone in charge who has been there, done that and got the tee shirt is never a bad thing......

 

[Oldstacker]

Taking this further and thinking of the 6 degrees of separation principle; I am related by marriage to the son and granddaughter of someone (now dead of course) who joined the RAF as a pilot in Oct 1918.

 

[Teh Wal]

I suppose someone could have joined up in 1945,aged 16 and served for 40years, that would have taken you to the mid 80s

On SARTU at Valley in the early 80's we had a gentleman called George Canning, the last aircrew signaller left in the RAF if I remember correctly. His rank was Master Signaller. If I remember correctly again I think he undertook training at Blackpool at the end of the war. He always turned up for work in No1s and had a medal collection to be proud of, needed an extension board for when he was wearing them on parade. DT_Xtremez_30:

His name appears on this page which records his award of the Air Force Cross in 1979. Against his name and rank is his service number - N1321903 - maybe some bright spark can work out when he joined from that little detail.

http://www.wikiwand.com/en/1979_New_Year_Honours#/Air_Force_Cross_(AFC)

 

[vim_fuego]

If any of these fabled chaps had been on my deathlist they still would be propping up the bar today! (including the one from 1918)

 

[Tin basher]

A bit less than 6 degrees of separation. When a young TB became a jelly tot in 1980 and was posted to Saints my ancient chief had, according to the crew room rumour mill, joined in 1945 around about wars end 35 years previously. So it was possible that I served with someone who was in during dying embers of WW2.

 

[FOMz]

A bit less than 6 degrees of separation. When a young TB became a jelly tot in 1980 and was posted to Saints my ancient chief had, according to the crew room rumour mill, joined in 1945 around about wars end 35 years previously. So it was possible that I served with someone who was in during dying embers of WW2.

I thought you had served in WWII and had just been freeze dried at Tossford.

 

[dctyke]

In 76 I worked in the Aden gun bay at wittering, we had a 55yr old chief called Dixie who did all the job cards. He had spent most of the war as an armourer on a spitfire sqn. He had some fantastic stories that we never got fed up of listening to.

 

[busby1971]

In 76 I worked in the Aden gun bay at wittering, we had a 55yr old chief called Dixie who did all the job cards. He had spent most of the war as an armourer on a spitfire sqn. He had some fantastic stories that we never got fed up of listening to.

Went to the funeral of the hurricane pilot who knocked the gerry out of the sky over Buck House.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Mustang]

The CO at Swinderby when I went through in '71 was an Observer, navs took over from them in '42.
On posting to Cranwell there was a Master Pilot who had been an instructor there before going on to ground duties.
One day during a quite spell I was reading a book entitled "Test Pilot at War" (I think) when a voice from behind said "the fourth aircraft in that 4 ship (Hurricanes) was me". I turned round to see our Master Pilot who had been reading over my shoulder.
A few posts back somebody mentioned Sir Michael Beetham, I remember him as C in C RAFG. I always thought it a bit ironic that someone who had dropped bombs on Germany during WWII should end up as CinC RAFG.

 

[4mastacker]

I always thought it a bit ironic that someone who had dropped bombs on Germany during WWII should end up as CinC RAFG.

As did Sir Harold "Micky" Martin from the "Hole-in-the-wall" gang.

 

[Oldstacker]

This thread got me thinking, a 'good' service career would be not much more than 40 years, so the fact that the CAS during the Falklands War had started out by dropping bombs on Germany was possible. That also means that it is now possible that there is no-one serving now who saw service during the Falklands War and even the numbers of personnel left who saw the 1st Gulf conflict in 1990 is shrinking rapidly.

At what point do corporate memories fade to the extent that lessons learnt in conflicts are no longer remembered by real people in service and just become documents.

 

[Billy Whizz]

This thread got me thinking, a 'good' service career would be not much more than 40 years, so the fact that the CAS during the Falklands War had started out by dropping bombs on Germany was possible. That also means that it is now possible that there is no-one serving now who saw service during the Falklands War and even the numbers of personnel left who saw the 1st Gulf conflict in 1990 is shrinking rapidly.

At what point do corporate memories fade to the extent that lessons learnt in conflicts are no longer remembered by real people in service and just become documents.

I'm one of the few from GW 1 then

 

[Cornish_Pikey]

Current yoof think the 90's are retro now. Even 9/11 is just something that happened in history to a lot of adults now.

 

[UlsterExile]

There is a Chelsea Pensioner who has a GW1 Medal.

 

[Rigga]

I remember that the Groupie (CO) at Shawbury in 1976 had an AG Brevet (Air Gunner) Not sure if he was a WW2 vet but he could easily have been at that time. My Dad was a WW2 Paratrooper (9 Para) from 1943 til the end. He couldn't join 'til he was 21 as he is/was Irish from Dublin.

Nice to know I could have been a Chelsea Pensioner by now??

Is Billy Whizz still serving?

 

[Billy Whizz]

I remember that the Groupie (CO) at Shawbury in 1976 had an AG Brevet (Air Gunner) Not sure if he was a WW2 vet but he could easily have been at that time. My Dad was a WW2 Paratrooper (9 Para) from 1943 til the end. He couldn't join 'til he was 21 as he is/was Irish from Dublin.

Nice to know I could have been a Chelsea Pensioner by now??

Is Billy Whizz still serving?

Yes I am but not for too much longer...............although I do fancy a 2 or 3 day a week Ressie job when I do go to tide me over.