The old guard passes : January - June 2025

We mark the passing of those who have served this country. Contributions from comrades and families welcome.Contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The last of the Few

Group Captain John Allman 'Paddy' Hemingway DFC 17 July 1919-12 March 2025 One of only ten Irishmen to fight in Battle of Britain.85 Sqn Hurricanes First victory May 10, 1940. Shot down May 11th after another part victory. Wounded when shot down same day near River Meuse. Walked to Brussels. Then Lille toi rejoin 85 Sqn RAF Debden. Shot down August 18th 1940 and August 26th. February 1941 night fighting, Havocs. Damaged Heinkels. 1452 Flight RAF West Malling Flight cntrooler. April 1945 C/O 43 Sqn Spitfires Italy. Bailed out April 23rd, smuggled through German lines by partisans. Italy, Austria C/O 244 Wing. Greece. SHAPE C/) RAF Leconfield as Gp Capt.

Apologies to readers - these are in blocks rather than a single alphabetical list for the whole 6 months

AIREY Maj Gen Sir Christopher Airey KCVO CBE died 7 pril 2025 aged 91

AITKEN Major Kenneth Blake Dixson Atken died 5 Feb 25 aged 84 4th Royal Regt and GCHQ

BOOKER Sqn Ldr Stanley Albert Booker MBE 25 April 1922 - 26 January 2025 Apprentice clerk, observer, navigator. Bomber Command 8 missions NW Europe shot down Comet Line betrayed, Gestapo HQ Paris.Buchenwald transferred to Stalag Luft III 2 days before due to be shot Transport Command 227 sortied during Berlin Airlift. Intelligence officer Later MI6 inc Op Gold

BOORMAN Lt Gen Sir Derek Boorman KCB 13 Sept 1930 - 25 April 2025 N Staffs Regt Korea, Hong Kong (48 Gurkha IB)  later CO 51 IB Director of Army Public Relations , Director of Military Operations CO British Forces Hong Kong, DCDS (Intelligene)On retirement LIeutent of the Tower of London

COCKROFT Major Barney Cockcroft LVO died 8 Feb 25 aged 88

COOLEDGE Raymond Charles Cooledge AFC died 23 Feb 25

CRESSWELL Wing Cdr John Stewart Cresswell OBE died 24 Feb 25 aged 92

DITCHAM Midshipman Anthony Greville Fox (Tony) Ditcham DSC 25 July 1922 - 2 Oct 24 HMS Renown JUne 1940 under air attack. HMS Holderness action against E Boats North Sea (DSC aged 19) HMS Scorpion Battle of North Cape sinking of Scharnhort. D-Day Op Neptune . HMS Finisterre Pacific Fleet

DUMON Andree Dumon OBE 5 Septemver 1922 - 30 January 2025 "Nadine" of Coment line, courier and smuggled downed airmen out of Belgium. Escaped from Gross-Strehhlitz concentractyion cam. Ravensnbrucl. Liberated from Mauthausen 22 April 1945

ESTLICK Major Nigel John Lincoln Estlick RM died 17 March 25

MUIRHEAD Captain Roger Hedderwick Muirhead MBE RASC 17 April 2021 - 11 April 2025 50th Nurthumbrian Divn El Alamein Op Husky (Sicily) Italy (Bari)  D Day (Gold Beach) , Netherlands (Battle for Antwerp) 14th Army Burma , Singapore, Malaya Later 2IC 525 Co Scottish Divn TA and vetenarian

OSTROWSKI Lance Cpl Boleslaw Ostrowski 4 July 1919- 13 March 2025 Conscripted into Red Army. Voluntered paratrooper-signaller  Ist (Polish) Indelpendent Parchute Brigade. Op Market Garden wounded. Germany army of occupation. Remained in UK after demob

THOMAS Gwenfair (Gwen) Thomas )(Later Carter) 17 Sept 1924 - 17 April 2025 WAAF Pathfinders signals section

Obituaries to March 25

ANDERSON Air Cdre Dempster Dobbie Anderson MBE Feb 22 1933 -3 Dec 2024 National service. Commissioned into RAF Regt. 194 Sqn. Coronation Sqn. HQ 5 Wingsignals officer. Suez. Iraq. RAF Amman Jordan. Cranwell. .Commanded Prince Charles graduation parade. Cyprus 26 (Light Anti Aircraft) Sqn . RAF Changi (Indonesian confrontation) CO 63 Sqn RAF REgt. N Irelnd. Cdr 5 Wing. Adviser to RAF Strike Command C in C - Falklanads ADC HM Queen 

CANNON Cdr Timothy Kelsey Cannon QGM 18 June 1943 – 20 March 2025 Midshipman Malay Emergency. HMS Resolution. HMS Warspite senior engineering office. Fire in diesel generator threatened nuclear reactor, Rescued 4. Queen's Gallantry Medal. Bath, Devonport, Faslane
DRAKE Col Anthony John Mervyn Drake died 2 April 25 aged 91
FARNFIELD Captain Hugh Richard Farnfield RN 4 December 1937 – 16 Jan 2025 destroyer, minelayer HMS Trenchant CO HMS Sovereign. Trailed Soviet nuclear submarine for 10,000 miles without being detected. Naval Intelligence during Falklands, CO 10th Submarine Sqn.
GLOVER Jack Charles Glover Atlantic Star, Arctic Star, Burma Star RN decoder Arctic Convoys; Op Dragoon; East Indies (Malaya)23 October 1923- 2 April 25 HMS Butser, HMSRoyalist
GREANY Lt Col John Martin Greany died 29 March 25 aged 91
HAYES Lt Col J P Roger Hayes, RE died 23 March 25
HENSHAW Brig Clinton Henshaw CBE died 3 April 25 aged 88
HINE Air Cdre Andrew Charles Hine OBE died 15 April 25 aged 58
LE TISSIER Lt Col Anthony Hedley Le Tissier MBE. Intelligence Corps (Sgt) Johore, Malaya Emergency . RMP commission. Cyprus. N Ireland. CO SIB Cyprus Sovereign base. BAOR (Asst Provost Marshal, Berlin) British Governor Spandau Prison at time of Hess suicide
MASON David Peter Mason 13 August 1951- 15 March 25 Welsh Guards Ceremonial duties, N Ireland (x3) Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces 22SAS; Berlin Later novelist and explorer
MERCER Col Charles Henry Mercer 14 November 1919 – 28 Feb 2025. Sussex Regt. 7thBn Nigeria Regt. Nigeria, India, Burma (Chindit) Op Thursday. MiD. Sussex Regt regular commission. RASC. RAOC.BAOR
NORMAN (later Sir) Torquil Norman 11 April 1933 – 19 March 2025 Fleet Air Arm (National Service) Sea Fury HMS Illustrious
OGILVY- WEDDERBURN Lt Col Sir Andrew Ogilvy Wedderburn BT died 9 April 25 aged 72
OSBORNE Victor Osborne 11 Nov 1918 – 1 Feb 2025 HMS Hood pre war (last surviving sailor). 11 ships and naval establishments, inc HMS Dolphin, HMS Eagle. Indian Ocean, S Atlantic, Mediterranean. Crete secret landing. Egypt. Coxswain, landing craft D-Day. Battle of Leyte Gulf , Battle of Okinawa (HMS Quality) Saw the flash of Nagasaki. Tokyo Bay for surrender of Japan
PAWSON Wing Cdr Thomas William Pawson died 23 March 25 aged 92
PERRY Major Dr Ian Charles Perry died 25 March 25 aged 85
PICKING Hazel (Mary Roberts) Picking 17 Jan 1925 – 14 Feb 2025 WRNS signaller HMS Rosemarkie HMS Hornet, Portsmouth Dockyard Signal Station,
PUGSLEY Lt Cdr John Anthony Follett Pugsley died 12 April 25 aged 91
SLINGER Wing Cdr Anthony Slinger OBE died 18 Feb 2025 aged 89
WARNE Pte Albert Warne RAOC/REME 10 Dec 1919- 3 March 25 18th Inf Div. Egypt, Singapore PoW Last known veteran on Burma Railway
WATKINS Lt Col Colin Worsley Watkins died 10 April 25 aged 87
WEBB (Charlotte Elizabeth Vine-Stephens) Betty Webb MBE Legion d'Honneur 13 May 1923 – 31 March 2025 ATS. Bletchley Park Posted to Pentagon 1945. Post war Territorial officer recruiter

EVANS Maj Dr Nicholas Rodney Hammond Evans died Jan 25 aged 73 Prince of Wales' Own Regt of Yorkshire

EYRE Major John Vickers Ayres died 11 March 25

FULFORD- DOBSON Michael Fulforf -Dobson CVO OBE RN died 15 Feb 25 aged 93

GEORGE Sqn Ldr Bruce George died 14 Feb 25 aged 96

GRAHAM Lt Col Conrad St John Graham OBE, TD died 1 Feb 25 aged 91

GREEN Dr Alain Green RAF died 16 April 25

HALLETT Captain Anthony (Tony Hallett) RN 11 Feb 1945 - 21 Jan 25 HMS Pembroke, HMS Hermes Hong Kong Caribbean HMS Eskimo Sec to Chief of Fleet Support later RFU

HARRIS Wing Cdr John 'Jack' Harris OBE, DFC 21 Jan 1920 - 9 Jan 2025 Last member of 550 Squadron Association, RAF Killinghole. 37 missions over NW Europe inc Dresden latterly Lancasters Post war Far East, France, West Germany, Air Ministry

HART David Petr Hart RAF died 7 Feb 25 aged 85

HEBDEN Captain David George Hebden died 15 Feb 25 aged 87

HEMMINGS Sqn Ldr Jihn Stuart 'Jack' Hemmings AFC 10 Aug 1923 - 24 Jan 25 35 Sqn Hudsons and Dakotas, India / Calcutta Later humanitartian airline Mission Aviation Fellowship

HARRIS Wing Cdr John 'Jack' Harris OBE, DFC 21 Jan 1920 - 9 Jan 2025 Last member of 550 Squadron Association, RAF Killinghole. 37 missions over NW Europe inc Dresden latterly Lancasters Post war Far East, France, West Germany, Air Ministry

HUGHES-ELLIS Wing Cdr Richard Michael Hughes-Ellis died 25 Feb 25 aged 77

LEFEVER Col Paul Hale Lefever Royal Artillery died 12 Feb 25

LINDSAY Lt Col Sandy Lindsay died 26 Jan 25 aged 92 Cameronians, Black Watch

O'CONNELL Col John O'Connell died 13 Jan 25 aged 83

PIGGINS Col Christopher David Piggins died 14 Jan 25 aged 94

REDHEAD Lt Col Robin Redhead died 5 March 25

SALMON Sub Lt  Boyd Salmon 23 March 1924 - 16 December 2024 RNVR Atlantic convoys before coimmission Bomb safety Office D day to clear invasion beaches (Sword, Ouistreham) Le Havre, Calais, Scheldt estuary severly injured Walcheren island. (18 months to recover) 

SCOTT ELLIOT Lt Col Alastair Wilson SCott Elliot died 1 Feb 25 aged 90 Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders

TREGLOWN Capt Richard Gordon (Dick) Treglown RN died 21 April 25

TUKE Lt Cdr Donald Seymour Tuke RN died 14 Feb 25 aged 94

TURNER William Stilwell Turner MC died 27 Jan 25 KOSB

WATERS Gen Sir (Charles) John Waters GCB, CBE 2 Sept 1935 - 29 Jan 25 aged 89 Gloucestershire Regt Cyprus (EOKA) Kenya, Aden, N Ireland CoS ! Armoured Divn Germany Dep CDr Dep Land Forces Cdr Falklands Cdt Camberley GOC N Ireland Cdr UK Land Forces, DSACEUR

WATKINS Gwen Watkin (Davies) 31 Dec 1923 - 14 Jan 25 WAAF German Air Section Bletchley Park Later author

WILKIN Captain Misheal John Moyse MBE RN died 29 Jan 25 aged 86

WOOD Maj Gen Denys Wood CB died 9 Jan 25 aged 101 REME. Director of Army Quart