Ron was born in Noak Hill Essex 3rd May 1920 and grew up in South Weald, Essex. his father was a Blacksmith but as that trade was dying out Ron went into Carpenter/Joiner.
Ron was very keen on Aviation from an early age and spent many days watching the aircraft take off from Maylands Airfield which was only a few hundred yards behind his house in Brook Street.
Ron joind the RAF in 1940 and took on the roll as Aircraft Fitter and was with 53OTU Llandow, South Wales. in 1941 he married Ivy Curtis of Mountnessing, Essex. at Mountnessing Church in uniform of course.
He was once offered a lift home in a Whitley bomber from Llandow to Maylands when going on leave but turned it down after being told he would have to fly as a gunner! dad went along with the old adage "only birds and fools fly"
1941 Ron was transferred to Vickers Armstrong (still on RAF service) Weybridge, Surrey. and worked on various types where his carpentry skills were brought into good use, when he fabricated the first gunpack to be put under the belly of the Blenheim, Ivy joined him to work at Vickers as a Aluminium Welder so they could be together and Ivy became Vickers Darts Champion a skill she still has today. Ron worked on the release gear for the UPKEEP mine and he told me they did not have a clue what it was for but thought it was to do with shipping. during the many air raids Ron would not go in the shelters he became part of the fire watch Warden and would stay up top and on one occasion the doors to one hangar were blown off and they had the job to re hang the doors which i think was quite a task.
After WWII he as demobbed. and went back into his carpenter/joiner trade until the late 50s when he joined Rentokill to retirement in 1985. Ron liked to attend many airshows and one of his favourites was the RAF North Weald at home shows during the 60s where he would drag his son ( that's where I come in) along and stared my fascination with aviation, thanks dad.
During the early 1970s Ron was involved along with myself in forming The Essex Historical Aircraft Society which in turn became the Thameside Aviation Museum.
