Exactly 90 years ago today, the world was navigating through one of the worst years of the great depression. Daily life for most was turbulent and full of hardship, but there was an excitement following the decade defined by change.
Ken was born on May 19th, 1933, in Sussex, United Kingdom. Having lived through the great depression and being still very young throughout the Second World War, Ken says despite the circumstances his parents were able to provide the necessities of life.
Though normal life was disturbed throughout the war, Ken was still an eager and enthusiastic learner wanting to experience all that life had to offer and became involved in the CUB and Scouts movement throughout the years amid the war, qualifying for many badges in different fields. Ken would often speak of a fear overcoming him whenever he heard planes in the sky, but thankfully never experienced any direct tragedy from the ongoing incendiary air raids.
In fact, it was during the war that he developed a profound sense of admiration for the pilots of the Royal Air Force (RAF). Ken would always say that these pilots seemed to be outnumbered but displayed great flying skills and courage, as if almost foreshadowing what the future held for him.
Joining the RAF
When he left school in the late 1940’s he entered apprentice training as an Instrument Maker. He was called up for National Service in 1951 and was allocated to the RAF as an Airframe Fitter. At the end of his National Service, he had developed such a passion serving within the RAF that he re-enlisted, completed officer training and went onto complete pilot training. Following his graduation, he was posted to Germany where he spent several years flying jet fighter planes.
“As Ken was very short, we often joked that his plane must have had a booster seat to enable him to see over the instrument panel,” says Jim. It was this same light-hearted sense of humour that brought the two veterans close together following their years of service.
Upon leaving the RAF as a Squadron Leader, Ken became an instructor in engineering and during this period obtained a degree in civil engineering.
Travelling the world
Ken and his wife travelled all over the world and both of them loved experiencing diverse cultures. They travelled throughout Europe, Asia, Canada, and New Zealand. One of the more memorable days in Ken’s life was when he and his wife were invited by the Queen to a garden party at Buckingham Palace in honour of his service to the RAF Association and as an unpaid museum guide at the RAF Museum. On the day of the garden party, terrorists struck the London underground and all guests at the garden party were put into lockdown where they remained until the next day.
Evidently, Ken was very highly regarded by both the RAF Association and the RAF Museum and received many letters of commendation for services rendered. As tour guide at the museum, Ken recalls that it was the home of several WWII Hurricanes, with one of them kept maintained in flight condition which Ken passionately spoke about, reminiscing on his own service days.
Moving to Australia
Ken and his wife arrived in Albury in 2009 and both became Australian citizens in August 2011. “They were both outgoing people had no issues making many friends in Albury. Ken was a perfectionist and had a great love of politics and military history,” says Jim, a point of conversation he says that they could talk about for hours.
“When I met him in about 2014, we always had long and intelligent conversations. The only name he was known by in Australia was Ken or Kenny, but in the RAF, he was known as “killer” mainly due to his enthusiasm in completing any and every task to the best of his ability, where he would always draw praise from his superiors. He had an outstanding memory, particularly for names of people or places and the dates of momentous events. They just seemed to roll off his tongue,” Jim continues.
As the National President of the Australian Defence Force Retirees Association, an active member of the Army Museum Bandiana and a number of ESO’s in the local area, Ken was an encyclopedia of knowledge, with a burning passion to share stories and learn as much as possible.
“I would often ask Ken to do some research at the local library for me and he always came back with excellent reports to satisfy my needs.”
“He was a man of his word, a loving and caring man, the type of friend we all dream of having. He was punctual, spoke very softly and could articulate his thoughts with great clarity. Whenever we met, which could be in a club or in the main street, he always saluted me and asked for comments on the standard of his salute. He was never fit enough to march with me on ANZAC Day, but we always spent several hours after the parade discussing military history.”
Despite his love of politics and history, the thing Ken valued most in life was his love for his wife and for helping people with their problems.
Bequest to Soldier On
“As his own transition from the RAF was very poorly managed, he asked me what he could do to help Australian servicemembers leaving the military. Through my work in ex-service organisations, I told him that Soldier On was the organisation that assisted with veterans when transitioning. Within a couple of days, he and his wife had new wills drawn up to reflect their wishes of making a bequest to Soldier On,” says Jim.
Ken passed away on June 11th, 2021, in Albury. Today, on what would have been his 90th birthday, we pay respects to Ken for the sacrifices he made for our peace and liberty through serving and supporting. We remember his life and continue to enable veterans and their families to thrive in his honour.
