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Members
Gallery (P to T)
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Jennifer
Parry met Cpl Medwyn Parry in 1958 when he was on
home leave from Fontainebleau where he was serving in the
RAF Police at Camp Guynemer from 1958 until about September
1960. Med and Jennifer married in 1961 and had 3 children.
In 1960 Med joined the Denbeighshire Constabulary but low
pay and poor conditions forced him to resign and he re-enlisted
in the RAF as a Radio/Radar Operator. He was posted to RAF
Fairford in Gloucestershire where Concorde was being tried
and tested. Then Med was posted to Dusseldorf, where he served
at the Flughafen. After three years there Med and Jennifer
returned to the UK with a posting to RAF Aberporth and on
its closure to RAF Brawdy. After demob and a move to Cardigan
Med died in 1978 and Jennifer moved back to Wrexham where
her parents lived. Her eldest son carried on the family tradition
joining the RAF Police and the youngest son joined the Royal
Navy. Jennifer is a Teacher’s Assistant at a school in Wrexham. |
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Cpl
Bill Powney who was tracked down by John Day, served
in the RAF Police at Fontainebleau from October 1952 until
Mar 1955, when he left the RAF. Bill did not return to Surrey
Constabulary where he had trained as a cadet, but joined the
Surrey Fire Brigade. Following initial training at Fire Brigade
HQ in Reigate he was given a home posting to Woking. After
27 years service he was medically discharged having sustained
neck injuries whilst on duty. Bill married Jean in 1956 and
they have 2 children and 3 grandchildren. Among Bill’s leisure
pursuits are canal and river boating, walking the footpaths
of Britain and cricket. Bill and Jean live in Woking and takes
an active part in local societies and associations |
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SAC Kevin Price
arrived at AAFCE in September 1962 having travelled out
with a WRAF called Frances from Southend-on Sea. For the
few months Kevin took children to and from school with the
late Dave Adams as his driver. After taking a trade test
he was promoted to SAC and took up duties in the Central
Registry in the RAF Support Unit working alongside Cpl Cole
and SAC Brasley. Kevin spent most of his spare time climbing
and skiing representing H.Q.A.A.F.C.E in the RAF Germany
ski championships in 1964 and 1965 ~ 2nd overall was his
best.
After demob Kevin spent
5 years as an Industrial Training Officer working in the
Foundry Industry in Worcestershire. He married Abbie in
l967 and in 1972 they moved back to Sheffield, where they
now live, to work in Local Government as a Rehabilitation
Officer for the Visually Impaired. They have two children,
Katy who is a Train Manager for Midland and Main Line and
David who has just got his Honours Degree in Applied Biology.
Kevin names Motor Racing (Sports and Classic Sports Cars)
and Model Railways as his main interests. Residing in Sheffield
Kevin and Abbie have a second home in South West France
which they visit as often as possible.
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AC1 Harold Reynolds
assisted the RAF Police Guard at Melun Airfield from his arrival
in January 1954 until October 1955
After demob in 1956 Harold settled back home in Tipton, West
Midlands taking up employment as a shearer in a local factory
that manufactured copper and brass coils, shearing coils to
various widths and thickness for the car industry mainly,
but also supplying radiator companies and companies who produced
lipstick - copper tubes and ladies face powder compacts and
many others. Harold remained with this Company for 30 years
holding the position of Shop Steward then Convener for the
Transport and General Workers Union. It is also where he met
his wife Nellie - they married in 1959.
Harold left the company in 1986 to take up the position of
full time Branch Secretary for the Transport and General Workers
Union.
In 1989 a heart attack left him with angina. Following this
he had a triple heart bypass in 2002 that appears to be a
success.
Harold is now enjoying his retirement in Tipton, West Midlands,
as best he can after the devastating loss of his dear wife
in 2009 - she was” his best friend.”
Twins were born in 1967, a boy (Shaun) and
a girl (Amanda). Shaun lives in Warwickshire and is married
to Lesley and they have a 16 year old son Ben, Amanda is single
and has been in the Royal Navy for 20 years, a Petty Officer
Photographer and is currently working at the Ministry of Defence
in London.
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Sergeant “Dick”
Rogers. I arrived in Fontainebleau in December
1952 and worked in the Unit Orderly Room as the movements
clerk having joined the RAF in 1948 as a Clerk G.D./ Shorthand
Typist served for 22 years eventually leaving in 1970. During
this time I served at the RAF Delegation in Greece, RAF
Nicosia, Aircrew Allocation Unit RAF Innsworth, HQ RAF Germany,
RAF Thorney Island, RAF Handling Squadron Boscombe Down
and RAF El Adem (for my sins) before a final posting to
RAF Records Innsworth where I was in charge of overseas
postings for over 8000 personnel in the trades of General
Fitters, E Mechanics and Motorboat Crews.
After leaving the RAF I
worked in the cleaning industry and then as a Progress Chaser
at a factory making tractors and low loaders and then with
Dowty Fuel Systems where redundancy led to me to working
with a pharmaceutical company in Tewksbury. After a serious
operation I decided that enough was enough and finally retired
from “active service.” My retirement years are spent making
garden furniture from wood specialising in wishing wells
and wheelbarrows which are in evidence at the Reunions as
raffle prizes. I live in Gloucester with my wife Shirley
and we are keen caravaners.
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David
Rogerson - (aka Danny because
I was thought to be Danny Kaye’s double at Fontainebleau)
joined the RAF on a 3 year engagement in February 1952 and
was one of the first airmen to swear allegiance to the Queen.
After kitting out at Cardington I squarebashed at Bridgenorth.
After 15 months at Titchfield – (Base Accounts Middle East)
I was posted to AAFCE Fontainebleau in September 1953 to work
in the Central Registry in Building 1 ~ Main HQ. Spent most
of my time playing football until demobbed in February 1955.
Joined the Cunard Steam-Ship Company as clerk in Southampton
Office ~ this brought me into contact with those majestic
Trans-Atlantic liners while berthed in the port. When Cunard
moved their Head Office from Liverpool to Southampton in 1965
I was selected for training as the Company’s future Insurance
Manager which was conditional on my passing the qualifying
examination of The Chartered Insurance Institute. In 1972
when I was appointed as The Group’s Insurance Manager Trafalgar
House had acquired Cunard and my horizons broadened to include
Construction, Civil Engineering, Oil and Gas and Aviation
and Hotels. In 1978 I was appointed director of Trafalgar’s
newly formed Insurance Brokers. I retired from the Company
in May 1994 and spend my leisure years running the Association. |
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Sgt Brian Russell
was posted to British Public Information Office at AAFCE Fontainebleau
in September 1960 where he remained until March 1963. Since
leaving the RAF Brian has worked as a Brewery Rep., Pub Landlord,
Insurance Sales Manager, Training Manager and a Toastmaster.
Brian resides in Mold, Cheshire. |
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Sgt Brian Sheppard
(RASC) arrived at Fontainebleau in the autumn 1953 as a shorthand
writer/typist and left in May 1955.
Before joining the Army Brian was a trainee journalist on
a weekly newspaper in Dundee in Scotland. After leaving the
RASC he returned to Dundee and completed his training on a
Sunday newspaper before emigrating in 1957 to what was then
Northern Rhodesia, now Zambia, working as a reporter on a
newspaper in Lusaka, the capital, returning to Britain in
1960. While in Lusaka he married Mona, who had travelled out
to Zambia by boat and train to join him. On their return to
Britain he joined The Scotsman newspaper in Edinburgh but
after nine years again had itchy feet and left with his family
to pursue his journalistic career in the United States.
After around 18 months on The Cleveland Plain Dealer in Ohio
he came back to Britain just as commercial radio was beginning
to take root. He was one of the pioneers of BRMB Radio in
Birmingham and news editor of the station for 16 years before
retiring to do occasional consultancy work.
Says Brian: ‘I found the Fontainebleau Vets site quite by
chance while looking for an old army buddy Peter Kinsley who
was also a journalist on national newspapers and a successful
author. We are now in contact by email and phone quite regularly
for the first time in over half a century!’
Brian and Mona who live in Glencarse,
Perthshire have two sons – both journalists.
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Brian Simpson - born
September, 1933 in Wolverhampton, grew up in Cardiff and
Liverpool where he was educated.
Called up for National Service I enlisted
at Padgate in October 1952 with initial training at Hednesford
followed by clerical and typing training at Credenhill.
My first posting was to RAF Central Library, Cosford before
spending whole of second year of service (October 1953-
October 1954) in Logistics Section at HQ AAFCE, Fontainebleau.
After National Service I joined Dunlop
Rubber Company as sales trainee in the Footwear Division,
at Speke, Liverpool. After a number of managerial posts
in the Dunlop Group I was appointed President of Dunlop
Slazenger Corporation in North America and spent seven years
in that post based in South Carolina before returning to
the UK in 1989 as Strategic Planning Director for Dunlop
Slazenger worldwide and in 1996, when the sports operation
became a management buyout, was appointed Managing Director
Europe and, later combined the posts of Director of Strategic
Development and Company Secretary before retiring in 1999.
Industry appointments included chairmanship
of British Foam Manufacturers, Vice President of Cardiff
Chamber of Commerce, a Director of CBI in Wales, President
of the Tennis Foundation of North America and Vice President
of the USA National Golf Foundation. I was awarded the OBE
in 1982 for services to Welsh Industry.
Married in 1958 (to Sarah) we have two
children; Emma (Mathematics teacher now training to be a
lawyer) and Ben (Computer Software sales executive). During
'youthful years' was keen sportsman (rugby, hockey, squash
and tennis - in last case I was selected to play for RAF
Hednesford, Hereford and Cosford and, while in Fontainebleau,
for the 'International' AAFCE team.
Since retirement we moved to the small
village of Llowes in Radnorshire (close to Hay-on-Wye and
Brecon) and have continued to do project work for Dunlop
Slazenger, which has included writing the 100 year history
of the Slazenger relationship with the Wimbledon Tennis
Championships (entitled 'Friends at Court') and the full
history of the Dunlop Slazenger sports businesses 1810 -2004
(entitled 'Winners in Action').
Current interests include
sport (as a spectator especially rugby, cricket and tennis
and, with son, fanatical about Liverpool F .C. Premiership
football), local and general history, railways pre-Beeching,
theatre, travel, gardening, photography, reading (almost
anything) and voluntary work in the local community.
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Slade Len
- I was sent this website by Dave Bloomfield. We were in
Fontainebleau from 1964 - 67.
I was reading your write
up about your life so far. I joined the R.A.F. on the 4th
February 1952 and went to Bridgenorth. One of my drill instructors
was Cpl. Milligan. He was 'bad'. Years later I met him again.
He had transferred to my trade and I out ranked him. What
a great feeling.
Anyway I left the RAF in
1974 and became a Road Safety Officer. I came to Florida
in 1988 and bought a restaurant. Life has been great to
me and I have retired to enjoy our sunny State.
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Leading
Steward Alexander Sutherland - As a young 20 year
old in the Royal Navy he was posted to the staff of Western
Union at Fontainebleau in April 1949 and was billeted in the
Caserne Demesme on the Rue St. Merry. He left Fontainebleau
on New Year’s Day 1951. |
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SACW Elaine Swift (nee Coult)
was posted to the British Wing of the French Hospital at Fontainebleau
in about May 1958 where she remained until May 1960.
After her RAF service Elaine worked in a
children’s home in Leeds as assistant housemother before becoming
deputy warden in an old peoples' home until her marriage after
which she reared her family of two girls before
twins, a boy and girl.
Elaine has always enjoyed crafts and art
and was appointed an instructor with Rotherham Metropolitan
Borough Council. The work was mainly in day centres and with
more disabled people in their own homes and day trips to garden
centres, mill shops, seaside, and meals in pubs- anything
to add quality to life for elderly and disabled people.
Now that Elaine is
one of the elderly, she amuses herself with a USA art group
and a computer class. She also enjoys long walks with her
dog and helps. Elaine fills in the rest of her time in her
busy schedule helping with her 7 grandchildren who have now
grown up. Elaine who is divorced lives in Rotherham.
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