Fred Starkey (RAF Navigator)
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Fred Starkey (RAF Navigator)
A long shot, but did anyone out there in Ppruneland know a RAF navigator called Fred Starkey?
His types flown include Shackleton, P-2V Neptune, Canberra (PR) and Dominie, based variously at Topcliffe, Ballykelly, Akrotiri and Singapore.
His types flown include Shackleton, P-2V Neptune, Canberra (PR) and Dominie, based variously at Topcliffe, Ballykelly, Akrotiri and Singapore.
Last edited by meadowbank; 19th May 2017 at 20:24. Reason: Add Navigator in title
As Barksdale Boy said, Fred was an instructor at 1ANS, in my case early '67.
In the late 70s I saw him from a distance at LATCC West Drayton and assumed he was by then in GD/Ground branch as either an ATCO or Fighter Controller.
In the late 90s I was at a party at a friend's house in my village in Somerset and met Fred's daughter, who was working then for my friend in his advertising agency in Bath. Fred was 'still on the perch' then.
He is named in an old Retired List that I have - born 1931, Flt Lt 1957, retired from GD (G) 1978.
In the late 70s I saw him from a distance at LATCC West Drayton and assumed he was by then in GD/Ground branch as either an ATCO or Fighter Controller.
In the late 90s I was at a party at a friend's house in my village in Somerset and met Fred's daughter, who was working then for my friend in his advertising agency in Bath. Fred was 'still on the perch' then.
He is named in an old Retired List that I have - born 1931, Flt Lt 1957, retired from GD (G) 1978.
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Further to TengahType at #3, I flew with Fred in July 1964. He (figuratively !) held my hand during a shortish day-into-night pilot's benefit trip. I assume that was nice of him - an old hand like him could easily have left such a trip to a younger nav.
His age and paper quoting him as a pilot don't tally, so hopefully this is a different Fred Starkey - still a sad story though...
http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/158...condition.aspx
http://www.leaderlive.co.uk/news/158...condition.aspx
Last edited by NickB; 26th May 2017 at 09:01.
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re NickB at #6, his Frederick Starkey is reportedly ten years older than ours (see Brian48 at #4). Nor do I recognise the photo. It would not of course be unusual for a provincial reporter to be careless about the distinction between nav and pilot.
If anybody else had trouble using NickB's link, the answer for me was to right-click it, "copy link location" to Word, trim off the first "http://" and copy it again as a website address.
If anybody else had trouble using NickB's link, the answer for me was to right-click it, "copy link location" to Word, trim off the first "http://" and copy it again as a website address.
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He has joined a coffee morning in my Bedfordshire village and I thought it might be nice to find some old friends. It seems there may be more than 1 Fred Starkey, but this one is very much alive and left the RAF in 1978, the year I started my pilot training on the JP3 at Linton. And, just to confirm, he WAS a navigator.
Thanks Meadowbank - I asked because sometimes the OP is trying to locate the individual or even worse report their demise.
Sounds like 'your' Fred Starkey is the the nav' several of us referred to above. Incidentally I have just located a photograph of him in The History of 73 Squadron, Part 3 - it is of a fellow nav's wedding in Akrotiri.
He won't remember me but would you mind passing on one of his former student's best wishes?
Sounds like 'your' Fred Starkey is the the nav' several of us referred to above. Incidentally I have just located a photograph of him in The History of 73 Squadron, Part 3 - it is of a fellow nav's wedding in Akrotiri.
He won't remember me but would you mind passing on one of his former student's best wishes?
Last edited by Brian 48nav; 4th Jul 2017 at 16:04. Reason: missing word
