John Davis MBE, Air Traffic Controller at Heathrow in '60s

[Super VC-10]

I've been working on the article about BOAC Flight 712 on wikipedia. John Davis was awarded an MBE for the part he played in the accident. Does anyone know where the citation for his award may be found online, as I'd like to add this to the article. Citation does not necessarily need to be online, but that would be preferable.

Would appreciate feedback on whether name is correct, a middle name may help pin him down as a search for "John Davis MBE" only produced one lead in connection with a big flower show at Bath this year. Is this the same person?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BOAC_Flight_712

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

It was John M Davis. He was at Heathrow 1965-73. He then gained promotion and went to Gatwick as a Watch Supervisor. John retired in 1997.

I had the pleasure of working with him at Heathrow. A very decent chap and real professional. I'm sure I have read the citation but, with my empty brain, I cannot recall where. Hope you find it..

[Super VC-10]

Thank you, sir. Another piece of the jigsaw, and confirmation of the correct spelling of his surname. :)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

OK.. wish I could help more.

[A I]

John arrived at Gatwick as Watch Supervisor in late 1998 (from West Drayton - I think) I have a feeling that he was a Chief Sector Controller at LATCC, but the promotion might have been when he came to Gatwick. Anyway, I agree with Bren, John was a pleasure to work with.

A I

[spekesoftly]

There are some sobering photographs of GARWE (BA 712) in the June 2008 edition of Aeroplane magazine, including a colour shot of the landing taken by another ATCO (Frank Tyler). I thought that John Davis arrived at Gatwick much earlier than 1998. If I'm thinking of right man, he was a Watch Manager at KK in the early 80s ?

[Jay Dee @ table 1]

John was indeed promoted from Heathrow to Chief Sector Controller at LATCC West Drayton, in the early to mid 1970s, where I and many others had the pleasure and honour of working with him.
He was appointed Watch Manager at Gatwick during the 1980s, where he worked until retiring in 1997.
In addition to being very profficient in his professional life, John was and is a very nice, decent human being.

[Super VC-10]

Just to let you know, the article on the accident is currently featuring in the "Did You Know?" section of the main page of Wikipedia, and will be there for the next 6 hours or so. :)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

<<and accepted Davis's offer of runway 06R (later renamed 05R), >>

Hmm.... I don't think that's correct? I never remember a 06/24 at Heathrow. Surely, it was 23/05 (L and R) well back into the 50s??

Just checked - it was 05 in 1956 so the Wikipedia info is wrong.

[Spitoon]

Ah, com mon HD, it's obvious.

If 28L became 27L, then 05 must have been 06 in those days. Your memory must be playing tricks.....;)

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Nice one Spitoon. There will actually be people on here who believe you!!!

[Super VC-10]

Well, I originally put 05, then thought about it, and changed it. Incidentally, Mac Job's book says 27, not 28, but that is obviously using the current (at time of publication) runway designations.

Heathrow Director, if you can point me to a quotable source showing runways 28 and 05 existing at the same time, I'll gladly amend the article.

[Spitoon]

Super (or VC15, if I may be so presumptious), perhaps you are aware of the reasons that runway designators change. It's to do with the direction of the centreline corrected for magnetic variation and then rounded to the nearest 10 degrees. Consequently, at an airport with more than one (non-parallel) runway, the designators will not usually change at the same time.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

Super VC10. Just do a Google search for G-ARWE and read some of the accident reports. Believe me, it landed on runway 05R. I started there in 1972 and the main runways were 28L and 28R. The change to 27 came on 2nd July 1987 but the cross runway was not effected by the change in variation.

Wherever the idea came from that it was runway 06 I cannot imagine. It was 05 from my earliest memories and I have in front of me showing the airfield layout in October, 1956. That shows the runway in question to be 05R.

[Super VC-10]

That would have been when Heathrow had six runways, wouldn't it? What were their designations then?

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

28l/r-10l/r, 23l/r-05l/r, 33l/r-15l/r.

[Super VC-10]

Thanks, I've amended the article to read 05R now. :)