The WW2 career of Cyril Rickard
Cyril Rickard was married in 1942 aged just 19.
His son notes........No incipient pilot’s moustache there!
At some point he joined the FAA (Fleet Air Arm) to train as a pilot.
In 1944 he gained his pilot's wings with the Fleet Air Arm.
It would seem that one of his relations had limited faith in his flying abilities remarking, “trouble was, he had enough problems landing on a surface that stayed still!”
For reasons unknown Cyril transferred into the RAF and "re-badged" as a Flight Engineer, joining 115Sqn in Witchford, near Ely.
The following pictures were all taken at this airfield in December 1944.
F-Freddie.
F-Freddie.
F-Freddie.
F-Freddie.
Regarding his WW2 career, his son Anthony comments:
Like many of his generation, he was reluctant to discuss the War; having had to bale out on the way home from Dresden on Valentine’s Eve in 1945 may have been unpleasant, but only one of the crew failed to survive the experience.
I know that my father was affected by the havoc he saw wreaked that night.