49 Squadron Association

At the controls of the Avro Lincoln.

 

From L to R:
Sgt William Stuart Keay (Pilot), Sgt. Harold Ernest Summers (Flight Engineer), Flying Officer Fred Peffers (Navigator), Flying Officer Stewart Whitford, Sgt Dennis Herring (Wireless Operator/Signaller), Sgt Anthony Basil Hollinshead (Air Gunner)

Pre RAF
February 1946 to 5th March 1951:
Apprenticed as a 'Heavy Armature Winder' for maintenance at electrical power plants.

3rd April 1951:
Called up for National Service.
Selected as a pilot and joined the RAF at Cardington.

10th April 1951 to 19th September 1951:
No 1 ITS Jurby (Isle of Man)
During a mid course break Stuart was a Marshall at the TT races!

8th October 1951
Flying training at No.4. FTS at RAF Heany in Southern Rhodesia flying Tiger Moths and Harvards until Wings presentation 14th June 1952.
U.K. familiarisation at RAF Feltwell until 16th December 1952.
Posted to No.201 AFS at RAF Swinderby converting to multi engine aircraft (Varsity) on 27th January 1953 until 15th April 1953.

15th April 1953:
Moved to RAF Waddington (230 OCU) to convert to Lincolns.
Joined 49 Squadron on 30th July 1953.
1st November 1953 the Squadron was detached to Shallufa (Canal Zone) on exercise but on 19th November 1953 the detachment was extended to Nairobi for exercise Mau Mau.

See also "The other Lincoln crash".

30th July 1955:
Left 49 Squadron and was posted to 199 Squadron at RAF Hemswell until 30th April 1958. During this time he was married to Pat, in February 1957.

1st May 1958:
Posted to Four Counties Gliding Club at North Luffenham until 27th January 1959 then to Flight Simulator Squadron RAF Gaydon (Valiants) until November 1962.

5th November 1962:
Posted to RAF GSA Centre (71 MU Bicester).

May 1963:
Posted to Bomber Command Communications Flight at RAF Boivingdon flying Ansons and Devons.

September 1967:
During this posting to 115 Squadron at RAF Watton, Stuart suffered a heart attack.

2nd April 1973:
Service career comes to an end at RAF Waddington where he was posted to the Vulcan Flight Simulator.Post RAF:

Joined the Civil Service (Department of Employment) and after initial training at the area office in Dundee went to the staff training section in Edinburgh.
Stuart was one of two industrial staff officers tasked with training Job Centre staff.

Later re-located to the same post in the East Midlands based in Nottingham. When a vacancy came up in the Lincoln Job Centre he moved there as an employment advisor and trained staff in helping those with disabilities.

Stuart then became manager of the Job Centre in Spalding and stayed there until he reached retirement age in 1992.

Post retirement Stuart kept busy as a 'dogsbody' (his words) with a local estate agent. He became expert at erecting and maintaining property sale boards, assisting with the animals at the weekly cattle market and taking prospective clients on viewings of properties.

In 1995 Stuart, aged 65, fully retired.

Stuart then worked as a community volunteer with the Lincolnshire Police.

In 2013 Stuart become the Chairman of the 49 Squadron Association.

Posted out.......12th May 2023.