John Tompkins sent this photograph of Roy cutting his 90th birthday cake at White Waltham Cricket Club two years ago – Jane Denham next to him. Please send in any photos or anecdotes, so we can add them here.
Memories of Roy Macdonald
History of Fairey Surveys Ltd
I knew Roy well but lost track in the 80’s, it was only recently I’d heard of his passing. I did a tour of Saudi with him and several others in 1980, he was a superb bloke to work with, always calm in a crisis and certainly kept me out of trouble with our Saudi colleagues for which I remain eternally grateful.
He allowed me to have sight of his war-time flight log books, just one facet of this guy’s rich life, he’ll be missed by many.
Whilst talking to ‘Mac’ at this event, we started talking about the Polish language, I think because the young lady behind the bar was from Poland, and how difficult it was to say even one word in that language. ‘Mac’ rarely described his activities during WW2, but on this ocassion, he told me that as a POW in a camp in Poland, he had somehow learned the Polish national anthem! Quite a feat! He then proceeded to sing it, much to my astonishment, and, I think, to his own, since as far as he could remember, he hadn’t tried to do so since 1945.
‘Mac’ we miss you. Do widzenia, Leslie.