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Bob Purcell memorial service

The memorial service was held on 30th September in Cookham. John and Carol Tompkins and Jean and Ken Fostekew attended from Fairey Surveys.

Below are photographs sent by John Tompkins from Bob’s memorial service booklet. To see larger versions of the photographs, right click and select ‘open in new tab’.

  • Bob’s memorial service booklet
  • Bob and Liz Purcell, wedding day 1968
  • Bob overseas and family photos
  • Bob and Liz Purcell

A memorial service has been arranged for Bob Purcell at the Holy Trinity Church in Cookham, followed by cheese and wine. The family would be really pleased to see some of his old friends and colleagues from Fairey Surveys.

Date: Saturday 30th September 2023
Time: 3:00 pm / 15:00 hrs

The Holy Trinity Church is at Ferry Lane, Cookham, Maidenhead SL6 9SN. The church has a small car park for visitors.

The nearest public car park is the Sutton Road car park on the A4094 towards Maidenhead. According to the web, it’s free, but there are only 18 spaces. Next nearest (about 500m) is the Cookham Moor National Trust car park, 2 High Street SL6 9SG, £2 or free for NT members. There is a bit of street parking by the war memorial at the West end of the High Street (about 300m).

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Peter Forsey – funeral details

Peter’s son Chris has let us know that the funeral will be on Monday 24th July 2023 at 2:00 pm, at West Berkshire Crematorium on the A4 Bath Road near Thatcham.

The funeral will be followed by a wake at the The Angel on the A4 at Woolhampton, at about 3:00 pm onwards.

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Hurricane pilots discuss tactics

This photograph came from Ken Fostekew, taken at Geoff Milsom’s 99th birthday celebration, but it warrants a post all of its own.

Geoff piloted Hurricanes as well as Spitfires during WWII, and he was an instructor for Hurricanes. Here he is talking to James Brown, the owner and pilot of two Hurricanes kept at White Waltham airfield.

Hurricane pilots together: Geoff Milsom and James Brown
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Peter Forsey RIP

Sad news has come in from Tony White that Peter Forsey died yesterday, 22nd June 2023. If we get news of the funeral, it will be posted up on the website.

Peter was a Board member of Fairey Surveys and Marketing Manager for Fairey Surveys in the 1970s, when the successful Faireys Leisure Map series was launched. He was also a cricketer, on the FSL team in the late 1950s and 1960s

Tony Furneaux, visitor, operator?, Pete Forsey
8th September 1959 Back row L-R: Malcolm Eaton, Tony Philips, Bill Steadman, Tony Walker, Jim Storey Front row L-R: Pete ?, ?, Peter Forsey, Peter Challis, Brian Atwen

Links here are to Fairey Surveys newsletters with more information about Peter and about the first Leisure Map:

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Bob Purcell RIP

We had news this morning from Bob’s daughter Mariette that Bob died last night, 2nd June 2023. He always had a smile and a joke for everyone. He will be missed.

This is one of the few photographs we have of Bob during his FSL years. It came from Jim Rowe’s son Chris, but we don’t have a date for it.

Crew in Chile. L to R: Bob Purcell, Ozzie Vertigo, Geoff Milsom, Jim Rowe and John Renton

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Geoff Milsom 99th birthday

Geoff Milsom celebrated his 99th birthday at White Waltham, with old friends from Fairey Surveys, on Saturday 13th May 2023.

Photograph courtesy of John Tompkins (with Ken Fostekew taking his own photograph).

Ken Fostekew has passed on some of his photographs from the birthday celebration, and here is a better photograph of the cake:

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Bob Purcell

Mariette has sent us an update (7th April 2023):

“Bobby went into the local residential home earlier this week.  Along with his favourite book….”

Bob’s daughter Mariette found the website, and Bob has been sharing reminiscences of his times in South America, Africa, Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, and of the people he knew at Fairey Surveys. His story of Christmas in Saudi Arabia is already on the website:
Christmas in Saudi Arabia 1967

Mariette has sent us this photograph today (21st February 2023) with the message:
“Bobby sends his love to you all”

If anyone would like to get in touch with Bob or to be remembered to him, please send your message and contact details to admin@faireysurveys.co.uk and we’ll forward them on to him.

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Beechcraft G-AZFS and G-AZOH photographs

Ken Fostekew sent these photographs over, from the person who was involved with the equipment installation for Fairey Surveys. Unfortunately his contact details have been lost, but the photographs tell the story. The first two photographs are of G-AZFS, and the others are all of G-AZOH.

Doing a quick search on G-AZOH brought up the attached accident report published on the Government Air Accident Investigation Branch website. Looking at the date, and the pilot details, the pilot was probably Geoff Milsom, who kept the plane under control when a wheel came off after landing at White Waltham. Does anyone have any more details?

G-AZOH accident reportDownload

To see larger versions of the photographs, right click the photograph and select ‘Open image in new tab’