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Geoff Milsom RIP

Port Stanley in the Falklands with Beechcraft Queenair

Sad news that Geoff Milsom has passed away. His son Chris called to say that Geoff died 9th September 2024, at Wexham Park Hospital after a stroke.

During WWII Geoff flew Spitfires and Hurricanes, starting out at age 18 in Burma. After the war he carried on flying, working for the Air Survey Company, which became Fairey Surveys and later Clyde Surveys. He was Chief Pilot for many years, and a brilliant survey pilot. The photograph above was taken during a survey in the Falklands for Mount Pleasant airport that was built in 1985 after the Falklands war.

In May there was a wonderful celebration at White Waltham Aero Club for Geoff’s 100th birthday, with family, friends and former colleagues all coming together to share the milestone, and enjoy a great party and great weather in a place that played a big part in his life.

The funeral was held on Friday September 27th 2024 at All Saints Church in Maidenhead, with the burial at Braywick Cemetery, where other family members are buried. The Maidenhead Advertiser published an obituary on September 19th. Read it here.

A few photographs from the day:

And the last post for Geoff Milsom, from the RAF. View the video here.

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Geoff Milsom: 100th birthday 25th May 2024

What a milestone, and what a great party. (Good enough to get in the paper: online version here, and to be published in the Maidenhead Advertiser on Friday 31st May.)

Geoff celebrated his birthday where he was based for so much of his working life, White Waltham airfield, surrounded by family, friends and old Faireys. In tribute to the most senior old Fairey, the weather was wonderful, the planes were all flying, and the familiar scent of aviation fuel drifted across the grass. The West London Aero Club provided the food and drink, and the family provided the balloons.

There were quite a lot of family. Children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, cousins, second cousins, second cousins once removed …. Some were getting together for the first time in twenty years. But since Geoff spent most of his working life overseas, they probably haven’t seen very much of him over the years. And so much did he love flying, that when he came up to retirement age, he was owed about three years of accumulated leave!

One of the Hurricanes based at White Waltham was heading out to Duxford, and gave a pass by the airfield in homage to the occasion, to the delight of the crowd, especially the children.

A few pictures from the occasion – right click on the photographs for a full size image (select open in new tab):-

  • Geoff with his sons Chris (L) and Geoff Jnr (R)
  • Here just a few of the family: Lesley, Geoff jnr’s wife (R), granddaughter Beverley Paskin and great grandchildren Arlo Paskin (L) and his sister Amber Paskin
  • And the sun shone
  • And there was a huge cake
  • And a lot of presents
  • A very big birthday card (with John Tompkins and Lawrence Scott ), and one from the King and Queen
  • And there were more old Fairey pilots. John Mullin here, and Dusty Miller
  • And a Hurricane (here being inspected by Geoff before take-off)
  • Which did a fly past

Dusty Miller got some good photographs, including some group photographs of the guests at the airfield fence while Geoff was looking at the Hurricane, and an excellent one of the cake.

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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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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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Milestone celebration for Geoff Milsom

A little ceremony was held at White Waltham on Saturday 14th January 2017, to celebrate Geoffrey Milsom’s 70 years as a member of the Guild of Air Pilots and Navigators, (GAPAN).

A cake was supplied by Don Green and Bob Berriss, others in attendance were
Don Green, Bob Berriss, John and Carol Tompkins, Laurence Scott, Jean and
Ken Fostekew, two members of the Aero Club and Geoffrey of course.

Geoff Milsom cutting the cake, with l-r: Lawrence Scott, Jean Fostekew and Carol Tompkins

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With thanks to Ken Fostekew for the information and the photographs – click on the photographs to enlarge.