Person:Ronald Ardley (1)

Ronald Ardley, Senior NCO, and known as Ron joined the Royal Air Force before the Second World War in 1938 as a young man. During the war he served in France, where he had the priviledge to meet Sir Winston Churchill. He met his wife Eva whilst stationed at RAF Finingly prior to serving in Malta for the last months of the war. After the war, Eva joined him in Malta where he continued to serve for a further four years and where his two children, Christine and Anthony were born.

Ron's RAF postings included Feltwell, Fanara in the Canal Zone in Eygpt, Bassingbourne,and Laarbruch in Germany, Lyneham, Akrotiri and Nicosia in Cyprus. His work in handling equipment and as an instructor of Condacs (loading vehicles) took him all over the world including Kenya, Persia now Iran and America. He also served on Christmas island during the Atomic bomb testing in the Pacific in the late fifties. Latterly he served within the Mobile Air Movements (MAMBS)team, his last posting being at RAF Whitten, from where he retired in 1970 after serving thirty two years.

After leaving the Royal Air Force, Ron continued to take the Royal Air Force News and was an ardent member of The Royal Air Force Association in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, where he settled. He resumed his interest in Philaterly and bought The Market Stamp Exchange shop in Great Yarmouth which he managed until 1983, having a stand afterwards at stamp fairs. He was a widely respected philatelist and an honouree member of the Great Yarmouth Stamp Club. As a member of the Cyprus Study Circle, his personal collection focused on Cyprus stamps and First Flight Covers inspired from his posting in Cyprus. Ron was very proud to have served with the Royal Air Force and said it was a decision he never regretted.

Ron's wife Eva died aged just sixty one years and he lived alone for another twenty seven. He developed and pursued many interests until the day he died, in his lust for life. This included, amongst other hobbies, a love for classical and jazz misic and he was a classical trained pianist. Also his love of good food led to studies of gourmet cookery which he mastered well, delighting in cooking meals for family and friends. He also subscribed to National Geographic Magazine in his continued fondness for geography, people and nature. He had a keen interest in his cottage garden and all the birds therein that were fed faithfully every day.

Ron was always a very straight down-the-line law abiding gentleman, wearing proudly the RAF tie and RAFA lapel badge. He had an unbelievable sense of humour and wit and thrived on talking and joking with people of all ages. His stalwart RAF training stood him in good stead all his life which he managed to live independently, driving ubtil he was almost 90 years old. His approach to life was to live it to the full which he did, attending computer lessons where he was the oldest in the class (which surprised him!); he was 92years old!

Our amazing father was truely an inspiration to our family, he was much loved and will be greatly missed by all of us, and by his many friends and neighbours.