After an appeal from the Rotherham
branch of the RAF Association, Cadets from 218 Squadron joined hundreds of
people in attending the funeral of a WW2 veteran who died with no surviving
family members.
Former RAF pilot George Thompson
died on 14 May, aged 96, at the care home where he spent the final few
years of his life.
Concerned that the veteran would not be
given a proper send-off as he had no surviving relatives and few friends, the
RAFA members commenced a campaign to urge members of the public to join in the
service at Hutcliffe Wood Crematorium in Sheffield.
We were joined by current and former
members of the RAF, Cadets from other squadrons, Navy and Marine Cadet members,
police, fire service, other veterans, serving HM Forces personnel and standard
bearers to form a guard of honour. The funeral was attended by hundreds of
people who had never met Thompson, hoping to give him a proper goodbye.
Speakers broadcasted the service so
those standing outside could hear the ceremony taking place inside the
crematorium. The Battle of Britain
Memorial Flight had a message of remembrance read out and the poem ‘Flying West’
was recited.
The tribute to WO George Thompson
stated that he began training as a pilot on 13 April, 1942, and flew his first
solo flight just 17 days later.
During his time as a pilot he flew
bombers in the USA and Canada before training to become a night fighter, where
he was deployed to look for Japanese incursions over the Burmese Jungle until
the end of the war in 1945. After leaving the RAF the following year, he
married his wife Wilfred Mildred, who passed away in 2004. The couple did not
have any children together.
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