David Meylan

Just to let you know my father, David Meylan, 98 1/2 years (born 11/06/1925), from East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire died peacefully last Monday morning (22 Jan 2024). He had been in Aslockton Hall Nursing Home since late November 2023 after a few falls and becoming more confused.

He was a recent RAFPA member only hearing about the association in 2019 but did come to the 2019 event near Stourport where he was made very welcome and thoroughly enjoyed himself.

It was a pity Covid then hit as he would have come in 2020 but latterly has been going downhill.

Dad didn’t want a formal funeral, so we will hold a celebration of life in East Bridgford in a few weeks in the Scout Hut.

Regards

Francis Meylan

David Meylan

Aged 98 1/2 years (born 11/06/1925), from East Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, David died peacefully on Monday 29th January 2024. He had been in Aslockton Hall Nursing Home since late November 2023 after a few falls and becoming more confused.

He was a recent RAFPA member only hearing about the association in 2019 but did come to the 2019 event near Stourport where he was made very welcome and thoroughly enjoyed himself. It was a pity Covid hit as he would have attended in 2020, but latterly has been going downhill. He went to London for the VJ Day event in 2015 courtesy of the RBL.

He was a member of his school’s (Redditch High School, Worcs.) Air Defence Cadet Corp which became the ATC, and joined the RAF when 18 reporting to Cardington in summer 1943, then to Farnborough where had around six months training in his ‘trade’ as a photographer. He had built his own enlarger as a schoolboy. He said even at the height of the war the training was extensive and intensive equipping them to deal with all aspects of photography and maintenance.

David was based at RAF Benson as Photographer ground crew on a Mosquito Photo Recon Sqdn (544) at the time of D-Day. He said his aircraft did return from photographing the beaches at low level but on him opening the hatch to deal with the camera the aircraft was full of balsa dust being riddled with small arms fire plus a cannon shell had gone through but had not exploded.

At 19 years was posted to the Far East, initially to India on 681 Sqdn operating PR Spitfires flying to photograph Burma, and he was then sent across to Burma towards the end of the Burma campaign. He was at RAF Mingladon (outside Rangoon) and now re-captured from the Japanese where at wars end saw the Jap General fly in to surrender.

Subsequently posted to Hong Kong as the British re-established control and to Singapore including a trip from there to Surabaya in Java, Dutch East Indies where a fierce war was going on between the Dutch and Indonesians which we were partially involved in. On landing they were met with gunfire, he said.

Back to Singapore and then UK for leave as his name was drawn out of the hat (so very lucky), and back to India in time to hear Mountbatten announce India would be given independence to their relief. then back to UK and finally demobbed in Sept 1947 subsequently qualifying as an architect.

David retained an interest in aircraft and photography over the years.

Francis Meylan

Credit RAF Photographers Association