2ND Oct 1936 – 20TH Feb 2023
I am sorry to have to inform the organisation of the recent passing of Mike Muddiman.
Mike was a keen photographer and with National Service on the horizon, rather than risk being drafted into the Army, he discovered that the Royal Air Force had a Photographic Section and so agreed to sign up for four years instead of two, just so he could follow his passion and get paid to do it. Thus was the start of 22 years of service, in a trade that took him all over the world; Germany, Hong Kong, Brunei, Japan, Thailand and into the jungles of Asia. After completing square bashing at RAF Bridgnorth and trade training at RAF Wellesbourne Mountford, his first posting was to Singapore a journey that back then took three days. It was in Singapore, where he met and married his wife of over 57 years Dorothy ‘Dot’. After a posting to RAF Valley, a tour of Germany followed at RAF Wildenrath where two of his three children were born, David and Alison. Upon promotion to Cpl he was posted to RAF Bruggen. When this tour ended, it was back to the UK and RAF Little Rissington. This was followed by another tour of Germany, again RAF Wildenrath where the 3rd child Clare, put in an appearance. Once this was over, it was back to RAF Little Rissington followed by a posting to RAF Northolt after being promoted to Sgt. Then in 1973 he was posted back to Singapore – this time with family in tow – as the photographer in the Joint Service Public Relations, based at Sembawang Naval Shipyard. On one trip to Hong Kong, he was tasked with photographing HRH Prince Charles arriving on HMS Jupiter to begin his Naval training. His final posting was to HQ Strike Command where he stayed until he demobbed 0n 22nd October 1980. His passion for photography continued in civvy street, where the jobs held, all involved photography. Dot passed away in Aug 2018 and in January 2022 he was diagnosed with lung cancer. After 13 months of battling the disease, he finally succumbed and passed away on 20th Feb 2023. He is survived by his three children David, Alison and Clare.
Mike was very well known to RAFPA members, and was a serial winner of the annual photographic competition, being a first class nature photographer. He attended many reunions until his failing health caused him to reluctantly, call time on trips to Stourport.
I met Mike quite by chance a few years back, and though our service careers did not cross
paths, we found we had both been on various different RAF stations, and had numerous shared
acquaintances. Mike was predeceased by his lovely wife, Dot several years ago, but still had close ties to his family.
Pete Dodds
RAF Photographers Memorial 