Josie Hill (nee Fagan)

Rusty Blagden emailed some information regarding Josie on 28 Apr 2023 and the webmaster has edited the communication to produce the following synopsis. Much of the information below was obtained from Roy Bailey who was a close friend of Josie and Jeff from Cyprus days. Roy joined up with Rusty at Cosford in 1959 36th Entry, Boy Entrants.

Josie was an SACW, working in CommCen and was there in 1964, although we have no information when she arrived or left. Other Shinfield comms staff working with her in those days, were Rene Wilson, Bob Murney, George Chapman and Cpl Alun ‘Taff’ Leggett.

While later working as a Teleprinter Operator in Flight Watch, RAF Episkopi. Josie met Jeff Hill, an Army Comms Tech and they got engaged. Both were members of the Sailing Club. They returned to the UK to his Army posting at Manobier, Wales. They later moved to Hinkley, Leicester.

In 2020, Jeff had a stroke and a fall with subsequent speech impairment.

In 2021, Josie’s cervical cancer had progressed to her stomach and, possibly, throat and she died on Monday, 4th April 2022. See the obituary notice (spotted by Greg North) here.