News and Contacts (beginning 2011)

This page contains website news, latest entries to website pages and details of contacts from 2011 onwards, the year the website originally went live.

All notes on this page are ordered with latest entries on the top.

May 2024 Greg North visited the old RAF White Waltham site. Details here.
April 2024 Reunion Andre Francis (and Lorna) invited the reunion regulars to meet on Sat, 13th April but only Greg North and Des Orpin made it! See here.
July 2023 Thanks to the efforts of Greg North, the Webmaster (Andre) made contact with Lionel Voke who was stationed at Shinfield Park in the 1960s. He will be sending some information, which will be posted to his page here.
Jun 16 2023 Barry Boulton and his family have had a connection to RAF Shinfield Park from its beginning. He has sent some details here, together with his own description of the camp’s history.
Jun 13 2023 There was a ceremony to mark the new raised RAF Shinfield Park memorial. Some details and photos can be seen here. Ex-camp personnel present were Andre Francis, Jacquie Kitson, Keith Freeman and Phil Gribble.
Apr 28 2023 Rusty Blagden emailed to confirm the death of Josie Hill (nee Fagan) that Greg North queried in his entry at April 21 2022 below. Josie has her own web page here.
Apr 22 2023 Note from Webmaster: I have confirmed from a reliable source that Ken Griffin is currently in a care home in Cheltenham, but I have no further information. See entry at Apr 13 2023 immediately below.
Apr 13 2023 Dennis Magee emailed to ask about Ken Griffin and WRAF Bobbie. Email here.
Apr 12 2023 Jacquie Kitson emailed to say Keith Husband, who served at Shinfield Park and attended many reunions, has died.
Email here.
Mar 21 2023 Dave Smart emailed to say his wife Sheila Lamond, who served at Shinfield Park 1962-64, died in August 2021.
Full details here.
Feb 13 2023 Greg North emailed giving some details of a new raised, angled memorial which would replace the old one that is currently overgrown; more details here (in bottom scroll window).
Sep 8 2022 Jill Evans asked whether aerial photos of SP ex married quarters were available. Andre Francis directed her to the MPBW site plan and Greg North suggested some organisations to contact. Details here.
April 21 2022 Greg North noticed an obituary for Josephine Ann Hill (nee Fagan) and wondered whether it was Josie Fagan who worked in the PABX at SP; the ‘Help for Heroes’ link and her age support this possibility. If anyone has any information, please contact the webmaster.
Mar 11 2022 David Walton (web page) emailed to let us know that Chris Green (web page), his ex-wife, died in November 2021.
Feb 23 2022 Glen Harman emailed to ask for information on his uncle Roy Scott who was at SP in the 50s and who has now died. There is a page for him here with some details.
Feb 19 2022 Caroline Kesseler emailed with a photo of a group of men, one of which was Phillip Francis Templeman. She is researching him as part of a project involving RAF men who participated in The Battle of Heligoland Bight on 18 December 1939. Details of correspondence here with extra information and links from Greg North.
Sep 8 2021 Alan Causon emailed to say Philip Gammage had died. I have put up a page for him here with some details.
May 6 2021 Maureen Toms reported that her husband Mick Toms has died. Related email here.
Apr 2021 Greg Tanner emailed giving some information and documents on his uncle Aubrey Allan Kenneth Tanner who was at SP from 1946 to 1948. See here.
Mar 26 2021 Des Orpin has now stepped down from organising the reunions. Related emails here.
Feb 11 2021 Greg North sent news of Black Boy name change. Link to story here.
Jan 2021 Set up web page for Bob Cuss, at SP from Jan 1965 to March 1967. Narrative
Jan 23 2021 Greg North sent details of a 2.5m walk around Shinfield Park. Link to pdf on this page.
Aug 2020 David Stopforth emailed asking for information on his mother Vera Crow who was at SP in the 50’s. See here.
June 23 2020 Alan Causon sent the (June 22 2020) pics linked below to Roy Whiteman who recognised Peter Davies in one of them.
June 22 2020 Greg North sent these pics of SP circa 1952. Does anyone recognise any of the faces?
June 21 2020 Gwilym Floyd emailed regarding his father PTI Taff Floyd.
June 9, 2020 Luke Sullivan sent an email with pics of an aircraft plaque at Ewart Park. Details here with reply.
Jun 6, 2020 Graham Vockins emailed that Shinfield Players Theatre has been contacted by Lyn Harding attaching a programme for ‘Quiet Wedding’ that her father took part in (1943).
May 8, 2020 Doreen Cozens sent Greg North a picture of the bunting (click image at right) she had put up over the camp memorial to celebrate VE day. See here.
The April 2020 planned reunion … was cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Apr 2020 Received email from Alan Causon re Ron Mathews who knew Rusty Blagden. Ron would like to make contact with ex-SP personnel and especially Rusty.
Apr 2020 Received email from Alec Karnezis regarding his early childhood at a Shinfield primary school. See here.
Mar 2020 Received an email from Alan Causon regarding Colonel Karnezis who was at SP with him. See here.
Jun 6, 2019. Steve Davenport is in possession of a trunk labelled S/L B Trevelyan (1942) of HQFTC.
More info here.
The last reunion was held on Saturday, 27th April 2019.
Mar 2019 Received a letter via 'Best Of British' magazine from Rita J Lucas here about her husband Harold Lucas.
Mar 2019 Brian Allen, ex RAF policeman at SP from 1959-61, now lives in Adelaide, South Australia. Narrative and 2 pics.
Jan 2019 Rusty Blagden, ex Telegraphist, at SP for whole of 1964. Narrative and 40+ photos!
Mar 2018 Received a letter via 'Best Of British' magazine from Rita J Lucas regarding Harold Lucas. See here.
Oct 2018 Caroline Moore is looking for information about her father Herbert Alan Cliff here
Aug 2018 Martin Ripper contacted about painting by Appach who lived at Shinfield Lodge. See here.
Jul 2018 Madejski Zygmunt at RAF SP in 1945. Info sent by his son, Eugene. Narrative
Apr 2018 Ray Willis (with 2 pics) attended the 2018 reunion for first time.
Feb 2018 Richard Barrett is looking for information on his uncle Patrick J Barrett who was stationed at SP in 1943. His email is here.
Feb 2017 Martin Fehringer is looking for information on his mother Sonja Fehringer (nee Sonja Dorothy Schimmel) who was stationed at SP in the sixties. His email is here. NOTE from Webmaster: Further information from Jacquie Kitson here.
Oct 2016 Spike Howells (Met Observer) trained at SP in 1982 and worked there from 1987. He has fond memories of the site. His email is here.
Jun 2016 Sue Robinson (nee Mower) added from the mid ‘60s.
Mar 2016 Joan Wilcox, and her brother Mike, are looking for information on their father, Sqn Ldr Ted Wilcox, stationed at Shinfield from 1956-60. Details here. NOTE from Webmaster: Alan Causon contacted me regarding Sqn Ldr Wilcox. See here. Joan has been informed. Joan subsequently sent another email with some further information, which has formed part of an entry on the site for Ted Wilcox. NOTE 2 from Webmaster: John Horler (entry on this website) has sent some further information. Joan has been informed. Joan replied. NOTE 3 from Webmaster (Mar 2016): Alan Causon contacted me again with information on Flt. Lt. J. Dunsmore who he thinks worked close to Sqn, Ldr Wilcox. The gist of the information is here.
Jan 2016 Paul Harris contacted, looking for information on Bob Gowin, who was driver to ‘Cats Eyes’ Cunningham. Paul is also interested in the history of Shinfield Lodge, circa 1840, and its possible connection to author, lawyer and artist Francis Hobson Appach. His email is here with some extra information from the Webmaster.
Jan 2016 Phillip Draper is looking for information on his father S/Ldr Albert Draper who was CO around 1947. See his two emails here with some photographs. Jun 2018 Further info sent from Phillip. NOTE from Webmaster: Ted Williams (who has an entry on this site) contacted with information on S/Ldr Draper and has been put in touch with Phillip. NOTE 2 from Webmaster: 30th July 2018 Phillip has sent some further information including 2 menus from 1949 and photos from Gunnery School Leconfield. See here.
Jan 4, 2016 Ted Williams announced that Derek Smee died. He had previously been in regular contact with him.
Nov 2015 Michael Brown added from the late ‘50s.
Mar 2015 With new information from his daughter, the late Ted Wilcox has now been added. Ted was involved with thermonuclear testing at Malden and Christmas Islands. Les Rothery has also been added.
Mar 3, 2015 Alan Causon reported the death of Ray Smith
Mar 26 2015 A celebration of Ray Smith’s life by Adrian Reddall (see link below)
Apr 21, 2015 Alan Causon sent email with last pics of Ray Smith. Ray Smith link here.
Jan 2015 Juni George (nee Lammas) has been trying for years to contact Veronica (Ronnie) Clarke who served with her at White Waltham and then went to Hong Kong in 1964/65 to marry an Air Traffic Controller - if anyone has any news, it would be appreciated. Contact Juni through husband Ian here.
Jan 2015 Nicky Broxton (nee Cooper), Ian George and Phil Gribble from the 60’s have recently been in contact and have been added to the Personnel section of the website.
Aug 2013 Michelle Jones is looking for any information on her grandmother, Dora Grimshaw (Dimps), who was demobbed from Shinfield in 1946. Details here.
July 2012 Keith Freeman was at Shinfield with Avril Oxley (nee Bostock) and Barbara. NOTE from Webmaster: Avril has now contacted us and has her own web page entry (link above).
Aug 2011 Chris Lee is looking for information on his father, Jon Lee, at Shinfield in 1959. Details here.