207 Squadron Royal Air Force Association
When one of our members or someone who served on 207 dies

The purpose of this page is to provide answers to some questions that are frequently asked when we are informed that a member (or someone who served on No.207 Squadron RAF but was not a member of the Association) has died, including those associated with No.7 Squadron RNAS. It also provides some internet links on dealing with the practicalities of a death in the family.

If you are printing this for someone who is not on the internet You may be reading this page before printing it to give to someone who is not on the internet. It may be useful to also view and print pages for some of the internet links provided that may be of particular interest, as these include useful postal addresses and telephone numbers.

Some frequently asked questions

Is there any possibility of the Association being represented at the funeral?: If you let the Membership Secretary know as soon as possible that a former member of the Squadron or member of the Association has died, he will do his best to contact members who either might have known the person who has died or live within a reasonable distance of where the funeral is to take place. As wartime members are now of a certain age, some are now non-drivers or reluctant to travel far. A message will also be put on the Association website.

We will in any case provide, where possible, an A4 size 'memorial card' worded appropriately to reflect the person's role on 207 Squadron, their dates of service, and membership of the Association if relevant. The wartime and present day squadron badges are shown. This memorial card can be sent by email where possible. It has been a much appreciated memento and has also been displayed in the chapel or church, or with the flowers where these have been requested by the family.

In the Memorials section of the Association website there is a page, 207 Assoc RIP, remembering those 207s who have died since leaving the Service, irrespective of whether they were a member of the Association or of how long ago they died. The passing of Friend Members of the Association is also recorded.

May we use the Squadron badge on the Order of Service?: Yes, contact the Membership Secretary and he will email the image to you.

It would be nice to have a flag on the coffin. How do we go about that?: We are told that RAF Regulations do not permit the use of the RAF flag on coffins, however the Union flag (commonly known as the Union Jack) may be used. Possibly the funeral directors or the local branch of the Royal British Legion have a Union Jack. The Association has no flags.

If the person was a member of the Aircrew Association or the Royal Air Forces Association, or WAAF Association, especially if they were known at the local branch, then fellow branch members may wish to attend, and if they have a Standard they may ask you if you would like them to parade it at the funeral, for example coming in with the coffin.

What music would be appropriate?: At funerals of those who have served in the Royal Air Force or Womens' Auxiliary Air Force, the RAF March Past by Walford Davies or the Dam Busters March is often heard.

Are there any verses that are particularly appropriate?:

High Flight
A verse which is often used at funerals of those who served in the RAF is High Flight, a poem composed by Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., an American serving with the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was born in Shanghai, China in 1922, the son of missionary parents, Reverend and Mrs. John Gillespie Magee; his father was American and his mother came from Britain. He was educated at Rugby School.

He went to the United States in 1939 and earned a scholarship to Yale, but in September 1940 he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force and trained as a pilot. He was sent to England in July 1941. Sometime on or before 3 September 1941 he composed High Flight, sending a copy to his parents. Several weeks later, on December 11, 1941 his Spitfire collided with another plane over England and Magee, aged 19, crashed to his death. He is buried in the churchyard cemetery at Scopwick, Lincolnshire.

High Flight

Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of Earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
of sun-split clouds, -- and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of -- wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there,
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air ....

Up, up the long, delirious, burning blue
I've topped the wind-swept heights with easy grace
Where never lark nor ever eagle flew --
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untrespassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand, and touched the face of God.

P/O John Gillespie Magee, 412 Sqn RCAF, 1941
source: Library of Congress/University of Toronto

****

A prayer for a veteran

We pray that nothing of this man's life will be lost,
but that it will be of benefit to the world;
that all that he held sacred may be respected
by those who follow him and that everything
in which he was great may continue to
mean as much to us now that he is dead.

We ask you that he may go on living in his children
in their hearts and minds, their courage
and their conscience.

We ask you that we who were associated with him
may now, because of his death,
be even more closely associated with each other -
and that we may, in this togetherness
and peace and friendship here on earth,
always be deeply conscious of your promise
to be faithful to us in death. Amen

The wording can be changed according to sex; if unmarried or there were no children, 'children' can be changed to 'family' etc. This prayer, seen in RAFA's Air Mail some years ago, was said to have been used at the funeral of a veteran who saw service in both World Wars. It has been used at a number of 207 funerals including that of our late President, AVM David Dick.

Instead of flowers/We think an RAF Charity should benefit - what do you suggest?: The Royal Air Forces Benevolent Fund, or if they were a RAFA member, RAFA, or if a member of the Aircrew Association, the ACA's Archive Trust. You may also like to include a donation to 207 Squadron RAF Association.

Some of our members joined 207 Squadron RAF Association as Friend members in order to maintain the family connection or interest following the death of a family member or friend who served on the squadron. If that is something you would like to do in due course, please contact us.

We really did not know much of what he or she did on 207 Squadron - what can you tell us?: We might be able to provide some information, especially if they were aircrew (records are not so complete for groundcrew) though time may be short for this to be included in an address at the funeral.

They kept a lot of stuff to do with their time in the Air Force - what is worth keeping? No doubt some members of the family will wish to treasure the memory of the person who has died by keeping items such as medals, log books, items of uniform and so on. The key thing is not to act hastily, wait until there has been time to look through it carefully. So much of our history has disappeared through just being binned by people less thoughtful than you, though to be fair they probably had other things on their mind.

We would be interested to hear what there is so that we can advise if asked, and also have the opportunity to copy, photograph or receive items of particular interest for the history of the squadron. There is a History Room on the Squadron at RAF Linton in Ouse. The Aircrew Association maintains an archive at Elvington, near York. Here are examples of what is of particular interest - please contact us about it first, do not send anything:

Citations for awards
Log books
RAF related photographs
Any accounts written of their time in the RAF
Any RAF memorabilia, such as equipment, maps etc.

Please contact me by email on this, or if you have any additional advice to offer:
Frank Haslam Membership Secretary, Newsletter & Website Editor
207 Squadron Royal Air Force Association

Please note that I can only assist in respect of 207 Squadron. For other units please check the RAFRA website to see if there is a contact point listed, or if an ACA member, the Aircrew Association.

Other possibly useful websites - Before making decisions you are advised to seek professional advice. No responsibilty is taken for the content or continued availability of third party websites: if you find better ones please let me know:

UK CofE - About funerals (Church of England website)
UK RC - Funerals (About website)
UK CRUSE Bereavement Care

UK When someone dies (Directgov UK website)
UK Bereavement and what to do (Help the Aged)
UK What to do after a death (Citizens' Advice Bureau)
UK Bereavement counselling for young people, and useful contacts (Queen Mary College, University of London)
UK IR45: What to do when someone dies - A guide for personal representatives (HM Revenue & Customs)

AUS Are you needing help after someone has died? (Dept of Human Services)
CAN Preparing for Bereavement (Dept of Veterans Affairs)
NZ War Pensions and Benefits (RNZAF)

Example of a 207 Memorial Card (this is a pdf file so Acrobat™ Reader will be needed - free)

When my time comes If you are reading this and thinking of what your nearest and dearest will have to cope with when you die, perhaps give some thought to what instructions you wish to leave. Perhaps also compose an account of your time on the Squadron with a note for it to be sent to the Membership Secretary so that it can appear in our Newsletter.

As time goes by there will be fewer of your contemporaries around to recall you for us, so to be sure, best write your own.

To write to the author of this page, the address is:
Frank Haslam
Membership Secretary/Website Editor,
207 Squadron RAF Association,
56 Windfield, Leatherhead,
Surrey, England
KT22 8UQ

or email Frank Haslam

page last updated 12 June 2007