A former Royal Air Force pilot celebrated his 90th birthday with a very special surprise when he was reunited with an aircraft he flew during his RAF career more than 60 years ago.
Tony Davies, who qualified to fly the de Havilland Vampire in 1961, visited our Bath branch as part of a birthday surprise arranged by his family. The visit gave Tony the chance to see the iconic jet aircraft once again, share memories from his flying career, and revisit an important part of his life.
While Vanguard Storage Bath is known for providing secure and flexible self storage in Bath, the branch is also home to a remarkable piece of aviation history – a de Havilland Vampire aircraft. For Tony, this created the perfect opportunity to reconnect with an aircraft that played a key role during the early years of his RAF career.
A Special Birthday Experience
To mark the occasion, Branch Manager Anil Kellay presented Tony with a Red Arrows birthday card, celebrating his lifelong passion for aviation, along with a Vulcan bomber lapel pin in recognition of another iconic aircraft he later flew during his RAF career.
Accompanied by his daughter, Sarah Davies, Tony spent time viewing the Vampire and sharing stories from his many years in aviation.
Tony’s RAF journey began through National Service, which was originally intended to last just two years. However, his enjoyment of flying led to a career spanning 28 years, followed by a further 14 years flying with Air Experience Flights for RAF Air Cadets after joining the RAF Voluntary Reserve.
During his career, Tony flew a number of iconic RAF aircraft, including the de Havilland Vampire, Jet Provost, Victor and Vulcan bombers. In 1969, he also flew with The Red Pelicans aerobatic display team, one of the RAF’s well-known Jet Provost display teams before the formation of the Red Arrows.
A Memorable Return to the Vampire
For Tony, seeing the Vampire again after more than six decades was a particularly special moment.
Tony said:
“I felt wonderful and very privileged to be able to see a real Vampire again. It brought back so many memories from the early days of my flying career. One of my favourite memories of flying Vampires was my boss, who we used to call PLR – Plucky Little Roy.”
Sarah explained that discovering the aircraft at Vanguard Storage Bath made it the perfect location for her father’s milestone birthday celebration. She said, “We wanted to do something special for Dad’s 90th birthday, and when I discovered there was a Vampire aircraft on display, we knew it would be the perfect surprise. Aviation has always been a huge part of his life, so seeing him reunited with an aircraft he flew more than 60 years ago has been incredibly special.”
Anil concluded, “It was an honour to welcome Tony to see the Vampire as part of his 90th birthday celebrations. Hearing his stories and learning about his RAF career really brought the aircraft’s history to life. We’re delighted we could play a small part in making this milestone birthday one to remember.”
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