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News > Obituaries > Obituary - Wing Commander Richard (Dick) Storer (OI 1942-52)

Obituary - Wing Commander Richard (Dick) Storer (OI 1942-52)

Dick was at the school from 1942-52 and grew up at Baylham Mill, near Needham Market. He belonged to Sherrington House and was a prefect.
21 Oct 2022
Written by Leanne Castle
Obituaries

Dick will be sadly missed by his family, friends and all who knew him at the school.

We are conscious that some people from his time  at school may not be in contact with us and we would ask if you could pass on this information to those that you know.

As is the usual practice, we would like to place an obituary for him in the 2023 OI Journal and would be very grateful for any stories or memories you may wish to share which we could put together for the publication. Please address any contributions to me through oldipswichians@ipswich.school.

With best wishes,

Iain Chesterman

OI Chairman

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Dick's funeral will take place on Wednesday 23rd November at Baylham Church, 7 Glebe Close, Baylham IP6 8JT at 11.30am.

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Dick was born in London in 1933 and went to Suffolk in 1942. He was raised at Baylham Mill during the war years and went to Ipswich School. Later he went to Durham University to ready physics. He  joined the University Air Squadron, learnt to fly and finished a degree course with the intention of joing the RAF which he did in 1956. Dick trained as a fighter pilot and served on No 66 Sqn, flying Hunters based at Acklington in Northumberland. After two years, when the Squadron disbanded, he was posted to fgly Vulcans with No83 Squadron at Scampton and spent four year periodically sitting on a nuclear bomb waiting to go to war.

Dick left Scampton on promotion to Squadron Leader and was sent to Fairford in Gloucestershire to be the first CO and Manager of the recently formed RAF Aerobatic Team which, after a few months was named the Red Arrows. After two years with the Red Arrows, he was posted to the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough to command one of the two experimental flying squadrons based there, flying all kinds of aircraft engaged on trials work. 

After four years at Farnborough, Dick was sent on promotion to Brussels to be the Air Attaché at the British Embassy. From there he came back to the UK to be OC Operations Wing firstly at Cottesmore in Rutland and then at Wyton in Huntingdonshire.

From Wyton, back to Farnborough for another four-year stint and thence on a one-year attachment to the BBC as RAF advisor, liaison officer and 'Mr Fix' on an RAF-based drama series called 'Squadron'.

At the end of the Falklands war, Dick was rapidly removed from the BBC to head the team responsible for the RAF involvement in building the brand new airfield on a green field stie at Mount Pleasnat on the Falklands and also for the extensive alterations to the tha airfield and facilities on Ascension Island.

Whilst serving at MOD in 1985, Baylham House Farm came on the market (near Dick's childhood home) and he bought it. He moved to Baylham and started to acquire animals, principally to eat all the grass that came with the property. The arrival of animals signalled Dick's entry into farming and the start of a new career and a totally different way of life. 

Supplied by K Wade

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An obituary appeared in The Times 

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/wing-commander-richard-storer-obituary-g6jl80q9f?shareToken=4b59235369ff8c781571682c5378f8ef

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