Many thanks for the very kind comments posted about my father as they have been of great support to my mother, sister and me. Although close to my father, I was not aware of how he was seen at work. When he did speak about the RAF it was with pride and with great satisfaction for such a rewarding career where undoubtedly the many people he met made a big impact on him.
Following my father's wishes I gave a eulogy, an abridged version of which is below.
Alistair Todd
My father was born 17 miles from here in 1929 and was brought up in his early years on Chapelhill farm outside Alyth where his family were tenant farmers.
He attended Alyth public school before joining the RAF in late 1946 where he trained as a radar operator and although too young for wartime service he took an active part in the Berlin Airlift in 1948/ 49. From there he returned to the UK and in the next few years was posted to a variety of places, he gained promotion and in 1955 married my mother.
Having grown up as a services child I can testify to the fact that services life is not always the most settled of existences with house moves almost every year and numerous school changes for Judith and myself. Despite this my mother quickly adapted to the vagaries of service life and indeed supported Dad tremendously through their many years of marriage until his retirement in 1989.
Dad served in many interesting places both in the UK and abroad and he found his professional life both enjoyable and rewarding. He was a fighter controller for 42 years with the majority of his postings at coastal Radar units in places such as, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire, Aberdeenshire and Benbecula where his role was to help to defend Britain from the then real danger of an aggressive USSR. He saw duty in Cyprus, Northern Iran, Germany and closer to home, London and Worcestershire.
As with all service families we had to cope with constant moving, very significant hardship including boarding school for Judith and in my mothers case a great determination to make things work as 28 houses were occupied during their many moves.
Much of Dads work was classified and whilst he never saw active service he did serve the country during the extremely tense Cuban missile crisis in 1962 and was on the Nato front line in Cyprus during the Arab Israeli war in 1973. When in the UK I can remember many Christmas days accompanying Dad 100ft underground to visit his staff in the radar control bunker where there was always plenty of activity as RAF fighters from Leuchars were scrambled to intercept Russian bombers flying 100 miles or more to the east of Dundee
He joined the services in the lowest ranking position, was commissioned in 1961 and despite his background, lack of a university degree and a failure to complete a number of key staffing courses normally considered essential for career progression he retired at the rank of Wing Commander. This no doubt reflecting his tremendous leadership qualities and commitment to serving the Country which he did so admirably
That said it’s also fair to say he didn’t suffer fools gladly and whilst I know he gave tremendous support and assistance to so many young officers careers he still managed to upset some people. Funnily enough I’m sure many of you will recognise this side to Dads character, which in my case surfaced in my early career as he regularly tried to tell me what to do with my life in no uncertain terms!
Dad never forgot his roots and throughout my childhood we spent many happy holidays in Alyth. From a young age I remember going fishing and shooting, he showed me how to guddle trout, catch rabbits and Pheasants and he even introduced me into the fine art of finding lost golf balls on Alyth golf course! Fishing united both of us into my adulthood and although we did have our occasional differences we spent many happy days on river or Loch where the only disagreement would be over the choice of fishing fly or when to give up and leave for the day. Days spent with dad exploring hidden riverbanks and the wider countryside captured my imagination for which I am so grateful as this in turn has given me a lifetime of outdoor interests and memories
After retiring Dad developed a keen interest in commercial matters and as well as many discussions with my brother in law about how his business was performing, he regularly drummed up potential new customers for my employer. This interest extended to seeking out bargains and Dad was an expert at spotting these, whether in the papers or in the local shops. With this in mind, probably the most appreciated present I ever gave him came from Ebay where having picked up a series of 6 fishing videos for 1p, I deliberately left the invoice in the box for him to find on Christmas day much to his amusement and great satisfaction
He joined the Ericht Investors Group where his advice and hot tips I believe were always well debated – how many of you have been told to buy Wiseman shares I wonder?
The Blairgowrie Probus group gave Dad a great deal of enjoyment and through their regular meetings, their excursions and on fishing outings Dad met some wonderful friends whose support and help during his illness he particularly appreciated
Dad could be difficult on occasions but he had a real interest in everything and everyone around him, he supported my mother in many ways and was very proud of Judith and I and our families
He will be greatly missed
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