Edwin Stotesbury
Edwin Stotesbury, known as ‘Tony’, served in the Royal Air Force from 1941 to 1946. He originally volunteered for aircrew but was turned down due to his eyesight and on being called up was trained as a mechanic fitter at RAF Cosford. He was posted to various stations including Boscombe Down, Silverstone, Tarveston, Halton and Hullavington, the latter being the Empire Central Flying School.
In November 1944, Tony, now a Corporal Airframe Fitter II, was posted to No.139 Repair and Recovery Unit in Madras, India, where he worked in the engineering section. He spent a short time at RAF Kandy in Ceylon on an instructor’s course before moving to No.2 Maintenance Unit at Allahabad. He returned to the UK in August 1946 on demobilisation.
In civilian life he was employed as a building Surveyor/Estimator and lived in Bromley, Kent. He joined No. 600 (City of London) Squadron in April 1949 and served in his Airframe Fitter trade until March 1956, working on a variety of aircraft during that time including the last versions of piston-engined fighters in service –Spitfire Marks 14, 21 and 22 – and the first jet, the Meteor.
He joined the 600 Squadron Association in 1958 and was a staunch member and supporter for many years, including serving as a Trustee.