One of the last surviving members of the Royal Air Force’s (RAF) 47 Air School in Queenstown recently celebrated his 102nd birthday.
Bert Denman of Rynpark Retirement Estate celebrated this auspicious occasion on March 22 by revisiting the town where he spent four and a half years, training as an airplane mechanic during World War Two.
Born in Sussex, England, Bert was always intrigued by planes and their inner workings.
“When I was 14, I would ride my bicycle to the nearby airfield to watch the planes. Everything about flying fascinated me,” he said.
“When I was 17, I enlisted in the RAF and when I was 19 we were shipped to Queenstown to undergo training.
“Under the Empire agreement, bases were established in non-participating countries so that pilots and mechanics could be trained without threat of being bombed or shot at by the Germans.”
Upon his arrival in Cape Town, Bert was amazed at the lights that could be seen from the harbour.
“During that time all of the lights in England were switched off as a security measure against air raids, seeing the lights seemed peaceful,” he said.
After being demobilised at the end of the war, Bert returned to Queenstown.
He later worked as a ground engineer for several airlines, while he pursued his interest in building model airplanes.
“I enjoyed the builds and my wife, Ann, and I built four models together. I have never built any WW2 models, I have seen too much tragedy concerning those aircraft,” he said.
On his long and full life, Bert says that with blessings from above and Ann, who serves as his guide and support, he has been able to enjoy a joyful life.
Bert has three children, 13 grandchildren and three great-great-grandchildren.
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