Typed letter signed by Group Captain R F "Digger" Aitken
1955, Aitken was a pioneer of Air-Sea Rescue in WW2
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Printing Details
This is a typed letter, signed, from Group Captain Russell Faulkner "Digger" Aitken, written in October 1955 to a fellow RAF officer before he left his post at RAF Horsham St Faith in Norfolk. The recipient was Squadron Leader P L Kelly. The letter is on light blue paper, with typed contents, and Aitken having added the recipient, date, and his signature by hand. It measures 22.5 × 17.5cm.
The letter reads "Dear Tim [Kelly was known as Tim], Before I depart I should like to express my appreciation for the excellent way you have held down your appointment during the last two years. You have been willing, loyal and courteous in all you have done and I know the amount of energy you have expended in the M.T. world and in defence matters. There is no doubt that you have been a tower of strength and you have certainly made my task much easier and I think it is a fine reflection on your ability to get the best out of your personnel, cheerfully and without any fuss. I wish you good luck for the future. Yours aye, 'Digger' Aitken"
Digger Aitken was a New Zealand pilot with the RAF and was best known as a pioneer of Air-Sea Rescue. He joined the RAF just before the outbreak of war and first worked with experimental craft (he was the first person to fly a Blackburn Skua off a catapult launch). He then served on the Ark Royal being washed overboard but rescued by a following destroyer. During the dogfights over the Channel, he persuaded the authorities to let him have a Supermarine Walrus (an amphibian aircraft) and he would station himself off the Isle of Wight (afloat) and take off if he saw a pilot ditch in the Channel. He was awarded the CBE, OBE, and AFC.
Condition
Good condition, but as it is without the original envelope it is a little creased.
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