Airborne Engineers Association

Roll of Honour

 

 

Wallace (Curly) Chapman - 8th Feb 1927 to 4th Oct 2019

 

Born in Dursley, Gloucestershire on 8th February 1927, Wallace met his wife to be when Kathleen was evacuated to the area from Bristol at the age of 13. Wallace took her under his wing and they remained firm friends.

After leaving school Wallace joined Maudleys who specialised in electrical engineering. Later, he was to join the Royal Engineers and was, at one stage, a CpI in Gibraltar Barracks. The Squadron was just across the road at Malta Barracks and the OC, Major Bennett, ruled that the new entrants to the Sqn must be in the rank of Sapper. A month later CpI Chapman arrived and this coincided with the fact that many NAAFI shops had been broken into in Aldershot and the lead on the dining hall roof had been stolen. As a result, Wallace was viewed with suspicion for several months as being an SIB (Special Investigation Branch) man! However, after he completed his para course, all was well and off he went in 1951 to the Suez Canal. Wallace became time ex in the Canal Zone and was missed by us all.

As a civilian he joined the Bristol Aeroplane Company and worked at Filton on the new Bristol Britannia, flying all over the world as part of the testing team evaluating the plane in all climatic conditions. Just before his retirement, he was fortunate to be able to work on Concorde.

Each year we would meet up with him at Double Hills as he lived close by at Willsbridge.

He is survived by his wife Kathleen.

RIP dear friend. John E, Ron D and Blenk

 

 

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