Sylvia lives at Primrose Croft Care Home in Cambridge and this week, she got to relive the roots of her RAF career when she was given a VIP tour of Imperial War Museum Duxford.
Sylvia joined the Royal Air Force back in 1960 when she was just 19 years old. She successfully completed her basic training in Kent and was able to secure a highly coveted role in air traffic control. She was first stationed at a control tower in the north, but after a few months, transferred to RAF St Mawgan’s on the Cornish coast.
During her time at RAF St Mawgan’s, Sylvia met her future husband. Sylvia soon tied the knot with her husband but unfortunately had to leave the RAF as she was required to at the time. Sylvia's love for the RAF and planes never left her and to this day, would relish the opportunity to get back up in the air. One of her current hobbies includes plane watching from the garden, or through her bedroom window.
To help Sylvia reconnect with her past and fuel her love of planes, the team reached out to Visitor Experience and Project Manager at IWM Duxford, Liam Shaw. After explaining Sylvia’s RAF career and passion for aviation, Liam invited Sylvia to attend a VIP tour of the museum and the planes they have on display.
Hearing the news about the trip filled Sylvia with joy and she couldn’t wait to have a look around England’s largest aviation museum.
She met with Liam at the entrance to IWM Duxford and was immediately taken aback by the size of the grounds! Sylvia was then shown through to the museum and had the chance to get close to some of her favourite planes including a Spitfire, Javelin, Hunter, and her all-time favourite, the Shakleton which was in the process of being restored!
Touring the site and seeing the planes brought back lots of memories for Sylvia. She shared these memories with Liam and he could see how much the RAF had impacted her life. From positive memories of meeting her husband and working in a career she had a passion for, to some more emotional memories of the friends she, unfortunately, lost along the way.
“It has been such a wonderful day, I will be grinning from ear to ear for a long time thinking about this”, said Sylvia. The next mission is to get Sylvia back in the air so she can experience her love of flying again!