My father-in-law, Terence Williams, known as Taff, who has died aged 93, was a modest man who reached the top of his profession as an RAF pilot, despite having to leave school aged 14.
Born in the village of Cymmer in the Rhondda Valley, Taff was the son of Edith (nee Harding) and Harry Williams, a drayman in charge of the stable at the Thomas and Evans factory in Porth. They moved to Bristol for Harry’s work before being bombed out of their home in 1942 and having to move again, to Raglan, Monmouthshire. Taff had passed the scholarship to attend Monmouth school, but financial pressures meant he had to leave and start work as a farm labourer.
His consuming passion was for flying and he joined the RAF Air Cadets, signing on as an RAF junior aircraftsman in 1946. His natural intelligence and aptitude were recognised and he trained as a radar fitter.
His first overseas posting was to RAF Gatow in Berlin, where he helped to keep the ground control approach radar running during the Berlin airlift (1948-49), when the Soviet Union blocked supply routes to West Berlin. Here, in his spare time, he went to the opera.
On his return in 1951, Taff was stationed at RAF Coltishall, in Norfolk. The following year he married Marjorie Spencer, a Lloyd’s bank clerk whom he knew from Raglan. He was then sent to Gimli, Canada, for nine months to train as a pilot.
After his return, Taff was posted to several bases, starting at RAF Cottesmore in Rutland. He had always thought his lack of formal qualifications a weakness, so in 1958, as part of the forces correspondence course, he took, and passed, a number of O-levels – without telling anybody.
His flying skills were quickly recognised by the RAF, and after flying Canberras, he swiftly progressed to flying Vulcan bombers, for which only the best pilots were selected. Taff ended up both instructing and examining other pilots for the Vulcan force. In 1966 he was posted to RAF Brize Norton as one of the first pilots to fly the VC10. He ended his career in the RAF as the senior VC10 pilot on the examining unit at RAF Upavon. There was no more senior flying role to which he could aspire.
Taff left the RAF in 1975, and began flying for Gulf Air out of Bahrain, returning home after three years when Marge needed treatment for cancer. He started flying jets for Shell, and on one occasion while flying into Heathrow he safely landed a plane on only two wheels.
After 30 years and more than 10,000 hours, Taff retired from flying in 1982. He and Marge became sub-postmasters at RAF Abingdon until full retirement in 1989. They set about socialising, playing golf and going to the theatre.
Quietly spoken, with a gentle Welsh lilt, a keen intelligence and widely read, Taff was a marvellous host with interesting stories to tell and a collection of highly inappropriate rhymes.
Marge died of cancer in 2013. He is survived by his two children, Lynne (my wife), and Gareth, four grandchildren, Joy, Ben, Jess and James, and one great-granddaughter, Rosie.
