The death of Sir Frederick Sowrey aged 96 brings to an end the RAF services of a remarkable family whose members had served for an unbroken period of 65 years.  The son of WW 1 fighter ‘ace’ and the destroyer of a Zeppelin over Essex, Group Captain Frederick Sowrey DSO, MC, AFC, Sowrey joined the RAF in 1940 and saw service throughout the Second World War before concentrating on fighter operations flying the Meteor and then commanding a Javelin squadron.  He commanded the RAF transport base at Abingdon and was the senior air staff officer who planned the UK withdrawal from Aden in 1967.  His senior appointments included responsibility for RAF training, commandant of the National Defence College and the UK representative at CENTO.  He was an avid motor racer and drove in the London to Brighton rally in his 1901 Darracq Tonneau.  He founded the RAF Historical Society and was its dynamic president.

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For the history of the Sowrey familiy’s RAF service see Book section on this site.