An inspirational veteran has been awarded a national honour for all of his charity work. David Francis, 84, of Castano Court, Abbots, has dedicated his time to the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) in Abbots and Kings Langley for nearly 40 years.
Having served in the RAF during the war, he carried on as a volunteer after his stint. The Langley’s branch is now in full flow since David joined 37 years ago, when it was virtually on the verge of collapse. He has dedicated hours of his time to support the branch, and has been able to do so thanks to the support of his loving wife, Edna. Currently serving as chairman and president, he is to receive the highly regarded RAFA National Presidential Certificate next spring. The accolade is given in honour of exceptional achievement and comes is only second to awards handed out on the Queen's Birthday Honours List. David told My Abbots News: “I was shocked to receive the award - it came completely out of the blue. I am delighted and honoured to receive the letter.” David, who was a navigator in the Lancaster aircraft, told My Abbots News about one particular incident he recalls like it was just yesterday: “We had just completed a mission over Europe and were flying back towards the UK, we were near Denmark, when we were suddenly hit by lightening. As a result, all the aircraft navigational equipment was subsequently destroyed.” David was 12,000 feet over the Baltic with just a compass to rely upon and ingeniously followed the stars using the North Star as his lead. As he felt he was close to British shore, he sent out a message (in those days the distress call was ‘Darkie’) for an SOS call. They responded and the aircraft was guided home using beacons for a successful landing in Northern Scotland. David became a much deserved recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) for his quick thinking and using his initiative. The proud veteran will be presented with his award at the RAFA National Conference in Bournemouth in May next year where he is sure to be joined by a host of worthy recipients. The RAF Association (RAFA) provides comradeship plus welfare support and care for the whole RAF family, including veterans.
An inspirational veteran has been awarded a national honour for all of his charity work. David Francis, 84, of Castano Court, Abbots, has dedicated his time to the Royal Air Force Association (RAFA) in Abbots and Kings Langley for nearly 40 years.