Terminally Ill Veteran Fulfills His Childhood Dream

Cover picture: SWNS

A terminally ill RAF veteran fulfilled his childhood dream of sitting in a Spitfire plane.

John Llewellyn's love of the Spitfire began as a young boy, watching the iconic aircraft fly in and out of Ringway Airport in Manchester, but his dream became a reality in a very modern way - with one grandchild watching online from Taiwan.

The outing at the Biggin Hill airfield, in Kent, was arranged by the RAF Benevolent Fund, and when John’s daughter Tracy told him the news, it brought him to tears.

Tracy said: “When I first told Dad, ‘Get your flying jacket cleaned, we’re going to Biggin Hill,’ he burst into tears.

"He said to me, 'How did you know that was on my bucket list?'”

Mr Llewellyn was medically discharged in 1965 after falling ill during a tour of Borneo, and in the early 1980s he was diagnosed with meningitis and had to have a metal plate inserted into his skull to halt the spread of the disease.

He could no longer work on a full-time basis but the RAF Benevolent Fund stepped in to help the family stay in their home in Gloucester, Gloucestershire.

The fund has continued to support the family and when John was diagnosed with cancer and a stairlift was installed in the family home ensuring he could remain there for as long as possible.

Tracy added: “Even though he worked on planes in the RAF, it was a childhood dream of his to sit in a Spitfire, as it was his favourite plane.

“He could not believe that the RAF Benevolent Fund would do that for him, that they would go out of their way to make one of his dreams come true.

"He said it was beyond what he had ever imagined.

“Dad is usually a really talkative man, and he was just overwhelmed and sat back and took it all in.”

Spitfire pilot Don Sigournay paid his respects, dipping the wings of his plane in tribute to John’s service as he flew past the hangar.