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Battle of Britain link to Flying Boat Centre


An historic link between the Battle of Britain of 70 years ago and Pembroke Dock’s remarkable flying boat story has been made through the donation of a pilot’s logbooks to the town’s Sunderland Trust.

The logbooks belonged to the late Wing Commander Charles ‘Red’ Stavert who as a young Pilot Officer flew Hurricane and Spitfire fighters in 1940 in both the Battle of France and Battle of Britain campaigns.

After distinguished wartime service ‘Red’ Stavert stayed on in the RAF and in 1951 converted onto flying boats, joining 230 Squadron at Pembroke Dock as a Flight Commander. Here he flew the famous Sunderland.

One of his regular crew was the then Sergeant Signaller Ron Boreham, now a stalwart member of the volunteer crew which runs the town’s Flying Boat Centre for the Sunderland Trust.

“We called him Captain and he was a Flight Lieutenant at the time,” Ron recalled. “We used to joke with him that he handled the Sunderland as if he was still in a Hurricane. He was an excellent pilot.”

The logbooks and other items from the collection were donated to the Trust by Wing Commander Stavert’s son, David, and daughter-in-law, Rosemary, when they visited the Flying Boat Centre recently.

“My father flew many aircraft but he had a soft spot for the wonderful Sunderland,” said David, “and we feel that Pembroke Dock is exactly the right place for the logbooks to be kept.”

The Trust plans to exhibit the logbooks when it acquires more display space.

David and Rosemary Stavert hand over Wing Commander ‘Red’ Stavert’s logbooks to
Ron Boreham (right) of the Pembroke Dock Flying Boat Centre’s volunteer crew.
Martin Cavaney Photography.
From: John Evans, Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust, 01646 623427.

The Pembroke Dock News Portal Team