The Airmen's Stories - F/Lt. R F Watts

Roy Frederick Watts was born on 13th September 1914 and joined the RAF in 1938 on one of the few direct-entry Permanent Commissions offered each year to university graduates.

He was posted to 7 FTS Peterborough on 4th June and after completing his training joined the staff of the School of Naval Co-operation at Ford.

Watts was posted to 253 Squadron at Kirton-in-Lindsey from 7 OTU Hawarden on 1st July 1940. He was shot down by a Me109 on 1st December and crash-landed near Ashford in Hurricane V6881.

His subsequent service is currently undocumented except that it is known that he commanded 253 Squadron from November 1941 to May 1942 and from 1st March 1944 may have been Wing Commander OC at RAF Hawkinge. On 10th June 1946 Watts was Station OC at RAF Tengah.

He retired from the RAF on 4th October 1964 as a Group Captain.

Watts died in April 2006 in Kent.