Tributes paid to Second World War veteran

Richard Youle, local democracy reporter

Tributes have been paid to a former RAF flight engineer from Swansea who set up anti-aircraft barrage balloons and went on to fly 30 bombing missions in the Second World War.

Flight Lieutenant Fred Jeacock, who has died aged 105, was seconded to a Royal Canadian Air Force squadron during the war after it suffered heavy losses.

After taking part in the bombing raids Mr Jeacock worked in various RAF roles including instructor before returning to Swansea and marrying Joan, the young woman he had met while billeted in St Thomas, on August 15, 1945 – the day the war finally ended in the Far East.

Frederick Jeacock was born on September 26, 1919, in Cranleigh, Surrey. One of seven children he left school at 14 to work for WH Smith and enlisted in the RAF as a flight mechanic six months before the outbreak of war in 1939.

Barrage balloon operator

Speaking about his war-time service six years ago Mr Jeacock said he and others were waiting ages for a flight mechanic course and so trained as barrage balloon operators. The large tethered balloons were positioned on land and at sea to deter enemy aircraft and protect ground targets.

This role brought the young Mr Jeacock to Swansea in 1940, where he described how four barrage balloons were set up from buoys in Swansea Bay from West Pier to Mumbles, with others on locations on the land.

While living in a vacated school building in Morris Lane, St Thomas, he met Joan – the school janitor’s granddaughter. “We were chatting away, and that was it,” he said.

He left Swansea to do an engine mechanics course, and signed up for air crew service. That led to a flight engineer course at St Athan, training in Halifax and Lancaster bombers, and then action over the skies of Germany.

“The worst time was just waiting by the aircraft for instructions to get in and get going,” he said of the bombing operations. “Once you were on the job everything settled down.”

Cable inspector

Mr Jeacock stayed in the RAF until 1950, and then worked in a number of jobs before being employed as a cable inspector for Aluminium Wire and Cable Company, Port Tennant, close to where and his wife lived in St Thomas. They had a son, Alan.

Alan, 78, of Manselton, said his father liked working on cars and was a “marvellous” dad. “You couldn’t ask for better,” he said. “He would go without for me – him and my mother. He was strict, but it never did me any harm.” Mrs Jeacock died in 2006.

Alan said his father used to love the annual air show in Swansea, where Swansea Council’s armed forces champion, Cllr Wendy Lewis, got to know him.

“Fred was a reserved Englishman and he never liked being called a hero, last year at the air show he couldn’t understand why everyone wanted to meet him,” said Cllr Lewis.

“I will remember Fred fondly as I was very proud of him and I loved that he was reserved and didn’t know why he was having the fuss made of him. I will miss him dearly and I have no one to fuss over at the air show this year but I’m sure he will be there in spirit.”

In recent times Mr Jeacock was looked after at Rose Cross House care home, Penlan, which his son Alan praised for their care. He died on April 23.

He is survived by his youngest brother, Ron, his son Alan, Alan’s two surviving children and Alan’s five grandchildren.

The City of Swansea RAF Association is planning to bring standards, play Last Post, and bring as many people from the Armed Forces community as possible to Mr Jeacock’s funeral, although a date has not been set yet.

Alan said one of his father’s war-time Canadian crewmates used to send him Christmas cards, and asked him to visit Canada. He said his father didn’t go because the trip would have been too expensive.

Alan recalled his father saying that air crews bonded closely but that, given the peril of what they were facing, friendships with other squadron members weren’t so close. “They never knew whether they would see tomorrow,” said Alan.