Plans for Fred Jenning’s 100th birthday celebrations begin to take flight

Fred Jennings, who lives in Lisburn, was born on February 16, 1925, during the golden age of aviation.

A former RAF man, it is fitting that, weather permitting, a large RAF aircraft will complete a flypast on Friday, February 14, outside the Ulster Aviation museum at the Maze/Long Kesh development site.

“He’s an outstanding example of living history,” said Ray Burrows MBE, chairman of the Ulster Aviation Society. “And he’s been an outstanding member of our organisation for more than 20 years.”

The Society will be celebrating Fred’s 100th birthday on Saturday, February 15 at its museum at the old Long Kesh airfield.

Fred enlisted in the RAF during that World War Two, serving in the UK and the continent as a radar technician.

“Fred Jennings is amazing,” Ray continued. “Up until very recently he was one of our most active members, putting together an aviation library second to none and establishing a specialised radio collection as well.

"He has a very special place in our hearts and we wish him the happiest and most memorable 100th birthday.”

Fred’s fascination with aviation began many years ago.

He was nine years old in 1934, at his home in Newmarket, Suffolk, when a bright red aircraft roared into sight. It was a DH88 racer on its way to set a speed record to Australia, where it won a coveted trophy. Fred was fascinated.

When war broke out, Fred was naturally drawn to the world of aeroplanes.

The air force taught him a trade, and the new recruit eventually found himself as a ground crewman in the tumult of a massive air war in Europe.

At one point in 1945, a German air raid pulverized his squadron’s base in Belgium. He dove for cover. Once the smoke and dust cleared he found his headset nearby, “blown to smithereens,” he said, by a cannon shell.

Post-war, he was based in India but his RAF career ended in 1947.

He extended his training to civilian radar and eventually landed at Nutt’s Corner airport in Northern Ireland.

In 1950 he met and married a young radar operator named Margaret.

Theirs was a long and loving marriage, but Margaret died in 2004. They were the parents of three children, two of whom live in Northern Ireland.

Fred’s career finally took him to nearby Aldergrove airport, where he ran the radio navigation station as senior telecommunications officer.

Fred’s passion for aviation didn’t end when he finished his career. Instead he shared his skills and knowledge with the Ulster Aviation Society, which has its base at the Maze in Lisburn.

He joined the Ulster Aviation Society just before its collection was re-located in 2005 from Langford Lodge to its present location at Lisburn.

The 100th birthday tribute on February 15 is set to begin at 2pm. The celebrations will include several special guests by invitation, refreshments, and a flypast, weather permitting.