All of us here at the RAF Association are deeply saddened by the death of Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) veteran Rose Davies, aged 107.
Rose joined the WAAF at the age of 23 and played a key role during the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944 as a radar operator.
Rose Davies at Ventnor in 1944.
Stationed at RAF Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, Rose was in charge of radar operators as the Allied invasion force crossed the Channel to land on the beaches of Normandy as part of Operation Overlord.
After the war, Rose returned to her hometown of Shrewsbury, where she married her sweetheart Wilf, and together raised sons Michael and Jonathan.
Rose was committed to charity work, serving as a Samaritan for 40 years. She also served as the Vice President of the Association's Shrewsbury and District branch.
In recognition of her incredible contribution during the D-Day landings, Rose was awarded France's top military honour, the Legion d'Honneur in 2016, for her vital radar surveillance work.
Speaking decades after D-Day, she reflected: "I always felt my role on D-Day was insignificant in comparison to those brave lads who risked their lives and, in some cases, lost them."
