Personal information

Son of aircraft manufacturer Sir Charles Richard Fairey, MBE (Wikipedia) and Queenie Henrietta Markey; husband of Atalanta Alice Devin Fairey. Richard "Dick" Fairey was educated at Harrow and Cambridge, became a pilot and joined the company of his father in the jig and tool office in 1936. He served as ferry pilot in Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) from 26 August 1940 to December 1941, shortly afterwards he was on passage aboard Ringstad from the UK to USA to join his father. He spent six days in a lifeboat after the sinking of this ship and as a result of frostbite and exposure, both his legs were amputated below the knee. After the war he rejoined Fairey Aviation Co Ltd and became a Director and later Vice-Chairman.