My husband, Bob Body, who has died aged 73, dedicated his life to researching and documenting the work of the RAF Special Duties squadrons of the second world war, sparked by the story of his uncle Flt Lt John Menzies, a pilot with No 161 (Special Duties) Squadron who was lost on operations into occupied Europe. Bob wrote two books on the subject – Taking the Wings of the Morning (2003), about the search for Menzies; and Runways to Freedom (2016), a history of the squadrons.
On inheriting his uncle’s medals in 1985, Bob became determined to find out what had happened to him. He began to research the work of the two highly secret squadrons, based at RAF Tempsford in Bedfordshire, and to glean information that had been unavailable for many years.
In 1997 Menzies’s remains were discovered in the IJsselmeer, a lake in the Netherlands, and he was buried with full military honours alongside his crew in the little town of Makkum, in Friesland. This discovery marked the beginning of the most serious phase of Bob’s research work.
Born in Egham, Surrey, Bob was the son of Anne (nee Menzies) and John Body, a town planning officer. He went to Strode’s college in the town. He and I married in 1981, settling in Farnborough, Hampshire.
Alongside his day job as a technical officer for a manufacturer of building supplies, Bob worked hard in his research of the squadrons. At the outset, some of the records were still unavailable, and those that could be accessed were in hard copy or microfilm/fiche only, necessitating hours of transcription in the National Archives at Kew. Bob built up an enormous library of records.
After the discovery of his uncle’s remains in 1997, Bob and I met the families of the crew members, and a group was formed. In 2000, we set up a website as a point of contact between the group, which now has about 400 members. As more relatives came forward with requests for information, Bob would research each individual on their behalf and report back with his findings.
In 2006, following the death of his father, Bob took early retirement and we moved to Crete. As well as continuing his work on the squadrons, Bob volunteered with a local animal welfare group, fundraising and helping with neutering campaigns.
I survive him.
