Michael Bowyer, who has died aged 95, was the author of many aviation books as well as a dedicated primary school teacher. His encyclopedic knowledge and rigorous research enhanced his many popular publications.
His book on the RAF’s versatile Mosquito, co-authored with C Martin Sharp, was published by Faber in 1971 and became the standard work on the subject. Mike recalled the publishing house applying the principle insisted on by its former leading light, the poet TS Eliot, to “leave parentheses to the mathematicians”.
He also contributed to the Action Stations series, which tell the story by region of the UK’s military airfields, his first being Military Airfields of East Anglia 1939-1945 (1979).
Mike was such a prolific writer that it is hard to believe he had a day job. However, for around 30 years he taught at Morley Memorial school, Cambridge. Among his young charges were Roger Waters and Syd Barrett, later of Pink Floyd, and the singer Olivia Newton-John.
Born in Cambridge, to Louisa (nee Brown) and Montague Bowyer, a local authority mental health officer, Michael remained in the city for the rest of his life. As a toddler he witnessed the R101 airship fly overhead. As a pupil at the Cambridge and county high school he would cycle around the area to “spot” at the numerous military airfields. While still a schoolboy he had tea with the inventor of the jet engine, Frank Whittle, who was then studying at Peterhouse, Cambridge.
During the second world war his father was in the home guard and Mike would often accompany him to see the results of enemy bombing raids, including a lethal daylight raid on Newmarket. He also saw the first Spitfires in squadron service at RAF Duxford, and witnessed the RAF and US aircraft take the war to the enemy.
Mike’s national service was also in the RAF, but in his case firmly on the ground in intelligence and analysis. This background led him to begin writing on RAF activities. He was a regular contributor to Airfix Magazine from its launch in 1960, and in 1969 published his first book, Fighting Colours: RAF Fighter Camouflage and Markings, 1937-1969.
Following national service he did his teacher training, and took a job at Morley in the 1950s. His passion for travel with his wife, Audrey (nee Cardinal), whom he married in 1956, and who died in 2017, also led to his engagement, Mike told me, to undertake “assignments” for unspecified government departments. He liked to conjure up the image of himself as a bespectacled, unobtrusive holidaymaker, equipped with the latest in camera technology, procuring detailed photographs on behalf of HM government.
For many years Michael JF Bowyer was for me simply a name on the spines of some great aviation books on my shelves. We finally met in 1986, when I was working at the Imperial War Museum Duxford, and became friends.
Mike retired from teaching in 1984. From that period until 2001 he would help to organise the RAF Mildenhall air fete. He was still giving lectures on his favourite subjects until recently.
