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Name: SWOFFER, Frank Arthur MBE (Squadron Leader)
Birth Date: 17 Mar 1892 Islington, London, bapt. 17 Apr
Death Date: 19 July 1946 Guernsey
First Date: 1922
Last Date: 1939
Profession: Pilot with Wilson Airways
Area: Gilgil
Married: 1. In Cheltenham 27 Oct 1923 Esther Joan Festing Smith b. 1902 St Budeaux, Devon, d. 24 May 1934 Cheltenham 2. Agnes Constance Mary b. 17 Aug 1914, d. 29 Oct 1992 Malvern
Children: Maureen (1925); Patrick A. D. (1929 Cheltenham)
Book Reference: Hut, Pembroke, Red 22, Aero, Mills, DNW
War Service: London Regt.; RAF in WW2
General Information:
Pembroke - 'On October the 21st 1929 Captain Swoffer of Wilson Airways landed at Gilgil and then flew round the school so boys could see his machine.
Aero - Flight Lieut. F.A. Swoffer, MBE was engaged as pilot [Wilson Airways], who for many years had been Pilot Instructor at the Hampshire Light Aeroplane Club.
EAS - 14 Dec 1929 - Flt Lt F.A. Swoffer with a passenger left Nairobi at 10.55 on Friday morning in Wilson Airways Moth 'Knight of the Mists' to fly to Arusha. After 10 minutes flying the engine revs dropped considerably and the pilot decided to land and determine the trouble. A perfect landing was made on the plains about 11 miles from Nairobi. As it was found impossible to make the necessary running repairs at the moment Flt Lt and passenger were forced to make the return journey on foot which took them 4 hours.
DNW - He enlisted into the 9th London Regiment on 6 August 1914 and served with that unit in France and Flanders from 4 November 1914 until he was invalided home due to a gunshot wound in the face on 21 April 1915. After a spell in hospital Swoffer was discharged to a commission as Second Lieutenant in the 4/7th Middlesex Regimnet and returned to France. He was appointed as a Flying Officer; Military Wing (Aeroplanes) in the Royal Flying Corps on 12 October 1916 but was wounded 2 days later. He was again wounded on 30 November 1916. Promoted to Lieutenant in the Middlesex Regiment in July 1917. Swoffer then saw service with No. 84 squadron and later 22 Wing HQ. He was appointed acting Captain and Technical Officer in the RAF on 1 April 1918 and transferred to the Reserve in 1927. He was subsequently an instructor to the Hampshire Aeroplane Club and carried out demonstration tours in East Africa and China. On the outbreak of war in 1939 Swoffer was appointed Flight Lieutenant, Administrative and Special Duties Branch and was promoted to Squadron Leader in December 1941. He retired in 1946 and went to Guernsey as an airport controller but died there on 19 July of that year.