Page 5 - Basil Arthur Templeman-Rooke

This post he held until the end of February 1945 when he was promoted Wing
Commander and appointed Commanding Officer 170 Squadron at
RAF Hemswell.
After the war, Wing Commander Templeman-Rooke was promoted to
command 210 Squadron specializing in maritime operations from
Northern Ireland.
In 1951 he was awarded a well-earned Air force cross.
After tours of duty in Malta, he commanded 205 Squadron, flying the
Shackleton from RAF Changi, Singapore. He retired from the RAF in 1971,
when he joined the Singapore Air Defence Command (SADC) with
the rank of Major.
With the withdrawal of British forces from the Far East in September 1971, the
recently established SADC assumed responsibility for the island's defence.
Major Templeman-Rooke commanded the operations division at the former
RAF Tengah, where Singapore's fledgling squadrons were forming with the
Hawker Hunter fighter and Strikemaster ground attack aircraft. After three
years he returned to England.
In 1975 he was appointed General Manager of the Chelmsford Golf Club at an
anxious time, when its fortunes were at a low ebb. Thanks to his planning and
good management, the club recovered to thrive once again.
A man of great modesty, he always claimed that his unorthodox methods had
allowed him to lead a "charmed life".
He never forgot his young aircrew who had lost their lives, and every year, he
made a point of attending the annual service of remembrance at the
RAF Memorial at Runnymede.
Wing Commander Templeman-Rooke passed away on July 28 , 2004 aged
th
83, a few weeks after the death of his second wife; Joan. He is survived by a
son Gary and two daughters, Carolynne and Michelle.