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Blake, Geoffrey Alan Stanford, son of Henry Edward Blake MRCS, and Gwendoline May, d. of Stanley Stanford of Edgbaston, Warks; b. 18 July 1922; adm. Sept. 1935 (H); left Dec. 1939; RAF (LAC), killed on active service 6 April 1941.
Geoffrey Alan Stanford Blake was born at Lambeth, South London on the 22nd of April 1922 the only son of Dr Henry Edward Blake MRCS and Gwendoline May (nee Stanford) Blake of Edgbaston in Warwickshire and of 98, Gloucester Place, Hyde Park in London. He was educated at Westminster School where he was up Homeboarders from September 1935 to December 1939. He played at goalkeeper for the Football XI in 1939. He was a member of the Officer Training Corps and achieved Certificate A in March 1939.
He enlisted in the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve and was posted to No. 5 Service Flying Training School based at RAF Tern Hill for pilot training.
At 3.10am on the 6th of April 1941, Geoffrey Blake took off for a solo night training flight in Master Mk I T8569. At the time he had accumulated a total of 45.55 hours of total solo flying time of which 17 hours were on Master aircraft. As the aircraft lifted off it collided with the roof of a hangar, causing the aircraft to crash and burn out, killing him.
His funeral took place on the 10th of April 1941.
The Elizabethan wrote of him: - “Most members of the School will remember well his consistent cheerfulness and the grace and agility with which he kept goal for the School during his last term.”
He is buried at St Peter’s Church, Stoke-Upon-Tern Row F Grave 212.
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Leading Aircraftman 1259650 No. 5 Service Flying Training School, Royal Air Force
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International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) 2nd edition
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Prepared for import into AtoM by Westminster School Archive staff, 2019-2020. Updated by Bethany Duck, Archives Assistant, September 2022.
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Sources
The Record of Old Westminsters: A biographical list of all those who are known to have been educated at Westminster School from Play 1919 to Election 1989, Volume 4, compiled by F.E. Pagan and H.E. Pagan, Padstow, 1992
Westminster School Second World War Memorial by John C. Hamblin, 2022.