The Sir Alan Cobham Memorial Award

(formerly the Award of Merit)
Awarded for meritorious service to the Company.

2019 awarded to:  Ruth Mary Cundy

As all members of the Air Pilots Company will know, Ruth Cundy’s name is almost synonymous with the ‘Company office’.  Ruth began as a secretarial assistant with the Company, or Guild as it was then, in 2001 and working closely with the Clerk during the past 18 years helped to transform a small, somewhat disjointed administrative system into an efficient, contemporary ‘head office’.

She was an integral element of the team that makes the whole organisation tick and work as successfully as it does.  Her detailed oversight of all aspects of the Company’s work – and events in particular - has directly helped to create the reputation for efficiency that the Air Pilots Company, and particularly its main office, enjoys both externally and among its members.  There is barely an aspect of the Company and its membership and administrative processes in which Ruth did not have a direct involvement.

But Ruth also became a friend to many members during her time in the Company and is well-known both within the UK and in the Regions.  She developed an affection for the Company and its members way beyond its role as her former employer, and this has been reciprocated by the Company with her investiture earlier this year as a Liveryman.  However, she accomplished so much more which is deserving of further recognition, and for which she is a very deserving recipient of the Sir Alan Cobham Memorial Award.

Previous Winners:

As the Award of Merit:

1959/60   E B Trubshaw Esq

1960/61   Wing Commander C E F Arthur AFC

1961/62   C L Pashley Esq MBE AFC

     Group Captain H A Purvis DFC AFC

1964/65   C A Nepean Bishop Esq

1965/66   Miss Sheila Scott

1966/67   C C H Dash Esq

1968 - 1970  Not Awarded

1970/71   Mrs V Dowling

1971/72   E Day Esq

1973   Not Awarded

1973/74   Lieutenant Colonel R Smith ERD
          Sir Frederick Tymms KCIE MC

1974/75   L A Wingfield Esq MC DFC
          Captain J E Futcher

1975/76   Captain R E Gillman DFC

1976/77   A P W Cane Esq

1977/78   J L B Cowan Esq

1979 - 1980  Not Awarded

1980/81   Captain Brian Powell

1981/82   Captain Jack Nicholl

1982/83   Robert Pooley Esq

1984   Not Awarded

1984/85   W T F Rossiter Esq

1986   Not Awarded

1986/87   Captain Charles A Owens LVO

1987/88   Captain John D Mackellar

1988/89   Cyril (Ray) Jeffs Esq OBE

1989/90   Captain Neville Grady

1991   Not Awarded

1991/92   Captain Maurice R Aries

1993 - 1994 Not Awarded

1994/95   Raymond Baxter Esq

1995/96   The late Ronald D Campbell Esq MBE

1996/97   Dr Michael Bagshaw

1997/98   Past Master Fred S Stringer

1998/99   Hugh O Field Esq

1999/2000   Captain Ray Heiniger

2000/01   Captain Clive E Elton

2001/02   Captain Jack G L Smith 

2002/03   Captain C L Hodgkinson

2003/04   Captain John B Robinson

2004/05   Captain John Mason

2005/06   Michael J A Glover

2006/07  Captain David Martin

2007/08   John W Kessey

2008/09  Captain Richard (Dick) Felix

2009/10  Captain Ian Frow

2011  Not Awarded

2011/12  John Stuart Burley Esq OBE FRAeS

2013 Not Awarded

2013/14 Ronald Price

2015 Not Awarded

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As the Sir Alan Cobham Memorial Award:

2016  Not Awarded

2017 David C Curgenven

      Peter Adrian Bird

2018  Donna Farquhar

      Captain Barry Mitchell

2019  Ruth M Cundy