John Blake Airshow Commentator Now RIP

[Stratton]

I have to tell you that John Blake died today, Wednesday 23rd May, at 17:20.

He was comfortable and on a morphine drip to ensure he had no pain.

This is now a time to celebrate the life of the John Blake we knew.

Remember the laughs and take a piece of him forward in our lives.


John Blake, Guild of Aviation Artist, Raconteur,
Historian and Airshow Commentator

John Blake, Guild of Aviation Artist, Raconteur, Historian and Airshow Commentator

John Blake began his adult life at about the same time as the Second World War also started. He originally wished to enter the Royal Air Force (his Father having been in the Royal Flying corps), but was turned down as at that point there were no vacancies!! He therefore joined the Irish Guards as a subaltern and hence commenced his own type of war, causing chaos, blowing up bridges and for a short time owning a ME109, which he subsequently blew up, with spectacular results, in case the original owner re-appeared. He was heavily involved with the ‘Micks’ (Irish Guards) in Operation Market Garden after his landing in Normandy on the beaches. John had an individual style of service life. On entering Brussels the local community were found to be ‘acquiring’ back, from the recently departed Germans, supplies from the Palais de Justice. Order had to be maintained and John, as part of the Regimental Pioneer Platoon (things that go bang) put up notice to say that the Palais was mined and all should keep clear. It was not until several months later, when he was back in England recovering from being hit by an unfriendly German shell, just outside Arnhem, and attending a refresher course about defusing bombs that he remembered that he had forgotten to take the sign down. His memory was jogged by the instructor complaining about ‘so many false ‘beware of the mines’ signs’. It was while completing his recovery that he, and his sergeant, where on a range checking the results of hand grenades on different types of rock that his Sergeant dropped a live grenade. John, without much thought, picked the grenade up to get rid of it and it exploded taking his right hand with it, and causing multiple injuries to the rest of him.

After the war, and patched up as well as could be done, he attended the Glasgow School of Art where, having to change hands, he trained as an artist. A skill he was to use until very recently and which has made him a Fellow of the Guild of Aviation artists and a former Chairman of the said Guild. He found employment with the Royal Aero Club of the United Kingdom as their librarian. This suited him down to the ground, as his other love is Naval, Army and Air Force history. He had the run of the Library at the Royale Aeronautical Society and was paid to do this.

It was during this time he was asked to commentate at a little airshow. This was the start of a long and distinguished career as the leading airshow commentator this country has ‘heard’. Airshows up and down the country, in the sixties, seventies, eighties and into the nineties had the good fortune to have such a historian and raconteur entreating their audience with such knowledge and skill. There will never be a replacement as a commentator for John, and I write that as his successor as Chief Commentator at Farnborough. My commentating colleagues at airshows have a lot to thank John for as he set the bar and standard that we try to emanate.

John is a founder member of the Tiger Club, but due to his loss of a hand (which he never thought of as any type of disability) was not able to get his Private Pilots Licence until the CAA relaxed their rules and looked at individual cases on their own merit. John became a stalwart of the British Aerobatic Association and an International Aerobatic Judge and was the Contest Director for the World Aerobatic Championships held in Hullavington in 1970.

The stories surrounding John from falling down a nunnery staircase with an armed Rocket Propelled Grenade (this one did not go off), to meeting aviation greats like Uri Gagarin, to towing the Admiral commanding the Royal Yacht Britannia across the forecourt at Buckingham Palace are all true.

A man who would always put himself out to help others and use himself as a stepping stone to develop someone’s career.

Stratton Richey

[Dragon Rapide]

His voice has stayed with me down the decades and is a fond memory of Farnborough in the sixties and seventies. I am very sorry to hear that his health is poor and I hope the auction raises as much as possible for him. If there was the remotest chance of me being there I would but sadly it is not possible.

[Martin the Martian]

Most definitely agreed.

My favourite John Blake moment was at one Farnborough (can't remember which) with black skies approaching from the north and heavy rain blotting out everything beneath them, and John broke into his commentary and said something like: "now it's going to rain very heavily in a few minutes so I suggest that you forget all about the aeroplanes and go inside where you can be dry and wait for it to go away".

A great shame that he has to do this just to live out the rest of his life with the support he needs. Something is wrong in this country.

[Iain PlanesTV]

Thank you for taking the time to write this here Stratton, very sorry to hear John's not well. I have fond memories of Shuttleworth seasons in the mid-nineties being captured by his humour.

I remember tagging along with my Dad to record some narration in Dover with John and being struck by what seemed (to an 11/12 year old me) like a treasure trove of aviation books etc. He was kind enough to gift me a spare B-24 book. I will try to make the auction to pass on my thanks for sowing some of the seeds that got me into the business I enjoy so much today.

[pbeardmore]

As Farnborough was my very first airshow, I also have fond memories.

Please be aware that the auction does accept phone or live internet bids so it would be a nice gesture if a few of us at least put in a bid or purchased something:

In person: Being present at the auction provides the convenience of being able to remove the lots that you have purchased when the sale ends, provided you choose to pay by credit or debit card, guaranteed cheque or cash.
Commission bid: Also called an 'Absentee bid'. A member of our staff will bid on your behalf and attempt to purchase the lot as cheaply as is permitted by other bids or reserves. Commission bids can be posted, faxed or emailed to us, or you can fill in our Online Bidding Slip (below). PLEASE REMEMBER TO PROVIDE YOUR FULL NAME AND ADDRESS.
Telephone bid: You can contact our office to arrange a telephone bid. A member of our staff will telephone you a few minutes before bidding commences on your specified lot and will bid on your behalf, according to your instructions. This service is only available on lots with a minimum pre-sale estimated value of £300.
Live Internet bidding: Available on all our sales via http://www.the-saleroom.com
Click here for a guide on buying with http://www.the-saleroom.com

[Dragon Rapide]

Thank you for that. I will certainly make the effort to buy something, apart from helping him to get as much as possible from his remaining years but also as a gestrure of thanks to a man who gave me so much pleasure over so many years.

[Stratton]

Would everyone like me to set up a fund so that small donations can be made to one of John's prefered charities. I have to declare that I am Chairman of one of those charities at which we take disadvantaged and disabled youngsters flying, and to the Special Needs Fligh Day at Duxford.

[Dragon Rapide]

You have my support.

[Stratton]

For those who would like to make a small donation as a thank you to John I have set a page on the charity HighFlight. I have to declare that I am the (non paid) Chairman and founder.

This link will take you to the donation page

http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/strattonrichey2

and this to the charity to read more http://www.highflight.info

These funds will be used for our gliding operations at the Kent Gliding Club.

[Dragon Rapide]

Thank you. I am pleased to have had the opportunity of making a donation as ba way of thanking John for enhancing my Farnborough and Biggin Hill experience!

[Stratton]

I have to tell you that John Blake died today, Wednesday 23rd May, at 17:20.

He was comfortable and on a morphine drip to ensure he had no pain.

This is now a time to celebrate the life of the John Blake we knew.

Remember the laughs and take a piece of him forward in our lives.

[Kieran]

R.I.P

[FlyingMachinesTV]

Very sad news.

[Finningley Boy]

Another piece of tapestry of the air scene at its best over the post war decades gone. John certainly brought a most professional tone and class to commentary position and a stalwart of both Farnborough and Biggin Hill!

R.I.P. John

[Dragon Rapide]

Another piece of my aviation history lost - at least only in the flesh. As Stratton has said we can continue to enjoy all those marvellous memories and the joy and pleasure John brought to our lives. He was the voice of aviation for me, because of his unique Farnborough and Biggin commentaries over a period of probably 20 years. A very sad loss.

[andyxh558]

Really sorry to hear the bad news. RIP John.


may i ask you stratton are you the commentator that used to do woodford airshow? if you are I would like to say thank you for that over the years and you were my voice of airshows as well as John.

[tankbuster81]

Extremley sad too hear this news.John was a large part of my entry into the aviation world at Biggin hill shows.i can hear him laughing in my head now.Gentleman,commentator,and a fine chap.god rest his soul.

[patrouille2001]

RIP John, thank you for all the memories I have. One memory is during the early nineties, at Farnborough, a terifric thunderstorm was overhead, A bolt of lightning lit up the sky and John commentated, say there was a loightning back in the skys over farnborough (think there was a Cathay pacific Airbus displaying at the time}

Thank you for all the good times

Paul

[Lomcevak26]

Very sad news indeed - RIP. Two massive losses to the airshow community this month, and last, from his and Jock's deaths.

[st24]

An airshow legend, no mistake. His mix of fact and fiction, dry fun and seriousness was not bettered.

I always recall a BBMF Spit turning finals and making a bit of a hash of landing, bouncing like a good 'un; the commentary went something like "and the Spit was always a handful to master, as demonstrated on all 3 of those landings...."

[Lomcevak26]

One that's just come back to me is from Biggin Hill Air Fair 1995, on the Sunday, following a fantastic, vapour-wrapped performance from Anatoly Kvotchur in the Su-27. Something like: "well, after THAT, he could probably display inside a cereal box!"

Tremendous man.

[Mad Dan]

My abiding memory is of John Blake setting the scene at Farnborough by using Laffans Plain and the Black Sheds as reference points...as well as remarks such as "and now, running in from the Laffans Plain end"...

[AARDVARK]

RIP.A Legendary commentator who defined a golden era of airshows in this country,was fortunate to hear his commentary on many occassions and always enjoyed it immensely,god speed.

[duxfordhawk]

I am pretty sure John is having a chat about old times with Jock Maitland and Ray Hanna on some lovely fluffy cloud somewhere.
Between them they made Biggin Hill airshows so special and something that lives on with me and many others. John always made you feel part of a family at Biggin Hill which was something I felt he passed on to anyone who worked with him too.
I remember arrivals day before the show John would always do his commentary even then and there was only a few of us in the airfield at that time. Everytime he spoke it was with humour as well as great insight and passion.

I hope the auction goes/has gone well, I am sorry I am unable to bid on anything at the moment for money reasons, But will gladly give to the cause when things improve.

[jerry.mead]

For me there's never been anyone half as good as Blake was in putting you in the cockpit of the displaying aircraft and talking you through the routine. Combine that with an inexhaustible fund of anecdotes and a horribly wicked sense of humour, and you have the best there ever was in making aviation accessible to the visiting throng.

Like Strat, I worked hard to emulate John but personally I never got anywhere close ... something that he was never slow to point out when we worked together, opening our shows as "John Blake your PRINCIPAL commentator" and making it quite clear that he was having to put up with the odd interjection from "the Stupid Boy" who had been foisted onto him for the day.

The industry is hugely less rich with his passing.