 
Brian "Taff" Wallis 21st August 1930 - 7th October 2013
Joe Dible's Memories of Taff
The Hunter Operators' Register I'm sure you will be saddened to learn that Brian (Taff) Wallis departed on his last flight on Monday 7th October at his home in Dublin. The ceremony was on Thursday 10Oct13.
Taff must have joined 263, one of the day fighter wing squadrons at Wattisham before my own arrival in January 1956 so therefore he had been on Meteor Mk 8's. Both 263 and 257 were equipped with the Hunter 2 although 263 had a mix with Mk5's as well. Conversion to the Hunter was carried out at Squadron level, as I was only No.6 course at Chivenor on the F1. The F Mk2 had the more powerful, if not reliable, Sapphire and with the light airframe could get to height smartly. Taff was the 263 IRE and a very clever carpenter and constructed, from Meteor drop tank boxes made of good quality 3 ply, the squadron coffee bar. It was much admired and even carried our own mugs complete with our Squadron badge/crest. I see from form my log book that I flew with Taff in his capacity of IRE on 10th January 1956 in order to demonstrate my ability, or lack of it, to fly the Vampire T11 without looking out of the widow. I well remember that he was a delight to fly with and rather different from the instructors and trappers whom I had been used to in the past training regime. We even carried out a take-off under the hood using only the G4F compass to keep straight such was his confidence in a new unknown pilot. I note that the sortie was 1hr 10 mins which suggests that we rather enjoyed the exercise. I see now that he signed my log 'B Wallis' and it was not until many years later that I learnt that he was called Brian!
Taff left at some time after 263 deployed to Wymeswold on 10Jun56 two months before we were re-equipped with that marvellous Mk 6 which, without tanks and follow up tailplane, was a total delight. I do remember an occasion, I think, whilst we were still at Wattisham and after Taff had left when he briefly re-appeared in a Sea Hawk which he had borrowed from some place, which must have been Yeovilton or Lossiemouth, I imagined. He described it as a very good weekend aeroplane.
It must have been 1962, or thereabouts, when I next met Taff who turned up at a party I was giving in my rented cottage at the foot of the Dublin Mountains along with Marie, whom he met in Germany where she was working for the Malcolm Clubs. She hailed from Dublin and they were over on a visit in spite of something being written in QRs! I was working for Aer-Lingus and had been in Dublin for some two years. He was wrestling with the problem as to whether to remain in the RAF or go the civil route so we spoke at length. He did not hold any civil licences at the time and I remember saying that Aer-Lingus was very short of pilots and a job was surely his. We know now that he stayed on and I lost touch with him.
In 1971 (?) he secured a job as B737 sim instructor with Aer-Lingus, a job he held till his retirement. A fellow, ex RAF chap, who was also instructing became a co-pilot on 737s but Taff did not make the move. I 'flew' with Brian, as he was now known which came as a surprise to me, many times usually on one engine, failed hydraulics and failures that I probably did not recognise and in a variable gusting cross wind! He sat on the jump seat saying very little except words of encouragement. As I dragged my shaking and sweat-drenched body from the box, he would de-brief calmly and kindly as he bought the tea. He became very popular and knew the 737 very well and is still talked about.
I took him and Marie on a number of trips to the U.S. on 747 and at TOC he was dispatched to the premier class were he could get down to the official business of the trip.
I know little of his RAF career after his first visit to Dublin but I gather that he spent time at RAF Aldergrove, in NI, where he was an 'air test' pilot for the MU who 'fettled' Phantoms. Visits to the Officers Mess at Aldergrove and as President of the ACA of the Republic of Ireland branch, which he ran with vigour, were happy affairs. He was awarded recognition for his work for ACA by the President and he continued on even when the ACA finally disbanded. It became a very successful 'Luncheon Club' and this is alive and well to this day.
Some two years ago 'The Retired Irish Airline Pilots Association' made Brian its first ever Honorary member in recognition of his time as a much admired sim instructor. (I wonder to this day if ever a sim instructor was to be admired, revered or even thought to be pleasant. I was a sim instructor at Chivenor on the Hunter and our section was I believe, hated!!!) Ho hum!
Al Pollock's Memories of Taff
Taff (born in Swansea) came out to 26(AC) Sqn at Oldenburg and was therefore now flying Hunter F Mk4's under Sqn Ldr John Severne AFC, where I remember Taff on the Sqn as a popular member of the Springboks. How sad we all felt when told the Sqn would be disbanded (Sandys Axe), which took place on 10th September 1957 until reforming on 7th June, 1958 at Ahlhorn.
On 3feb58 while I was up at Jever on 4(AC) Sqn, Taff joined 2 Squadron on Swift FR5's and fighter Reconnaissance. One of Brian's abiding memories must have been alongside an Inverted Roy Rimington in his Swift FR5 WN124 at lowish level when the donk stopped and Taff until then was actually trying to take a photo, a bit prematurely for their Xmas card, reportedly. Most know 'Lucky' Rimmy's incredible story of his successful ejection, then his parachute buckle unlocking with the ejection and his just managing to grab and grip the one legstrap preventing certain death as upside down and then, by that surly million to one chance of landing in the Weser so he did not break his neck and was quickly picked up by an Army officer in a boat but Roy can put me right on that - his second ejection I believe.
At Jever, Brian met his future wife, Marie, from Dublin, who worked with the Malcolm Club there, and they married in 1960. Brian was on the 229 OCU staff for a tour at Chivenor and later which must have been about mid 1968 was at 23 MU RAF Aldergrove and flight testing the Phantoms as they came through on acceptance.
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