The West Wales Veterans’ Archive was saddened to hear of the passing of World War Two veteran Jean McKay on the 11th of July 2021. She was 99 years old.
Born and raised in London, Jean began working for the Home Office shortly after the Second World War began and remembered personally handing bombing reports to Prime Minister Winston Churchill during the Blitz.
Seeking more excitement, she left the Home Office and joined the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. She trained in Meteorology and was posted to Prestwick in Scotland, where she met her future husband.
Jean left the WAAF when she became pregnant with the couple’s eldest daughter but her husband, H.H. McKay, remained with the Met Office throughout his career. The couple had two more children and lived in many places including London, Dunfermline, Gibraltar, Highnam, Cologne, Surrey and Aberporth, where they eventually retired in 1984.
We were truly honoured to work with Jean in July 2020 to record and share her experiences. Our thoughts and sympathies are with all of Jean’s family and friends at this difficult time.
Jean McKay in 1945, as painted by her colleague in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF)
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Can you help us identify the two soldiers in this photo? The two men are thought to be Welsh Guards who fought to liberate the Dutch city of Eindhoven during World War Two.