My father died in Wrexham Hospital on 10th September 1998 at the age of eighty-two. After a funeral in St. Collen’s Parish Church in Llan-gollen, he was buried in the burial ground overlooking the River Dee, in which he had swum and fished as a boy, and the Llangollen to Cor-wen railway line, on which he had travelled every day in his youth.
Following his memorial service at St. Clement Dane’s on 14th December, the CAS, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon arranged for a flypast of four Tornados from 43 (F) Squadron from Leuchars, my father’s first squadron.
To commemorate my father’s life my mother gave a silver salver – the Rosier trophy – to 43 Squadron, which is presented annually to ‘the officer, NCO or airman who has done the best to foster the fighting spirit of 43 (Fighter) Squadron’. The trophy was presented to the squadron in 2000 and the first winner was Flight Lieutenant Mark Chappell.
In addition, my mother endowed a consulting room at King Edward VII’s Hospital in London which bears my father’s name.
David Rosier