Gilbert F FERN DFM; 1918-2010

FORMER East Dean Grammar School teacher and Second World War hero Gilbert Fern has died aged 92.

The RAF squadron leader who was born in Coleford, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal in 1942
after carrying out a daring mission to drop the French tricolour on the Arc De Triomphe at the height of the war.

The operation to boost French morale involved flying through the Paris suburbs and up the Champs Elysee
below roof level to avoid being shot at.

It was Gilbert's job to negotiate the plane's route through the streets and to drop the weighted flag onto the
famous landmark.

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Name: Gilbert F Fern
Spouse : Judith E Hart
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1972
Registration district: Forest of Dean
Registration county (inferred): Gloucestershire
Volume Number: 7b
Page Number: 1360

Name: Gilbert F Fern
Spouse : Mary E Hawkins
Date of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep 1941
Registration district: Forest of Dean
Registration county (inferred): Gloucestershire
Volume Number: 6a
Page Number: 1055

Name: Gilbert F Fern
Mother's Maiden Surname: Beach
Date of Registration: Apr May Jun 1918
Registration district: Westbury S
Registration county: Gloucestershire, Shropshire, Herefordshire
Volume Number: 6a
Page Number: 399

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Name: Minnie Fern
Death Registration Month/Year: 1965
Age at death (estimated): 78
Registration district: Forest of Dean
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 7b
Page: 368

Name: Denis M Fern
Death Registration Month/Year: 1962
Age at death (estimated): 76
Registration district: Forest of Dean
Inferred County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 7b
Page: 348

1911
FERN DENIS MARTIN M 1887 24 Westbury on Severn Gloucestershire
FERN MINNIE F 1887 24 Westbury on Severn Gloucestershire

Name: Denis M Fern
Year of Registration: 1910
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Westbury On Severn
County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 584

Name: [M_]Innie Beach
Year of Registration: 1910
Quarter of Registration: Oct-Nov-Dec
District: Westbury On Severn
County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 5[8_]4

1901
Jesse Hayden abt 1860 Brimpsfield, Gloucestershire, England Head Miserden, Gloucestershire
Sarah Ann Hayden abt 1867 Westbury, Wiltshire, England Wife Miserden, Gloucestershire
Alfred John Hayden abt 1896 Miserden, Gloucestershire, England Son Miserden, Gloucestershire
William Jesse Hayden abt 1898 Miserden, Gloucestershire, England Son Miserden, Gloucestershire
Ellen Kate Hayden abt 1889 Miserden, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Miserden, Gloucestershire
Elizth Ann Hayden abt 1891 Miserden, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Miserden, Gloucestershire
Edith Alice Hayden abt 1892 Miserden, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Miserden, Gloucestershire
Ethel Jane Hayden abt 1895 Miserden, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Miserden, Gloucestershire
Mildred Lottie Hayden abt 1900 Miserden, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Miserden, Gloucestershire
Dennis Fern abt 1887 Painswick, Gloucestershire, England Nephew Miserden, Gloucestershire

1901
Minnie Beach abt 1887 Cinderford, Gloucestershire, England [worker] Gloucester, Gloucestershire

1891
Sidney M Fern abt 1857 Miserden, Gloucestershire, England Head Painswick, Gloucestershire
Jane Fern abt 1857 Brimpsfield, Gloucestershire, England Wife Painswick, Gloucestershire
Harry W Fern abt 1879 Stroud, Gloucestershire, England Son Painswick, Gloucestershire
Mabel A Leo abt 1882 Painswick, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Painswick, Gloucestershire
James A Leo abt 1884 Painswick, Gloucestershire, England Son Painswick, Gloucestershire
Dennis M Leo abt 1887 Painswick, Gloucestershire, England Son Painswick, Gloucestershire
Cecil C Leo abt 1888 Painswick, Gloucestershire, England Son Painswick, Gloucestershire
Mildred N Leo abt 1890 Painswick, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Painswick, Gloucestershire

1891
Richard Hatton abt 1825 Yorkley, Gloucestershire, England Head East Dean, Gloucestershire
Mary Ann Hatton abt 1826 Coleford, Gloucestershire, England Wife East Dean, Gloucestershire
Susan Hatton abt 1854 Yorkley, Gloucestershire, England Daughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
George Beach abt 1865 Ruspidge, Gloucestershire, England Son-in-Law East Dean, Gloucestershire
Minnie Beach abt 1887 Ruspidge, Gloucestershire, England Granddaughter East Dean, Gloucestershire
Elsie Beach abt 1889 Ruspidge, Gloucestershire, England Granddaughter East Dean, Gloucestershire

Name: Dennis Martin Fern
Year of Registration: 1886
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Stroud (1837 Onw)
County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 822

Name: Minnie Beach
Year of Registration: 1886
Quarter of Registration: Jul-Aug-Sep
District: Westbury On Severn
County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 253

Name:Susan Hatton
Name: George Beach
Year of Registration: 1886
Quarter of Registration: Apr-May-Jun
District: Westbury On Severn
County: Gloucestershire
Volume: 6a
Page: 443

1881
Ephraim Beach abt 1825 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Head Westbury On Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Maria Beach abt 1828 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Wife Westbury On Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
James Beach abt 1862 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son Westbury On Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
George Beach abt 1865 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Son Westbury On Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Eliza Beach abt 1867 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury On Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire
Phoebe Beach abt 1869 East Dean, Gloucestershire, England Daughter Westbury On Severn - East Dean, Gloucestershire

1871
Ephraim Beach 46
Maria Beach 44
Emanuel Beach 18
William Beach 14
Sidney Beach 11
James Beach 9
George Beach 6
Phebe Beach 4
Eliza Beach 2
John Weale 68

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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Is this the same Mr Fern that taught us all wood and metal work at EDGS during the 50s? He's the one that made sure none of us cut of fingers etc.

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I also meant to say, if this is the man I remember, he was a great teacher with endless patience.

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I'll second that. Hr certainly needed patience teaching me Technical drawing but I passed the 'O' level because of him.
A great man.

Dave

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The same man.

After the war Gilbert resumed his career as a handicraft teacher, a role that incorporated woodwork, metalwork and technical drawing.

After a brief spell in the West Midlands he returned to the Forest to take up a post at East Dean Grammar School in Coleford.

He taught there for more than 30 years with several generations of Foresters passing through his classes up until his retirement in 1982.

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Ἀριστοτέλης A Gloster Boy in the Forest of Dean ><((((*>

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Gilbert Fern will also be fondly remembered by many who attended Coleford Youth Club.

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Gilbert Fern, until his death, was President of the East Dean Grammar School Old Scholars Association, named the Oak Leaves Association. The Chairman of Oak Leaves is Robert Ensor another well-known East Dean Scholar, local farmer and businessman.
The Association has just held a very successful centenary lunch at the Speech House where the speaker was the Right Honourable Janet Royall, Baroness Royall of Blaisdon, also an old scholar. The Annual Lunch is taking place in October at the Forest Hills Golf Club.

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I have great memories of the old Youth Club in Lord's Hill and of Gilbert. I had the pleasure of being his assistant for a couple of years in the mid-60s - Tuesday and Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. Alway a busy place with lots going on and a great atmosphere thanks to his ability to relate to young people.

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I had the great pleasure of being taught by Mr Fern while attending the Royal Forest of Dean Grammar School at Berry Hill from 1973-1978. This new School opened in 1968 to replace Bells at Coleford and EDGS at Cinderford; several of our oldest teachers had previously taught at those Grammar Schools. By then he was "only" teaching Technical Drawing, easily my favourite subject. Mr Fern was always immaculately attired in dark grey suit, despite the risk of stray chalk dust, it was incredible how well and accurately he could "draw" using sharpened chalk on a vertical blackboard, even using a huge wooden (pair of ?)compass for circles and arcs !
He was a kind, patient but firm teacher. I only recently learnt of his RAF history from my mother's "Oak Leaves" magazine, otherwise I'd never have guessed he'd been a daring war hero, like so many of his generation he probably never mentioned it.
Thanks Mr Fern for teaching me how to draw isometric projections etc, and to buy good quality hard pencils from WHS Gloster, I still doodle "3D" nuts and bolts nowadays and sometimes with the stubs of those same 1970s pencils !. I wonder what he made of the CAD computer systems that replaced his drawing boards and correctly-cleaned hands and instruments ?.

I searched-out this thread on finding this tribute, thanks to Mike Pinchin for highlighting this excellent site earlier.
http://www.deanweb.info/war.html

Even more detail of this deed can be found here, including
"Gatward took off with Fern in pouring rain. As he got to the French coast the rain stopped and the sun came out. Even though he had not been given permission, Gatwood decided to take the risk and fly low level over enemy territory, in fact seldom more than 30 feet above the ground. "I'll never forget the astonishment of the crowd in the Paris streets as we swept low at rooftop level. They had been taken completely by surprise," he was to recall later. The gun fire terrified the SS troops who, much to Gatward's delight, were seen running for their lives. Fern, the quiet ex-schoolmaster from the Forest of Dean, with a large smile on his face dropped the second part of the Tricolour.
Throughout the raid Fern had been taking photographs and they were both delighted with a clear picture of a large notice outside the Grand Palais which read "La Vie Nouvelle" ("New Life"). The French crow, or what was left of it, was removed and laid to rest at RAF Northolt when Gatward landed.
http://www.pprune.org/archive/index.php/t-501451.html

After my RX apprenticeship I moved to West London in 1982 and worked for various aviation companies, mainly Forces related. By complete coincidence we live immediately under the landing flightpath into RAF Northolt abt a mile away, great for occasionally spotting old planes, especially the Spitfire & Hurricane displays on Battle of Britain Day. I do wish I'd met Mr Fern in recent years to ask about classic aircraft such as his Bristol Beaufighter. I remember we had time off lessons at school to watch the TV coverage of Concorde's inaugural flight, from the same Bristol Company's airfield at Filton to Toulouse in 1976; I wonder if Mr Fern arranged this rare treat for us ALL to enjoy ?.

RIP Mr Fern.

http://www.gloucestercitizen.co.uk/Teacher-war-hero-dies/story-11858128-detail/story.html

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I've just seen this "new" photo of my favourite teacher Mr Fern in his younger days at East Dean Grammar School, Cinderford; here he is a pupil before his teaching days at the same school, great to see he was also a keeper.
http://www.sungreen.co.uk/EDGS/EDGS_1935.html

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Gilbert F FERN DFM; 1918-2010 (General)