OBITUARY – COMMANDER RAYMOND ARTHUR DOGGETT RN
Ray Doggett died on 9th August 2021 aged 72 years after so bravely fighting advanced prostate cancer for 23 months, remaining positive until the end.
Ray joined the Royal Navy on 6th September 1965 aged 16 as an Artificer Apprentice at HMS Fisgard. Achieving top Shipwright Apprentice in December 1968 at HMS Caledonia, Scotland he was then posted to serve on HMY Britannia in January 1969. He never forgot the superb Royal Tour of the Antipodes; Britannia left Portsmouth on 19th January 1970 and returned to Portsmouth on 15th June 1970, covering a 35,000 mile round trip. Britannia visited Madeira, Barbados, the Panama Canal, the Galápagos Islands, Tahiti, Bora-Bora, Palmerston Atoll, Fiji, Tonga, New Zealand, Australia, Pago Pago and Bermuda, culminating in the bi-centenary celebrations of the discovery of Australia by Captain James Cook. His accounts of that tour are legendary amongst many!!
Leaving Britannia in July 1970 Ray served on submarines at HMS Dolphin for 18 months before successfully entering BRNC Dartmouth. He was commissioned into the Fleet Air Arm in 1972, gaining his Observer Wings on 29th June 1973.
Ray spent the next 20 years flying Sea Kings (824 NAS, Ark Royal 1974-75), Wessex (HMS Antrim 1979-81) and Lynx (HMS Cardiff 1984-85), interspersed at RNAS Culdrose at the Helicopter Ground School as Chief Ground Instructor, Instructor at 750 NAS and Royal Naval Flying Standards Flight and as Senior Observer and Executive Officer at 702 NAS Squadron based at HMS Osprey, Portland. He was one of the few holders of an ‘A’ Category for Qualified Observer Instructors.
During his time at RNAS Culdrose Ray undertook many SAR sorties, one of the most notable on 5th March 1977. At the time the rescue was the longest mission recorded from Culdrose by the Royal Navy – the aircraft covered a round trip of some 800 miles from Cornwall to take an injured seaman from the Russian fish factory ship “Vladimir Atlasov” in the Atlantic 170 miles west of Shannon. The flight took 8 hours 40 minutes and called for a refuelling stop at Shannon airport. Other crew members were Lt Johnson, Flt Lt Chapman, CPO King, Lt Cdr Rick Jolly and Wren Spence.
At his funeral, friend and colleague Kevin Lambert said of Ray:
“In the six months that I served with Ray on HMS Cardiff when he was Flight Commander, I learned a lot. Not only about aviation, but also about leadership, management, integrity, kindness, and compassion. Kindness and compassion. While we were deployed to the Persian Gulf the ship’s Supply Officer became very ill, ultimately having to be landed and flown back to the UK for treatment. But before that decision was made it was Ray who kept looking in on him to check he was okay; it was Ray who sacrificed his, and (come to think of it) my, spare bedding changing the perspiration-soaked bed two or three times a day. No fuss, no fanfare – he just saw something that needed doing and did it. He was who he was.
“After HMS Cardiff Ray was appointed to the Naval Flying Standards Flight (Jan 86 – Aug 88) and then as Senior Observer at 702 NAS. In both these appointments his students were well-served by his experience, knowledge, aptitude for detail and calmness. He commanded huge respect and admiration and his presence in the aircraft made you want to be better – whether Observer or Pilot. He was who he was.
“Ultimately Ray’s long experience and wide-ranging knowledge led him to London in the early 90s to provide the essential deep, practical expertise and programme oversight for the development and introduction to service of a new machine – the Super Lynx Helicopter. This key, multi-million pound, multi-platform, future Naval Aviation programme was languishing somewhat and typically being tinkered with and threatened by all-comers. It was only months from the axe. Enter Ray, the committed professional – and a man on a mission.
“His determination saw the programme rise successfully through countless meetings, endless paperwork and the constant axe-sharpening of those with other priorities. The green light was given eventually after about 18 months of furious work, and it was largely Ray’s success. But his personal success was also a success for the Navy in general and the future of the Fleet Air Arm in particular. A generation of naval aviators got to play with the Super Lynx until its retirement in 2017, and all that has come after grew from what went before. We can thank Ray for that although he would probably seek to play down his part”.
In recognition of this achievement Ray was promoted to Commander and spent the rest of his naval career in MOD, London; next in the Defence Export Services Organisation, travelling worldwide as Specialist Advisor on Naval Aviation and Events Facilitator. This high-profile appointment tested his aviation, warfare, organisational and diplomatic skills to the full; he loved every minute, finding it demanding but hugely rewarding.
Ray stepped ashore in 2002 having served 37 years in the Royal Navy. He joined FR Aviation to lead on the company’s MFTS aspirations and successfully led the bid to win the MFTS Rear Crew Stage 1 competition for RN Observer Training – the apple never falls far from the tree. He took retirement in 2010 but later returned to Cobham part-time as a contractor to manage their air shows, exhibitions etc.
Ray found time to enjoy his great love of rugby, cricket, fishing and travel and to serve his local parish council for many years. His charisma, hilarious quick wit and sense of humour, generosity, kindness and beaming smile will be forever missed and as so many have said, he will never be forgotten. His well-attended funeral, especially the large naval contingent, was a witness to that and was a wonderful tribute to him. Much appreciated.
Ray is survived by his wife Jeannette, daughter Madeleine, son Matthew and two adorable little grandsons Oliver and Charlie.