Obituary Owen Arthur Parry DFC 19222016 War hero and ying enthusiast Owen Parry, who became chief ofcer at Surrey Trading Standards at the height of his career, has died aged 93. Born in Middleton, Lancashire, on 23 May 1922, Owen was educated at Blackpool Grammar School. In October 1941, at the tender age of 19, he enlisted in the RAF, becoming an accomplished pilot, ying close support operations during the battles of Kohima and Imphal in 1944. In that same year, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty while ying in active operations against the enemy. Following his release from the RAF in October 1946, Owen joined the RAF Volunteer Reserve and, in 1947, qualied as an inspector of weights and measures. In 1951, during the Korean crisis, he transferred to the Royal Auxiliary Air Force and joined No 611 (West Lancashire) Squadron to y the Meteor jet ghter from RAF Hooton Park on the Wirral, until 611 was disbanded in 1957. During this time, Owen continued as an inspector of weights and measures in Southport. Norman Holt, who was interviewed for a job by Owen and the then chief inspector, Alan DeCaux, recalls Owen driving a rather impressive Standard 12, and spending much of his spare time giving ying lessons at Woodvale Aerodrome, between Southport and Formby. In the late 1950s, Owen became chief inspector of weights and measures in Brighton. Soon after, his former colleague Peter Green recalls Owens foresight in recognising the likely shortage of qualied staff arising from changing legislation, including the Weights and Measures Act 1963, the Trade Descriptions Act 1968, and local government reorganisation in London. Throughout the 1960s, Owen progressively switched posts from the traditional technical assistants to trainee inspectors and supplemented the National Association of Local Government Ofcers correspondence course with in-house training sessions. This produced three new inspectors in the rst year and a steady stream of qualied staff to support the new London boroughs and other south-eastern authorities during a critical decade for trading standards services. Following yet another reorganisation of local government in 1974, Owen moved to become deputy county trading standards ofcer for Surrey County Council, and subsequently became its chief ofcer until his retirement in August 1983. Friends and colleagues will remember him as a very impressive and professional man, but someone who was also intensely private. He enjoyed holidaying in France and the occasional theatre show. During his lifetime he was married twice, rst to Dorothy Walmsley in 1943 (dissolved 1960), and secondly to Dorothy Hulme, who died in 2007. Two daughters from his rst marriage survive him; a son predeceased him. Owens funeral took place at St Margarets Church, Rottingdean, East Sussex, on 9 May 2016. Many of his friends, relatives and colleagues attended, including Jim Redbourn, Peter Green, Paul Allen and Barry Woodhead. A more detailed summary of Owens exploits in the RAF can be read in The Telegraph. Contributed by former colleague, Paul Allen. To share this page, in the toolbar click on