![\"Dave](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.reasignals.net\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/11\/Dave-F-311015.png\")
<\/a>RE Signalling Community Pays Tribute to Dave Ferigan – from a Bulletin dated 31st October 2015<\/strong><\/p>\nOn Saturday evening, 31st October 2015, members of the RE community of wireless operators, radio operators and signallers and their partners\u00a0held\u00a0a party at\u00a0the King Charles Hotel in Gillingham to pay tribute\u00a0to Dave Ferigan (aka “Dave F” – G3ZYV).<\/p>\n
Recently surviving cancer and in his late seventies, in his life Dave gave 17 years service to the Royal Engineers as a civilian instructor, teaching radio operators.<\/p>\n
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Background<\/strong><\/p>\n This time was spent developing and\u00a0teaching communications training at\u00a0the\u00a0signals wing in Chattenden Barracks, near Rochester in Kent. \u00a0The period covered the latter part of the cold war, the Falklands campaign and others when the army\u00a0were substantial in numbers. \u00a0Subsequently training for military radio communications and electronic warfare was at its peak. \u00a0The first battlefield computers started to appear and Clansman radio was reasonably new and mostly serviceable.<\/p>\n His wife Pam and son Sean, will tell you this was a pivotal time in Dave’s\u00a0life, his service continued right up until shortly\u00a0after the signal training wing re-located to Minley in Hampshire – where it is now the Command Support Branch of the Royal Engineers.<\/p>\n Status – Legend<\/strong><\/p>\n Being\u00a0the\u00a0only civilian instructor at “the wing”, Dave earned\u00a0the utmost\u00a0respect from everyone; fellow military trade instructors, students and military staff, so much so\u00a0that he\u00a0became something of a legend. \u00a0He managed to achieve this status with just about\u00a0every level of the command structure, with both the\u00a0TA and regular\u00a0soldiers who passed through the wing. \u00a0The course photo below, one of several hundred of Dave, shows him\u00a0with a B1 Signals course circa 1987.<\/p>\n Circa 1987 – Front second from left<\/p><\/div>\n Daves Old Stomping Ground in 2004 (Showing Bob Russell)<\/p><\/div>\n Dave developed and participated in many of the training\u00a0exercises – spending a lot of his time\u00a0either on the roof of the building or in the “den” where he taught students and staff the art of building and testing antennas and running the exercises. \u00a0Versatile, he was equally at home teaching any of the subjects in the trade syllabus, but back in the eighties and nineties, he was also solely responsible for teaching the morse code right up until it went out of service. \u00a0The number of students leaving the wing with passes in this difficult subject shows Dave’s\u00a0exceptional patience and teaching ability.<\/p>\n (Ed. \u00a0– What I find inspirational about Dave is his quiet, good humoured, determined and infectious brand of teaching. \u00a0As many of his close friends and colleagues will tell you he is a social character who keeps an open door for anyone who wants to share in his exploits and antics.) Plus he has this amazing head for heights.<\/p>\n Moving on…<\/strong><\/p>\n Dave made sure that\u00a0when the wing moved from Chattenden, all of the facilities were improved or recreated on arrival, negotiating and creating an impressive array of antennas and classroom facilities. \u00a0Without his expertise the messaging systems of the period used by the corps would have been less effective; Dave’s whole communications philosophy is to get the message through, securely by whatever means available. A great knowledge of electronics and improvised communications skills\u00a0underpins\u00a0this and Dave presents this as an art form.<\/p>\n REtiREment<\/strong><\/p>\n (Thanks Ian)<\/p>\n One day because of the state of the M25 Dave decided commuting from Gillingham to Minley was no longer\u00a0worthwhile and retired\u00a0to\u00a0a life of fishing in the English Channel. \u00a0This “working retirement” lasted for fourteen years. \u00a0These days he spends his time on the amateur radio bands. \u00a0He still passes his skills on to the local radio club and with his family at home in Gillingham, he regularly receives members of the RE community.<\/p>\n Addendum<\/strong><\/p>\n David Micheal Ferigan was born on the 10th of January 1938 and Died on the 26th April 2024.\u00a0 His life was celebrated at Medway Crematorium on 7th June 2024.\u00a0 In his later years Dave fought off cancer and heart disease until he passed away after an accident at home.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Radio Branch was present at the funeral to hear tributes from Ade and Sean covering many aspects of his life including his extraordinary power to multi task and some of his near misses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n “So remember me as I used to be, not as you saw me last.\u00a0 And keep me close in memory, in your present and our past”<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Pictures: \u00a0Sean Ferrigan, \u00a0Branch Archive<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Dave F has passed away aged 86. In October 2015 we published the following article following a party to pay tribute to him. Many aspects of his life were covered in tribute at the funeral and this post has been … Continue reading <\/a>\n\t\t\t
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