RAF Benevolent Fund pays tribute to WAAF veteran, Sybil Piper

All at the RAF Benevolent Fund are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Women’s Auxiliary Air Force (WAAF) veteran and Fund beneficiary, Sybil Piper, who died peacefully aged 100 on 12 April 2026.

Born in 1925, Sybil joined the WAAF at the age of 19, working at RAF Medmenham, the RAF’s photographic intelligence centre during the Second World War. There, she worked as a Special Duties Clerk, handling highly classified aerial reconnaissance material. "It was all top secret and very demanding – an exacting job," she recalled in later years.

Sybil was part of a small team responsible for aerial plotting. She said in an interview with the Fund: "The role was intense and often emotionally challenging, but the strong camaraderie of my colleagues helped me through the most demanding days."

When Victory in Europe (VE) Day was declared on 8 May 1945, Sybil celebrated in her own understated way: "We had a little singsong and a little supper together, very quietly and very sensibly,” she said. “I wasn’t up London running around the streets – especially in uniform – I wouldn’t do that."

Her service continued at RAF Odiham until 1947, after which she married her husband James and went on to work in education. A highlight of her RAF years was a flight in a Spitfire with a flying ace, which she described simply as 'fantastic.'

In later life, Sybil remained a proud veteran and was a beneficiary of the RAF Benevolent Fund. Following the death of her husband in 2010, she valued the sense of community and friendship provided by the Fund. "What the Fund gives you, more than anything, is a sense of security. And at our age, that’s important," she said. She regularly attended local veterans’ gatherings and enjoyed ladies’ lunches with friends she met through the Fund’s community engagement team.

Marking the 80th anniversary of VE Day in 2025, Sybil reflected on the importance of remembrance: "When you think of all the people who gave their lives for us for a better world… we should thank them for what we have received today and what we are receiving."

Air Vice-Marshal Chris Elliot, Chief Executive of the RAF Benevolent Fund, said: "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Sybil and our condolences go out to all those who knew and loved her. She embodied the resilience, dedication, and quiet determination of her generation. Her wartime service in one of the most secretive and demanding branches of the RAF’s intelligence network was of vital importance to the war effort. We are honoured to have supported her, and she will be greatly missed by all who knew her."