A RUISLIP fighter jet navigator, who achieved his boyhood dreams of a life in the skies before dying in a training exercise, will be honoured as part of a unique charity commemoration campaign.

Flight Lieutenant Charles ‘Rusty’ Ruston, who watched the planes fly above nearby RAF Northolt as a child in Ruislip, became a Flying Officer in 1974 before dying at the age of 29 in a combat exercise near Las Vegas six years later.

No physical memorial has been established for Rusty, who was survived by his then pregnant wife and daughter. However, his name will now be placed on the Royal British Legion Industries Wall of Honour in the memorial garden at Aylesford, Kent.

The project offers people the opportunity to have their name, or the name of a loved one, engraved into a plaque for £100 – all of which will go to helping veterans through the RBLI’s range of services.

Rusty’s sister, Lindy Henry, said it was a privilege to honour his bravery, which was so unwavering he knew that, should he ever see combat, he would not be able to escape the effect of the nuclear bombs his plane would be equipped to carry.

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She added: “I am sure that anyone who has ever been to the funeral of a serviceman will understand The Last Post is something that always brings tears.

“And the folding up of the Union Flag that covered the coffin, carried by his fellow servicemen, is an image that stays behind the eyes forever.

“To be able to leave a legacy behind in honour of Charlie’s life is something we are all just simply proud to be able to do.”

All donors will be invited to attend the unveiling of the wall on Armistice Day this November – precisely 100 years on from the end of the First World War.

To leave a lasting legacy and join the Wall of Honour, visit www.rbli.co.uk/wallofhonour or contact fundraising@rbli.co.uk or call 01622 795966.