This Is Your Life: Robert Law

Robert LAW MBE (1924-1995)

THIS IS YOUR LIFE - Robert Law, RAF rescue helicopter crewman, was surprised by Eamonn Andrews while demonstrating his rescue service work at RAF Northolt.

Bob, who was born in Greenwich, began his working life with an engineering firm. His interest in flying led him to join the Air Training Corps, before enlisting with the RAF during the Second World War. Having trained as a navigator in South Africa, he was later posted to Northern Ireland.

He returned to engineering after the war, but rejoined the RAF in 1949 and served in Singapore before joining the Helicopter Rescue Service at Chivenor in Devon in 1959. As a veteran of nearly 800 rescue missions spanning 20 years, during which he saved 350 lives, he was awarded two Queen's Commendations for Valuable Service in the Air and the Meritorious Service Medal.

programme details...

Edition No: 516
Subject No: 513
Broadcast date: Wed 21 Mar 1979
Broadcast time: 7.00-7.30pm
Recorded: Wed 7 Mar 1979
Venue: New London Theatre
Series: 19
Edition: 22
Code name: Line

on the guest list...

Kay - wife
Michael - son
Jenny - daughter-in-law
Anna - granddaughter
Barbara - daughter
Brian - son-in-law
Rose - sister
Olive - sister
Carol Ann Hanson
Geoff Whitehead
Dennis Gibson
Don McLennan
Rick Galliolli
Ross Turner
Eric Smith
George Puddy
Neil Butlan
Charles Ness
Jim Drummond
Andy Whittaker
Don Wimble
John Rendle
David Perryman
Denzil Curtis
Chris Campbell
Alan Layer
Ann Dapling
Roger Dapling
James Dapling
Willard McLaughlin

production team...

Researchers: Cathy Parnall, John Graham, Sue Jerrard
Writers: Tom Brennand, Roy Bottomley
Directors: Royston Mayoh, Terry Yarwood
Producer: Jack Crawshaw

related page...

Life Savers

heroes of the emergency services

Screenshots of Robert Law This Is Your Life

North Devon Journal 30 October 2003

The Day They Said 'This Is Your Life'

Widow Kay Law remembers This Is Your Life and its famous red book for different reasons to most television viewers. In March 1979, her husband, Bob Law, was surprised by host Eamonn Andrews while performing a mock RAF rescue at a medal ceremony in London.

Bob, who died in 1995, appeared on the show after serving in the RAF as a rescue helicopter crewman.

Mrs Law remembers the night well and has retained the red book, as well as a record and video of the programme. The secrecy surrounding the surprise, however, proved difficult to keep.

She said: "It was a wonderful evening, it really was, but mostly it was such a relief to be able to talk to Bob again without having to think beforehand about what I was going to say."

"As soon as Bob left for work in the mornings, I got calls from the organisers who wanted more information, and it was so hard to keep it from him." Bob, who moved to Chivenor in 1961 after a spell in North Africa, lived in Braunton and later Fairacre Avenue, Newport, where Kay still lives.

He received an MBE in 1976 and was regularly invited to give talks on his experience of the RAF as well as his night on television.

Kay said: "People were always asking him to talk, he would do it for groups and charities like the Heart Foundation." During the programme, Bob was reunited not only with friends and family but with people he had served with during the war and even those he once rescued during his time on the RAF helicopters based at Chivenor.

The memories the programme evoked also ignited criticism from Kay, who expressed her sadness at the axing of the show: She said: "It has gone on for a long time, so it is a shame, but I think it has been ruined by the number of soap stars who appear. With celebrities who haven't really had lives, I tend to switch off." Mrs Law also believed reverting to its old style format would bring back viewers and added, "I think there are lots of people who have led such interesting lives that people would want to watch."

Series 19 subjects