Dave Chester, who is being remembered today with a memorial at Tackley, was already the unsung hero of Bicester Motion. He was an ever present, a can-do and will-do man without fail.
It simply wouldn't have occurred to him to do anything but assist the emergency services at Hangar 79 on the evening of Thursday 15 May. He was predisposed to help, whatever the situation, and to the benefit of all ahead of himself.
Since that tragic night, Dave, his wife Sue and their sons, Jordan and Riley, have never strayed far from the thoughts of all at Bicester Motion. They have been fixtures of the site almost daily since 2013, after all, and continue to be so.
Dave was a Bicester man through and through, making him almost destined to be front and centre in preserving the former RAF Bicester. Nobody knew the site and its nooks and crannies better than Dave; perhaps nobody ever will. It is no exaggeration to say he had a lifetime of experience inside the perimeter fence – from being one of the many youngsters that used it as their playground to an adult plying his trade with his family-run business.
Chesters & Sons was the natural choice to be appointed by Bicester Motion and Historic England in 2013. From the outset, Dave was tasked with uncovering and readying structures such as buried shelters and stores for further remediation work. Even before that, the very first piece of repair work commissioned by Bicester Motion interrupted his dinner one evening in 2013: a hole in the fence needed fixing, and quickly. There was only ever one man, unanimously, for the job.
Since then he, ably assisted by Sue, Jordan, Riley and the team, began the initial preservation work on the Watch Office in 2021. One of the most familiar buildings on the Technical Site and a rare survivor of its type, it was again sensitively undertaken in tandem with Historic England.
But far beyond the buildings was Dave’s character. He thought nothing of – and nothing better than – his knitted faux hi-vis and stetson. He would, without fail, take off his shoes on entering the main offices. He would never enter without a knock and he would take his loose-leaf tea in fine china, whatever and wherever.
He would also say hello to everyone he passed and took pride in challenging anyone to find a snag.
It is fitting that the first and last thing every single visitor to Bicester Motion sees was created by Dave, whether Gate 1 or Gate 8. The former’s more familiar Sentry Box, despite appearances, was built and inspired by Dave. Before his vision was materialised, there was nothing but now there is a building that looks as though it has been there for ever. Sadly, it has now also become a poignant reminder of the best friend for whom Bicester Motion could ever have hoped.
