RAF Mildenhall civil servant who received MBE from Princess Anne retires after 64 years of service
A civil servant who was made a Member of the Order of the British Empire for public service by the Princess Royal in February has retired after 64 years of working as the secretary to the Commander of the 100th Civil Engineer Squadron located at RAF Mildenhall – her first and only job.
Ms Faith Rutterford, 81, joined the Ministry of Defence (MOD) as a civil servant on 27 April 1959 supporting the United States Visiting Forces.
When asked about her favourite experience while working at RAF Mildenhall, the former civil servant said: "Every day had something different to offer.
"Perhaps that's the most important thing about working here. There is something new happening every day."
RAF Mildenhall is home to the United States Air Force's 352nd Special Operations Wing and 100th Air Refueling Wing – nicknamed The Bloody Hundredth after enduring heavy losses during daylight bombing raids over Europe from June to October 1943.
Ms Rutterford, who began working at RAF Mildenhall in 1959, worked for 64 years and 29 days of continuous service.
An application has been submitted to the Guinness World Records to check if she could be eligible for a world record for being the longest-serving civil servant.
The official record for the longest career as a male civil servant is held by American Hardy William Cash, who worked for 63 years 210 days and retired on 28 January 2011.
Octogenarian Ms Rutterford is also an avid gardener and volunteers at the local chapel in the village of Barton Mills, just outside Mildenhall town where she has lived her entire life.
Ms Rutterford has also contributed to the historical archives of RAF Mildenhall and helped the Mildenhall Museum identify photographs from around the local area and is a prominent figure on and off the airbase.
A day of celebrations, culminating in a retirement ceremony on 25 May 2023, was held at RAF Mildenhall.
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