A FORMER Wear Valley man has been awarded an OBE for his service in the RAF. Wing Commander Gary Barber, 53, works at RAF Northolt, North London, where he runs a unit that produces maps and routes for navigators.
He grew up in Bishop Auckland and attended the former Woodhouse Close Comprehensive School, joining the RAF at the age of 15.
He said: "I'm pleasantly surprised. You are always delighted to get something like that."
Parents Vera and Philip Barber, who still live in Bishop Auckland, said they were 'over the moon.
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