About

Pilot Officer Roy Cook ~ Sark Weatherman

This Website is dedicated to the Memory of late Pilot Officer Roy (Steve) Cook (b.1924).  He was Trained as an RAF Pilot at the age of 18-yrs to fly a Tiger Moth during 1942 in England and was then sent to Canada for further extensive Air Training.  There the RCAF Medics discovered problems with his inner ear labyrinths which acutely affected his sense of balance during Flights and was therefore Grounded.  He was then Seconded to Meteorology and thus continued his alternative Training in Canada to become an RAF Met Officer in 1943.  He returned to England and remained in the RAF until Demobilised in in 1947.  In post-war Civilian life, he became a Banker, Insurance Agent & later enjoyed a successful career in Publishing.  He became the Weather Observer for Sark in the Channel Islands.  He had been there often with his Family as a Holiday Makers since 1964 and then Retired to become a full Sark Resident from 1988.  Now fully ensconced in his former Holiday Letting at Point Robert – a well converted German Bunker that he finally managed to purchase as a Tenant & situated Above the Point Robert Lighthouse 

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Roy wrote a Series of Articles for a Sark Island Publication in his own informed, instructive and amusing style.  We assemble these articles here in his memory and for all present and future Sark Residents and any WW2 researchers to enjoy his lifetime adventures so ably recorded in his own words.

Guernsey Airport Meteorological Office

  • sarkgermanbunker“Sark Met Office” Observer, Roy Cook, celebrated his 90th Birthday in November 2014 by making the daily Weather Observations – just as he did on the other 364 days!  Our thanks go also to Roy for his continuing help & support.
  • 2015 was a year of change as far as Personnel were concerned.  In the Spring, Roy Cook, our “Sark Met Office” Observer reluctantly decided to stop making the daily Observations that he had undertaken & Reported to us for some 45-yrs. Roy felt that at the age of 90 it was time to hand over to a younger person so we would like to thank him for all his work & dedication over the years.  It was important that the Sark Weather Records should be continued so we were delighted when Antony Dunks volunteered to take over from Roy and the Sark Weather Station was moved a few 100M North and West in early Summer. The new location was surveyed & documented by the Senior Met Officer and has now been accepted as the Official Weather Station for Sark by the Guernsey & UK Met Offices.

sarkweatherstationSark enjoys a Mild Climate throughout the year. Windy yes, but Air Frosts & Snow are rare and compared with England there is normally less Rainfall and more Sunshine.  The Sark Weather Station was situated on the East Coast, some 100M above the Lighthouse at Point Robert.  Observations are taken just once a day at 09.00hrs and these include Rainfall, Sunshine, Maximum & Minimum Temperatures, Ground Minimum temperatures and Wind Speed & Direction.  Air Pressure & Humidity Figures are also available. Observations are forwarded to the UK Met Office, the Guernsey Airport Met Office and to a Series of Weather Journals in the UK.   All Statistics are recorded on Computer and date back to 1952 when Accurate Observations were begun.