Stanley was born in Tynemouth to Henry Brand and his wife Jessie Faulds of Spital Tongues, Newcastle-on-Tyne. He had a younger brother Henry Maurice born in 1924. In the 1911 census, his father is a trainee teacher and his mother is employed as a typist.
Stanley was educated at Heaton Secondary School, Newcastle, and matriculated in 1939 having been awarded a scholarship at Christ Church. He was up from 1939 until 1941.
He was a Flying Officer (Pilot) Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve with 178 Squadron.
178 Squadron was a heavy bomber squadron that spent the entire Second World War operating in the Mediterranean. It was formed on 15 January 1943 at Shandur, on the Great Bitter Lake in Egypt, around a nucleus from 160 Squadron and managed the very rare feat of carrying out its first combat mission on the same day.
The squadron followed the Allied armies as they advanced through Libya, before on 1 March 1944, moving to Italy, remaining there for the rest of the war. As well as carrying out bombing missions over North Africa, Italy and the Balkans, the squadron was used to drop supplies to partisans, even reaching as far as Poland on occasions. It was disbanded without ever serving in Britain.
When the enemy was trapped in Tunisia, the squadron began moving forward to Hosc Raui (also known as Chemines) near Benghazi and was established there by 4 March.
On the night of 4 March, No 178 mounted its first raid from the new base when six Liberators successfully bombed shipping in Naples harbour. Pilot Officer Champon’s crew in AL638/X failed to return.
Stanley is buried with the rest of the crew in Minturno War Cemetery Plot. VIII, E, 19-25.
His brother emigrated to Canada where his father died in 1980.