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Wine, Women and Song - Spitfire pilot

• Message 1.Β 

  Posted by Caro (U1691443) on Monday, 10th October 2011

  What a mess I have made of this posting, first of all leaving it with no title, then putting a title nicely in but posting the second copy in the History Hub instead of here. So this time:
  
  
  I have just been hearing a review of a spitfire pilot's letters and reminiscences edited by his son. Wine Women and Song: a Spitfire Pilot's Story, by Hamish Brown is the story of his father Doug Brown who trained in New Zealand and Canada, and was a Spitfire pilot with No. 485 Squadron. He flew over the Normandy beaches during the invasion of mainland Europe. He later joined, and led, No. 130 (Punjab) Squadron. So I am told on one site: aircrewbookreview.bl...
  
  The reviewer I was listening to, who said he read a lot of accounts of wartime pilots, said this one was a little unusual in that they are generally about people whose exploits include becoming an ace pilot and shooting down other planes. This man writes of how he was always in the wrong place or something went awry and his attempts were not always very successful. (Though, surely if you get to lead a squadron, you must have done something right.)
  
  I read quite recently Laddie Lucas's memoir of his time in Malta and that was good, so I might look out for this one too, as the reviewer said it had a lot of social history in it, as well as war experiences. And of course I like reading of NZers' experiences.
  
  Have any of you read this - I think it was published earlier this year? Or know of him?
  
  Cheers, Caro.
  

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• Message 2

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by Hugh Mosby-Joaquin (U14258131) on Saturday, 5th November 2011

  I have not readit, but.....
  he might not have achieved anything exciting or glamourous, but he seemingly flew Spitfires during the War and survived. There must have been many in 'The Few' like him so it might be refreshing to read the memoirs of somebody who is unlikely ever to be made into a film starring Kenneth Moore...
  ...Anyway, he surely trumps the Japanese WW2 pilot who wrote "My Life as a Kamikaze"...

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• Message 3

  , in reply to message 1.

  Posted by PaulRyckier (U1753522) on Sunday, 6th November 2011

  Caro,
  
  found this from a quick search on the Belgian Google with hamish brown spitfire(it's always another position on the first window for instance if you search in Google UK and you have to add "spitfire" otherwise you are with the photographer)
  
  And for those, who think...
  "The title is named after one of the Spitfire aircrafts that Doug flow while he was with 485 NZ Squadron in England"
  .
  Interesting book on the first sight I would say.
  
  Kind regards,
  
  Paul.

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