Eric Brown on R4 Desert Island Discs
Discussion
I hadn't realised he'd met Glenn Miller/sung with his orchestra too - he's starting to remind me of Allan Carlsson in the book 'The Hundred Year Old Man'!
NB This is the text of the introduction... 'He was one of only two men on his ship, HMS Audacity, to survive a German U-boat bombing'. Audacity was torpedoed so is this a major gaffe by the BBC?
NB This is the text of the introduction... 'He was one of only two men on his ship, HMS Audacity, to survive a German U-boat bombing'. Audacity was torpedoed so is this a major gaffe by the BBC?
Edited by Simpo Two on Friday 14th November 10:05
Eric Mc said:
Minor rather than major. Kirsty Young said it in the introduction too but Eric Brown was far too gentlemanly to correct her.
I sensed the intro had been written by someone else, and that nobody down the line had the wit to realise that U-boats don't drop bombs. Eric may be a gentleman but he's also a man of detail - I'd have mentioned it politely at the due time 
The only time 'U-boat bombing' makes sense is when an aeroplane is bombing it, and then the pilot could be said to have survived it - but Eric was in bed at the time IIRC.
Simpo Two said:
I sensed the intro had been written by someone else, and that nobody down the line had the wit to realise that U-boats don't drop bombs. Eric may be a gentleman but he's also a man of detail - I'd have mentioned it politely at the due time
His gentlemanliness obviously exceeds his pedanticism. He wouldn't make a good PHer.Loved his story about flying under the arches of the forth road bridge in a Spitfire , The Police contacted the RAF to find out who was responsible , they were not aware that the Navy had one Spitfire being flown by Winkle , he chuckled when Kirtsty suggested that they might still have the case open !!
Meet the man himself, I just found this in the Brooklands shop:
http://www.brooklandsmuseumshop.com/Brooklands-Tru...
http://www.brooklandsmuseumshop.com/Brooklands-Tru...
Riley Blue said:
Meet the man himself, I just found this in the Brooklands shop:
http://www.brooklandsmuseumshop.com/Brooklands-Tru...
Good link but no date that I can see!http://www.brooklandsmuseumshop.com/Brooklands-Tru...
Lovely story: Returning from the first successful deck landing of the Seafire (navalised Spitfire), he was so 'full of the joys of Spring' that whilst crossing the Forth Bridge, he promptly looped each of the three beautiful spans!
He upset the good citizens of Queensferry who reported him to the Police; however no one got the side number of the craft and nobody, but nobody, knew the Navy had a 'Spitfire'.......... Hence the RAF got the blame!
He admits that if he had been caught, he would probably have been court-martialled.
Rower said:
Loved his story about flying under the arches of the forth road bridge in a Spitfire , The Police contacted the RAF to find out who was responsible , they were not aware that the Navy had one Spitfire being flown by Winkle , he chuckled when Kirtsty suggested that they might still have the case open !!
'The Forth Bridge' I assume with its 3 iconic cantilevers (and lit up and full view out my window as I type). The Forth Road Bridge was 'only' opened in 1964.PH...Pedantry matters...
I thought ths was an interesting program and the subject, Eric Brown, was one of the most able and erudite men I have ever enjoyed listening to on the Radio. On Iplayer because I am in Italy for sx months. What a delightful real gentleman Eric Brown proved to be. Clearly one of the most decorated and most respected Fleet Air Arm pilots of the entire Second World War with a record for taking off and landing on Aircraft carriers that will almost certainly never be beaten.
A delightful and self effacing subject in the interview, I was just spellbound by the exceptional ability displayed by the man throughout the decades of his career in the RAF and the steady practical approach he brought to the difficulties of flying aircarft in wartime conditions from moving carriers at sea. Nothing seemed to affect the man who was quite spellbinding in his steadiness still, at the age of 95. I will certainly listen to this again, I thought it was marvellous and Kirsty Young managed the interview well, with suitable respect and a little lighthearted banter. Interviewing a legend of that stature was managed very well.
A delightful and self effacing subject in the interview, I was just spellbound by the exceptional ability displayed by the man throughout the decades of his career in the RAF and the steady practical approach he brought to the difficulties of flying aircarft in wartime conditions from moving carriers at sea. Nothing seemed to affect the man who was quite spellbinding in his steadiness still, at the age of 95. I will certainly listen to this again, I thought it was marvellous and Kirsty Young managed the interview well, with suitable respect and a little lighthearted banter. Interviewing a legend of that stature was managed very well.
A few clarifications -
His record for numbers of take offs and landings on aircraft carriers was eventually beaten, by a US Navy pilot.
Brown never flew with the RAF (apart from his time with the University Air Squadron when training). His military career was in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy - with a spell with the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough,. He also spent some time with the US Navy test facility at Patuxent River.
His record for numbers of take offs and landings on aircraft carriers was eventually beaten, by a US Navy pilot.
Brown never flew with the RAF (apart from his time with the University Air Squadron when training). His military career was in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy - with a spell with the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough,. He also spent some time with the US Navy test facility at Patuxent River.
Eric Mc said:
A few clarifications -
His record for numbers of take offs and landings on aircraft carriers was eventually beaten, by a US Navy pilot.
Brown never flew with the RAF (apart from his time with the University Air Squadron when training). His military career was in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy - with a spell with the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough,. He also spent some time with the US Navy test facility at Patuxent River.
I appreciate the correction of my mistake on attributing Eric Brown to membership of the RAF when he was in fact in the Fleet Air Arm for most of hs career. You know far more about this than I. I am no expert on aviation in any form. My attribution of his lasting record of takeoffs and landings on aircraft carriers was based in the information from Wikepedia always a variable source see:His record for numbers of take offs and landings on aircraft carriers was eventually beaten, by a US Navy pilot.
Brown never flew with the RAF (apart from his time with the University Air Squadron when training). His military career was in the Fleet Air Arm of the Royal Navy - with a spell with the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough,. He also spent some time with the US Navy test facility at Patuxent River.
http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Brown_(pilot)
which states he still holds that record.
His record is outstanding at every level, particularly with the huge number of aircraft types flown by an individual which I believe was in excess of 400. Unbelievable figures and with hs outstanding academic abilities and work at the Royal Aircraft Establishment later in his career a truly remarkable achievement. What an exceptional pleasant and self effacing highly effective individual. Quite outstanding.
487 different types of aircraft.
I was basing my assertions on the record of landings/take offs on something I read recently - but I can't remember exactly where.
Of course, the number of carrier takeoffs and carrier landings don't have to be equal - so maybe he still holds a record for one of these.
I have a lot of time for Eric Brown and even had the good fortune to meet and chat to him a couple of years ago.
I was basing my assertions on the record of landings/take offs on something I read recently - but I can't remember exactly where.
Of course, the number of carrier takeoffs and carrier landings don't have to be equal - so maybe he still holds a record for one of these.
I have a lot of time for Eric Brown and even had the good fortune to meet and chat to him a couple of years ago.
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