"Titch" Tayler

[Wander00]

Bit of a long-shot this - however: in my last job before retirement one of the members of the large yacht club of which I had the pleasure and privilegeto be Secretary was a guy called Titch Tayler. Pretty unassuming guy, until I discovered that he had been a Pathfinder/LNSF on Mosquitos (with a DFC) and had gone on to be a test pilot on, amongst other types, the Avro 707 series and the Belfast.

Had I know about this forum when he died, 3 or 4 years back, I would have asked then for anecdotes and memories of Titch for his only surviving relative, who did not know a lot about what he had done in his flying career.

Any anecdotes that appear now I will forward to said relative.

[JW411]

Are you talking about Denis Tayler who was the Belfast test pilot for Short Brothers?

If so, his name was Tayler, not Taylor.

[Wander00]

Thanks, I'll check - got his funeral Service in the drawer upstairs

[Wander00]

JW411 - you are so right - many thanks - addled memory!

regards and thanks

[Wander00]

Mods - can you please amend thread heading to Tayler - thanks

[BOAC]

errm - DIY?

[Wander00]

Would if I could - have changed to Tayler at top of page but don't seem to beable to change Thread title, but then I always was IT illiterate!

[PPRuNe Pop]

Tis' done! ;)

[sycamore]

You could try `thetartanterror` on google,and his Blog,as he has lots of info ....

[Wander00]

Mods - Thanks

Just seen "tartan terror" - thanks

[Rosemary366]

Dennis Tayler, Test Pilot was best man at our wedding 40 years ago and we lost track of him. Could you confirm if and when he died?
Many thanks
Rosemary

[Wander00]

R366 - Sadly the answer is "yes". Give me half an hour and if you PM me yout e-mail address, I will scan and e-mail his funeral service. The only relative was a cousin, and we at the Club helped organise the funeral and the wake afterwards. The service was conducted by Canon Ray Hubble, a former RAF Chaplain.

[Mouldiwarp]

I was priveledged to know Denis quite well, originally meeting him when I flew Chipmunks (in QUAS) from Sydenham when he was "Short 1" (not a callsign he was best pleased with), as CTP at Shorts.

Amongst many of his successes was landing the FD1 at Boscombe Down after a retraction sequence failure. He was pleased that the aircraft never flew again! In his logbook he had the transcript of the RT between himself, the tower, and Peter Twiss in the Fairey control from "problem" to landing. Quite incredible.

One of life's great Gentlemen, he said that he only flew so that he could earn enough money to sail. Not sure I believe him!

[feroxeng]

Sorry to learn belatedly that he had died as I knew him very well at Shorts and QUAS. We had unfinished business as he promised me I could see his wartime logbooks, but at the time they were with his parents in Hampshire, so it never happened. I'd like to check with his cousin as to whether they have survived, just to read the entries concerning the night forced landing in the Oxford, flying the Do335 push-pull device, the FD1, sabotaged Ju88s, 8 forced landings in a year. Siebel 104 on the Goodwin sands. Had a few moments flying with him at Shorts as well ( I was flight test engineer).

[Planestory]

Denis was my middle brother's Godfather and clearly a close friend of my father, the late Phil 'Jock' Graham (Ex Beaufighter pilot with 248Sq who carried out a clandestine series of test flights with rockets for Coastal Command to establish speeds, heights and so on as Boscombe was taking so long to clear them for squadron use). I never asked him how he knew Denis and would dearly like to know the back story. I think they lost contact in the late 50's, Dad was working for Jeffrey Quill by then at Hursley Park and latterly at Weybridge on TSR2 matters.

Can anyone help?

Cheers