WW2 Hawker Typhoon pilot memoirs

[MHP]

Wing Cmd Peter Brett

Following your post, Wing Cmd Peter Brett did indeed know your Grandfather and was his Wing Man. In the group photo posted by you, he is the first man on the left, middle row.

Sadly Peter Brett died this morning ( March 02, 2013) aged 92 at the Maison de Retiermant, Saulieu, 21210, France.

Wing Cdr Peter Brett was unable to write his memoirs but talked about his wartime service and these memories can be heard spoken by him on youtube. Search Peter Brett.

Lest We Forget.

[TyphoonGuy]

Passing of Wing Cmd Peter Brett

I'm truly sorry to hear that Wing Cmd Brett has passed away. I pass on my most sincere condolences.

I will take a look at his online interviews and will continue to try and track down information regarding the exploits of 182.

[PPRuNeUser0139]

Bob Barckley

I had the privilege of meeting Bob Barckley at a reunion of the Comet escape line in Brussels in 2011. Then a spry and charismatic 90 year old, I would have put him at 80 - tops.
He was shot down (flak) over Belgium in his Typhoon in mid-43 and made it back home via the Pyrenees and Gibraltar after 8 weeks. He subsequently converted to the Tempest - shooting down a dozen V1s. Here's his Comet file.

[Giglamps]

MHP re Peter Brett

Interesting coincidence, as Peter Brett on 183 Sqdn also flew as wingman to Stuart Lovell, Tony Lovell's lesser-known older brother. In fact he was in his section on Lovell's last flight, who was lost while beating up Guipavas twice on the same operation - strictly against the rules, but that was Stu Lovell for you. Always a press-on spirit, said Poppa Ambrose much later (he was also short-sighted, and had optically-ground goggles).
On the Guipavas occasion - 29 January 1944 - Peter Brett was actually flying no.3; being tasked with looking out for ground targets, he did not see Lovell go right over the flak, take a chunk out of the roof of a wooden hangar, and come down on the dry fuel compound. His wingman Smith came down beyond the airfield. Until then it had been a good day for Peter Brett, for 183 had paid a quick visit to Morlaix, and he wrote in his logbook "Bags of joy. Shot up train, buildings and gunposts".
Peter Brett thought that Lovell had been a considerate flight commander, and this showed in the way he always allowed time and space for his formation to follow him when making turns in finger-four configuration. When he himself became a flight commander he tried to emulate Stu Lovell's methods.
I expect in his recorded interviews he mentioned the fact that when 183 Sqdn was at Predannack he used to draw cartoons in yellow paint on the back of peoples' Irving jackets in the mess at the Mullion Hotel..

Giglamps

[Speedbird48]

As an aside to the other great Typhoon pilots, I had an instructor in my early days, Eddie Hewett who had been shot down in a Typhoon near Abbeville and badly hurt. He wore a beard to cover wounds and had a large lump of his thigh missing. He said he had been saved when the machine hit a land mine after going through a wall and that blew the machine apart and him out of it??

I once saw a picture of him with a group around a Hurricane in the Western Desert as a Sergent Pilot but I belive he was a Wing Commander when the war ended??

Anyone else know any more about him?? A great pilot and instructor.

Speedbird 48.

[SimonK]

Quick thread resurrection - I was researching a logbook I own to a 183 Sqn Typhoon pilot and followed the comments above to Peter Brett's interviews on Youtube. There's hardly any views and they're really interesting recollections worthy of much wider notice, so I've put a link to the channel below (I have no affiliation with it and it's free anyway!), so if you have any Typhoon interest please go and watch these videos. If you don't like clicking on links then go to YouTube and search for Peter Brett Typhoon, the channel creator is Frances Williams:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdM...Qc1jy4OOpb4Qgw

[POBJOY]

Oil & POWER

Originally Posted by POBJOY

In the old Redhill TC days Ray Hannah would sometimes appear at the club shows (in the Spitfire) and some of his RAF exploits would emerge.
I recall one of these entailed swopping a ride of some jet he was in to get his hands on a TT Tempest. (prob a mk6) (prob Sylt)
His descripton of "climbing up" into this oil covered monster, not being allowed to start the engine himself and seeing the entire engine cowling gyrating around in front of him has never left me,as was his description of the take off.
Whether this event was ever recorded in an article or interview i am not sure, but i got the impression he was quite impressed with his ride !!!

As this thread has resurfaced it is opportune to record that i subsequently spoke to a former Tempest Tug (Sylt) pilot (it was that or a ground tour at the time) who did a reverse swop and did his fist Jet ride in a single seat Vampire. His memory recalled a few items of the event :- The splendid view, the slow acceleration, less noise (and very quiet when he switched on the hood seal) plus not slowing down very quickly on approach. He was amazed how easy it was.

[teeteringhead]

But that (swapping types) was the way it was done in them days. I recall researching the logbooks of an aged pilot who worked for me (aged, as in 12 years younger than I am now) in preparation for his retirement; and seeing some Sabre time, when I thought he was a Hunter man (amongst many other types).

He told me it was a squadron exchange with a USAF Sqn in Germany, and they literally flew each others types (single seaters, no sim) after a helpful (qualified) man would stand on the steps and help them start it, then give a few speeds, and point out useful "Knobs and Tits".

And off they went!