Aviator Epitaphs
 

Aviator Epitaphs
Last week in the Aviation & History forum I attempted to answer a puzzle posed by OUAQUKGF Ops.
I got the location right but not at first the person concerned, but later did find the right answer.
Turns out the person concerned, was an early aviator who died when his aeroplane crashed.
Details here: http://www.pprune.org/aviation-histo...me-ppilot.html post#12.

I was intrigued by the epitaph carved on the base of his ornate memorial that says:
"Now gallant boy, pursue thy happy flight with swifter motion haste to purer light."

So what other epitaphs are there that apply to deceased miltary and civilian aviators?


http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r...psphfcaoas.jpg

Warmtoast,

Can't think of any offhand, but you could sure start a Competition for light hearted suggestions.

Danny.

Airman epitaph


My late father who died in 2012, was a WWII Stirling pilot, and he cut out this one he found and had it stuck inside of one of his logbooks....




He had seen it on the grave of an airman's tomb in France so It's not his original......






"To the World he was just an airman; To his family he was the world......"




Says a lot in 15 words IMHO.


MB

Apologies for thread drift.
 

My personal favourite is attributed to the late, great spelling error Spike Malligna:

I told you I was ill......

Jenkins
Re Wykham-Barnes

Can't find any comments that are really flattering as an epitaph, but found this comment by one of his American air crew (he was at the time helping the USAF develop low-level tactics in Korea) - "Damned if I am going to fly with that crazy English commander again - he's gonna kill us all."

Wykham went on to be one of the first Britons to be decorated in the Korean war.

WT

I wouldn't mind the "sub title" I use to the left (and elsewhere).

The "Aviator" is unanswerable, the "Gentleman" may be more conjectural...........

Madbob

We may be thinking of different memorials, of course.

But the original quotation, I believe, was on a grave at El Alamein

''To the world he was a soldier; to me he was the world''

Says it all, really.

Not aviation related except that ex-RAF servicemen in Shetland might have seen this inscription on an Eshaness tombstone:

"Donald Robertson, born 14th January 1785. Died 14th June aged 63 years. He was a peaceable, quiet man, and to all appearances a sincere Christian. His death was much regretted which was caused by the stupidity of Laurence Tulloch of Clothister (Sullom) who sold him nitre instead of Epson Salts by which he was killed in the space of five hours after taking a dose of it."

The long finger of shame will be pointing at poor Laurence for centuries to come. :ooh:

On a grave in Edinburgh.

'A victim of fast women and slow horses'.

Would apply to many pilots I should think.

"This is not the farm I wanted to buy" seems fitting to me.

There is a small "Stately Home" in West Yorkshire, and one of the sons of the family was killed on the Western Front during WW1. There is a memorial to him in the grounds, but unfortunately, after his details, comes the phrase: "Erected by his Wife" and the date. She must have been a looker!

Danny42 was looking for light hearted answers, by which I guess he means us to imagine what we might have written for ourselves.

In the mode of Spike Milligan mentioned earlier, I can see myself as the student pilot who declares "I knew I should not have skipped breakfast" or who later says "I did not think I was that low".

Her Majesty never let me ride any suitable aircraft (like an Me 163, if you are asking) but, if she had and if it found me out, I would have hoped for a good band at my funeral to play John Adams and for my stone to exclaim "A short ride in a fast machine".

"I told you it would look good on camera!"

RLS

You would have needed a very large orchestra and a very large church. However, there is a band transcription by, I think, Lawrence Odom. Hope all is well in Wiltshire.

Light hearted answers
 

I was hoping for an Oscer Brand one from his wild Blue Yonder collection.

When my flying days are over
and from this world I pass
I hope they bury me upside down
so the World can kiss my a**

I suspect it won't be long before there's a gravestone with a QR code linking to a YouTube video of him/her attempting to equal some low flying record.

BarksdaleBoy #15

I have form for musical greed in this way. We had a very willing elderly lady organist for our wedding, whom I pressed hard to perform the fanfare from Janacek's sinfonietta on our entry. No luck.

If things are well with Wiltshire, it is no thanks to me. When I was in charge of the RAF bombing ranges, I stage managed a Vulcan that dropped a stick of 1000-pounders on Salisbury Plain for an RAF publicity film. I am sure they knew it was me because I seemed for a long time unable to pass Boscombe Down on my way to Devon without collecting a speeding ticket, at whatever speed and at whatever time of night.

My Uncle Damon died when his parachute failed to open after he bailed from an airplane that suffered structural failure during some aerobatics. Seems the other guy....who was sat next to the door....hesitated and finally jumped and survived while Uncle got out too late as a result and became The Late.

I have considered the following:

I am not the Aviator my Uncle was....I flew to retirement but did not make as much of an impression as he.

Not an epitaph as such but I attended a RNLAF funeral at a very modern crem. As the conveyor belt started for the chaps final journey the Bose sound system burst forth with the Top Gun Theme.


Still makes me shiver with emotion today.

When I die, I want to go like my father - peacefully - in his sleep. Not screaming and terrified, like his passengers!