fb6
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 96
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Post by fb6 on Mar 12, 2013 13:12:29 GMT 12
Top WW2 Nightfighter Ace, Wg Cmr. Branse Burbridge is suffering Alzheimers and today lives in a Resthome. His family are faced with having to sell his War medals and memorabilia to help pay his costs. This exceptional pilot, along with his lifelong friend & navigator, Sqn Ldr. Bill Skelton, were the Allies' most successful team, with 21 confirmed victories, 4 of which were achieved in just one night during a bomber-support mission. Both these men were decorated with the DSO and bar & the DFC and bar. This is really tragic that those who served & helped save us from tyranny, are now forced into this terrible situation... Read the story- www.rt.com/news/uk-heroes-sell-medals-078/ |
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fb6
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 96
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Post by fb6 on Mar 12, 2013 19:42:49 GMT 12
Sorry, didn't get it quite right to click on to the link etc-
The link address is the news article though... not likely to see it in the mainstream media...
Sorry too, posted on the wrong board-
Just doesn't seem like people really care anymore just what ALL these brave young chaps did back then; it was only recently they belatedly acknowledged the Merchant Marine for their service, those savage Atlantic convoys, and most of them had already passed away...
C'est la vie
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2013 20:03:36 GMT 12
I agree that sadly people don't really care like they used to. I care about what the veterans did, but to me the medal is a mere symbol or token trinket - with or without it in his possession his experiences and memories will stay the same and our respect for him will too.
If it means this chap gets to live out his days in more comfort, and there's no other alternative, and some collector is mad enough to part with big money to buy the medals then I say sell them.
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fb6
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 96
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Post by fb6 on Mar 12, 2013 20:24:18 GMT 12
Thanks Dave for your agreement. I just got quite a shock when I saw the news article on TV this morning!...
I just hope that his medals, jacket, logbooks etc. all get kept as a Collection, perhaps available for public display. That would at least give great purpose & dignity to what he achieved, and for all those others too. It's the sort of thing the RAF Museum should pick-up, you know?
Cheers
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Post by Dave Homewood on Mar 12, 2013 20:50:54 GMT 12
I had never heard of this chap, if anyone had asked me who the top night fighter pilot was I'd have guessed John "Cats Eyes" Cunnigham.
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Post by steveh on Mar 12, 2013 22:19:40 GMT 12
One of the British Mags, either Aeroplane or Flypast, carried the story of this crew not too long ago, the last couple of years anyway. He sounded like one of the quiet heros & a rather unlikely one at that, beginning the war as a conscientious objector & ending it as the allies highest scoring night fighter ace. This sort of thing must break his families heart.
Steve.
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fb6
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 96
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Post by fb6 on Mar 13, 2013 20:00:31 GMT 12
I have read alot of WW1 & WW2 aviation, I always had a specific interest in the Nightfighting war, Lewis Brandon's book probably the first I read about it, many years ago. I read Bob Braham's book 'Scramble' in the 70's & also Cunningham & Rawnsley's story in 'Nightfighter'.
As I went on I expanded into the Bomber war and how the radar war developed via R.V. Jones's work developed. Nightfighting was so secret because of it, so alot of these aircrew were not as acknowledged [as too Recce pilots] as prolificly as the other branches of RAF, and then only much later.
Our 488 [Jamie] G.E. Jameson was one of the only other crews to shoot down ''four-in-a-night'', there may be one or two others, it was a rare feat. My feeling was especially intrigued in that Burbridge was a conscientious-objector also, Steve.
Cheers
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fb6
Flight Lieutenant
Posts: 96
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Post by fb6 on Jun 13, 2013 1:16:59 GMT 12
POSTSCRIPT Well now, out of interest I wrote away to the RAF Museum about W/C Burbridge's medals etc. and recently received a reply... Andrew Cormack FSA, Keeper of Medals, Uniforms and Visual Arts at RAF Museum, Hendon, had indeed received the catalogue from Dix, Noonan and Webb where they were auctioned. In there, under Category; Groups and Single Decorations for Gallantry- with Estimate; 100,000-120,000 pounds- Hammer Price; 155,000 pounds- Total Price; 192,000 pounds. Mr Cormack went on to say that this was completely and regretfully beyond their means, being more than twice their annual Purchase of Exhibits allowance. -So this was indeed fair comment. I am pleased for the family. Perhaps it was Lord Ashcroft that got them... On the auction website... www.dnw.co.uk/medals/auction-archive/catalogue-archive/lot.php?department=Medals&lot_id=89478 ...are the details, and a compehensive account of the "Night Hawk Partners" as they were known. It's a very interesting read... For the record, these chaps were the Top UK/Allied MOSQUITO Nightfighters with 21 victories/2 probables/1 damaged +3 V1's. THE Top UK/Allied Nightfighter was W/C J.R.D "Bob" Braham with 29/2/5, 19/2/5 of which were whilst flying Beaufighters, the rest on Mosquitoes. He usually flew with his long-time navigator, S/L "Sticks" Gregory. Probably the most famous was W/C John "Cats-eyes" Cunningham and Flt/Lt Jimmy Rawnsley. -Cunningham, who hated this nickname the Press gave him, put up with it as helped perpetuate the myth that they all "ate carrots for their eye-sight" so as to preserve the secrecy surrounding the Radar they used. Most of their victories were also whilst flying Beaufighters. Their final tally was 20/3/7. Hope that this may be of interest to some... Cheers |
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Post by flyjoe180 on Jun 14, 2013 15:06:18 GMT 12
That is very sad that they need to sell his medals and memorabilia to support him in his struggles with Alzheimer's. But perhaps his life and quality of the remainder of his life are more important than awards and artefacts.
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