pbfoot
1st Lieutenant
Obituaries
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Wildcat
Major
Heinz
Captain
ToughOmbre
Senior Master Sergeant
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
- Thread starter
- #108
syscom3
Pacific Historian
Lieutenant Dave Wright
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 15/06/2007
Lieutenant Dave Wright, who has died aged 85, flew highly
dangerous sorties over the sea during the Second World War and wrote the Fleet Air Arm's most famous song; after the war he founded a company making gold braid for senior
British and Commonwealth officers.
Having joined the Fleet Air Arm as a newly qualified pilot
in 1940, Ward became one of 804 Squadron's small band of "catapilots" , flying the Canadian-built Hawker Sea Hurricane XIIA fighters from catapult-armed merchant ships.
Sailing in Atlantic and Arctic convoys, he would be launched by rocket-propelled sledge to attack approaching Condor bombers. Fourteen 11ft-long missiles ignited together to send his aircraft accelerating down a 70 ft ramp in a blast of fire which would be followed by a roar like an exploding bomb; the pilot would briefly black out ahead of the sound wave.
It was only after being launched on his first sortie from
the former banana boat Maplin that it dawned on the
20-year-old Wright that he was far from land with no
instructions about his return.
The theory was that he should land on the water and hope to be picked up by a passing vessel; but he realised that the oil-cooler underneath the Hurricane would scoop up water, causing it to sink like a stone.
So Wright perfected a manoeuvre in which he first jettisoned the canopy; then, crouching on the seat, he would decelerate the Hurricane and roll it slowly on to its back; he would then fall away from the aircraft, kicking the control column forward to avoid being hit by the tailplane as the Hurricane plunged into the sea.
In this way Wright survived 24 launches before switching to 893 Squadron, flying Martlets and Seafires from the fleet
carrier Formidable, to take part in the landings in North
Africa, Sicily and Salerno.
David Wright was born on July 14 1921 at Haworth, West
Yorkshire, where his father was a textile machinery designer and the inventor of the centrifugal spinning system. Dave was educated at Keighley Boys' Grammar School.
After the war he returned to Haworth, where he founded
Wyedean Weaving Company to make gold braid and medal
ribbons. All around the world police and armed forces wear
Wyedean products, which include sashes for the Royal Family and senior officers at Trooping the Colour as well as touch cord for cannon and jute webbing for undertakers.
It even made false eyebrows for camels for the film The
Mummy (1999). Wright liked to joke that he preferred clients in Africa because coups were more frequent there and the generals changed the braid on their uniforms regularly.
Wright founded the Haworth Round Table and helped open a private airfield at Black Moor, Oxenhope, where he took up flying again. As a prominent member of the Bradford Motor Club, he became a star attraction by riding a motor-cycle through flaming hoops at Haworth Gala.
He also composed sacred music, and for more than 60 years played the organ at Hall Green Baptist chapel, where his grandfather had been choirmaster. He was a talented jazz pianist, and as a wartime DJ entertained the ship's company of Formidable.
With Lieutenant Derek Stevenson, he wrote and set to music a version of the famous song Villikins and his Dinah; it lampooned the tedious A25 accident report form, beginning:
They say in the Air Force a landing's OK / If the pilot gets
out and can still walk away, / But in the Fleet Air Arm the
prospect is grim / If the landing's piss-poor and the pilot
can't swim.
The chorus (Cracking show, I'm alive / But I still have to
render my A25 ) has been sung, with other scurrilous verses, in every British carrier and naval air station ever since.
Dave Wright married, in 1946, Norma Hiley, for whom he liked to compose racy poems on the occasion of her birthday. She survives him with their two daughters and a son.
Last Updated: 12:01am BST 15/06/2007
Lieutenant Dave Wright, who has died aged 85, flew highly
dangerous sorties over the sea during the Second World War and wrote the Fleet Air Arm's most famous song; after the war he founded a company making gold braid for senior
British and Commonwealth officers.
Having joined the Fleet Air Arm as a newly qualified pilot
in 1940, Ward became one of 804 Squadron's small band of "catapilots" , flying the Canadian-built Hawker Sea Hurricane XIIA fighters from catapult-armed merchant ships.
Sailing in Atlantic and Arctic convoys, he would be launched by rocket-propelled sledge to attack approaching Condor bombers. Fourteen 11ft-long missiles ignited together to send his aircraft accelerating down a 70 ft ramp in a blast of fire which would be followed by a roar like an exploding bomb; the pilot would briefly black out ahead of the sound wave.
It was only after being launched on his first sortie from
the former banana boat Maplin that it dawned on the
20-year-old Wright that he was far from land with no
instructions about his return.
The theory was that he should land on the water and hope to be picked up by a passing vessel; but he realised that the oil-cooler underneath the Hurricane would scoop up water, causing it to sink like a stone.
So Wright perfected a manoeuvre in which he first jettisoned the canopy; then, crouching on the seat, he would decelerate the Hurricane and roll it slowly on to its back; he would then fall away from the aircraft, kicking the control column forward to avoid being hit by the tailplane as the Hurricane plunged into the sea.
In this way Wright survived 24 launches before switching to 893 Squadron, flying Martlets and Seafires from the fleet
carrier Formidable, to take part in the landings in North
Africa, Sicily and Salerno.
David Wright was born on July 14 1921 at Haworth, West
Yorkshire, where his father was a textile machinery designer and the inventor of the centrifugal spinning system. Dave was educated at Keighley Boys' Grammar School.
After the war he returned to Haworth, where he founded
Wyedean Weaving Company to make gold braid and medal
ribbons. All around the world police and armed forces wear
Wyedean products, which include sashes for the Royal Family and senior officers at Trooping the Colour as well as touch cord for cannon and jute webbing for undertakers.
It even made false eyebrows for camels for the film The
Mummy (1999). Wright liked to joke that he preferred clients in Africa because coups were more frequent there and the generals changed the braid on their uniforms regularly.
Wright founded the Haworth Round Table and helped open a private airfield at Black Moor, Oxenhope, where he took up flying again. As a prominent member of the Bradford Motor Club, he became a star attraction by riding a motor-cycle through flaming hoops at Haworth Gala.
He also composed sacred music, and for more than 60 years played the organ at Hall Green Baptist chapel, where his grandfather had been choirmaster. He was a talented jazz pianist, and as a wartime DJ entertained the ship's company of Formidable.
With Lieutenant Derek Stevenson, he wrote and set to music a version of the famous song Villikins and his Dinah; it lampooned the tedious A25 accident report form, beginning:
They say in the Air Force a landing's OK / If the pilot gets
out and can still walk away, / But in the Fleet Air Arm the
prospect is grim / If the landing's piss-poor and the pilot
can't swim.
The chorus (Cracking show, I'm alive / But I still have to
render my A25 ) has been sung, with other scurrilous verses, in every British carrier and naval air station ever since.
Dave Wright married, in 1946, Norma Hiley, for whom he liked to compose racy poems on the occasion of her birthday. She survives him with their two daughters and a son.
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
Heinz
Captain
trackend
Chief Master Sergeant
This is personnel one from me.
Last night aged 82 William (Bill) John Miles ex RN ABS (my father) died
He served In LCA's and saw action both in Europe and the far East. I intend to post my own thread on his Service as a personnel tribute much the same as I did for my Uncle Dennis who was a Wellington pilot but unlike my father did not survive the war.
Last night aged 82 William (Bill) John Miles ex RN ABS (my father) died
He served In LCA's and saw action both in Europe and the far East. I intend to post my own thread on his Service as a personnel tribute much the same as I did for my Uncle Dennis who was a Wellington pilot but unlike my father did not survive the war.
Emac44
Staff Sergeant
Rest in peace. For both your father and uncle Dennis Track. Yes please remember both of them mate. They would have been great men and my condolances to your family Track
pbfoot
1st Lieutenant
My condolences on the loss of your Dad
Lucky13
Forum Mascot
trackend
Chief Master Sergeant
Thanks guys he was a bit of a bugger at times as well as being tough and stubborn as hell but not a bad father.
Emac44
Staff Sergeant
As was my Father. Track. Well remember my Father's exploits of his during WW2. Tough as nails and stubborn as hell. Dad once got arrested by the Provost (Military Police) during the infamous Battle of Brisbane in 1942. Not because he was rioting mind you Track. Because Dad went and kicked this Red Cap fair up the arse for the excuse that the Red Cap was arresting one of Dad's mates and it seemed my Dad objected to this action. Dad was a fair bugger too Track. But in all given the fact he made mistakes as any man does. He was a good Father and I miss him. What you will do Track in say a few months begin remembering your Dad and all the funny things he you and family did. Enjoy those memories Track because he was a good man. I say this even though I don't know him or you personally
- Thread starter
- #118
syscom3
Pacific Historian
Sorry to hear that.
trackend
Chief Master Sergeant
Thanks for the kind words EM SY.
Sounds like your dad was a bit rough handful too Emac but I think the war and before that the depression made people tougher in those days.
He did do some crazy things tho I remember him burying a car engine in the middle of our lawn so he could use the fly wheel as a telescope mount and making a zip line for us kids out of two telegraph poles, again buried in the garden trouble was I was too short to touch the ground to stop so I used to just bash into the bottom pole.(lost 3 teeth cause of that
)
He wrote a short booklet (only 48 pages) on his WW2 exploits I may copy it into his own thread so it will at least be some where on the web for years to come. All the people who have read it enjoyed it and a local college English teacher said it was well written for a person with only basic education. With lots of humour as well as the serious side from a lower ranks point of view it makes interesting reading.
Sounds like your dad was a bit rough handful too Emac but I think the war and before that the depression made people tougher in those days.
He did do some crazy things tho I remember him burying a car engine in the middle of our lawn so he could use the fly wheel as a telescope mount and making a zip line for us kids out of two telegraph poles, again buried in the garden trouble was I was too short to touch the ground to stop so I used to just bash into the bottom pole.(lost 3 teeth cause of that
) He wrote a short booklet (only 48 pages) on his WW2 exploits I may copy it into his own thread so it will at least be some where on the web for years to come. All the people who have read it enjoyed it and a local college English teacher said it was well written for a person with only basic education. With lots of humour as well as the serious side from a lower ranks point of view it makes interesting reading.
FLYBOYJ
"THE GREAT GAZOO"
My condolences Track...