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Re: Capt Roy Brown

Posted by Dan Jones on Mon Apr 26, 2004 10:24:34 PM

In reply top Re: Capt Roy Brown posted by Steve T on Mon Apr 26, 2004 08:54:07 PM

Hi Steve,

I wondered how long it would take for that "debate" to come up! :-) I remember seeing the Baron's jacket in Ottawa some years ago at the War Museum and how the back of it was shot full of holes, so that was always "my" proof that Brown got him, but yes, you're right, that is a whole other debate! Probably everyone within sight was throwing lead at him that morning...

Wop May was fairly high up with CAL in those days and had a very active career in the bush and did alot of work out of Edmonton in the old days - the serum flight to Fort Vermillion, etc. He features often in that book - "Bent Props and Blowpots" by Rex Terpenting (sp?) and it's a good read for any student of early Canadian bush flying.

Did you and Mike ever get those pictures of my BT-13 that I sent? I found a stack of photos on my desk last week (under a stack of Stearman stuff, which was under a stack of Spitfire stuff, which was under a stack of tax stuff!) and I got this cold feeling that they are the ones that I was supposed to send you and Mike! If I didn't I'll get them off to you guys ASAP as soon as I get home. I'm in Churchill, Manitoba right now hauling fuel with the Herc and I can confirm that Avro Arrow RL202 is not hidden in an abandoned hangar in Churchill - 'cause my flight engineer and I looked in all of them! :-)

cheers,

Dan




: Hi Dan--
:
: That sounds like the same Roy Brown, yes. (I'll see what
: I can dig up at home; may be a ref somewhere to his postw
: ar career). Quite a few of the Canadian RFC/RAF pilots sta
: yed in aviation in the interwar period.
:
: Course the assertion that Brown downed von Richthofen ha
: s been the subject of a tremendous amount of debate, but t
: hat is another story! At the very least, between Brown (wh
: o was chasing the "Baron") and Wilfred "Wop" May (whom the
: "Baron" was chasing)...even if Brown did not actually sho
: ot von Richthofen down, the two Canadians were certainly r
: esponsible for the Triplane being in a position for the Au
: ssie 53rd's gunners to shoot at. Call it a Commonwealth vi
: ctory...BTW "Wop" May, having cheated death and avoided be
: coming von Richthofen's 81st kill, also had a significant
: postwar bush-flying career in Canada.
:
: S.

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