大象传媒

It was a few years ago now that I met a man that I will never forget albeit a very brief meeting.
I was visiting an airfield while flying my twin Comanche. After landing I went into the caf茅 for a coffee and sitting there was an elderly gentleman just watching the aircraft and all he said to me was, 鈥� nice bit of flying there lass鈥�.
That was to be the start of a life changing attitude towards the war years for me as it turned out that he was a veteran fighter pilot from 1939 through to 1946, now aged eighty one.
His name was Ian Baker and that name will remain with me for the rest of my life
I asked if I could sit with him and that is when he started on the many stories of the second world war.
I quizzed him as much as one could and discovered then that he had flown the Spitfire, Hurricane and the Mustang in active service from 1939 to 1946 and had been based all over including North Africa.
Well, some of the things he had to say over the next few days of meeting the great man were mind blowing and being an aviator myself I had a zillion questions for him all of which he answered in a humorous, also serious way about things that had happened to him and many of his colleagues .
I did ask, at one point if he had shot down many aircraft and his answer was simply 鈥渁 few鈥�. Obviously he did not wish to dwell on that subject but with the slight glint in his eye and a smile I assumed that meant quite a lot.
Some of the questions I put to him were, 鈥渉ow did you find your way back to the airfield? What was the state of your aircraft? What did you do when the weather was bad? What was it like to dog fight? How did it feel when you were being shot at?鈥�. Well, some or indeed most of the answers would make the hair on the back of my neck stand on end. Some answers were humorous some very serious but all seemed an honest account of what really happened and I just sat there in total admiration at my hero that had saved my life and many others during those dark years of conflict.
Ian was a smallish man, quite slim, very erect, even at 81 and extremely alert and it was one of the greatest moments in my lifetime to sit with this great man for a relatively short period and learn so much.
As a little reward for his kindness and knowledge I asked if he would like a flight in my aircraft and before I could finish the question Ian was at the aircraft, leather flying helmet and jacket on waiting for me to wander out to join him. A little exaggeration there as he did not have a helmet or a flying jacket but he was quick off the mark and to see the look on his face was to me one of the nicest things that could have happened that day, or so I thought.
We sat in the aircraft with Ian in the P1 seat, (pilot seat for the non aviators), and we set off on the most beautiful day with a clear blue sky and unlimited visibility. While at a safe height I suggested to Ian that he take control and then that look returned to his face as earlier but a lot more defined now. A few minutes at the controls and Ian was flying the aircraft like a pro with myself now redundant with hands and feet off all of the controls.
It was as though we had travelled back in time and I was sitting in one of his aircraft watching the great man in action. It was really quite scary, not his flying skills but the atmosphere of the whole event and I will remember that forever.
After a while I suggested to Ian that he have a go at the approach to land and if all was well try the landing also.
He did not need to be asked twice and just like the true aviator that he really was conducted himself in a manner that would put a lot of pilots to shame and himself not ever been in control of an aircraft since 1946 absolutely took my breath away.
It was a jaw hanging time when wheels went down, throttles and propellers set, observations were carried out and even though being extremely nervous and shaky got down to within fifty feet of touchdown after a near perfect approach when I had to assist, albeit next to nothing other than to make it a safer landing than it may have been. Saying that I do think that we would have touched down safely but I think that the great man鈥檚 age was a big factor in this as he was just a little too shaky to be 100% safe.
It took me a while to get myself together after that as it had been an experience way beyond belief and looking across at this now true proven hero was, to say the least, moving.
As a reward to me, which incidentally was totally unexpected as I had had reward enough by just being with my now hero, on our next meet Ian produced a photograph of himself taxiing his aircraft while in Africa on a makeshift runway over the sand.
It was framed, original and signed on the back simply 鈥業an Baker鈥� 1939-1946.
Not only do I now have one of the most wonderful things one could wish for in a gift, I am also in possession of something that makes me think of all the people that gave their lives in those dark days so as we could live freely and even after eight years with this picture on my shelf all it takes is a glance to bring a tear to my eyes, in, maybe admiration, sorrow, thanks or whatever.
What an achievement from one man, my Hero to be able to let me remember all of the heroes by just looking at one simple photograph. What is in that picture that could do that? I do not know and never will.

Thank you Mr Ian Baker and all the other people who suffered during that period for,
My Life

I will never forget.

Mrs Reah Cadwell I will add the picture when my scanner is fixed

E-mail: Reah45@aol.com

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