Waritme icons. Who would you have most liked to share a glass of nectar with?

[Keith Webb]

Interesting and timely topic. I bought a book just yesterday which has a fascinating central theme which is the reason why we had so many fatal Beaufort crashes here. One of the key reasons it was solved was because of a chap named Charles Learmonth... anyway I was thinking I would have loved to discussed this with my dad as I don't know he ever knew the reason. He served on Beauforts.

Other than that I have been very fortunate to meet and speak to many of my childhood heroes such as Bobby Gibbes, Dick Cresswell and Tony Gaze, all Australian aces.

I would love to have been able to speak to Blackjack Walker, a Beaufighter pilot and also a chap named Davenport who commanded 455 Squadron. Clive 'Killer' Caldwell is another. Then there are bomber boys such as Guy Gibson and Leonard Cheshire. I have been very fortunate to meet men who knew them well, also have some great stories from pilots who knew and flew with Douglas Bader.

For army I would like to have met Claude Auchinleck.

[hrpearce]

David Stirling, I really enjoyed Virginia Cowles' story of him and the S.A.S. and would jump at the chance to discuss tactics with him.

[cmperry4]

My journalism instructor, ca. 1975, had been a Spitfire pilot in WW2, then "invalided" out, as he put it, and went into PR for the RCAF, which was how he got into journalism. He and I were chatting one day, and he knew I was interested in aviation and history. He mentioned he had watched a 60 Minutes interview with a guy who had been a professional hit man. He said the guy reminded him of George Beurling, whom he had interviewed during the war. As he put it, he had the same cold blue eyes as the hit man, a "stone-cold killer."

So, Beurling, given all the stories and controversy about him, and the intrigue around his death, would be a most interesting guy to chat with. Maybe.

The instructor, by the way, was named Stan Helleur, and he died in a tragic and absurd elevator shaft accident.