Battle of Britain pilot speaks! Canberra, Aus.

You never know if someone is in the area, so while it may be a bit off the track for most…

Reflections on the Battle of Britain and Working for Winston Churchill
27 May, 2009 — Seminars
Speaker: Air Commodore James Coward AFC RAF (Retd)
Venue: R1 Theatre

Air Commodore Coward will speak from his experiences as a Spitfire fighter pilot with the Royal Air Force during the Battle of Britain, and also his time on the personal staff of Prime Minister Winston Churchill. It is expected that this seminar will be both highly entertaining and informative, and should provide participants with some lessons drawn from history that may be applicable to today’s political environment. Born in 1915, James Coward joined the Royal Air Force in September 1936. In September 1937 he was posted to 19 Squadron at Duxford; in August 1938 this squadron became the first unit to fly the Spitfire. During the Battle of Britain he was shot down over Duxford, and lost a leg. On leaving hospital, he was posted to Mr Churchill’s staff for 18 months. In October 1942 he went back on flying duties, as Chief Flying Instructor at the Fighter Operational Training Unit, and was later made Wing Commander Flying at the Meteor Advanced Flying Training School at Worksop. He was awarded the AFC for helping to demonstrate the dangers of inverted spinning on Meteors at the Central Flying School. After serving as Air Attache to Norway in 1946, he joined the British Liaison Staff in Canberra during 1960. Returning to the United Kingdom in October 1962, he became the Air Officer Commanding Air Cadets at Waltham, with responsibility for 53 Wings of Air Cadets. In May 1966 he took up the post of Defence Attache in Pretoria. Air Commodore Coward retired to Australia from South Africa in September 1969. In Canberra he built one of the first solar passive heated houses and turned a sheep paddock into a very productive organic garden on a ½-acre block.

Contact Info: For further information and to register your attendance, please contact: Air Power Development Centre Tel: 626 61084 | Fax: 626 61041 | E-Mail: [email]airpower@defence.gov.au[/email]

http://airpower.airforce.gov.au/Events/Details/19/Reflections-on-the-Battle-of-Britain-and-Working-for-Winston-Churchill.aspx

Sounds like an interesting chap.