Sad news – Neville Duke is with us no more

Todays Obit in the Times

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article1657966.ece

Just logged on for the first time in two weeks, having been in the States on hols. Such sad news – I took a signed copy of his book “Test Pilot” with me to (re)read on the flights out and back.

So many (self-effacing) heroes lost in recent months – there must be a heck of a lot of “line shooting” going on in that big “mess bar in the sky” at the moment.

RIP Mr Duke, and thanks for all you did.

Paul F

Another one gone….but not forgotten

Very sad news.The generation that gave us freedom are gradually disappearing.We can only hope that they realise how thankful us ‘younger’ ones are for what they did for us.RIP Mr Duke.

The local paper (he lived in Lymington) reported his death on Friday with a sizeable article. RIP Mr Duke.

Sad news to come home to. Not had TV or the net for the last week. Great loss. RIP

Very sad news:(

A brilliant pilot and also a very good author.

RIP Neville Duke.

Andy,
I doubt even Gwen realises just how widely he was known and admired.

Thanks

Going by his reception at Tangmere in 03 and how protective Gwen was of him I think she has an inkling.

One of the museum staff mentioned how protective she was.

Andy,

If you hear news of any plans for a possible memorial service would you post them here?

Neville was a hero to a whole generation and many of us would like to express our gratitude in some way. I doubt even Gwen realises just how widely he was known and admired.

Thanks

Flying with Neville Duke

You have a good memory Andy,

I was privileged to have Neville in the right hand seat of my Koliber (Polish copy of French Rally 150hp) on a short demo flight at Goodwood in the late 1980’s. He was fascinated with the STOL performance of the a/c and he, having experienced some testing of the Optica at Old Sarum, was amused by the Koliber ‘landing over the hedge’ approach of 45 knts, with full 3 stage flap, power on and nose up, to then touch down and roll to a braked stop in under 50 yards.
He declined to ‘have a go’ himself, saying with a wry grin, that he doubted if he could better that himself.
As always, the gentleman, generous with his words, and one who would never attempt to undermine or outdo someone else’s achievements.
Sadly missed, but brilliant memories.
Peter D

For those who may be interested there is an excellent obituary in todays Daily Telegraph for Neville Duke…

Well it was excellent, marred only by reference to John Derry and Alan Richards being killed in the DH110 crash :confused:

Has it been mentioned on the TV News…

There was a tribute piece on BBC South Today Tuesday evening. The following is a link which will provide a link to a clip from the BBC reportage, see panel on the right of window.

http://search.bbc.co.uk/cgi-bin/search/results.pl?tab=all&go=homepage&scope=all&q=Neville+Duke

Note how the interviewer of Alan Jones of Solent Sky stumbles with ‘tell us a story’ when he interrupts Alan Jones who clearly started the story without the presenter being able to strictly follow the script.

For those who may be interested there is an excellent obituary in todays Daily Telegraph for Neville Duke, including a large front page photograph of him. An excellent tribute to a truly great man and I am glad that one of the heavyweight dailies gave him such prominence and recognition. Andy Saunders

Which you can read here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/13/nduke13.xml

and Obit here:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2007/04/13/db1302.xml

Has it been mentioned on the TV News, I’m not sure, but I think not, we were watching BBC and ITV news last night and they seemed to be more interested in some obscure US DJ who’s been sacked, big deal. What got my back up was that at the end of the ITV news, when they review the papers, you could clearly see a large picture of Neville Duke on the cover of what I think was The Independant, I went ballistic as he was never mentioned, my son, who had never heard of ‘The Duke’, but was given a lecture as a consequence, also agreed that it was ridiculous that a war hero and such an eminent contributor to the history and development of British aircraft was ignored in favour of some racist idiot in a cowboy hat.
Incidentally, I was quite surprised at how young Neville Duke must have been during his desert exploits, and, I was sickened at the way he had to sell his history to pay for his wife’s operation, people of his calibre don’t deserve such treatment.
Another sad loss to the world of aviation, at least he was in his element when he became ill.
RIP another lost hero.
Just seen Andy Saunders piece and it may indeed be the cover of The Telegraph that I saw.

DAILY TELEGRAPH TODAY

For those who may be interested there is an excellent obituary in todays Daily Telegraph for Neville Duke, including a large front page photograph of him. An excellent tribute to a truly great man and I am glad that one of the heavyweight dailies gave him such prominence and recognition. Andy Saunders

Excellent posting, Xtangomike. If memory serves me correct, I think you flew with him once in a one of your Kolibers from Goodwood. Or did I imagine that? Either way….we both share a good few memories of times spent in his company. I have passed your thoughts, xtangomike, and some of the postings here directly on to Gwen. Andy

I’ll second, third, fourth, etc all those before me!

R.I.P Mr Nev mate:( , you were a very great man:cool: .

All the best to his Relly’s

Thank’s for putting it up Moggy!

Too crook must crash, ” Gut Nacht “:o 😉

God bless, blue skies Neville Duke, you will be sadly missed.

Sincere condolences to his family.

Brian.

I had the very great honour to meet Mr. Duke last year at the Fleet Air Arm Museum during an event celebrating the World Air Speed Record. It was only a very brief meeting but he was very impressive. I asked him what WB188, his record breaking Hunter, was like to fly. A look of obvious pleasure at the memory passed across his face. He paused, grinned, and said ‘perfect!’

RIP.

Neville Duke

Raymond Baxter, Alex Henshaw and now Neville Duke!

Gents,

as Albert has already mentioned, ‘Sir’ Duke is just the latest to leave us. As the show season is approaching and these guys are quite deservedly Legends in their own right, howabout at the Duxford Legends we hold an impromtu wake during the show and salute the memory of these fine aviators?

I will of course be raising a tinnie or two tonight as my salute to another man who did so much.

CAVOK

Phlyer.

Neville duke remembered

“One of the Great’s”

Fighter ace sells medals to spare wife long wait for hip replacement
By Neil Tweedie

One of the most decorated British fighter pilots of the Second World War has sold his medals, diaries and other memorabilia partly to pay for a hip replacement operation for his wife who faced at least a six-month wait on the National Health Service.

Sqn Ldr Neville Duke, 83, the Royal Air Force’s top-scoring ace in the Mediterranean theatre who set a world air speed record of 728 mph in 1953, put the collection up for auction rather than subject his wife Gwen to months of pain and discomfort while she waited for an operation.

Squadron Leader Neville Duke
The standard waiting time for hip replacements in the orthopaedic department at the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, one of the nearest facilities to the Dukes’ home, is six months.

Mrs Duke, who has been in pain with her hip for eight months, was told by her chiropractor that the wait might be 15 months.

Before the sale Mrs Duke, 85, explained: “It is very likely I will need a new hip and that is something we just cannot afford. If I went on a NHS waiting list I would have to wait forever, and at my age that’s no good.

‘By selling Neville’s things we will be able to pay for the hip. We pulled out of BUPA because they practically doubled the rate when we reached 60.

“There are other important reasons, such as security, for selling. He’s very upset about it.”

In the event, the auction at Dix Noonan Webb in Mayfair raised £138,000, some £8,000 of which would be required for an operation. The medals went to a private British collector.

Sqn Ldr Duke’s DSO, awarded in the field after he shot down seven enemy aircraft in seven days, DFC and two bars, Air Force Cross and OBE for his achievements as a test pilot for Hawker form one of the finest collections of medals accrued by a pilot of his generation.

The lots also included the ripcord he pulled when he baled out for the second time in the war and came near to drowning in an Italian lake after almost falling out of his harness.

Sqn Ldr Duke said the decision to sell the medals was a hard one but had been forced upon him by worries about his wife’s condition, security at the family home following three burglaries, the cost of insuring the collection and the desire to keep it together, the couple having no children.

The couple lost silverware in the break-ins including cups won in air races, but the thieves missed Sqn Ldr Duke’s silver Hunter marking his record.

“It was never going to be easy to make a decision about the future of my flying career memorabilia, but following careful consideration I decided that it would be best to sell everything at auction in my lifetime,” he said.

Still an active pilot after 65 years, Sqn Ldr Duke flew 485 sorties in the war, shooting down 27 aircraft and sharing two more kills, a performance that placed him in the league of pilots such as “Bob” Stanford Tuck and second only to “Johnnie” Johnson.

During his tour in North Africa he was shot down by the Luftwaffe ace Otto Schulz, but managed to crash land.

In September 1953 he took the world air speed record from the Americans when his all-red Hawker Hunter reached 728 mph over Tangmere, Kent.

The helmet he wore during the flight was among the items sold.

The most entertaining lots are his diaries, recording a Boys Own career.

One entry from North Africa records his shooting down of a Me109: “Got in a burst from the stern quarter and its hood and pieces of fuselage disintegrated. Machine went into vertical dive and pilot baled out. Flew round and round the pilot until he landed, then went down to look at him. I waved to him and he waved back.

“Poor devil thought I was going to strafe him as he initially dived behind a bush.”

One entry on being shot down: “Saw the ground rushing up and then kicked the rudder and pushed the stick forward and prayed. Got control just in time and the machine hit the ground on its belly.

“Hopped out jolly quick and then darted behind some scrub and lay on my belly.

“The Hun came down and shot-up my machine. Horrible crack and whistle of bullets near me and I thought I was going to be strafed but the Hun cleared off.”

And in happier times in London: “Released for the day (7 October 1941). Went up to town in the CO’s car with Hunk and babe Whitmore. Called on Burberry’s, visited the Crackers and saw usual females.

“Had tea at the Trocadero and then saw film Man Hunt. Went along to the Ritz ‘Rivoli’ Bar and had a few snifters.

“Beetled into the Berkeley for dinner then staggered along to Hatchett’s for a nightcap.”