An RAF officer named Emerson Burbidge featured as an old schoolfriend of Sam's in earlier drafts of The Teeth of Beasts. In the published book, due to lack of space, Emerson has all but been removed, along with ‘recognition’ of his contributions to Sam’s decision-making. However! He still appears, albeit nameless, as the man in evening dress with whom Sam has been drinking around Leicester Square, on the occasion that Sam is shocked by the disfigured face of an ex-Royal Navy man.
We went to the Shoreham Airshow today. It was thrilling throughout, as ‘planes from 1914 (!) onwards weaved and roared overhead, simulating combat or just tearing round in crazy directions. Such was the chronological range of aircraft, I remembered the Royal Flying Corps fliers who were real life versions of Emerson Burbidge: such men were hardly out of boyhood when they entrusted their lives to contraptions of linen, wood and wire over the Western Front...
We went to the Shoreham Airshow today. It was thrilling throughout, as ‘planes from 1914 (!) onwards weaved and roared overhead, simulating combat or just tearing round in crazy directions. Such was the chronological range of aircraft, I remembered the Royal Flying Corps fliers who were real life versions of Emerson Burbidge: such men were hardly out of boyhood when they entrusted their lives to contraptions of linen, wood and wire over the Western Front...
And those who survived, and stayed in the nascent RAF through the interbellum, as Emerson did 'behind' my story - they went on to fly Gloster Gladiators, Supermarine Spitfires and Hawker Hurricanes. The only half-decent video I could get of the Hurricane and a (very early, Mk.1A) Spitfire was just them roaring past.
Perhaps if my story stretched to the war years 1939-45, then Emerson might have graduated visibly to these later fighters; or he might have shifted specialism and flown an Avro Lancaster, a B-27 Mitchell or a Dakota.
Below are the Mk.IX Spitfire, Mk.XVI Spitfire and Lancaster which make up the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight:
Perhaps, in amongst the Mustangs just here, Emerson might have gone on to help cover the invasion of Normandy from the attentions of the Luftwaffe.
Here are some of the Messerschmitts of that same Luftwaffe, taxiing for take-off (with Dakotas behind)!
Just before we left, The Great War display of dogfighting Fokkers, Sopwiths and Junkers ended with The Last Post. The airshow as a whole was a totally jaw-dropping, ear-burstingly exciting event which really managed to transmit enthusiasm for a host of amazing, sometimes beautiful machines. It was very fitting that on the Sussex coast, in this D-Day anniversary year, the fliers of the two world wars were themselves also remembered.