Here is a collection of Dad's stories about his experience during and after WW2. He LOVED a good story and his life is certainly a GREAT story. In addition I will add over time extra articles, history and anything else I can find about his life. Enjoy
We celebrated his life 11 am Thursday July 27, 2017 at the Wynyard Civic Center.
Barry Needham has been
impatiently checking his mail each day since recently returning from
Normandy. He will be looking to receive a small parcel containing pieces
from the past. While in Normandy, attending the 60th
Anniversary of D-Day, Barry contacted a group of French hobbyists who make it
their business to track down the remains
of crashed aircraft, both Allied and German, in the Falaise area of Normandy.
They find the sites using official records and from personal sightings at the time of the
crash. In the case of a fatality, a small plaque is mounted with the details ,
pilot’s name, rank and unit. After, they often contact surviving relatives,
many of whom come to visit the memorial.
Norbert Hereau is the one who
found the remains of Barry’s spitfire where it crashed after he baled out on
July 7th, 1944 . Since his
wife died a few years ago, Hereau’s home has become a veritable cluttered
museum with literally thousands of aircraft related
artifacts, including two aircraft engines dug up and carefully preserved under
cover in his back yard. Hereau has been involved in this work since he was 14
years old when he was an active member of the French resistance. He also found
time to become Mayor of Argentan, population 18,000.
Positive
identification that it is Barry’s aircraft was made when Norbert’s numbered piece matched the number in Barry’s lo
There is never any solid
proof that a pilot’s one-time misdemeanor determines his future in the service.
However, there is not much doubt that Jerry Smith’s flight in early 1942
prompted his early posting to Malta as punishment. In July 1942 he was joined
by his brother Rod and they flew several missions together before he was shot
down and killed.
Jerry’s low flying pass over Wellingore
airfield, meant to impress his brother Rod , a charter member of RCAF 412
Spitfire squadron, demolished the radio antenna on top of the squadron’s
dispersal hut. Despite considerable damage to his spitfire, he was able to
return to his home base and shortly after received a posting to Malta.
En route , aboard the aircraft carrier Wasp, he
made aviation history. After take off, he found he was unable to engage the
auxiliary fuel tank whose extra fuel was necessary in order to reach Malta.
This left him three choices of action; land in the sea, bale out and hope to be
picked up, or return to the carrier
to try a never-before accomplished deck landing without an arresting hook. He did the near impossible, landing back on
the pitching deck and stopping just inches short from going overboard. Needless
to say, Jerry’s miraculous feat
made him the toast of the officer’s wardroom earning high praise and a pair of American wings
presented by the Admiral.
Years later,when Rod was attending a reunion in the US, a Navy
pilot was reminiscing about his duty as
Deck Officer on the aircraft carrier Wasp. He recounted the story of a spitfire
that after taking off, returned to the Wasp deck, landing without arresting
gear. Rod startled the speaker when he revealed “that was my
brother Jerry, and I have those wings”
Incidentally, Douglas
Fairbanks Jr. was an officer serving on the Wasp. He gave a three page account
of Jerry’s landing in the second volume
of his memoirs.
Rod completed two tours of
operations, earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and Bar. In September 1944 he was promoted to Squadron
Leader commanding 401 Squadron at
Brussels , Belgium where he shot down six
Me 109’s and a share of the first German
jet a Messerschmitt 262 bringing
his total enemy aircraft
destroyed to 13 1/5.
He returned to Canada in
December 1944 entering McGill university where he earneda P EngWhile there in 1946he joined401 Squadron RCAF Auxiliary flying Vampire
jet fighters. Later he was promoted to the rank of Wing Commander andappointed commanding officer of 411 squadron
from which he retired in 1952. Hegraduated from Osgoode Hallin
1953 and moved to Vancouver where he was called to the bar the following year. He
continued to practice law until retiringin 1987.He died suddenlyon April 16, 2002 in Vancouver.
The Smith brothers lived with their parents in Regina ,attending
Davin and Lakeview schools and Central Collegiate before enlisting in the RCAF
in 1940.
The Normandy
Association of Airplane Souvenirs 1939-45 Orne-Maine unearthed a new
airplane at Martigny sur l’Ante last Sunday. For this occasion, a
canadian pilot and his family had come from the province of
Saskatchewan.
The association has
once more brought to the surface a souvenir of the Second World War.
At the start, everyone thought they were finding a piece of a
Spitfire, but in the end, it proved to be, in fact, a Mustang.
For this occasion, a
Canadian pilot, native of Saskatchewan (western Canada) was on the
site with his family. Barry Needham is now 85 years old. The 7th
of July, 1944, he shot at a German truck but he didn’t see the DCA.
He was falling and his airplane caught fire. He parachuted but was
seriously burned. He was taken prisoner and sent to Rennes where he
stayed until the liberation of the town by Patton. He then returned
to Canada where he remained in the army while waiting to find out if
he was to rejoin his squadron in Germany.
Mr. Needham was very
emotional to find himself on this site. Indeed, it is in this region
that his airplane had been shot down in 1944. He had been a member
of Squadron 412 of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
A Mustang motor…
The association had
dug up a motor on this day. Indeed, the owners of the land were also
there and had explained to us that in 1944, the airplane had crashed
and that they had buried the motor so as not to have problems with
the occupation forces. So, the motor had been found again as well as
the propellers and some shells, in very good shape. Everyone was
waiting to find a Spitfire motor; however, it proved to be that of a
Mustang. Therefore, there remains more research to be done in order
to find Barry Needham’s airplane, which should not be too far from
there.
The Association
must still do different research but it also has a task regarding
different airplanes. It would dig up in a short time a German
airplane at Mesnil-Villement in the presence of German
representatives. The pilot would be still inside.
Newspaper article: A Pilot from the Landing at Beaumais, Sunday
A
PATRIOT SAVED BY THE CALVADOS
On
the 18th of June, 1944, the battle of Normandy is raging. Returning from his mission aboard his
Spitfire MK 622, a Canadian pilot, Barry Needham, is hit by German DCA, above
the community of Bons-Tassilly. His
airplane catches fire. Seriously burned
on his hands and face, he has time to parachute and lands three hundred metres
from his airplane which had crashed.
Witness to this drama, an inhabitant of the community, Guy Oriot, about
20 years of age, runs to his aid but is captured by some SS. As soon as they were stopped, the two men are
driven to the Chateau de Beaumais, then occupied by the SS.
Informed by some neighbours, Mr. & Mrs. Hoste intercede through a
German colonel who is staying with them.
Due to their pleas in favour of the young man, and without doubt, in
recognition of the quality of the Calvados from the Hoste vineyard, that he
particularly appreciated, he consents to intervene with the SS of
Beaumais. Guy Oriot would be freed the
same evening. As for the pilot, after
having been cared for by the Germans, he would be released at the time of the
‘liberation’ in the month of August.
Upon the involvement of Michel Rainfroy and Jean-Claude Clouet, Barry
Needham, accompanied by four members of his family, would return to Beaumais,
Sunday afternoon in order to see once again the castle that he has never
forgotten, nor the French person, since disappeared, who had risked death while
wanting to hide him. The next day he
must attend the organized searches at Bons-Tassilly in order to recover his
Spitfire.
Ladies and
gentlemen, my name is Capt Chris Strawson and I have the privilege to briefly
go over the role of an HCol in the CF and to discuss some of the many
contributions Charley Fox made to 412 Sqn and the Canadian Forces.
I have to
say that there have been many kind words spoken of Charley today, however I
occasionally saw another side of him. For example, on a mission over to Pisa,
Italy in 2004 with Charley, he introduced me to his second vice. With ice cream
of course being his first, no this vice was instrumental in the development of
the Fox-Clutch! It was scotch. And I have to say that after being introduced by
Charley to this elixir, I am still a little fuzzy as to exactly how much that
famous tower in Pisa actually is leaning!
But let's
get back to the role of honoraries. The Canadian tradition of appointing
honoraries to units originated with the British military but has only been in
practice within Canada for a little over a century. Honorary rank is granted to
persons who have rendered distinguished service to the Canadian Forces (CF)!!! who,
from an educational or administrative point of view, are likely to promote the
well being of the CF. The Honorary Colonel of a unit is seen to be the guardian
of Squadron traditions and history, an advocate of the unit's identity and
ethos, and an advisor to the Commanding Officer on virtually all issues.
Did Charley
meet these prerequisites? Well let me say that it may have been his
distinguished service to the CF in World War II that got 412 Sqn excited about
this man; however it was the secondary prerequisite of promoting the well being
of the CF where he truly delivered.
Charley was one of few the few people that you'll meet
in your life that has "it"! And what is "it"?
In Jun
2004,412 Sqn had the opportunity to participate in some of the 60th D-Day
events that took place over in Normandy. Of course Charley was there and was
busily travelling from event to event and interview to interview on a non-stop
pace for days. As June 6th came, it was wonderful to participate and walk the
beaches of Juno with him. Through this
opportunity we were able to meet a couple of Charley’s 412 Sqn
mates from
the war. One of those men is here today, Barry Needham of Wynyard Sask. Barry
was another accomplished aviator of 412 Sqn with a distinguished record.
As luck
would have it, 412 Sqn was tasked to pre-position our challenger aircraft from
A to B the following day after the celebrations, which was the ? of June.
Because we had Charley's D-Day painted challenger over in France with us, we
thought it would be appropriate to take him for a quick jaunt across the
country-side. But as many of us know, Charley is a very busy man and would not
be able to make the flight. However he strongly thought we should take his
fellow 412 Sqn fighter pilot friend from Sask. Well I'm from a little town in
Sask as well. It's called Rose Valley (and there's no roses and no valley
there). And it's just north of Wynyard. And we used to just hate going to
Wynyard to play hockey because those guys were tough and the women were
tougher. Taking a guy up from Wynyard Sask in the challenger, I just wasn't
sure about that!
But Charley
had strongly recommended it, so we arranged it.
On the
morning of Jun 7th, 2004 we picked Barry Needham up and left for the airport.
Because the
Chief of the Air Staff is here today, I feel obligated to say that all flight
levels that day were well within the rules of safe flight, by D-Day 1944
standards! And Barry will attest to that!
When we
landed, the 412 Sqn members quickly disembarked the aircraft so we could greet
Barry at the bottom of the stairs. When Barry got to the bottom, he extended
his hand in gratitude.. ..but within seconds and before his hand could be
shook, he took it back sharply.
It was at
that that moment that it hit me. And it hit me like a 100b sledge hammer In
that two hours of flying, we had done something that was immeasurable. We had
given Barry what few aircrew had the opportunity to experience at war's end, a
last flight (or a victory flight). Although it was long overdue (exactly 59 years and 11
months to the day), it was deserved, it was important.
When Barry
pulled his hand back on the tarmac following that flight, it was because a shake
of the hand was not good enough to this man. He gave us all a hug.
I asked
before, what is "it"? That's "it". Charley could have gone
flying that day with us. But he saw the depth and importance in this act of
going flying with Barry. Many of us could see the hand-shake; Charley was able
to see the hug.
That's one
of the first things that Charley taught members of 412 Sqn, identify what's
truly important, focus your efforts, and influence those around you effectively
towards that goal. Leadership. It seems so easy, yet it is the most complex
element of command. Charley had "it". Thinking long-term success.
Hugs, not hand-shakes.
Another key
characteristic that Charley taught the members of 412 Sqn is knowing and
understanding your CENTER OF GRAVITY. It was very clear that Charley's Center
of Gravity was his family and friends. By ensuring that your core is strong,
you will never be limited by your reach. If you do not nurture and protect this
core, the balance in your life cannot be maintained. And although Charley's
life, at times may have seemed chaotic, there was always balance. Charley's
Center of Gravity was strong, deep, and aligned with success. Take a look
around at the success in these chairs, cadets, band, etc., you were all part of
this man's core of success. But I can also say that is part of ours!
412 Sqn is proud to be part of Charley's Center of
Gravity, and honored to be part of Charley's family. So Ryan, that makes you my
brother!
In
conclusion, I would like to pass on 2 words that were mentioned by one of
Charley's good friends on the day of Charley's funeral in London. I feel these
two words define Charley's success at 412 Sqn, his contributions to the Air
Force, and the impact that he has had on the Canadian Forces.
Barry Needham served with the
RCAF’s primarily with 412 Squadron during WWII
1944 July 7 Needham was
shot down over Bons-Tassilly, France, at 2 p.m. and taken prisoner by the
German SS. Just 34 days later Patton and the American army liberated the area
and Needham was freed.
1957 December After learning about the many
difficult landings encountered by air ambulance during the transportation of
patients, four Wynyard residents held a meeting concerning the possibility of
developing an airstrip near town. The founding members included Needham,
Walter Magnusson, George Bolt, and Kelly Park.
1958 June Land was purchased for the airport
1961 July 30 The airport’s official opening was
held. A scheduled fly past did not occur, disappointing Needham.
1990 The north-south grass runway which served well for 30 years
was replaced with an east-west paved runway
1991 June Barry and Martha go to England to visit 411
squadron sister squadron to 412
1995 Needham was named Wynyard
Citizen of the Year.
2003 First tour of Juno
Beach. It was not officially opened yet. Here he met his nurse friend Mme.
Louise Ferlicot from hospital POW camp at Rennes. She is credited with saving
his life by applying copious amounts of mercurochrome to his extensive burns.
Dad had her name on a scrap piece of paper in his ‘war trunk’ for years and
he located her by sending a letter to the editor in regional French
newspapers thanks to translation from Jackie Ferraton.
2004 June 6 D Day Official opening of Juno Beach –
Bored with the ceremony Dad got a chance to fly with Chris Strawson in the
governor general Adrienne Clarksons Challenger over French air space to see
where he was shot down.
On this same trip Barry met the ANSA group (Normandy Association for
Air Remembrance) and talked about possibility of finding his downed Spitfire
2004 September Met Willy Wenger and his wife Wilma in Austria.
Willy presented Barry with the shell that his brother Leopold Wenger salvaged
from his plane after being hit by it over the English Channel September 17,
1942
2005 First dig Debra and
Alfred, Scott ,Martha and Barry. Found
out when they got back to Canada- Wrong plane! It was an American
mustang.
2006 June 19 Debra, Denise, Barry and Martha – this time they
found the spitfire. What an amazing day!
2008 Falaise opening of
memorial Colin, Debra and Scott went with Barry. Debra read High Flight.
2009 Barry went to France with Alfred to visit Georgette Dorn who
was one of the eye witnesses to Dad baling out of his burning spitfire
2011 June Captain Chris
Strawson picked up Needham in Wynyard and flew the war veteran to Ottawa to participate in the 70th
anniversary celebration for the 412 Squadron.
2011 July 22 Captain Jeff
Andrews and other pilots from CFB Moose Jaw took part in a fly pass held
during Wynyard’s centennial celebration. Andrews had met Needham several
years earlier while serving with 412 Squadron, and the two remain close.
2011 August 27 The dedication ceremony was held for W.B.
Needham Field at Wynyard Memorial Airport. A spectacular RCAF fly pass took
place. Both Capt. Strawson and Capt. Andrews participated in the fly pass and
the dedication ceremony.
2014 Ray Haas publishes his book “Touching the Face of God” The
story of John Gillespie Magee Jr. and his poem High Flight. Ray dedicated his
book to Flight Lieutenant Barry Needham Royal Canadian Air Force 412
Squadron ……..and to all of us who have
found a home in the sky
2014 September 13 Barry flies a Harvard at the Yorkton
Airport. When asked by his daughter “Could you have landed it?” his answer
was “Hell yes!”
2015 February 4 Barry
receives French medal in the mail
given to all living allies who participated in D Day 1944
2015 June – Twin Falls
Fishing trip
2015 June 17 Martha passes celebration of her life July 25 2015
2016 March – road trip to Victoria
April – Kerluke Family Film
Festival
June – Minot for private time with the Spitfire
July - Manitou & Danceland
July - west side of Diefenbaker Lake
August – Moosomin fireworks
August – Minot Air Show
Sept – Estevan Air Show
Sept – road trip to Peace River
Oct – Dan took dad to Moose
Jaw 15 wing airport
Nov – Wynyard Remembrance Day
Nov – Saskatoon
2017
March – train trip/Vancouver
June 19 2017 fishing on Lake Diefenbaker Hickcock
Bay for 4 hours
Dad died July 17 same day Mom died 2 years ago just 28 days after his
fishing trip
73 years ago he was in the Rennes POW camp until his birthday August
8 when he turned 24
It us with great emotion I speak to you
today. Over 64 years ago I was here with thousands of other Canadian aviators
who were doing their part to liberate France. I had the privilege of flying
with John Gilesspie McGee the author of High Flight you have heard recently.
Many of my friends rest forever in France.
I had a bit of luck.
It touches me immensely that you have
recognized the sacrifice of Canadian aviators with this monument.
For all of those Canadian aviators lost
during the war and for the Canadian veterans who could not be here today, I
wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart- the 3 associations who gave so much time and energy to carry
out this project.
The monument is magnificent! Mt thanks to
ANSA 39-45, the Juno Canada Normandy
Committee and Souvenir Francais. I would also like to thank everyone present
today for your warm welcome. It has been
a wonderful ceremony and personal experience.
So sorry to get this news. I wish I
could attend the Celebration, but I will be in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, at the huge
airshow. I will be signing my book (the one that is dedicated to Barry), and
thinking about him with every copy signed.
I was so honored to meet him in 2009
at his home in Wynyard. My 5-year old son Noah, who had travelled with me to see
Barry, was a bit uncomfortable with meeting people who he didn't know. Martha,
seeing his discomfort, immediately took him under her wing and made friends with
him in no time. That was such a special visit, one that I won't forget.
Regards,
Ray Haas
P.S. Here’s a blog post I made after
visiting Barry in September of 2009:
My son and I went on a little cross-country summer excursion a
few weeks ago. We had two objectives: visit Barry Needham in Wynyard,
Saskatchewan, Canada, and attend the Canada Remembers Airshow in Saskatoon, SK.
And although the airshow was rained out, we did manage to meet Barry, who made
the trip well worthwhile.
Departing the Portland, Oregon area, we drove northeast through
Washington, and crossed into Canada at Kingsgate, northern Idaho. Soon we
traded the beautiful mountains of British Columbia for the plains of Alberta. A
couple of days found us in Saskatchewan province, making a left turn at Regina
and winding up in the charming town of Wynyard.
Flight Lieutenant Barry Needham, RCAF (retired), joined 412
Squadron the same day as did John Magee. At the time, Barry was a Flight
Sergeant. Turns out that Barry did not know John very well, as officers and
enlisted men did not socialize too much. But certainly they flew together; in
the air, ranks seemed to mostly disappear.
Barry was able to give me a considerable amount of detail
concerning Digby and Wellingore. He was gave me a great gift: his entire file
on John Magee. Barry, being a member of 412 Squadron at the same time as Magee,
had quite a bit of correspondence regarding Magee from various researchers.
What a treasure trove! Thank you, Barry!
412 Squadron had quite a history after Magee died. I
understand the squadron moved something like 17 times during the war. Barry’s
actually served with 412 Squadron twice, at the beginning and end of the
war.
Barry’s flying came to a halt after he was shot down by
anti-aircraft fire over France. Fortunately, he was not severely injured, and
wound up in a POW camp. Barry was liberated by Patton after just over a
month.
I am deeply indebted to Barry for allowing me to spend a day
with him and his lovely wife Martha (who very kindly took care of my son and
also makes a wonderful lemon meringue pie!). I hope I am as sharp as Barry is
when I am 89!
It’s not every day that you get to meet a genuine
hero. Although Barry would not agree at all that he’s any kind of hero…. he was
“just doing my job.” I would have to disagree; anybody who has put themselves
in harm’s way and have people trying to kill them are absolutely
heroes.
Thanks, Flight Lieutenant Needham.
Barry and I in his
office.
Barry with a Tiger
Moth at primary flight training.
I am possibly the only living pilot to have flown operationally with John Gillespie Magee, author of World War 11’s most famous sonnet, “High Flight”.
Two Sergeants and one Pilot Officer joined 412 Canadian Spitfire Squadron at Digby, Lincs. during the last days of September 1941. A.P.L.Smith , and I were the sergeants pilots and Magee was the pilot officer Smith and Magee were both killed in flying accidents while I completed two tours of operations , 26 months in 412 squadron.
Smith and I, both from Saskatchewan, received our wings at Yorkton, Sask. in June and operational training at 61 O T U at Heston, where Sailor Malan was the Wing Commander.
Shortly after joining, the squadron moved to a satelite grass airfield at Wellingore. Here the officers were billeted in a rambling old house called the Grange, while the sergeants and airmen occupied a three- story stone building nearing castle-size, previously part of a large estate before being expropriated by the RAF. Our aerodrome was a farmer’s grass field about 800 yards square, fairly close to the southeast corner of Wellingore village.
The squadron had four non-flying officers: an adjutant, a medical officer, and engineering officer and an intelligence officer. Hart Massey, diminutive son of Vincent Massey, Canada’s war-time High Commisioner in Britain and later Canada’s first native born Governor General. While attending Oxford University, just prior to the war, Hart’s diminutive size earned him the coxswain position in their rowing scull when Oxford defeated Cambridge in one of their legendary races.
Squadron operations those days were mainly training flights and long boring convoy patrols off the East coast .However occasionally the squadron would fly south to Mansion or West Malling to join two other squadrons for a sweep over France The squadron received it’s first real baptism of fire on it’s fourth sweep on November 8 when tasked to give withdrawal cover to 12 Blenheim medium bombers which were to bomb the locomotive shops at Lille.
Briefing had been by an aging wing commander who when reaching the French coast led the wing through a poorly executed maneuver, causing the 36 aircraft to disintegrated into a loose beehive . Sections, pairs and single aircraft flew around in an endless left hand orbit and was soon attacked by 109 F’s which from time to time would down one of our spitfires. During the melee a voice believed to be that of the wing leader was heard to say “I guess I am too old for this boys”. He did not return.
Kit Bushell, 412 squadron’s recently appointed squadron leader and two other pilots, Owen Pickell and Ken Denkman became the squadron’s first casualties. This was Magee’s first and only operational sweep.
On December 11th the squadron took part in a wing formation exercise above cloud, with an RAF squadron from Kirton in Lindsay , a fighter station located about 18 miles north of Lincoln . When the exercise was completed Squadron Leader Morrison ordered the squadron into line astern and dove through a hole in the clouds. Unfortunately, the hole was right in Cranwell airfield’s circuit and Magee’s spitfire collided with an Airspeed Oxford training aircraft. Magee baled out but was too low for his parachute to fully open and he died in a field near Cranwell. The crew aboard the Oxford also died
In February the squadron flew south to Biggin Hill to join more than 400 RAF fighters providing cover for bombers and torpedo-carrying Swordfish attacking the German battleships Scharhorst and Geisenau when they broke out from Brest and were making their way up the English Channel.
The squadron’s next major operation took place on March 15, 1942 . Led by F/L Bill Napier 10 aircraft attacked five German E boats near the Dutch coast. When first sighted one aircraft was delegated to make a low pass to positively make an identification ,friend or foe.. When the E boats opened fire Napier ordered everyone to attack. When everyone had expended all their ammunition, one boat had been sunk and the rest were dead in the water, smoking heavily. This action earned the squadron a letter of commendation from the British Admiralty.
May 1 1942 saw 412 squadron begin 17 moves in England before embarking for France on June 19, 1944.
The first moves was to Martlesham Heath, Suffolk where we continued with convoy patrols and the odd sweep. Readiness duty served from dawn to dusk was quite arduous as double daylight saving time made a short night.
In less than a month the squadron was on the move again, to North Weald
Messages for Needham via email and text for blog posting
I am sorry to hear about the passing of Uncle Barry. I have many
fond memories of him and our family reunions at Fishing Lake.
Much love to your whole family. Wish we could be there for his
celebration next week.
Kim _________________________________________________________________
Scott, No words can convey my heartfelt condolences for you and
your family. Your father was a great man who did what he wanted to do when he
wanted to do it - not many can actually say that they did. He sacrificed
himself for the well-being of others - he handled the rough stuff so that we
didn't have to.
You and your family have done an outstanding job of looking after
your loved ones and you should be commended for having done such an outstanding
job of it, but after knowing where you got your inspiration from, I can see
where you got it from. Keep your head up high, you have a lot to be proud of.
Your friend and fishing guide,
Barry N D Roberts ___________________________________________________________________________ Debra, I have no words that could convey my words and feelings properly - I am sorry for your families great loss. Some people may have some regrets in life, of things that they wanted to do, people that they wanted to see and many other stuff - your father probably had none. He did what he wanted to do and went where ever he wanted to go - He was full of life and was more spunky that anyone I have ever met.
It was my honor to have gotten to know your great father and I will cherish the memories of our trips together.
Your friend and fishing guide,
Barry N D Roberts.
P.S - There is a fishing derby today for the community gathering that my community is having - I will be thinking of your dad fondly and will use some of the hooks that he gave me as I catch fish today in his honor.
Went fishing today in honor of your Dad!
Pat and Ernie
A short note from a buddy of Dad’s in Fairview. Don rebuild a Canso which Dad saw during one of their visits to Peace River
My deepest regrets. I'll read his stories with great interest.
The canso is really all about people like him rather than rivets and
aluminum.
Don ______________________________________________________________________
It
was with great sadness that Luz and I heard of Barry,s passing, and
we wanted to send our sincere condolences to all your family with this
great loss.Luz and I are very fortunate to have become friends of both
Barry and Martha, and we feel their loss as much as if they were part
of our family too.
When you look up in the night sky those are not stars, Martha has
turned on the lights to welcome Barry home.With much love Don and Luz ___________________________________________________________
From Joe Brown- FLY HIGH MY FRIEND
Going back some 60 years the memories are just too many. As my boss, as
president of the S.W.N.A.; my mentor and dear friend
I will always cherish the memories and many great times Barry and the
S.W.N.A. gang had together before many went to "the Blue
Skies"... The "Airman's Story" sits front and center in
my den. Thanks Barry for being my friend. Joe Brown (Swift Current Sun '57
to '66; S.W.N.A. Secretary Manager '66 to '78;
founder Brown Communications), retired, Sidney, British Columbia. Love to you
Denise. _____________________________________________________________________________
To the Barry
Needham family,
We are very sorry to hear of your father’s passing. We fondly remember
his visit and donation to our museum.
You were one of the first Falcons when
412 sqn formed. You were an inspiration to so many. Barry and I met at White
Waltham in 1990 and 1992 at Digby and since those times we kept in contact
along with Martha.
Barry was a tireless help to me with my
research which was a fantastic help. Your name honors the local airfield
Needham Field.
It was a privilege and honor to have
met 25 years ago.
I’m
drying my tears. I was so fond of Barry and felt a strong bond, as I
think he did with me, because Rod and he were such close friends. It’s
always hard to accept that a treasured friend is no longer here, no matter the
age. We had a lovely visit not long ago and I’ll treasure that but I’ll
miss not being able to talk to him about those events of long ago that he
shared with my brother. It’s wonderful that they both got their
incredible memories into print.
A
few weeks ago I heard that the CanadianWarMuseum
wants to take Rod’s papers so I am deep into reading and organizing them to be
sent there. It’s a large and spell-binding collection and apparently they
have facilities similar to the Canadian Archives for public researchers and are
pleased to accept the papers. Barry would have been happy to know
that. I’ll miss his warm and interesting notes that end with “Blue skies,
Barry.”
I only recently met Barry Needham at the Saskatchewan
Aviation Museum on a cold winter night prior to him, his daughter and son
boarding a train to the west coast. (March 2017)
He was very interested in our upstart museum and donated some memorabilia
for a future exhibit which was much appreciated.
Thank you for what you did in WWII and, "may the wind be always on
your tail" Sir.
Marc DeGirolamo
A
flood of wonderful memories have come roaring back into my head.
What a privilege to have known W.B and Martha and to have shared some special
times with them.
A true mentor in the publishing world, a friend and, yes, a hero in so many
ways.
We will celebrate a life in full on the 27th and many more times after.
Norm and Jan
All we
can say is....what a wonderful man who will be so missed. What a full life he
lived! You kids have shown just how devoted you are to him and how much he was
loved.
Please
let us know if there is ANYTHING we can do, in any way, to be of help.
Good morning
I am very sorry for the loss of your dad. He was a wonderful man and a hero to
both you and to Canada.
I know it feels much like been an orphan when both parents are gone. My
thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Blessings
Mary
Thanks for your update email. I find myself at a loss for words as I can only imagine your families feelings during this sad time. Please tell your Dad that I think of him often and tell many stories to colleagues and new acquaintances of a wonderful man, father and RCAF WWII pilot of whom I have the pleasure of knowing and calling him my friend.
Barry, your a special man with a heart of gold and I feel very honoured to call you my friend. We once shared the same RCAF uniform in the same Sqn but from different generations. We served our country with the same pride and sense of duty. I am so grateful to have spent time with you and your loving/fun family. God speed my old friend.
As you once said, you are the last living person on earth to have served and known John Gillespie Magee, Jr.
So it only seems fitting to use his words at this moment:
Barry, you will know when it is time to "slip the surly bonds of earth,
And dance the skies on laughter-silvered wings;......then put out your hand, and touch the face of God."
Know that you are loved and will always be remembered.
Thank you for your email. Our thoughts are with you and you family at the sad time. Your Dad was a special man. I am so glad I had the honour to call him my friend.
I hope you received and were able to
to pass along my words to your Dad from my last email I sent to you.
God bless Scott and god speed.
I trust that he is now in a happy and peaceful place with your Mom.
My sympathy to you all. I will make every effort to attend the celebration of his life.
Thank you so much for letting me know.
"Making Time Fly....Your Way"
Michael
_____________________________________________________________________
Hello Needham Family,
Thank-you for taking the time to keep me updated on your father throughout the years, and during this past few weeks. I truly appreciate your efforts and know with certainty that Barry was a great man, as demonstrated by his and Martha's strong family bond in all of you.
It is with disappointment that I must pass along that I cannot attend the ceremony on Thu. Regrettably I was not able to coordinate my travel to participate and meet you all, as I am away from home throughout this period.
As mentioned in the past, I first met your father on approximately the 03 Jun 04. I met him at a large reception in the hotel where Barry and many other Canadian Veterans were staying, to commentate the anniversary of D-Day. There were a number of distinguished men that I had the opportunity to meet that evening, but your father notably stood out for me. Although I was brought up in Rose Valley to really detest Wynyard folk (more so on the hockey ice), his humble charm was.....comforting.
We chatted for quite some time that eve, learning much about what we had in common.
But another real highlight of this trip came the following evening, when my crew of three 412 Squadron members, and Barry with two of his WWII fighter pilot 412 Squadron went out for dinner at a small French restaurant. When the seven of us arrived we were seated at a splendid candlelit table in a small and intimate room, with only a couple of other tables in the room. As one of the tables was empty, and the other table was settling their bill, I thought the setting was perfect to have a private and colourful visit with our new friends.
I can say that I was not disappointed! If you know who the two fellas from the popular television program known as The Muppets are, who sit up in the balcony and entertainingly critique and joke about life (Statler and Waldorf), envision one more similar and loveable character, and you would be close to understanding the level of good banter and jovial rhetoric for hours at the table. I can't recall if the food was anything special, but I will say that plenty of red wine was enjoyed, reliving and listening to the daring and sometimes humours exploits of these three fellas!
I know that Scott would like to know in detail what was discussed, but those stories should only be lived and relived on French soil!
As we started to throttle back that evening, many hours after we truly had arrived, one more bottle of wine was brought to our table. It was one of the finest in the restaurant, and it was a gift from the table beside us. It was a gift for the table that was settling it's bill much earlier in the evening, but had stayed for hours, listening with absolute enjoyment to Barry and his friends tell stories about their experiences years earlier in life. I can say with clear recollection, it was at that moment that my appreciation for Barry deepened significantly and emotionally. Was I ever fortunate to share a dinner with this great man and his friends.
But as you all know, I had a few more opportunities to share with Barry, and I really do adore them all.
Thank-you once again for including me in family activities/travels and keeping me updated on Barry's endeavours. I look forward to staying in touch. And I must apologize to Colin, as I did not have his contact information. But please do pass on my thoughts to him.
Enjoy your day reminiscing about your father and family, it really is what he would have wanted!
My name is Lynn Janzen, I am the
daughter of Otto and Doreen Janzen, former publishers of Star City, Naicam,
Carrot River and NIpawin newspapers. I read of Barry's passing in the Leader
Post, so checked out the blogspot to be sure it was the same man I
remember
My Dad always talked so highly of Barry.
I slightly remember some war stories that were discussed one time when your Dad
and several other publishes from "our corner " of the province gathered in Star
City on a Saturday to discuss some printing stuff! I was probably in my early
teens so have no idea what it was about. I just remember that all the
newspaper men from the area where there and Mom and I prepared and served the
meals around the big work table in the shop.
As I recall your Dad and staff were of
great help to my father when he was composing a family history book which has
been enjoyed by many, even outside the family.
Otto passed away 3 years ago this
August.
Thanks for posting in the Leader, it
enabled a trip down memory lane for me!
