Sir Barrie Heath, DFC,AEc (11 September 1916 – 22 February 1988) was a Royal Air ForceSpitfire pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Heath shot down four enemy aircraft (including two "probables") and damaged two others. After the Second World War he had a successful career in industry, rising to become chairman of the industrial conglomerate GKN. In 1978 he received a knighthood for services to export.
Barrie Heath
Barrie Heath photographed on the wing of Spitfire IIa P7883 "Grahame Heath", which had been donated by his parents in memory of his older brother, a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps who was killed in the First World War
Spitfire Mk IIa P7350 of the BBMF is the only existing airworthy Spitfire that fought in the Battle of Britain.
Plaque awarded to G.F. Heath to commemorate his "Presentation Spitfire"
Heath saw active service in 1940 with No. 611 Squadron RAF, flying in Spitfire IIa P7883 "Grahame Heath", which had been donated by his father G.F. Heath in memory of his son Grahame.[2]
Such donations were not uncommon at the time; many patriotic individuals as well as towns and other organisations were encouraged to donate the cost of an airframe. The cost of a Spitfire was set by the government at £5,000, a very large sum at the time, although the real cost of manufacturing the aircraft was more than £10,000. By way of honouring the donation, the aircraft was permitted to bear the name of the donor himself, or any other name they chose. Approximately 1500 "presentation" Spitfires were donated during the course of the war, representing about 17% of total production.[3][4]
Criticised by squadron commanding officer, Squadron Leader James Ellis McComb, for damaging his Spitfire on landing, Heath is said to have replied: "this is my Spit and I'll fly it any bloody way I like".[5]
According to the official No. 611 Squadron RAF website, between June 1940 and February 1941, Heath shot down 4 enemy aircraft (including two "probables") and damaged two others.[6]
He was made 'B' Flight Commander in November 1940. Early in 1941 he was posted to No. 64 Squadron, becoming CO in March 1941. He was rested in September 1941, transferring to Fighter Command HQ, and in late 1942 was Wing Commander, Tactics. In 1944, he became Wing Leader, 244 Wing in Italy, later commanding 324 Wing.[citation needed]
In 1944, as the tide of war turned in favour of the Allies, Heath (by now Wing Commander Heath) served with No. 43 Squadron RAF in France, known by its squadron insignia as the "fighting cocks", or "les coqs Anglais" as the local French population dubbed it. By now the squadron's main role was ground attack, strafing and occasionally dive bombing enemy targets.
On 9 September 1944, Heath, now commander of No. 324 Wing RAF and flying Spitfire IX MJ628, led a formation on the squadron's first sortie into German territory, strafing motor transport and railway communications.[8]
Postwar career
Barrie Heath in RAF Uniform, circa 1940
Vintage Rolls-Royce being driven by Barrie Heath.
After the war, Heath pursued a successful career in manufacturing industry. In 1946 he left the RAF and was appointed to the board of Hobourn aero components, Coventry.[9] In 1960 he joined Triplex Safety Glass Ltd as their managing director and, in 1967, joined the board of the parent company Pilkington Brothers. In 1975 he took over from Sir Raymond Brookes to become chairman of the industrial conglomerate GKN, and in 1978 he received a knighthood.[10][11] Among the problems Heath had to contend with as chairman were hyperinflation, the oil crisis, and declining demand for steel and automotive parts.
In an article in Time magazine in May 1979 he was described as "one of Britain's most respected business leaders", and as having "advised the new Conservative government 'not to rush in and try to bring in laws to restrict the unions. Such a course of action would be the death knell for British industry'."[12]
Tony Jeeves, a former colleague at GKN, described him as "a great boss, incredibly kind and generous but certainly did not suffer fools gladly ... people either loved or hated him". He retired from GKN in 1980.[13]
Barrie Heath and his wife, Joan, lived at Penn, Buckinghamshire, where, after his death, Lady Heath moved to a smaller property, swapping homes with her friend and neighbour, cookery writer Dame Mary Berry.[14]
29 April 1941 – Acting Squadron Leader Barrie Heath (90818), Auxiliary Air Force, No. 611 Squadron is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations.[16]
3 June 1978 – Barrie Heath, DFC, AE, group chairman of Guest Keen and Nettlefolds Limited is awarded the Honour of Knighthood for services to export which was presented on 12 July 1978.[11][10]
History of no43 Squadron, the "Fighting Cocks". Retrieved: 16 February 2010.
Retrieved: 16 February 2010.
article at www.fightglobal.com. Retrieved: 16 February 2010.
Official 611 Squadron website. Retrieved: 16 February 2010.
Stories of Barrie Heath at Official 611 Squadron website. Retrieved: 16 February 2010.
March 07, 2023
barrie, heath, september, 1916, february, 1988, royal, force, spitfire, pilot, fought, battle, britain, awarded, distinguished, flying, cross, heath, shot, down, four, enemy, aircraft, including, probables, damaged, others, after, second, world, successful, ca. Sir Barrie Heath DFC AEc 11 September 1916 22 February 1988 was a Royal Air Force Spitfire pilot who fought in the Battle of Britain and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross Heath shot down four enemy aircraft including two probables and damaged two others After the Second World War he had a successful career in industry rising to become chairman of the industrial conglomerate GKN In 1978 he received a knighthood for services to export Barrie HeathBarrie Heath photographed on the wing of Spitfire IIa P7883 Grahame Heath which had been donated by his parents in memory of his older brother a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps who was killed in the First World WarBorn 1916 09 11 11 September 1916Kings Norton Warwickshire EnglandDied22 February 1988 1988 02 22 aged 71 1 Buckinghamshire EnglandAllegianceUnited KingdomService wbr branchRoyal Air ForceYears of service1938 1946RankWing commanderUnitNo 611 Squadron RAFNo 43 Squadron RAFCommands heldNo 324 Wing RAFBattles warsSecond World War Battle of BritainAwardsKnight BachelorDistinguished Flying CrossAir Efficiency AwardOther workTriplex Safety Glass Ltd employee 1960 Pilkington Brothers director 1967 Chairman of GKN 1975 Barrie Heath poses in front of a section of a downed German aircraft 1941 Contents 1 Early life 2 Second World War 3 Postwar career 4 Honours and awards 5 References 6 Bibliography 7 External linksEarly life EditThis section does not cite any sources Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Barrie Heath news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2023 Learn how and when to remove this template message Heath was born in Kings Norton Warwickshire on 11 September 1916 His older brother Grahame was a pilot in the Royal Flying Corps and was killed in action in the First World War Second World War Edit Spitfire Mk IIa P7350 of the BBMF is the only existing airworthy Spitfire that fought in the Battle of Britain Plaque awarded to G F Heath to commemorate his Presentation Spitfire Heath saw active service in 1940 with No 611 Squadron RAF flying in Spitfire IIa P7883 Grahame Heath which had been donated by his father G F Heath in memory of his son Grahame 2 Such donations were not uncommon at the time many patriotic individuals as well as towns and other organisations were encouraged to donate the cost of an airframe The cost of a Spitfire was set by the government at 5 000 a very large sum at the time although the real cost of manufacturing the aircraft was more than 10 000 By way of honouring the donation the aircraft was permitted to bear the name of the donor himself or any other name they chose Approximately 1500 presentation Spitfires were donated during the course of the war representing about 17 of total production 3 4 Criticised by squadron commanding officer Squadron Leader James Ellis McComb for damaging his Spitfire on landing Heath is said to have replied this is my Spit and I ll fly it any bloody way I like 5 According to the official No 611 Squadron RAF website between June 1940 and February 1941 Heath shot down 4 enemy aircraft including two probables and damaged two others 6 He was made B Flight Commander in November 1940 Early in 1941 he was posted to No 64 Squadron becoming CO in March 1941 He was rested in September 1941 transferring to Fighter Command HQ and in late 1942 was Wing Commander Tactics In 1944 he became Wing Leader 244 Wing in Italy later commanding 324 Wing citation needed Dates Aircraft Result2 June 1940 Junkers Ju 87 Destroyed21 August 1940 Dornier Do 17 Probable11 October 1940 Dornier Do 17 Probable21 December 1940 Dornier Do 17 Damaged29 December 1940 Dornier Do 17 Damaged5 February 1941 Messerschmitt Bf 109 Destroyed 7 In 1944 as the tide of war turned in favour of the Allies Heath by now Wing Commander Heath served with No 43 Squadron RAF in France known by its squadron insignia as the fighting cocks or les coqs Anglais as the local French population dubbed it By now the squadron s main role was ground attack strafing and occasionally dive bombing enemy targets On 9 September 1944 Heath now commander of No 324 Wing RAF and flying Spitfire IX MJ628 led a formation on the squadron s first sortie into German territory strafing motor transport and railway communications 8 Postwar career Edit Barrie Heath in RAF Uniform circa 1940 Vintage Rolls Royce being driven by Barrie Heath After the war Heath pursued a successful career in manufacturing industry In 1946 he left the RAF and was appointed to the board of Hobourn aero components Coventry 9 In 1960 he joined Triplex Safety Glass Ltd as their managing director and in 1967 joined the board of the parent company Pilkington Brothers In 1975 he took over from Sir Raymond Brookes to become chairman of the industrial conglomerate GKN and in 1978 he received a knighthood 10 11 Among the problems Heath had to contend with as chairman were hyperinflation the oil crisis and declining demand for steel and automotive parts In an article in Time magazine in May 1979 he was described as one of Britain s most respected business leaders and as having advised the new Conservative government not to rush in and try to bring in laws to restrict the unions Such a course of action would be the death knell for British industry 12 Tony Jeeves a former colleague at GKN described him as a great boss incredibly kind and generous but certainly did not suffer fools gladly people either loved or hated him He retired from GKN in 1980 13 Barrie Heath and his wife Joan lived at Penn Buckinghamshire where after his death Lady Heath moved to a smaller property swapping homes with her friend and neighbour cookery writer Dame Mary Berry 14 Their son Duncan is a talent agent Son Ian Heath died 1996 was married to actress Vicki Hodge daughter of Sir John Rowland Hodge 2nd Baronet from 1969 to 1980 15 Honours and awards Edit29 April 1941 Acting Squadron Leader Barrie Heath 90818 Auxiliary Air Force No 611 Squadron is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry and devotion to duty in the execution of air operations 16 3 June 1978 Barrie Heath DFC AE group chairman of Guest Keen and Nettlefolds Limited is awarded the Honour of Knighthood for services to export which was presented on 12 July 1978 11 10 References Edit http www thesoutheastecho co uk Fighter Pilots H htm Archived 3 October 2011 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 25 January 2011 Source for death only Spitfire society webpage Archived 3 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 February 2010 Spitfire society webpage Archived 3 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 February 2010 Spitfires com Retrieved 13 July 2010 http www 611squadronrauxaf co uk news 051024BarrieHeath 051024BarrieHeath html 611Squadronrauxaf co uk Retrieved 16 February 2010 611 Squadron website 611Squadronrauxaf co uk Retrieved 16 February 2010 Those Other Eagles Shores 2004 page 259 History of no43 Squadron the Fighting Cocks Retrieved 16 February 2010 article at www fightglobal com Retrieved 16 February 2010 a b No 47601 The London Gazette 25 July 1978 p 8920 a b No 47549 The London Gazette 3 June 1978 p 6229 A Tory Wind of Change Time 14 May 1979 p 8 Archived from the original on 17 April 2008 611 website Retrieved 16 February 2010 Two homes owned by TV superstar Mary Berry up for sale amid rumours of Henley move Bucks Free Press Retrieved 19 January 2023 Burke s Peerage Baronetage and Knightage 107th edition vol 2 ed Charles Mosley Burke s Peerage Ltd 2003 p 1932 No 35148 The London Gazette 29 April 1941 p 2446 Bibliography EditSaunders Andy 2003 No 43 Squadron Aviation Elite Units Osprey Publishing ISBN 978 1 84176 439 9External links EditHistory of no43 Squadron the Fighting Cocks Retrieved 16 February 2010 Spitfire society webpage Retrieved 16 February 2010 article at www fightglobal com Retrieved 16 February 2010 Official 611 Squadron website Retrieved 16 February 2010 Stories of Barrie Heath at Official 611 Squadron website Retrieved 16 February 2010 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Barrie Heath amp oldid 1134721489, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
