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
Born(1916-09-11)11 September 1916
Kings Norton, Warwickshire, England
Died22 February 1988(1988-02-22) (aged 71)[1]
Buckinghamshire, England
AllegianceUnited Kingdom
Service/branchRoyal Air Force
Years of service1938–1946
RankWing commander
UnitNo. 611 Squadron RAF
No. 43 Squadron RAF
Commands heldNo. 324 Wing RAF
Battles/warsSecond World War
AwardsKnight Bachelor
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Efficiency Award
Other 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.

Sir Barrie Heath, DFC, AE (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.

Early life

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

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] On 2nd June 1940 he took off 07.05 hrs. for sortie over Dunkirk and his Spitfire Mk.Ia N3061 was hit by bullet in the mast.

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.

Dates Aircraft Result
2 June 1940 Junkers Ju 87 Destroyed
21 August 1940 Dornier Do 17 Probable
11 October 1940 Dornier Do 17 Probable
21 December 1940 Dornier Do 17 Damaged
29 December 1940 Dornier Do 17 Damaged
5 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

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

  • 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]

References

  1. ↑ 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).
  2. ↑ Spitfire society webpage. Archived 3 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved: 16 February 2010
  3. ↑ Spitfire society webpage. Archived 3 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 16 February 2010
  4. ↑ Spitfires.com. Retrieved: 13 July 2010
  5. ↑ 611Squadronrauxaf.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  6. ↑ 611 Squadron website, 611Squadronrauxaf.co.uk. Retrieved 16 February 2010
  7. ↑ 'Those Other Eagles'; Shores, 2004, page 259
  8. ↑ History of no43 Squadron, the "Fighting Cocks". Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  9. ↑ article at www.fightglobal.com. Retrieved: 16 February 2010
  10. 1 2 "No. 47601". The London Gazette. 25 July 1978. p. 8920.
  11. 1 2 "No. 47549". The London Gazette. 3 June 1978. p. 6229.
  12. ↑ "A Tory Wind of Change". Time. 14 May 1979. p. 8. Archived from the original on 17 April 2008.
  13. ↑ 611 website Retrieved: 16 February 2010
  14. ↑ "Two homes owned by TV superstar Mary Berry up for sale amid rumours of Henley move". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 19 January 2023.
  15. ↑ Burke's Peerage, Baronetage and Knightage, 107th edition, vol. 2, ed. Charles Mosley, Burke's Peerage Ltd, 2003, p. 1932
  16. ↑ "No. 35148". The London Gazette. 29 April 1941. p. 2446.

Bibliography

  • Saunders, Andy. (2003). No 43 Squadron (Aviation Elite Units) Osprey Publishing. ISBN 978-1-84176-439-9
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