Dick Lewis (top right) with fellow Track Clearers in 1976 (Simon Hills).
In later years Dick helped organise many annual Brooklands Reunions and joined the Museum as a volunteer, working tirelessly in our photo archives until quite recently. He died on 20th December 2017, just three days short of his 92nd birthday.
Chris Bass adds: Dick was a charming, friendly and gentle man. His knowledge of Brooklands was second to none and I will always remember the talks he gave with Tony Hutchings showing slides of the
Track ‘then and now’. He was of great help to me when I was editing the Society Gazette and contin- ued to be so with the Brooklands Bulletin – through his work in the photo archives. I am happy to report that the Museum says it has already taken delivery of much of Dick's huge collection of Brooklands memorabilia, post cards and Society history.
Duncan Menzies Soutar Simpson OBE
Dick (right) in 2012 with Roger Bird (Graham Skillen).
65
One of Britain’s most distinguished post-war test pilots, Duncan Simpson, was born exactly two years after Dick Lewis on 23rd December 1927 and, after education in Edinburgh and much inspired by his maternal uncle Duncan Menzies (Fairey Aviation's Chief Test Pilot at Ringway in WWII), he began his aviation career in 1945 at the De Havilland Technical School at Hatfield. After graduating in 1949 he joined the RAF and trained as a fighter pilot, then flying Meteor F.8s with 222 Sqn at RAF Leuchars. His abilities soon resulted in transfer to the Central Fighter Devel- opment Unit at RAF West Raynham to test new types entering service, including the Hawker Hunter – which in turn led to Hawker CTP Neville Duke ‘head-hunting’ him to join the com- pany as a production test pilot in 1954. Working at Dunsfold for the next 24 years, Duncan played a key role in Hawkers’ development of the Hunter, the P.1127/Kestrel/Harrier jump-jet and the Hawk, and the entry of all of these types into service. He personally taught the nine pilots who pioneered V/STOL, flying the Kestrel with the Tripartite Evaluation Squadron at West Raynham in the early 1960s. He made the first flights of both the first production Harrier and the prototype two-seater (which he later had to abandon after engine
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