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For any young person in the early years of the war, the Royal Air Force was a glamorous career choice.    

In the foreground, Kenneth Brown sits in a plane with an RAF symbol on his arm. In the background, there are planes in the sky; anonymous figures stand, some with headsets on; and a man stands in front of a plane.

In spite of, or maybe because of, the particular dangers faced by aircrew.

In 1940 the RAF fought off the threat of German invasion by defeating the Luftwaffe in the Battle of Britain.

Hitler had to abandon his plan to invade via the English Channel as the RAF had won control of the skies. Their success came at enormous cost. Of the 2,945 airmen involved, 544 were killed.

It was after this in June 1942 that Kenneth joined the RAF, and at 22 he was sent to train in Canada. 

He joined an international force with pilots from German-occupied territories such as Poland and Belgium, from Commonwealth countries including New Zealand and South Africa, and from neutral countries like Ireland.

Alfie Martin recalls his own arrival in Canada to train in the RAF

New technological development was important in giving the air force a fighting chance. Allies like the United States provided vital aircraft and equipment.

So too, in a smaller way, did the Belfast firm of Short and Harland with their Short Sunderland and Short Stirling planes playing a key role in the war.

A view over the Musgrave Channel with boats docked to the left and cranes in the far background. A sea plane is coming in to land.

A Short Sunderland plane landing in the Musgrave Channel, Harland and Wolff Photography Collection

Short Sunderlands, based at Castle Archdale on Lough Erne, were flying boats that patrolled the Atlantic and helped protect vital supply ships from U boat attack.

Today the Ulster Aviation Society, with many former Shorts employees, restores such aircraft. They are currently working on this Hercules engine, of a type first used in Short Stirling planes in the Second World War, for the Ulster Transport Museum at Cultra.

A photo of a large engine. The engine is a little rusty and old. Beside the engine is a man wearing a hi-vis vest. He is about the same size as the engine.

Northern Ireland provided bases for military aircrew and more than twenty airfields, most of these being purpose built. Some are still in use today. RAF Eglinton is now the City of Derry Airport.

Kenneth spent two years in Canada and by early ’45 he was back in Europe where the Allies were gaining ground.  

He was trained as both a pilot and navigator, but we do not know exactly where he flew. He kept a map of Cologne, so he may have taken part in some of the 262 raids on the German city.

Both the Allied and Axis air forces targeted infrastructure such as airfields and munitions factories, but they also adopted ‘carpet bombing’, hitting civilian targets in an attempt to destroy morale.

After Victory in Europe Day, Kenneth’s role in the RAF changed. He was involved in returning artworks and objects that had been looted from museums and individuals across Europe.

Teddy Dixon, a Northern Irish man who served in the US Army, recalls recovering stolen art from a salt mine

Kenneth also flew evidence to the Nuremberg Trials. The first trials, which saw high-ranking Nazis such as Hermann Goring and Rudolf Hess answer for ‘crimes against humanity’, took place between November 1945 and October 1946.

Kenneth’s press pass allowed him to attend the trial of a doctor accused of conducting experiments on concentration camp prisoners.

The front side of a press pass that gave entry to the court house during the Nuremberg Trials. The text reads: Visitor's Gallery. International Military Tribunal. 'Visitor's' is blacked out, and above it is stamped the word 'Press'. Further text reads: Seat no. Session 291. A Major Hamilton has signed his name underneath the text.
The back side of a press pass that gave entry to the court house during the Nuremberg Trials. The text reads: IMT Visitor's Pass. No 54496. The Bearer: Brown is authorized admittance to the Area of the Palace of Justice to visit COURTHOUSE (the word courthouse is stamped) from 0800 to 1800. Security Officer, followed by an unclear signature. Countersigned, followed by an unclear signature. Date issued: 25 JN 46. Along the left edge of the card, text reads: Five Days. Expires 30 JN 46

Find out more about flight and the Second World War at the Ulster Aviation Society airfield.

https://www.ulsteraviationsociety.org/

Gate 3
Maze Long Kesh
94b Halftown Road
Lisburn

Maureen Lightbody ➭