THE LIFE OF BRIAN CRACKNELL

 

 

Brian was an only child and was born in Fulham on 27 Dec 1932 which meant in his words that his birthdays and Christmas presents were always rolled into one. He didn’t think much of that.

 

At the end of 1942 he was eventually evacuated to Devon, to a family between Kenton and Starcross not far from Exminster together with and older female cousin. He told me that this was a happy time and he enjoyed himself whilst there.

 

However he returned to Fulham in June 1944 at precisely the time that the V1s started to fall on London. A total of between 8-9000 of these fell and they killed approx 115,000 people. So London remained a dangerous place.

 

Brian left school when he was 14 in 1946, as was the norm in those days and having worked part time when at school, continued to work full time in the same garage.

 

This was just after the end of the War but after about a year or so he left to join a machine shop where he stayed until he was 17 learning how to operate lathes and all the other machine shop equipment.

 

Then became apprenticed to Post Office where he was to spend the next 43 years of his life ending up being in charge of the teams that maintained 27 depots and offices for all maintenance apart from the telecom equipment and the main building structure.

 

In 1953 he was called up for National Service and was in the RAF until 1955. He qualified as an Airframe Mechanic, and served with 511 Sqdn at Lyneham and then at Benson with the Ferry Training Unit, where he appears to have come into his own.

 

He got on well with the Warrant Officer in charge of his Detachment to such an extent that he had his own personal parachuted stowed in his locker. He managed to get airborne in Mosquitoes, Vampires, Meteors, Chipmunks, Balliols, and even a Hermes or two at night.

 

On leaving the RAF, Brian married and settled in Hounslow. Geoffrey their son was born later. But sadly that marriage didn’t last. Later he found great happiness and love with Eileen whom he married on Valentines Day in 1985. This year they had been married for 25 years.

 

By then he had moved to Feltham and with more annual leave than Eileen he treated himself to a week’s gliding holiday at Dunstable for 3 or 4 years in a row, but he never went solo.

 

On retirement in 1996 he moved with Eileen to Whittlesea and one morning Eileen heard Roger Emms, the then Chairman of the Nene Valley Gliding Club talking on the local radio about a flying day where members of the public were welcome.

 

Brian turned up, flew that day and then joined the Club on 27 September 1997. He along with Dave Mansfield were instrumental in wiring and fitting out the current club house electrics as we had only just moved on to our existing site.

 

He leant to fly, went solo, had a share in a Cirrus and a Ka8 which he and his syndicate partners (John Bennett & Phil Alexander) latterly donated to the Club.

 

Brian was a constant presence at the Club, be it on the winch, the Control caravan, in the hangar, or in the air, but most of all Brian was there to fix things, to get things done and was an ever present smiling face. He was the reason that I, and I know others joined the Club, and we shall miss him.

 

He was a staunch member of the Thursday Fairies, not that they go around wearing tutus, but being mostly of retirement age, meet on a Thursday and take it upon themselves to do the 100 and one things that any club needs to get done. When people asked how something got mended, he would reply, “The fairies did it”.

 

Well, we shall all miss you Crackers, and in ending he asked me to read out a few words to you entitled.

 

I Wish You Enough

 

I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how grey the day may appear.

I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.

I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive and everlasting.

I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.

I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.

And most of all, I wish you enough hellos to get you through this final good- bye.

 

Brian…Rest in Peace

 

 

Richard G Boyton 25 Mar 2010