Tragic story behind letter sent to Kirkcaldy man during World War Two

Now she’s looking to trace any remaining family of the writer so she can share the contents with them.

Carole Shann inherited a box of family memorabilia when her mother, Etta Hutchison, died in 2003.

In amongst the old photographs and documents was a letter sent to her father in the early days of the Second World War.

Ron was in a reserved occupation – working as a plumber at Rosyth Dockyard – so wasn’t called up.

However, one of his friends, Jack Brown, who grew up in David Street, Kirkcaldy, served with the RAF.

And it was while he was training at RAF Bicester in Oxfordshire that he put pen to paper to write to his old pal.

In it he described how difficult a time he was having.

“The only thing I like about this life is the aeroplanes,” he wrote.

“I’m down here to be converted from a fighter pilot to a bomber pilot. Just imagine me flying a great, big twin-engined job. Blimey O’Reilly!”

Ron died in 1966, but the letter remained in the family’s possession and Carole wondered why her dad had held on it.

Early attempts at trying to trace Jack’s fate proved fruitless but then a random internet search unearthed a report about a crash involving a Bristol Blendheim Mk4 in the North Sea near Stavanger, Norway, on July 9, 1940.

Tragically, all three crew perished when the plane, which set off from RAF Lossiemouth, was shot down during a raid – including the pilot, 26-year-old Sgt John Mathieson Barnet Brown, whose body was the only one recovered.

Further research uncovered Jack’s birth certificate, which showed he was born on February 18, 1914, to William and Jessie Brown.

Carole said: “The letter is undated, but it can’t have been written much before the crash, which is probably why he kept it.

“I didn’t know anything about Jack but it is obvious they were good friends and he also knew my mother so it would be interested to find out more.”

Anyone who can throw more light on the story can contact [email protected].

Germany occupied Norway for much of the Second World War, with as many as 300,000 troops garrisoned in the country.

Adolf Hitler ordered in the invasion on April 1, 1940 and eight days later Operation Weserübung was launched

When the fight for control of Norway effectively ended in June, Germany had cleared to way for the continuation of its supply of iron ore from Sweden and also obtained naval and air bases from which to strike at Britain if necessary.

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