Obituary: Raymond Baxter
Now, he was 84, and all, so that's a fine innings - but I'm unusually sad about this. One of the last ties to my 70s childhood gone. I think it's the memory of his enthusiasm for new things, for technology, for change. The glint in his eye when talking about space missions, or VTOL jets, or compact discs. Probably, on some deeper level, he reminded me of my grandfather, who had a similar enthusiasm, uncommon to his generation.
Plus, of course, he was a Spitfire pilot. It simply doesn't get any cooler than that.
So here's raising a glass of Coke Zero to you, Raymond. Farewell.
3 comments:
The other day I heard a cool snippet of Baxter on the radio. He said something like, "I've always had the greatest respect for the Americans. In two and a half tours as a Spitfire pilot they were the only ones who succeeded in shooting me down." Says it all, really.
Indeed.
The only difference is that back then, some planes occasionally got shot down by the enemy, too.
This is gorgeous!
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