Air Supply Stories from Captain Brian Haimes and VAD Nursing with Joan Collins
Brian Joseph Haimes was born in November 1923. Whilst conducting his studies, Brian had been a Sergeant in 66 (Founder) Squadron of the Air Defence Cadet Corps/Air Training Corps. He'd always shown an interest in flying, observing the planes that landed at the nearby Croydon Airport. Brian had initially wanted to join the Royal Air Force but was disallowed due to bad eyesight. After finishing school in 1940, he spent a year as a Private in the Home Guard before transferring to the Indian Army.
He passed out as a Second Lieutenant from the Officer's Training School in Bangalore in September 1942. From there, he instructed at the Air Supply Training Centre in Punjab. Rising to Captain, he became Officer Commanding of Air Despatch Platoon 14th Army. Here, Brian and his men specialised in military air freight and the parachuting of supplies. At the close of the war, and due to his experience with supply drops, he headed to Brussels and Berlin. In the German capital, Brian found that cigarettes were the primary currency due to their abundance among American troops. Here, the Army officer picked up a German book of aircraft which he signed with his name. Later in life, Brian would edit Shell's aviation magazine.
Meanwhile, Joan Collins was born in November 1919. Residing in Kent at the outbreak of the war, she had brown eyes and dark brown hair. Throughout the war, she served as a nurse for the Voluntary Aid Detachment (VAD) organisation. It was in undertaking her duties that Joan met Brian - whilst on a ship going across to India. In 1946, they married.
History
Item list and details
1. Photograph of Captain Brian Haimes in his Indian Army uniform. There is a paper stuck to the rear. 2. Photograph of Brian Haimes with the Indian Army officers of his unit. 3. Photograph of the Officers and NCOs of the Indian Air Transport School. 4. Photograph of 5 Platoon, 5B Company OTS, Bangalore taken in August 1942. 5. British Red Cross Society Certificate of Identity for VAD Nurse Joan Collins. 6. Certificate of Identity for VAD Nurse Joan Collins, issued under the authority of the Home Office. 7. British Red Cross Society Discharge Certificate for VAD Nurse Joan Collins. 8. Book (Grosser Luftverkehrs-atlas Von Europa) of German aircraft picked up in Berlin by Brian Haimes. He has signed the first page of the book.Person the story/items relate to
Brian Haimes and Joan CollinsPerson who shared the story/items
Sheelagh WanstallRelationship between the subject of the story and its contributor
Father and MotherType of submission
Shared at Royal Signals Museum, Dorset on 19 August 2023.Record ID
102688 | RSM005Usage metrics
