| Admitted to: Sevenoaks Hospital, Kent. RAF Hospital, Torquay. |
Date of Injury: 01/09/1940 |
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| D.O.B/Age when admitted: 24 DOB 26/08/1916 |
Cause of Incident: Enemy Action. Shot down in a Hurricane, bailed out. |
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| Transferred to QVH: 28/11/1940 |
Injuries: Burns to face, hands and legs. Gunshot wound to right leg. |
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| No. of Operations at East Grinstead: 3 |
IDENTITY CARD
This is to certify that the patient mentioned below and whose description is stated hereon is the authorised holder of this Identity card.
| Forename: Brian Robert |
Surname: Noble |
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| Service No: 81043 |
Nationality: British |
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| Awards/Honours: --- |
Patient Unit: 79 Sqn Biggin Hill |
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| Profession: Pilot |
Patient Rank: Plt Off. WC 01/07/1963 |
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| Death: 08/01/1990 |
Age at Death: 73yrs |
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| Dr Rank: |
Dr Unit: |
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Noble joined the RAF in 1938. Following the outbreak of war, he was quickly trained in Hurricanes before joining 79 Sqn at Biggin Hill, Kent, in June 1940. By the end of August he had flown 70 sorties.
On 1 September, his plane was badly damaged in combat with Messerschmidt Bf 109s over Biggin Hill, and he had to bail out with severe burns.
Noble returned to service after his treatment at QVH, and in 1942, he was posted to India as part of the ground control unit, then returned to England to work in the training units.
He was released from the RAF in 1946, but re-joined in the Fighter Control Branch, retiring in 1969 with the rank of Wing Commander.
One of the first Guinea Pigs.
We've been looking through our collections, and discovered this 1972 photograph from the East Grinstead Observer, o…