Wm Barry Needham
Wm Barry Needham, in 1941 this spry 21yr old Canadian found himself in England flying a Spitfire MkV in the RCAF. On 7 July, 1944, he was shot down by flak and became a prisoner of war (liberated 40days later by Patton’s 3rd Army). In between he sung E-boats, shot down a FW-190, straffed locomotives and with a fellow Canadian, chased off two FW-190s from a crippled B-17 whose crew was baling out by attacking the fighters even though he was out of ammo. He was and is just a regular guy who at age 95 (96 in 45 days) is living history sharing his story. For example on Sept 17th, 1943 he was told to scramble with a fellow Spitfire. They were to pursue two FW-190s from England and nearly across the channel. His partner shot down one FW-190 and just as the FW-190 was about to reach the French Coast and out of range of Needham’s Spitfire, he squeezed his trigger on his cannons and saw a puff of smoke on the enemy. In 1995 an author was writing about these hit and run attacks by the Germans and found Needham’s combat report. One thing lead to another and the brother of the German pilot who Needham shot at got in contact with Needham. Needham went to Europe and meet the brother of the pilot. The pilot after the encounter dug out the 20mm Cannon round he had been struck with and mounted it. The brother fifty years later presented that 20mm round to Needham saying, “You gave this to my brother, now I’m giving it back to you.”
Wm Barry Needham
It was an an amazing afternoon and only the start of our time with Barry and his son and son in-law. I had got the word on Tuesday of Barry’s visit to Minot and Wednesday I was in Minot, ND. Meeting this amazing, walking, breathing and delightful storyteller of our history wasn’t to be missed. Ya the camera was out as photography is one of the great ways to preserve these memories and share the stories. But it was half way through the afternoon that photography truly passed along its magic. Barry was asked if he would sign a number of the prints I had taken of the Spitfire MkIXc for the Dakota Territory Air Museum. The prints were spread out for Barry to sign. His son Scott walked over to view the prints. Before we knew it, his eyes had welled up and he had to remove his glasses and dry his eyes. Personally, I’d never been paid a higher compliment for a photo or print. Just as we can learn about how our freedoms we enjoy were preserved by the Greatest Generation through the sharing of their stories, we can continue that storytelling through our photography and sharing it. The best part of this story is, it’s not over. Tomorrow we get to spend a whole bunch more time with Barry, hear more of his stories and learn about our history firsthand. Thanks Barry!