powerdesal Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 A favourite poem of mine is 'High Flight'. It has really appealed to me for some years and, during an idle moment or two I checked it out on Google.I discovered that the author was a 'Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, Jr., now my Grandmothers maiden name was Gillespie......but....he was killed in an air collision- 'The mid-air happened over the village of Roxholm which lies between RAF Cranwell and RAF Digby'. I lived in the mess at RAF Digby for a while when stationed at RAF Cranwell.I find the coincidences of this very spooky!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 He wrote some good poems - I have just read some - even after my years of running poetry events I had not read his work.Why do you think it's a coincident? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
powerdesal Posted March 5, 2009 Author Share Posted March 5, 2009 The coincidence of :-my love of his poem 'High Flight'.The fact that his name included 'Gillespie' which was my grandmothers maiden name.The fact that I lived in the same Officers Mess that he had lived in when he was killed.His name of Gillespie Magee, presumably coming from his fathers Irish side indicates (perhaps) that there is a link somewhere with my Grandmothers line, as she , or rather her parents, came from Ireland.As far as I know he only wrote the one poem, after a high altitude air test of of a Spitfire. The poem was found in his effects after he was killed. It is apparently a significant poem for the aviation world, which is possibly why it appealed to me when I first read it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog Posted March 5, 2009 Share Posted March 5, 2009 I meant it is no coincident it is made for you... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
just john Posted March 6, 2009 Share Posted March 6, 2009 President Reagan said, of the members of that ill-fated crew Challenger disaster in 1986.We will never forget them this morning as they prepared for their journey and waved goodbye and "slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God. "Pilot Officer John Gillespie Magee, High Flight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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