Silently into the Midst of Things 177 Squadron Royal Air Force in Burma, 1943-1945: History and Personal Narratives, Atholl Sutherland Brown, Published by Trafford Publishing, 2001. Glossy card covers. 243pp. with maps, photographs, sources, abbreviations, appendices and index. Name to half and full title pages and otherwise book is in fine condition.
Using the squadron’s Operations Record Book, his own memories and those of his colleagues, Atholl Sutherland Brown has meticulously recreated the triumphs and disasters of a group of unknown heroes – the air and ground crews of the 177 Squadron. ‘Silently into the midst of things’ was an appropriate motto for the 177 Squadron. Equipped with twin-engined, cannon and rocket firing Bristol Beaufighters, the pilots flew just above the jungle or the plains – too low to be detected by radar – and were often unseen and unheard until the moment of attack. Japanese called them ‘Whispering Death”.
Atholl Sutherland Brown was born in Ottawa in 1923, lived in London, England, as a child but much of the rest of his life in Victoria, BC, Canada. He was a pilot in Burma with 177 Squadron RAF in 1944-45 and awarded the DFC in 1945. After the World War he became a geologist, and eventually Chief Geologist of the British Columbia Geological Survey.
