David PURLEY 26-Jan-46 > 02-Jul-85 (G046)

David PURLEY 26-Jan-46 > 02-Jul-85 (G046)

Hi,

David Purley GM would have been 64 today – we shared a common birthday albeit he was a year older ;-)

David is not forgotten as we were at Sandhurst together, though after many many hours of enjoyable time with him RMAS, Barrosso, London, Petworth, Brighton, Fittleworth, Storrington and many more ‘when we were young!’, after RMAS our paths only crossed a couple of times and I went to Africa at the end of the 1960s.

I hope Jane made and enjoyed a new life after David – David was always larger than life and still is to those of us who shared time with him.

Will someone give Jane a big hug for me.

I was lucky – I lived on but he was immortal!

I had a phone call from Dale to wish me happy birthday and I gather Sheelagh, having survived the destruction of her ocean yacht, spent several days in an open dingy paddling to a remote and deserted island where apparently she was still stranded but living on the land in the hope of a passing vessel as the Southern Pacific is a big place!

Then perhaps you might like to remember Marilyn who had so much to live for and died so cruelly so very young.

David would have remembered also Mohammed Yassir (little Mo) a Bedouin who lived bravely for a while after losing a shoulder in battle as a tank commander many years back, also Grey Msonthi who also died in service.

I also hear from David Oakley (he went in the V Skins) on a regular basis.

Hey Ho - another year!

Greg L-W.

PS there is a lot on the internet about David Purley particularly after his desparate bid to save Williamson at Zandvoort and then his death in his bright red Pitts Special aerobatic in the sea off Bognor 02-July-1985.

You could start a search here if you CLICK

Yesterday was the 50th. anniversary of the death of another motor racing personality, Mike Hawthorne.

Both were men who meant something ;-)