Norman Browne - In Memoriam
Browne and his pilot were in the first pair of Buccaneers to fly non-stop from their base at Lossiemouth to Bahrain. He immediately established a training programme with the Tornado force to perfect the tactics and critical co-ordination between the two aircraft.
He led the first combined Buccaneer/Tornado attacks against heavily defended enemy positions deep in Iraqi territory when he marked targets for the first two laser bombs to be dropped in the war. Initially the targets were major bridges crossing the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. The combined force then switched to the Iraqi airfields and the hardened shelters that housed the Iraqi Air Force’s most capable aircraft.
Browne was the lead marker on many missions. The citation for his DFC stated: “He is the most outstanding navigator of the Buccaneer detachment.” It concluded: “The exceptional results he achieved in confronting the enemy in the heart of his territory, he has shown himself to be a magnificent leader under fire.”
He remained in the Buccaneer force at Lossiemouth before converting to the Tornado. He retired after 42 years’ service and continued to live in Lossiemouth, where he became a pillar of the local community.
Norman Browne died on July 24. His wife Renee and their son and daughter survive him.
- Air Commodore Graham Pitchfork
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