Dave Wadman

[David E. Brown]

As I have posted elsewhere (LRG), I was deeply saddened to learn of Dave’s passing last week. I last saw him in the summer of 2022 when I was back in Calgary visiting family. It was nice to visit and catch up but his health was failing. A few attempts to contact him since then were unsuccessful as well as last month when I was again in the city. I sensed something was up and knowing Dave respected his decision to focus on himself and family.

It is such a blow to lose a good friend and colleague. I’ve known Dave since March 1981 when we met at an IPMS Calgary meeting. That evening he proceeded to enlighten me on the finer points of the new Heller 1/72 Bf 109 K-4 and options to create a G-10. This guy knew his stuff and we quickly became good friends. Our families socialized together from time to time and it was over supper one night that our spouses Jocelyn and Ruth took us to task about spending money on our hobby and that maybe we should start making money by writing a book or making decals, or something. Experten Decals was born. Dave and I had a lot of fun with this and eventually expanded our research to other subjects and mutually supported each other’s projects over the years.

In the late 1980s he was diagnosed with MS and took it in stride, even when about a decade later was required to use a wheelchair. But he was completely mobile and with his time really dug into his research and writing as well as assisting fellow researchers and enthusiasts, the results of we are all beneficiaries.

Dave had accumulated an extensive archive of documents of all sorts. For the past decade he was deeply involved with researching the Hurricane with the expectation of publishing this opus on a very important aircraft. He unearthed a lot of fascinating information and being in Halifax I was able to assist in a small way with material related to the Hurricats and their ships. Hopefully his material will end up in a proper place to be accessible to all, and that someone pick up the mantle to complete the Hurricane project.

Dave was a real character and defined “one of a kind”. He was a proud British Army vet, loved his wife Ruth, children Sarah and Paul, the always present black Labradors, a fag and a pint, a good laugh, and enjoying life.

Thanks for the memories Dave. Prayers and love to you and the family. Rest in peace.