In early 1944, Elsie Barber, a 24-year-old member of the Women's Auxiliary Air Force, had a brief relationship with Arthur Brown, known as Buster, a 21-year-old Royal Air Force pilot recently married to another woman. Their liaison took place at an airbase near High Ercall in Shropshire and remained a secret. Buster died several months later during a reconnaissance flight on the eve of the D-Day landings, leaving Elsie pregnant. After giving birth to a daughter, Elsie chose to place the child for adoption.
The daughter, Judy Bain, now 81 and residing in Perth, Australia, grew up unaware of her father’s identity or her connection to a significant figure in aviation history. Judy is the granddaughter of Arthur Whitten Brown senior, Buster’s father, who along with John Alcock, made the first nonstop transatlantic flight in June 1919. The pair flew a Vickers Vimy biplane from Canada to Ireland in just over 16 hours, an achievement that captivated the world and earned both men knighthoods.
When Brown senior died in 1948, grieving the loss of his only child, it was believed he left no descendants. Judy’s discovery revealed a lineage of seven relatives including her two children and four grandchildren. She expressed sorrow that neither her grandfather nor her father knew of her existence, saying from her home in Australia, “One of the things that saddens me is that when he died, and his son died, there was no other family.”
Judy’s early life was marked by challenges. She learned of her adoption around age 10, but her adoptive family was reluctant to discuss her background, leaving her feeling out of place. After pursuing social science at university, she married Andy Bain, and they emigrated to Western Australia in the 1960s. Following Andy’s death, Judy raised their two children while working several jobs, including teaching.
In the 1990s, Judy located Elsie in Cornwall, where they reunited and developed a close relationship. Although Elsie misidentified Judy’s father as another RAF acquaintance, it was only after Elsie’s death in 2000 that Judy learned her true heritage. This revelation came through Elsie’s daughter-in-law and was supported by Brendan Lynch, an Irish author who chronicled Alcock and Brown’s historic flight. Lynch has helped Judy research her family history and hopes she will attend a forthcoming commemoration at the Alcock and Brown landing site in Clifden, Connemara, noting, “At previous events there was an Alcock and I felt the absence of a Brown. It would mark a long overdue reunion.”
Brown senior’s death in 1948 was attributed to an overdose of sleeping tablets; some accounts suggest suicide, while others consider it accidental. Lynch speculated that Brown would have embraced Judy had he known about her, describing him as “a thoughtful and considerate man” who “would have braved the controversy of his son’s escapade and welcomed his granddaughter.”
Judy, who traces her adventurous spirit to her grandfather, has led an active life that includes driving across Australia in a camper van and scuba diving well into her seventies. Despite a recent operation, she continues to enjoy snorkeling near her home, reflecting a lasting connection to exploration and the outdoors.