Reginald Turnill: Difference between revisions
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| birth_date = {{Birth year and age|1915}} |
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| birth_place = Kent |
| birth_place = Kent |
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| death_date = 12th February 2013 |
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| death_place = near Ashford |
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| occupation = Aviation and space correspondent for the BBC from the 1940s to the 1990s |
| occupation = Aviation and space correspondent for the BBC from the 1940s to the 1990s |
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'''Reginald Turnill''' ( |
'''Reginald Turnill''' (1915 - 2013) was the BBC's aviation (and space) correspondent for over forty years throughout the heyday of [[space exploration]] and British (initial) aviation prowess. He saw at first hand the development of modern aviation and [[NASA]]'s space missions and covered all the [[Apollo program]] moon missions for the BBC.<ref>http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19383368 Reg Turnill Interviewed about Neil Armstrong Retrieved 26 August 2012</ref> |
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Following a few months of poor health Reg died at the Pilgrim's Hospice in Ashford, Kent on 12th February 2013 |
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==Career== |
==Career== |
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Revision as of 12:17, 12 February 2013
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Reginald Turnill | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1915 (age 108–109) Kent |
| Died | 12th February 2013 near Ashford |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Aviation and space correspondent for the BBC from the 1940s to the 1990s |
| Notable credit(s) | BBC TV News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 |
| Spouse | Margaret Hennings |
| Children | 2 sons |
Reginald Turnill (1915 - 2013) was the BBC's aviation (and space) correspondent for over forty years throughout the heyday of space exploration and British (initial) aviation prowess. He saw at first hand the development of modern aviation and NASA's space missions and covered all the Apollo program moon missions for the BBC.[1] Following a few months of poor health Reg died at the Pilgrim's Hospice in Ashford, Kent on 12th February 2013
Career
Reginald Turnill started his career at the age of 15 as a reporter's telephonist on the Press Association, the national news agency, and remained on their staff as a reporter (with war service intervening from 1940–46) until recruited by the BBC in 1956 as assistant industrial correspondent to help modernise their TV and radio news services.
In 1958 he became the Air & Space Correspondent, with a brief to include defence as well. Spaceflight and the jet age were just beginning, so he covered all the manned spaceflights as well as the introduction of passenger jets from the Comet IV to Concorde. After being retired from the BBC staff on his 60th birthday he continued working as a freelance writer and broadcaster, writing many books and continuing as Newsround's Space Editor until the mid-1980s.
BBC
He joined the BBC in 1956, when in his 40s. He was mainly the Air and Space correspondent, but as military aviation overlaps with defence, he was also the BBC Defence correspondent, but not a War correspondent; he looked at the technology, not the conflicts, and neither is he an astronomer. He was most seen on the BBC from the 1960s to the 1980s. He became friends with Wernher von Braun, who was similar in age to him, although his approach was initially frosty and reticent.
On 2 March 1969 he was the BBC's reporter on Concorde's maiden flight at Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.[2]
In April 1970, he was the first journalist to report on the Apollo 13 catastrophe via the BBC World Service when based at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center on 13 April 1970.[3]
In 1990 he presented Return Ticket, a five-part Radio 4 series about the Apollo 13 mission.
He was largely superseded at the BBC by Christopher Wain. He felt the BBC did not give him the kudos he deserved for the experience he gained. His former position at the BBC is now taken by Jonathan Amos.
Newspapers
He has written many obituaries of aerospace and other personalities for the Guardian, the Times and The Daily Telegraph, the most recent being of Sir James Hamilton, who helped design Concorde's wing. It appeared in The Guardian in May 2012.
Author
He contributed to series of books notably the Observer's Book of Manned Spaceflight and the Observer's Book of Unmanned Spaceflight in the 1970s, published by Frederick Warne & Co. In the 1980s he edited the Jane's Spaceflight Directory.
From his books it is clear that Concorde and the Apollo 11 Moon landings attracted his attention the most. No-one has been back to the Moon since 1972, and neither has another supersonic airliner been built. He was particularly disappointed by the cancellation of the Black Arrow British space programme in July 1971, at the very moment it was providing results.
In 2006 he won the Sir Arthur Clarke Award Lifetime Achievement Award.
Personal life
He married Margaret Hennings in 1938 in Westminster. They have two sons (born 1940 and 1944). He lives in Sandgate, Kent.
Publications
- The Moonlandings: An Eyewitness Account, (foreword by Buzz Aldrin), 2002, Cambridge University Press, ISBN 0-521-81595-9
- Celebrating Concorde, 1994, Ian Allan Publishing, ISBN 0-7110-2296-8
- Farnborough: the Story of the RAE, (with Arthur Reed), 1981, Hale Publishing, ISBN 0-7091-8584-7
- The Language of Space: A Dictionary of Astronautics, 1970, Littlehampton Book Services, ISBN 0-304-93657-X
- Moonslaught: The full story of Man's race to the Moon, 1969, Purnell and Sons
See also
References
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19383368 Reg Turnill Interviewed about Neil Armstrong Retrieved 26 August 2012
- ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/schoolradio/subjects/history/britainsince1930s/transport/concorde_flight/
- ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/8616751.stm
External links
Video clips
- Discussing Apollo 13 in April 2010
- An interview about Yuri Gagarin's first international news conference in Moscow on 14th April 1961. Reg was present for the BBC. Astrotalkuk.org April 2011
Audio clips
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