'The People's Spitfire Pilot' Engaging with history, or ghastly PC tokenism ?

I’m really sorry guys and gals, I must be really thick here. The pprune post indicates a telegraph article as the point of error – but checking the telegraph article it seems to be pretty much the same as the original RAFM press release which has the correct information.

As yet I can’t find anywhere the source that caused the son to write in the first instance. I can’t see that it’s come from anything the RAFM has put out though so can only imagine it’s a bit of (standard) poor newspaper journalism.

FB

http://www.pprune.org/military-aviation/599436-peoples-spitfire-pilot-4.html

Post 68 for initial reference, Fournier Boy, and then subsequent posts.

Without passing comment on the actual idea behind the poll itself, having reread the RAFM initial post announcing the poll, and the results, nowhere does it say anything about victories, or him flying in the BoB. Do you know which article these claims were made in as it doesn’t seem to be the RAFM in anything I can see.

FB

Update, a week or so old but still of interest, courtesy of Scottie66 on prune.org:

…’this letter was posted in the DT from Sqn Ldr Kornicki’s son…

Journey to remember

SIR – My father, Franciszek Kornicki, was surprised by the support for him in the RAF Museum poll to choose a representative – not the “greatest” – Spitfire pilot (report, September 22).

But he was gravely embarrassed that you should credit him with 17 kills while serving in 303 Sqn during the Battle of Britain, and describe him as the top-scoring Battle of Britain pilot. You appear to have confused him with the Czech pilot in 303 Sqn, Sgt František, who did achieve this distinction before being killed.

My father is not in fact credited with any victories, then or later. He served as a Pilot Officer in 303 Sqn briefly towards the end of the Battle of Britain period, converting on to Hurricanes, but he has always rigorously rebutted any suggestion that he thus qualified as a Battle of Britain pilot – well aware of the distinction of those who endured that conflict and achieved so much.

Fighting in Poland, escaping through Romania, fighting in France, and escaping again to continue the struggle in Britain is the story of so many in the Polish Air Force.

My father’s role in that was commonplace; but as the only surviving Polish Squadron Commander, his importance now is as a witness and a representative of that remarkable wartime journey. That is distinction enough.

Richard Kornicki
Chairman, Polish Air Force Memorial Committee

Oops’

Beermat,

The rag that shall be nameless trashes itself without any help from me.

So Dunkirk doesn’t have the correct demographic. The writer of that Guardian article seems OK (by omission) that the film also featured a Yak dressed as a Spitfire.

So some omissions and concessions for the sake of sanity are OK but not others? All of which goes to show that some people will find something to whinge about on any subject.

Meanwhile I still think the RAFM is losing the plot. I too was pleased to see Baron Jean de Selys Longchamps on that list. Having been intrigued by his exploits and visited his grave I feel that I also have a ‘personal’ link. But he is no more worthy than anyone else and there must be thousands more with far less interesting stories who should be remembered just as much. And he’s famous for being a Typhoon jockey surely? So why ‘The People’s Spitfire Pilot’ exactly? Best way to dumb it down?

I guess “The People’s Rigger” or “The People’s Storeman” doesn’t have quite the same ring, but as Milton so aptly observed, “They also serve who only stand and wait”.

Guardian doing itself no favours there. Fair point as an aside, but as an article it reads like being cornered by a tedious PC undergraduate.

Go on John, set it up there for you!

I sent my complaint to the generic enquiries email last week. No acknowlegement yet.

And then you have this: https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/aug/01/indian-african-dunkirk-history-whitewash-attitudes

You’re welcome!

Indeed ! Maybe if the RAFM feels that this is such a good idea – extend it to currently serving aircrew ! So we could pry into their personal lives and cast public opinion on private matters.

What’s fascinating in all this is that the Spitfire pilots gave their all for our freedom – I doubt they ever envisioned that they would ever be entered into a league table where they could be ranked on prowess and dissecting their lives outside of the cockpit !

I would imagine that any self respecting fighter pilot would be horrified at the idea of being championed in this way, over and above that of his equally courageous comrades. The idea stinks and the RAFM should drop it.

And a brave chap – end of .

No. I’m sure Widge was a “pilot” :dev2:

Interesting thread. I never knew that Widge was a ‘tail gunner’. Not that it makes any difference to me.

I was going to say It’s the Royal Air Force museum, not an adventure playground or ‘Airforce expeience’ but a place of contemplation, study and remembrance, but the more I thought about it, it isn’t, it’s an aviation themed tourist attraction with all the pressures and competing demands to be ‘this, that and the other’ to it’s public and at the whim of its political and ‘professional’ masters. I’m not happy about it, but that’s the way it is. Money and politics

happy to help :angel:

Meanwhile I can’t get worked up about the bloody name of a dog either.

Oh well that’s ok then. Redressed the balance.

Dissenter in the ranks here. Lighten up. All they are asking is for people to vote for one pilot to highlight, not saying that they will be hanging their laundry from the parade square flagpole. Whether the RAFM want to be yet another ‘virtue signaller’ by ticking a checklist of PC (as per the NT recently who actually did that specifically*) is an aside, this is putting a reminder to non-enthusiasts out there of the people, who flew in the defence of our various freedoms to engage and hopefully contribute. Taking ‘Widge’ Gleed specifically, his sexuality is being bandied about here far more loudly than on the link above! And guess what? We all knew about it, didn’t we! It’s a matter of history. Meanwhile, he was admired and regarded by his contemporaries as a top chap, as I’m sure were many of the other pilots listed.

I might be biased about this bunfight however as I was heartily pleased to see Jean de Selys’ name up there. He deserves recognition and remembrance from a wider audience – and as an aristocrat (note that he was a Baron) he’s hardly chosen for ‘left wing credentials’. Anyway, I voted. And if the RAFM want any of the details from my archive on him they only need get in touch…

*nb the NT’s ‘virtue signalling’ might have ruffled the feathers of those Daily Mail readers in Hyacinth Close as regards to Robert Wyndham Ketton-Cremer (personally I can only sympathise with the family who were so angered by it all and their disregard for said family’s feeling really does **** me off, as does virtue signalling because I feel it’s generally false and done for point-scoring) but there has ‘apparently’ (ooh yes, inside information – via my girlfriend. Quote me as the bloke down the pub who’s girlfriend’s brother’s neighbours cat etc) been a huge amount of positive comments and support from the general public, visitor numbers at Felbrigg are up, membership sales are up, the exhibition told of it and gave further thought and education to people (I was nearby and visited with my kids, lovely place) but didn’t dwell on (celebrate?) his sexuality so as to override the rest of the exhibition.

By the way, in terms of historic aviation, there is a V shaped wood at Felbrigg that Robert planted in memory of his brother:

https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1810448/ketton-cremer,-richard-thomas-wyndham/

F/O Richard Thomas Wyndham Ketton-Cremer. 75788 RAFVR Pilot, Blenheims. Born 11th August 1909. Killed during the Battle of Crete on May 31st 1941 whilst serving on 30 Squadron. Commemorated on the Alamein Memorial, Egypt. Column 241

Why not Bill Vale? Oh hang on, he wasn’t exactly pc was he, and he spoke his mind, and he was one of the highest scoring aces. And he told the truth about Bader.
That’s probably why he’s been airbrushed out……
I won’t forget Bill Vale, neither should others.
So carry on digging your own grave RAFM Hendon, be all pc and so right on, useless, a waste of a good museum.

Start a petition to place the directors of the RAFM /originator of this claptrap in stocks outside the main gate of Hendon…

I found it distasteful too. As less veterans remain, will this sort of worthless guff get more and more. They all did their bit. There should be no league table of who did the best.