This is a newspaper article from The Press (Christchurch, NZ) published 19th of December 1956 when Douglas Bader was visiting New Zealand. It’s quite a different impression from the one you read about him these days.
Bader Was Kind, Generous Helpful To Young Airmen
Praise for the kindness and generosity of the famous air ace, Douglas Bader, was given by another well-known pilot, Group Captain A. B. Woodhall, at the Christmas tattoo of the Christchurch Tin Hat Club last evening. Apart from being a magnificent leader, Bader “was the most kind and generous chap you could ever have in the way he helped young and inexperienced airmen,” he said. He led and encouraged them and he was doing the same thing today with crippled children.
During the Battle of Britain, Group Captain Woodhall was station commander at both Duxford and Tangmere. Later he commanded fighters in Malta during the critical period between January and August, 1942, before he transferred to fighter stations in England until 1944. He finally commanded a heavy bomber formation in Italy until the end of the war.
Group Captain Woodhall said that he was flying in the Fleet Air Arm in the days when it was “dicey.” There were three clubs —the bathing club, the pallisade club and the perch club. He was an original member of the perch club for which a member had to have done 100 landings without becoming a member of the other two clubs. They had a badge with the motto “perchance.”
Vice-Admiral Sir Connolly Abel Smith, Flag Officer Royal Yachts, was another member of the club.
He was posted to the Air Ministry in 1938 “just at the time when Chamberlain was wandering around with his umbrella,” Group Captain Woodhall said. He had to get the figures of the number of operationally-trained bomber crews. “I will never forget the figure — 149½. So we were not surprised that poor old Chamberlain played for time.”
Group Captain Woodhall was transferred to Fighter Command and, just before Dunkirk, Douglas Bader joined them, he said. “I had known him in the old days before he lost his legs and he really was a finished pilot.”
He recalled an anecdote of Bader’s period in an army prison camp in Germany. The first thing he had asked was how an escape could be made and he was told it would be almost impossible. There was one thin piece of wire which it would be possible to cut through, but it was right under a sentry box, said Group Captain Woodhall. Bader and a New Zealander staged a little fight beside the wire during which the New Zealander was able to throw Bader’s artificial leg over the wire. Thinking “you brutal English,” the sentry had climbed down from his box to retrieve the leg and while he did so the two men cut their way through the wire.
By: Dave Homewood - 11th March 2024 at 08:05
Shocking attitude. The groundcrew keep an Air Force airborne. I know, I was one.
By: Denis Sharp - 10th March 2024 at 09:42
I do remember seeing a documentary about Bader broadcast on television regarding his attitude to his fellow airmen. There were not many people featured on it who had a good word to say about him. These included ground crew, fellow pilots he served with and those who spent time with him in Stalags etc.
When we were organising the Hunsdon airfield Memorial we sought out former serving personel and had tracked down a former 3(F) Squadron pilot living in Wiltshire. I phoned him one day to invite him up to Hunsdon for the dedication day and all its events we had arranged. ‘Is there anyone else going to be there from 3 Squadron? ‘ he asked, I told him that yes there was another chap and he enquired of his name. He said he didnt remember him and possibly had joined 3(F) after he had been posted out, I told him he wasnt a pilot , he was an Airman rigger. His reply shocked me, ‘bloody groundcrew?’ I didnt speak to them then, I certainly wont mix with them now so I will not attend’ and put the phone down on me. It wasnt only the famous and well known who could be an Ar**
By: NewQldSpitty - 29th February 2024 at 10:05
Clive “Killer” Caldwell had the same reputation….
By: bazv - 28th February 2024 at 20:02
I was based at Abingdon in the very early 80’s when I got a phone call from Air Tragic one day ”civvy a/c coming in can you wave it in”,I was directed to park it in a semi remote area,anyway it was dear old Bader (thanks Air Traffic LOL) who was obviously impressed by my oily overalls and bright yellow/black bobble hat :).He was whinging to me about ”why have you parked us right over here ?” – (I think somebody in Air Traffic didn’t like him 🙂 – his pilot for the day just winked at me !
JJ had a terrible reputation as a senior officer,he was absolutely hated by almost everybody in his command when he was an AOC.
Having said that – not all the wartime senior officers were like that by any means,an ex BoB pilot/senior Officer kept an Auster in our hangar and he was an absolute Gent,at least 2 of our Chipmunk Pilots were wartime aircrew and both lovely guys – there has always been the good guys and the bad guys irrespective of the decade.
By: Sabrejet - 28th February 2024 at 19:30
“By: J Boyle – 28th February 2024 at 10:46
I take modern-ish attitudes about some of these men being b@stards with a grain of salt. They were undoubtedly (and unashamedly) purpose driven, egotistical and demanding, but to survive and thrive in the war, I suppose you’d have to be.
But the prevailing opinion that Bader.(and I suppose, Yeager, Gibson, Montgomery, Patton, MacArthur, etc.) were terrible people probably says more about today’s coddled, risk adverse, “must not offend” society than it does about their ability to lead young men in life or death situations.”
Absolute tosh. Yet another attempt to re-write history. My dad was a National Serviceman in the early ‘fifties and met Bader a number of times. His opinion was that he was an arrogant, rude *rse. And I was lucky to meet people who flew with Johnnie Johnson: they too described him as an arrogant *rse. Not all were, but to try and pretend that opinions formed 70 or more years ago are “today’s coddled, risk averse” whatever just smacks of old-fart snowflakes getting offended about things that they just decided to get upset about.
By: avion ancien - 28th February 2024 at 17:39
….. and no-one has yet mentioned that hotel!
By: J Boyle - 28th February 2024 at 16:48
“..Come to think of it – that could apply to all of them”.
It could apply to everyone.
My point was simply, most people aren’t as bad (or good) as they are made out to be retrospectively.
I never met Yeager, but in the ’80s he’d stop by the Edwards AFB public affairs ofice sign books and photos sent by fans. So he wasn’t that bad a guy.
By: dhfan - 28th February 2024 at 15:45
I think their reputations well predate the modern “snowflake” era.
I think it’s pretty well accepted, and probably documented, that Yeager was just an a*se.
I’m prepared to accept that Bader could be kind to those in similar circumstances to himself and in need of support or encouragement.and certainly his peers, in general, appeared to have no problem with him. However, it’s more than hearsay to say he could be rude and dismissive, or even offensive, to those of lower rank or status.
Gibson and Montgomery – short man syndrome?
I suspect that Montgomery, Patton and MacArthur may have all had the same problem. They absolutely knew that they were right – even when they weren’t.
Come to think of it – that could apply to all of them…
By: adrian_gray - 28th February 2024 at 12:43
The chap I spoke to who knew Bader through his regular viaits to St Edward’s School* certainly didn’t fit the “coddled, risk-averse” viewpoint expressed above, he would be well into his 90s if he were still this side of the turf. From talking to him, Bader could most certainly be a sphincter, especially if you upset him, but he could also be nice as pie, especially to people he felt needed his encouragement. Which sounds much like the viewpoint expressed in the second sentence above.
By: J Boyle - 28th February 2024 at 10:46
I take modern-ish attitudes about some of these men being b@stards with a grain of salt. They were undoubtedly (and unashamedly) purpose driven, egotistical and demanding, but to survive and thrive in the war, I suppose you’d have to be.
But the prevailing opinion that Bader.(and I suppose, Yeager, Gibson, Montgomery, Patton, MacArthur, etc.) were terrible people probably says more about today’s coddled, risk adverse, “must not offend” society than it does about their ability to lead young men in life or death situations.
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February 28, 2024 at 10:19 am