Having recently rewatched the David Lean mostly excellent film ‘Sound Barrier’ starring (amongst others) John Justin.
JJ was an RAF pilot during WW2 – he has been described as being an Instructor and test pilot.
He also was in one of the early RAF Flight Safety films as the Airspeed Oxford Pilot with brake failure (Bloody Rigger – he said 😀 ) along with a couple of other incidents where he is being teased by his screen wife about his service record.
From wiki…
John Justinian de Ledesma was born in London, England, the son of a well-off Argentine rancher. Though he grew up on his father’s ranch, he was educated at Bryanston School, Dorset.[1] He developed an interest in flying and became a qualified pilot at the age of 12, though he was not allowed to fly solo at the time because of his age….
Presumably ‘Qualified Pilot’ means he had reached solo standard but could not solo because of his age at that time !!
The movie was a huge hit, but Justin was never able to avail himself of the fame he’d achieved. Upon finishing his work on the film, he went right into uniform. Justin made use of his flying skills during the war, but not in combat; he served as a Spitfire test pilot and flight instructor, and was also released for a time to work in Leslie Howard’s production of The Gentle Sex, a tribute to the women’s army. Justin remained under contract to Korda and appeared in films for the producer late in the war and right into the 1950s, but upon returning to civilian life, he chose to concentrate on theatrical work, which was his preference for the rest of his life. He did do some very good film work on occasion, in David Lean’s The Sound Barrier (1952), in which he portrayed Philip Peel, a test pilot (probably his best film role); and he was memorable in the 20th Century Fox film Island in the Sun (1957) as Dorothy Dandridge’s lover.
Does anybody have any other details of his civilian or RAF flying career ??
By: Echo India - 19th January 2017 at 21:58
The Whelan account is partially supported by the Lewis accounts. I have checked Never Look Back, All My Yesterday’s and Sagittarius Surviving.
These confirm that Lewis learned to fly for the second time at Reading, soloing a Magister in less than two hours. It does not name his instructor.
However the timeline does not match the detail in Whelan’s account. Lewis signed up to fly again in 1941. After Reading, he went to Upavon for an instructor course and then taught ab initio at Booker for a year before being posted overseas to Transport Command in December 1942. He was newly married when he received his posting.
He was overseas when he converted to Spitfires, soloing after four hours dual on a Harvard.
As Lewis wrote Sagittarius Surviving by reference to his letters home to his wife, and may also have been able to refer to his log books, I am inclined to believe that his timeline is accurate. Which means he is unlikely to have been visiting F G Miles in Reading in February 1943 and he certainly would not have been John Justin’s student pilot at this time.
It is, however, quite possible that Justin taught him at Reading in 1941 and/or that they worked together as instructors at Booker in 1942.
I wonder if Lewis’s log books survive as they would solve the matter.
Echo India
By: bazv - 19th January 2017 at 21:41
Interesting thanks EI – I will have a look at your link in a couple of days : )
rgds baz
By: Echo India - 18th January 2017 at 21:47
According to “Robert Capa: A Biography” by Richard Whelan, John Justin taught Cecil Lewis to fly modern types at Woodley when Lewis was working for the Ministry of Aircraft Production in early 1943.
The book refers to Capa popping in to visit his friend F G Miles at Reading in February 1943 and finding Lewis and Justin there with their wives. Capa proceeded to have an affair with Justin’s wife (having already had a brief romance with Mrs Lewis before her marriage).
I have a few of Cecil Lewis’s autobiographical accounts which cover the period and will dig them out to see if they provide any more info about his time with John Justin.
The Capa biography can be found on Google books; see page 184: https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=iDRxBUViVzQC&pg=PA184&lpg=PA184&dq=john+justin+robert+capa+f+g+miles&source=bl&ots=wS0onZM72o&sig=6ULPy4DVn3VCLGWZ0NCbqVwtxZ8&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjynvT80czRAhWHBcAKHQSrCAkQ6AEIGjAA#v=onepage&q=john%20justin%20robert%20capa%20f%20g%20miles&f=false
Echo India
By: bazv - 17th January 2016 at 22:37
Best I can do is 2 screen grabs from the DVD ‘RAF The unseen films 1945 – 1947’
Video number 2 is entitled ‘No Alibi’ with JJ being given a hard time by his screen ‘wife’ about his aircraft accidents whilst in the RAF,JJ was blaming the groundcrew in a jocular fashion ,but some nice high quality footage inc Airspeed Oxford,Spitfire,Mosquito and Proctor…
He is portrayed as a Flying Officer which afaik was his highest rank whilst serving,so he may or may not be in one of his own uniforms….
Both scenes involve him remonstrating with Flying Control after different spitfire incidents 😀
By: Black Knight - 16th January 2016 at 01:40
Are there no photo’s of him flying?
By: bazv - 15th January 2016 at 22:38
Hi Echo India
PM sent !
By: Echo India - 15th January 2016 at 21:34
Glad you found it interesting Baz.
Do you know where I might find the Oxford flight safety film referred to in you original post?
Best wishes
Echo India
By: bazv - 15th January 2016 at 13:26
Thank you Echo India – received email ok.
Like you – am not sure about copyright so will play safe but very interesting pages.
rgds baz
By: Echo India - 14th January 2016 at 23:33
Safely received. I have sent you an e-mail with the info.
Echo India
By: bazv - 14th January 2016 at 22:36
PM sent Echo India 🙂
By: Echo India - 14th January 2016 at 20:09
You are welcome. If you would like a copy of the entry in the ORB, please send me a PM with your e-mail address. (I would post it here but I cannot fathom out how to upload pictures.)
I would be very interested to find out where the Tiger Moth flying sequences in Journey Together were filmed. I believe that the film was shot in 1943 (the same year he flew Echo India) although not released until after the end of the War.
(I have read that the Lancaster base used was RAF Methwold.)
Echo India
By: bazv - 14th January 2016 at 13:41
The Operations Record Book for 510 Sq at Hendon records that, on 25th April 1943, F/O Ledesma flew ATC Middleton in Echo India on an Air Experience sortie for 25 minutes.
If anyone has photos of him during his wartime RAF service, they would make a welcome addition to the Cambridge Flying Group archive.
Echo India
Thanks for your post,I have been away for a while and have thus far not managed to find much on JJ’s RAF career .
rgds baz
By: bazv - 14th January 2016 at 13:39
London Gazette entry 2 may 1941
Gazetted as Pilot Officer
3rd Apr. 1941.
905032 John Justinian de LEDESMA
(63442).
By: Echo India - 21st November 2015 at 22:41
I have been researching the RAF history of the Cambridge Flying Group’s Tiger Moth G-AOEI (N6946).
The Operations Record Book for 510 Sq at Hendon records that, on 25th April 1943, F/O Ledesma flew ATC Middleton in Echo India on an Air Experience sortie for 25 minutes.
If anyone has photos of him during his wartime RAF service, they would make a welcome addition to the Cambridge Flying Group archive.
Echo India
By: bazv - 5th November 2014 at 22:19
I could not find a good reference to the Tiger footage in sound barrier – but I had found this previously on pprune…
I mainly flew Tiger Moth G-AHRM and can recall coming in on finals over the glass houses and tall chimney. Was that in the S.E corner?
I just couldn’t get the landing right until 6 hours and then it all fell in place and I went solo at about 6.5 hours I think.
If I remember correctly this aircraft appeared for a few seconds in the film ‘Sound Barrier’ and was flown by W/C Arthur. That was the story at the time anyway.
By: bazv - 5th November 2014 at 19:54
Thanks for the replies guys – interesting he was at 21 EFTS as during the Tiger Moth sequence there was a wall plaque saying ‘ 21 ferry pool’ or similar ?? Cannot check as away from home !
However – I have read that the Tiger Moth footage may have been shot at Fairoaks with the boss (Wg Cdr Arthur) flying the aircraft ?
By: K4235 - 5th November 2014 at 09:24
He was an instructor with 21 EFTS at Booker from 1943 until 1944 as is mentioned in the book “Wycombe Air Park – Booker, A Photographic History”.
Other film stars or movie related instructors at Booker were David Tomlinson, film director Peter Seabourne and author of Sagittarius rising Cecil Lewis.
By: Hornchurch - 5th November 2014 at 06:42
–
Wish I did ~ I love the guy to bits & that film ‘The Sound Barrier’ is epic !
Was rather chuffed to see a thread on John Justin, so, looking forward to learning more.
I recall reading some time back that he loved the theatre (acting) but loathed tele’ !
As an interesting aside to those (few) who don’t already know…
John Justin’s most “famous” film was ‘The Thief of Bagdad’ (1940)
His (young) co-star was an Indian actor named Sabu Dastagir ~ (who later joined the USAAF)
He went on to win the Distinguished Flying Cross as a B.24 Liberator gunner in the Pacific region.
(the aftermarket decals for his B.24 are available in 1/72)
Tenuous link maybe, but it fascinated me !
By: Malcolm McKay - 5th November 2014 at 06:33
Seems to have concentrated on his stage and film career
http://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/dec/06/guardianobituaries.filmnews
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November 5, 2014 at 6:17 am