I was born a few years after the Second World War ended but memories were still fresh. The names of the great Fighter Aces were as well known to me as modern-day sports stars are to the current generation. 'Sailor' Malan, 'Ginger' Lacey, 'Cats-eyes' Cunningham, Johnny Johnson, Al Deere and 'Lucky' Bob Stamford -Tuck were household names. Of course, it helped that we were an Air Force family and I was consequently equally familiar with the Bristol Blenheim, Hawker Hurricane, Supermarine Spitfire and the rest. Some of my earliest memories involve hours spent looking his photo albums with my father. The photos, largely from his service during the 1920's and 30's were mostly of antiquated biplanes that would make a modern child wonder how they ever got off the ground.
Next came the age of aero modelling and my room was full of poorly-built plastic kits. It was small wonder, then, that I followed my father and elder brother into RAF service. I have to confess that modern jet aircraft fail to inspire in the way that those famous old aeroplanes do. I suppose it was inevitable that, sooner or later, I would fall into the trap of trying to write an aviation story.
'Like Father Like Son' was inspired by coming across the graves of William Barnard Rhodes-Moorhouse and his son, 'Willie' Rhodes-Moorhouse that lie on a Dorset hilltop near the little town on Beaminster. This is not their story. My characters are entirely imaginary and are not based on the Rhodes-Moorhouse family in any remote way.
William was a fine aviator. He was the first airman to win the Victoria Cross, Britain's highest award for gallantry. He also achieved a number of other notable firsts: the first pilot to carry passengers across the English Channel and the first man to fly under the Golden Gate Bridge! He was killed in 1915 after a heroic bombing mission in a BE2c. 'Willie', who gets a brief mention in the story, died on September 6th, 1940 when his Hurricane was shot down over Tunbridge Wells in Kent. He flew with 601 Squadron - 'The Millionaires' - and was part of a flight that was detached to France in May 1940. By one of those strange quirks of fate, Willie was based at Merville airfield -the very place from which his father had taken off on his famous last flight.
It is inevitable when writing a piece of fiction based around real events that actual people have to make an appearance. Below are some brief details about these true-life characters. I had to invent some of the exchanges but I believe I have been faithful to the record. I did not have to invent any of the flying incidents. All of the tales in this story, even the more improbable sounding ones, actually happened to someone.
'Stuffy' Dowding: Air Marshall Sir Hugh Dowding was the Commander in Chief of Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain. He commanded 16 Squadron RFC during 1915 and 1916 and, as described, was not a great success. His 'finest hour' came later. The letter to the Air Ministry is quoted verbatim. Dowding's greatest contribution was the establishment of the air defence system that enabled the RAF to win the Battle of Britain.
Air Vice Marshall Sir Keith Park: Keith Park was, perhaps, the true architect of the tactical victory. He was adored by his pilots and was an inspirational leader, frequently visiting the operational squadrons in his own Hurricane. During the First War, he commanded 48 Squadron (after the events described in this story) and was one of the top Bristol Fighter 'Aces' with 20 victories to his credit. His clashes with Trafford Leigh-Mallory are well documented. He went on to command the RAF in Malta and retired to his native New Zealand after the War. His comment to Churchill regarding reserves is a matter of record.
Air Vice Marshall Sir Trafford Leigh-Mallory: Leigh-Mallory was an able and highly ambitious officer. He was the brother of George Leigh Mallory, the mountaineer famously lost on Mt Everest, whose body was discovered only recently. The dispute with Park over tactics is one of the long-running controversies. The 'Big Wing' tactics, latterly favoured by 12 Group, were fine in theory but difficult to put into practice effectively. There were huge problems in trying to control such large numbers and often the squadrons took so long to assemble that they failed to engage the enemy. They did have their successes, though, notably on 15th September 1940. Leigh-Mallory went on to command first Fighter Command and then the entire Allied Air Forces for the D-Day operations. He was killed later in 1944 when the aircraft taking him to the Far East crashed.
Sir Winston Spencer Churchill: So much has been written and said about Churchill that there is little point in me trying to supply a biography here. All the quotations attributed to Churchill are verbatim except 'his letter' to Peter, which is my own invention.
Captain William Leefe-Robinson, VC: Leefe-Robinson was the first pilot to shoot down a German airship over London as described. Although an experienced pilot, he lacked experience of fighting on the Western Front. He was shot down by Richtofen's Flying Circus as described. He survived his wounds and was a prisoner of war. Ironically, he died of Spanish 'Flu immediately after the First War ended.
Captain Albert Ball, VC: Albert Ball was the first RFC pilot to become a national hero. He was brave to the point of madness and frequently took on vastly superior enemy formations single-handed. The evening of his death in 1917, he was last seen chasing seven enemy fighters on his own. Photographs of the time reveal an intense, boyish figure. He was renowned as a 'loner.' He was just twenty years old when he died.
Major Lanoe Hawker, VC: Lanoe Hawker was arguably Britain's best pilot and a very successful RFC Squadron Commander of 24 Squadron, as described. He was shot down and killed by the Red Baron after a long unequal fight during which his engine was constantly cutting out. The description of the collapsing wall of the officers' mess hut is factual.
Freiherr Manfred von Richtofen - The Red Baron. Despite being the highest scoring 'ace' of World War I, 'The Red Baron' remains something of a controversial figure. His critics point out that many of his victories came about against very inferior aircraft and that he had the habit of 'finishing off' enemy 'planes already damaged by combat with others. Even his death remains a topic for dispute, although it seems most likely he was killed by ground fire from an Australian machine gunner.
General Adolph Galland: Adolph Galland is arguably the greatest fighter pilot of them all. He commanded Jg26 in the later stages of the Battle of Britain but his greatest triumphs came against the Red Air Force on the Eastern Front. Highly intelligent, urbane and humane, he became a regular visitor to Britain and made many friends among his former enemies after the war. He did tell Goering that he wanted a squadron of Spitfires but this was probably to annoy 'Grosse Herman.' Galland disliked the Nazi leadership and thought Goering a posturing fool and was heavily critical of his tactics.
The Record Breakers: Malcolm Campbell, John Parry Thomas, Henry Segrave, Ray Keech and Frank Lockhart were all real people who made attempts on the Land Speed Record as described.
Pinky Harris, Phillip, Michael and Bethan Welford-Barnes, Peter and David Riley, Albert Armitage, Helmut Graube etc. are all characters of my own fevered imagination. They bear no intentional resemblance to real people, living or dead.
14 Squadron, RFC, never served on the Western Front. This was a deliberate ploy on my part, as I wanted the freedom to tell the 'story' without the restrictions of real events.
48 Squadron, RFC, was the first to be equipped with the Bristol Fighter. Their experiences with the new machine are a matter of record and the events took place much as I described them.
All of the squadrons named in Part Eight were real formations and their story is taken from the official record. The incidents involving David and Michael are, of course, entirely imaginary but are based, as far as possible, on actual operations that took place on the dates stated. The history of 264 Squadron and their Boulton Paul Defiants is a matter of record. When the Luftwaffe first encountered the Defiant, they did make the mistake of thinking it was a Hurricane, to which it had a passing resemblance. The first squadron to be 'found out' was 141 Squadron, which was severely mauled in July 1940. 264 came to their Calvary between 22nd and 28thAugust, 1940.
The Battle of Britain lasted from 10th July to 31st October 1940. To paraphrase the Duke of Wellington, it was a 'near-run thing.' Had the Luftwaffe not switched their attacks to London from the airfields and radar stations after 7th September, it is quite likely that Britain would have lost and the invasion would have followed. Whether or not the Germans would have been successful can only be a matter of conjecture. After the huge air battles of September 15th, the Luftwaffe turned increasingly to night bombing. As the Official History remarks, fighting continued at a lower level throughout October. The Battle did not so much end as eventually peter out.
The 'Few', now sadly forgotten by many, were 2353 young men from Great Britain and 574 from overseas, pilots and other aircrew, who are officially recognised as having taken part in the Battle of Britain. Each flew at least one authorised operational sortie with an eligible unit of the Royal Air Force or Fleet Air Arm during the period 10 July to 31 October 1940. 544 lost their lives during the period of the Battle. A further 791 were killed in action or died in the course of their duties before the war's end.
If you would like to know more about the Battle of Britain I recommend:
The Battle of Britain History Site.
For anyone interested in the Air War on the Western Front, I recommend 'The First Air War,' by Richard Townsend Bickers. For a personal account of the RFC, 'Sagittarius Rising,' by Cecil Lewis is a marvellous read. There are many good books on the Battle of Britain, 'Fighter,' by Len Deighton stands out, but my personal favourite is 'Nine Live.' by the New Zealand 'ace.' Al Deere. Al was shot down no less than seven times but survived the War to retire as an Air Commodore in 1977.
Finally, I have to acknowledge the contributions made in the writing of this story. My heartfelt thanks go to Svend Raun, a fellow 'airman' and amateur historian with a keen interest in the Battle of Britain, for his invaluable assistance in keeping me on the right track and his technical input concerning the Battle. I have, as always, to thank my editor, Denny Wheeler, for correcting all my dreadful typos and pointing out where I could express things better. Denny also maintains my web pages and has helped to find some of the photos that illustrate this story there.
Any errors, factual or otherwise, I claim entirely for myself.
Finally, my thanks also go to the very many readers who have encouraged me with their kind comments and urged me on to complete this tale. Foremost among these is 'cmsix,' a fine imaginative writer- go read his stories.
© 2003, Smilodon