1961-11-04 — Page 14

What

it was like: by the quiet

man

in the

bowler

hat

THE CHINA MAIL, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 1961.

BOMBING OFFENSIVE

THE HEROES SPEAK

BERLIN

There are in fact few men go...........................sessee...vol moment, Mahaddle knew, was helter qualified to speak of the

strategic bombing offensive.

PART ONE: DESTINATION MOSTLY they try to laugh about it when they meet. The survivors, the youngest now nearing 40, can sound as jolly as reunited school friends when they talk about the nights they bombed Germany.

aska one

of them, "Do you remember Albert the navigator?" Hamish Mahaddie. "And the conversations he had over Germany with The Great Reaper?"

When the first flak jolted his bomber, Albert bent over his chart table could sometimes be heard to say, "Good evening. Reaper, this is Albie...." And putting on a solemn, ecclesiastical voice he would reply to himself. "And good evening to you Albie." Then as shell splinters hit the fuselage; "Look, Reper, I hope you aren't after Alble tonight because he's not in this aircraft. I promise. the one behind."

Everybody who remembers taughs affectionately and you, the outshler, ask: "What limpen-

el to Alule?" And Motuäldie the "Alble got Huys quietly: chop," anil the

subject is changelf.

By TOM POCOCK

no expectation of life. On each of the nightly rolds on Germany ne bomber la 20, on average, was shot dawn.

This is how it was and thie is how it is. 1 r the best way. There was so much that even How is not discussed unneces sarily. The Reaper caute for Albie and $5,357 other Mers of Bad those Bomber Command who survive have a known what is like to have virtually about.

Group Captain Mahaddie, now pushing 50, is a bright, brisk businessman In the aircraft in

are things dustry and there which he will and will not talk

Something Wonderful Happens When You Give a Parker 61

He's in

a

He will talk of names you may not know: Witty Talt. Jimmy and Marks. B. V. Robinson Fraser Barron who became Wing Commander when 11 legally an infant and died over a French marshalling yord. And sume names that you do know, like Cheshire and Gibson.

He will not talk about the

·DS.C., D.F.C., A.F.C. and Czech Military Cross,

month in which he won the

THE STRAIN

If you ask him about any of the surties he flew he will prob- ably only speak of two." recall two raids in which I let hundreds of bombers to Ham- burg and to Saarbrucken. Un- fortunately we were not so good al bombing, by radar in those days and two other towns were bombed Instead. These rakis have become known as Hamish's Shame and Mohaddie's Folly."

Group Captain Mahaddie had Joined the RAF DA n Halion apprentice and started the war as a sergeant-pilot. He flew

on

Whitleys. Stirlings and Lan- casters

operations, rising through fight commander, squadron commander and station' commander. He was the officer on Alr Vice-Marshal Donald Bennett's start respun sible for selecting and training the Path&nder crews.

** I particularly wanted to know how the altcrews he knew theed up to flybig night after night from the comforts of England to horrore over Germany.

"Must crows seemed to talk themselves into believing that could not happen to thent personally," he said. "But the strain was great and it won worst when you had nothing to do but hang about walling to hear where you were going that right. You gol a feeling of sight but distinct nausea."

COMPOSED

Mahakic described how each morning Str Arthur Harris brondesst to his group-comman- ders his choice of target for thai night from his headquarters at High Wycombe which they had called "The Petrified Forest." The news would be passed to The bomber stations.

it was

"From that moment castest for the squadron and flight commanders and the navi- gator, flight engineer and air gunner leaders because we were very busy. The crows soon found Qu1 where they were

BOMBING

OFFENSIVE

IERCE controversy is stirred by the offi- account of the war's strategic bombing offensive.

cial

But below the charges and counter-charges lies one of the war's most exciting sagas.

when he had just returned from leave and "his wife or his mother had said: "You've flown more sorties than most of them and you've got your D.F.C. It's time you gave up."

"Then," he now rocalla, “I told him to fly down the Great saw an

· Norths-road' until he olephant. And do you know. what the bilghter sald? He just said: "What colour, sittin

There were, of course, limes when even forced gatety could not relieve the tension, One Auch time was the battle of Berila. I was mid-winter aris there would be more than 1,000 miles to

be flown against the Aighters, the fuk, the storms and the leing in the dark.

"When we knew we had to go back again to The Big City everyone fell frightened,"" sold Maladdie. "The crews would como into the briefing room and sit very quietly. Then the squadron-commander' would say Those who succumbed to such that he had a special message persuasion might be seen hang- for them from Hutch Harris al ing about outside the squadron The Petrified Forest,' and he commander's office. The exeuse Would read out something like might be that an old friend had this: Tonight you go to The Big asked him to come over to his City. You have the opportunity quadron in Training Com- to light a fire in the bolly of the mand, or just a request for a enemy and burn his black heart transfer.

Mahaddle's technique for dealing with such falling spirits was, I hear, effective. He would come bustling out of his office and say "Borry, I can't see you now, old chap. But do something for me, will you? I'm dying to night and I'm worried about my port outer engine. Take my air- craft up and let me know what you think

FRIGHTENED

Now the men who actually few the air- planes tell what it was like to be heading to- wards Berlin, Ham- burg, Dusseldorf.

Until late afternoon the man /would ...................2*9**..............................technicalities of aero engines be engrossed in the

and when he landed would be going and the suspense could be on the Battle Order for the bad.”

night. He would have had no time to brood.

Mahaddie himself, as a squad- ron commander found the com-

posure of the others the greatest help, "because i jusi hnd 10 match it myself."

And there were claborate jakes to lighten, the tension, Once Mahaddie leard that an elephant had become detached "The men I admired most," he froin its circus and was standing went on, "were those who had in a pond beside the Great to force themselves to go North-road. So he sent for one through with it. Anderson, the of his Mosquito bomber pilots aco navigator, for example, who and told him that he had to was always nirsick."

undertake P special recon- And, kievitably, there were naissance operation. Success, those who became "Irayed at Mahaddic snld sternly, Was the edges." A man's weakest essential.

oul.

"Now that didn't come from Lambeth Palace. When "Butch" talked to the boys like that they were ready to pick up their bombs and run to Berlin."

I asked him what was the formula for the best aircrews, and he replied, "Without doubi the beat crews were mixel erows from the Commonwealth. A Canadian pilot, a Scottish navigator, an Australian flight engineer, an English bomb aimer, д New Zealand olr- tunner and that sort of thing.

"A crew drawn from just one of those countries would gorne- how be weaker than a mixed friendly crew. Perhaps #

Wax The rivolry. But these Commonwealth crews seemed to stimulate each other and be- come welded together into formidable partnership."

f

Coming from those days of devastation, that seems an un- expectedly constructive thought.

NEXT WEEK Disaster over Nuremberg

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iamo me eit Ot

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d Mondeop

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ANGUS MCGILL'S

Mainly for Men

THE most glaring in-

equality in an un- Let's face the truth

equal world is the flag-' rantly unjust distribu- tion of looks.

chaps,

we are an ugly bunch!

Uy

Semt men are born with per- fect profiles and their lives are sweetly paved with doting women. The rest

Richard of us must

Attenborough, John Glipin, and all the others up struggle on as best we may.

How many men can truthfully the stairs to the little colon off

Charing Cross-road Fun consider themselves handsome?

My hand-picked team of keen Robert James and you will sec young wonen researchers has just how elaborate. Better make

appointment been working on

though. this one for an

AJI years. Sadly they give their these places get solidly booked, answer. Not many.

James believes that nothing Most of us then are plain and does so much for a man as thị

It is a widely held

Detion that we don't

give a damm. I have

been finding out this week just how false this is

The truth is that every year more and more men wince when they see themselves in their shaving mir rors, and decide to Do Something About It,

There is, surpris- ingly, quite a lot they can do.

The easiest solu- tion is to grow a beard. A good big bushy beard cover up acres of

can

TOP TOPS

The Blog siri

right haircut. All

to me.

Slog away

Then there

Эге

uncomfortable they

If you have had

twisted, belter ones begin at £4 5s.. Or they tend to distrust a man who brokea old teeth for years you you con nobble about Jr Is too good looking. ean dazzle everyone by treating theatrical lifts. These are cork It is hard, sometimer, to know yourself, to samé porcelain caps, wedges which you buy in Cher- what to do for the best. They are expensive-from 20 to ing Cross-road. I slipped a pair 30 gulness a crown.

shoes this week and Delicate In my Plastle facings are cheaper hideously but they never look quite real were.

this new rum 'If you want to be shorter I don't know

What to suggest. MY Uncle Peregrine is full of Try bending your knees.

good will towards all men and particularly to men from in fact, no reason British Gulana. This the

There is,

friendly scattered across London. You at all why you should be satis place has sent us a new rum eut and styled, oc- can toil away on parallel bars fied with the face and torso you called Daiquiri and there is no

and slog away at punching bags have grown up with,

quicker way to Peregrine's and get yourself a better shape The men who spend most time,

But here's a curious thing. heart.

"How much do you say this cost, boy?" he said, knocking it back. "Forty-two" and pencer Gill—a splendid absolutely splendid."

his customeru have

I

shampoo

first.

Then their hair is

casionally permed and sometimes coloured. They can have a mud pack and ♫ manicure They are likely to be there for ages.

"Hair

quito cheaply,

gymB

61x- rum,

Or there are more specialised trouble and money in building their bodies and improving their places which give you a super- vised course in body building faces are usually the best look- with elaborate equipment, some ing and the best built in the colouring times conducted before vast nar- first place,

it la, too. It is a delicato, Furthermore my team of keen pale golden rum, cissistic mirrors GAYD

BO YOU

matured In researchers tell oak. watch your muscles grow.

young women widely

British Gulana has done If you want to be taller there me that women don't care accepted now."

un proud.

London Express Service), I don't know are always bullt-up shoes. The their man is homely.

The Perry cut

for James, "is

aen,

The Adam tine

About that but

you'd be surprised how many men you know quietly have their hair coloured

tell

me

more

unsatisfactory face and may be from time to time. the reason why

The manufacturers so many are sprouting around the place that every year they sell nowadays.

hair-dye to men's salons. And Dow one of them has put a do-

The most drastic and expen-

sive answer is plastic surgery, A well-known plastic surgeon tells me that of all the patients who come to him-for cosmetic rea- sons, 25 per cent are men.

Smaller

Mor of them

1-yourself bene colouring kit for men on the market. It is called Inocto Creme and cost 7. 24.

For men going thin on top There are undetectable toupees which nowadays really ore. undetectable. London wig- makers are the best in the world want a new and some of the world's most nose and, for about 100 guinea, famous toupee-ed heads they can have one. The noses are usually smaller than the old ones and are without the pid humps and wobbles and left or right wing deviations.

A lot of men want their ear

new their customers.

are

The most popular style, says Mr Gerry Rex of Wig Speela- les, is the Perry Como- Next comes the Bing Crosby short cut, brushed to the right. pinned back. Others want their widow's peak and then the crew eyes unpuffed or their bulit up or their Juliing lower You can race open

cut.

| jaws pushed back a bit,

chins

cars, Enll

dinghies la a gale and make

A good many want, and got, love in these toupees and no one complete face-lift. This coats will ever know, Óng of Mr Hex's them 180 guineas and inakes customers has been married for them look years

these operations

younger. All years and his wife still has no Involve about idea that her husband is bald. Ave days in a nursing home, Young men of 18 wear them-- which costs a good bit extra, Tmon get bald so young now-

Olber men, watching the days,

· days Rex-and one Trown lines Enther, struggle his customers is 83. He wents on manfully for alt and then Adam Fatth

ri

go and have themselves a facial. Theo toupees cost £30 and You can get there at most men's more. They are hi such demand Hairdressers in London's Wes, that there is a three-month waii-

Tad now.

to your

Men's hairdressing · gate mote A good denust can make the Einborate daily. Follow John world of difference Osborne, Tony ichardson, appearancs,

can

it Indeed

COVERING UP

The headgear off proclaims tho man. What does your hat tell us about you?

THE TRILBY, What are you hiding? A plat ogainst the state or merely a bold spot? Indicates a sazrotive nature, a desire worst for anonymity probably · for', the 'falsomt. À criminol hot,

· THE, DEEK-STALKER,? NOI el.pranks who wear this hot, atik deur 10 don't cut thes dood without chucking. Ther may be perfectly civilised.

· CLOTH CAP, Blunt, down to-worth, no-pontanie ""hat, worn bare with forth Country accent and whippet. Cofia, w scarf o muffler,› A‹salf-made

hat

M

THE HOMBURG. A sombre, hot, rondly ken nowadays. Suggests a disregard for changing roles and public opinion and reveals stubborn, ungialding, backward- Boking mature. Not a wise hot,

THE ITALIAN STRAW.

elather-conscio exter, probably rather vejn. Designed for the wall in wall's clothing. di seorn in dritala a distinctly optimistic but.

THE RODIN HOOD, Young, wan on the move, o bar with: ift aye on the wala chance, o predatory hat.

You and

THE BOATEL. ither under 18 or otår 17. A guy, father deliant hat, only for the young in' hoort.

THE BALACLAVÁ HELMET, Good haarens l

Jhigh

Landon Budzali Jaridhia machakonit fas