{"id":42,"date":"2013-07-02T13:05:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-02T12:05:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/02\/a-bomber-a-golf-course-and-an-uncle\/"},"modified":"2013-07-02T13:05:00","modified_gmt":"2013-07-02T12:05:00","slug":"a-bomber-a-golf-course-and-an-uncle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/2013\/07\/02\/a-bomber-a-golf-course-and-an-uncle\/","title":{"rendered":"A bomber, a golf course and an uncle"},"content":{"rendered":"

Just before I come back to those things I trailed in yesterday’s teaser post I wanted to say a little something about my remarkable uncle Basil Ambrose, who turned 90 recently. Few of those heroes who flew Lancaster Bombers in World War II have survived so long and there can be fewer yet who are still so active.<\/span>
\n
<\/span>
\nI’ve recounted some of his story here, adapted from a press release by the Goring and Streatley Golf Club<\/a>, where Basil celebrated his 90th Birthday with a party and also by being on the course at 7.30am to tee-off: now that’s what you call keen.<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Basil in the local paper<\/span><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\nBorn 1923 in Derby Street, Reading, Basil still lives nearby in
\nLangley Hill, Tilehurst. A golfing veteran, Basil started caddying at 16 years of
\nage and was on the course the day war was declared. He didn\u2019t hesitate to join
\nAir Raid Precautions (ARP) as a messenger boy and remembers being on Langley
\nHill the day bombs were dropped.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n\u201cI heard aircraft flying overhead and noticed a half circle of
\nlight. Suddenly it sounded like an express train coming though the air. I
\nrealised immediately what was happening and dived into a ditch by the side of
\nthe road. My family were frightened to death. Bombs went right up Langley Hill.
\nWe were lucky not to have had more casualties.<\/i>\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nAt 18, Basil resigned his apprenticeship as a metal turner and joined
\nthe Home Guard, and then later the Royal Air Force. Training at various bases
\nin the UK, he passed out with top grades to become a Leading Aircraftsman. In
\nhis role as a flight engineer, Basil helped pilot huge 4-engine Stirling bombers,
\nlater converting to Lancaster bombers with 467 Squadron<\/a>.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Avro Lancaster<\/a> <\/span>R5868<\/i><\/span>
\nin the Bomber Hall of the RAF Museum London
courtesy Wikipedia<\/span><\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nBy 1944, Basil was flying daylight support operations over the
\nNetherlands and night raids over Germany. Basil talked about one particularly
\ndifficult night raid.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n\u201cWe\u2019d reached our target in Germany but the rest of the force
\nhad gone, so we were alone. As soon as we dropped the bombs, the rear gunner
\nspotted a fighter coming in. He gave the instruction to corkscrew but the
\nskipper knew that to lose the search lights he\u2019d have to do something entirely
\ndifferent. He stood the plane on its nose and we dived 5,000 feet. I was pinned
\nto the cabin ceiling. When we pulled up, I was forced to the floor. Then we
\ndived another 3,000 feet. We took some flak and lost an engine but made it home
\nin one piece.<\/i>\u201d<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nWearing his France and Germany Star, and 1939-1945 Star and War
\nMedal at his birthday celebrations, Basil has certainly earned recognition for
\nhis bravery and service.<\/o:p><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
“I was there to do a job, we didn’t want to let anyone down<\/i>“
Basil Ambrose in characteristic style<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

At the end of the war, Basil returned to Langley Hill, working at
\nCook\u2019s Dairy Farm Equipment using his engineering skills. He later joined the
\nAtomic Weapons Research Establishment in Aldermaston as a mechanical safety
\nofficer and the Greater London Council as chief safety advisor, before taking
\nearly retirement.<\/span><\/o:p><\/span><\/span>
\n
<\/span><\/span>
\n
<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Basil with his son David<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Looking
\nfor a hobby, friends recommended Basil join Goring and Streatley Golf Club.
\nHe\u2019s now been a member for three decades and his family are regular visitors
\ntoo for family celebrations. Basil\u2019s brother-in-law, Dennis Bartlett, had his 90th<\/sup>
\nbirthday party there and three Bartlett
\ncousins jointly celebrated their 40th<\/sup> wedding anniversaries there too. Liz Bartlett, Basil\u2019s sister-in-law, commented
\non how the family holds its \u2018cousins\u2019 lunch\u2019 at the club every year, coming
\nfrom as far as Shropshire, Somerset and the West County to join in the celebrations.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

\n<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/span><\/span>
<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n\n\n\n\n
<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cyril Bartlett<\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n
\nBasil isn’t the only hero in the family either – he joined the Bartlett family when he married Jean, who’s father Cyril Bartlett, my grandfather, was a soldier in the First World War and is the subject of a book and website<\/a> that tell the story of his war through his letters to<\/span> Jessica: the lady who was to be my grandmother.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nAs you might imagine, we’re quite proud of our family heroes!<\/b><\/span><\/span><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Just before I come back to those things I trailed in yesterday’s teaser post I wanted to say a little something about my remarkable uncle Basil Ambrose, who turned 90 recently. Few of those heroes who flew Lancaster Bombers in World War II have survived so long and there can be fewer yet who are still so […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=42"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/42\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=42"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=42"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pellwallhelp.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=42"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}