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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 2, 2014 1:20:15 GMT 12
No disrespect in any way is meant in this, I am just confused and think someone here can clear this up for me. In the media reports today about the funeral of AM Sir Richard Bolt, they all seemed to say he was "considered the father of the Air Force".
Why were they saying this? I've never heard this before in relation to him. Usually that titl is afforded only to Sir Henry Wigram, who literally was the man responsible for giving birth to the Air Force in New Zealand.
I am wondering if it refers to his time as Chief of the Air Force, or Chief of Defence? But this still seems odd, as his tenure at the tope was nowhere near as influential on the service as that of other leaders like Gp Captain Sir Ralph Cochrane (known as the architect of the RNZAF), AVM Sir Leonard Isitt (our first NZ-born Chief of Air Force), or AVM Ian Morrison (who was the father of the modern Air Force).
Bolt was Chief of Air Force during a time when very little was happening, 1974-1976.
So why is he being referred to in this way by the media? Have I missed something?
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Post by phil on Aug 2, 2014 12:59:32 GMT 12
It made for a better sound bite?
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Post by phil82 on Aug 2, 2014 14:24:27 GMT 12
There were a couple of previously unheard anecdotes at the funeral, one of which was the refusal of Dick Bolt, as CDS, to back down when faced with political pressure on Defence Policy, [or the complete lack of it in the case of David Lange] and on one occasion he [Dick Bolt] flatly refused to leave Lange's office until he'd been given a definitive answer. Some here may recall that the objection of Bolt, and a few other highly ranked officers, namely Robin Klitscher,Ewan Jamieson,Somerford Teagle, and two former Sec Defs Gerard Hensley and Denis McLean, was dismissed by Lange as "the mumblings of geriatrics". Well, it turned out the Dick Bolt owned a somewhat elderly racehorse, and it was the oldest horse in a race at Ellerslie but nevertheless won, and the cup was presented by Lange to Dick Bolt who apparently made the comment, "not bad for a geriatric".
We also learned in the eulogy , delivered by Peter Adamson, that Dick didn't get to Bomber Command until effectively 1943 and yet flew 38 missions in Lancasters and then as a Pathfinder in the Mosquito at a time when it was rare to complete 20 trips and casualty rates were 15 per cent per trip. At the end of the war he was the only survivor of his [British] crew.
The Guard of honour was a privilege to watch, as were the six WOs who were pall bearers.Immaculately done, and how the hell they managed to get the C130 to fly over the Beehive and turn right into Aitken Street, [outside DEF HQ] just in time to directly over the hearse and the Honour Guard was a miracle and a sight to behold.
I knew Dick Bolt, and I knew a lot of people much more senior than I who knew him a lot better than I did,and if they all reckon that "Father of the Air Force" was an apt description of his achievements then I'm happy to go along with it. He was a brilliant speaker by the way, and always without a note in sight; "winging it" as they say, but I learned yesterday that his speeches weren't as casual as he made them appear, he simply wrote everything out in longhand first and memorise, then binned the notes!
The RNZAF has lost a great advocate.
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Post by 11SQNLDR on Aug 2, 2014 15:22:33 GMT 12
Thanks for sharing that Phil, we've lost a great New Zealander.
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Post by errolmartyn on Aug 2, 2014 17:13:28 GMT 12
"We also learned in the eulogy , delivered by Peter Adamson, that Dick didn't get to Bomber Command until effectively 1943 and yet flew 38 missions in Lancasters and then as a Pathfinder in the Mosquito at a time when it was rare to complete 20 trips and casualty rates were 15 per cent per trip."
I don't know if Adamson has been quoted correctly but most of this is incorrect.
Bolt did not arrive in the UK until 14 October 1943. The following month he was posted to 15 (Pilots) Advanced Flying Unit then to 21 OTU in April 1944. A short course with a Heavy Conversion Unit probably followed before he was posted at the end of September to 51 Squadron flying Halifaxes. In December he was posted to 35 (Pathfinder) Squadron flying Lancasters (they were never equipped with the Mosquito).
Long before Bolt reached his first Squadron, on the night of 21/22 January 1944, 15.6% of the Halifaxes forming part of the raiding force on Magdeburg were lost. This 'one off' event may be where the out of context '15 percent per trip' [sic] figure comes from.
The actual Bomber Command loss rate for operational sorties from Mid-August 1944 to the end of the European war in May 1945 was just 1%. A really good time not to be flying ops with BC was May-December 1942 (loss rate over 4%) or during the 19 Berlin raids over the winter of 1943-1944 (about 6%).
BC's average opearational loss rate for the whole of the war was 2.3%.
Errol
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 2, 2014 18:13:28 GMT 12
None of this explains why the media have given him the title Father of the Air Force...
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Post by shorty on Aug 2, 2014 18:48:09 GMT 12
Possibly confusing him with his father (and being erroneous with GBs history too)?
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 2, 2014 18:58:10 GMT 12
I was wondering if this was the confusion too, although George Bolt didn't have a lot to do with the RNZAF before WWII did he? I know he was an Engineering Officer during the war, and had been a non-active Territorial Air Force member pre-war. Hardly a mover and shaker in terms of the RNZAF.
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Post by phil82 on Aug 2, 2014 19:28:40 GMT 12
. In December he was posted to 35 (Pathfinder) Squadron flying Lancasters (they were never equipped with the Mosquito). Errol Adamason never said they were! But Dick Bolt himself said he flew them and there were at least two squadrons flying them on PFF duties. Any supposed discrepancies with what Peter Adamson said should perhaps be taken up with him, but as he was a close personal friend of Dick Bolt my money would be on him!  |
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Post by errolmartyn on Aug 2, 2014 20:23:48 GMT 12
Phil,
Yes, would have flown the Mosquito, butwhile serving with 75 Sqn here in NZ during 1946-1948, not with the RAF during the war.
Errol
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Post by Dave Homewood on Aug 2, 2014 20:54:28 GMT 12
Air Marshal Bolt ferried one of the Mosquitoes from England to new Zealand, then served for a short time on No. 75 Squadron.
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Post by tbf25o4 on Aug 9, 2014 15:45:39 GMT 12
the quote "father of the modern air force" came from the current Chief of Air Force, when asked to comment to the media on the passing of Sir Richard.
I believe that in the context of the modern air force the "father" was AVM Ian Morrison who during his tenure as CAS managed to get approved
the purchase of the C130s, P3s Sioux and Iroquois.
Perhaps the CAF meant that Sir Richard was looked upon as a "fatherly figure by the members of the modern air force"
That I could accept
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