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Post by Dave Homewood on May 9, 2013 14:36:10 GMT 12
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Post by fixer on May 9, 2013 16:10:09 GMT 12
My grandfather trained as a dental technician in Takapuna under Jean's father. He met her on a number of occasions.
Mum said he wasn't too taken by her, called her an over indulged and spoiled brat that Daddy couldn't say no to.
But I guess women weren't supposed to be adventurous or extroverted then. Just had to know their place....?
Anyone else heard of this against her?
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Post by ZacYates on May 9, 2013 21:42:57 GMT 12
If you read Jean Batten: Garbo Of The Skies you do get the impression she was very self-centred and spoilt. I still admire her for achievements but not her personality.
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Post by The Red Baron on May 9, 2013 22:35:49 GMT 12
From what I've read about her she was pretty frisky.
Wasn't there another love child some years back?.
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 10, 2013 9:33:30 GMT 12
She was apparently very good at schmoozing up to men to get what she wanted.
I did hear that she promised to marry some guy if he helped finance one of her flights.
Once the flight had been completed, she dropped him.
In defence, society was very different then.
If a woman wanted something, the only realistic way was to arrange for some man to get it for her.
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Post by delticman on May 10, 2013 10:00:56 GMT 12
Does anyone know what she did, 1939-1945?
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Post by Peter Lewis on May 10, 2013 17:27:15 GMT 12
From memory, drove ambulances in London.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 11, 2013 1:00:41 GMT 12
Just to confirm Peter's memory is good:
Evening Post, Volume CXXIX, Issue 122, 24 May 1940, Page 8
JEAN BATTEN'S JOB
(Received May 24, 1 p.m.)
LONDON, May 23
The New Zealand airwoman Miss Jean Batten is at present a driver in an Allied ambulance corps.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 11, 2013 1:05:43 GMT 12
Photos of Jean Batten in the Ambulance service here paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=EP19400625.2.122.7.1&srpos=15&e=01-12-1939--12-1945--10--11-byDA---0jean+batten+--paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/cgi-bin/paperspast?a=d&cl=search&d=AS19400627.2.20.3&srpos=16&e=01-12-1939--12-1945--10--11-byDA---0jean+batten+--And this article tells more: Auckland Star, Volume LXXI, Issue 247, 17 October 1940, Page 13 JEAN BATTEN LECTURES. As her share in the war effort, Miss Jean Batten, the noted New Zealand airwoman, is lecturing under the auspices of the Ministry of Information, telling audiences throughout England about New Zealand and the Dominion's war effort. Miss Batten's Percival Gull monoplane has joined the Royal Air Force and is being used "somewhere in England." Miss Batten began her war work by driving an ambulance, as there was no way in which she could use her flying skill. She had gone through a course of training, and was preparing to cross to France when that country collapsed. |
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 11, 2013 1:19:50 GMT 12
Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 59, 11 March 1943, Page 3
JEAN BATTEN
WINGS FOR VICTORY SPEAKING IN CAMPAIGN
N.Z.P.A. Special Correspondent Rec. 9.30 a.m. LONDON, Mar. 10.
Jean Batten is on a.tour of Britain to speak in a "Wings for Victory" campaign. She addressed a big crowd in Trafalgar Square and told them that thousands of pilots and crews were coming to Britain from every part, of the Dominions. They were leaving their homes and families to join in the fight for freedom. They were prepared to sacrifice everything "and give their all for us."
Led by Flight-Lieutenant B. H. Beale, of Wellington, four officers and 134 members of the R.N.Z.A.F., who recently arrived from Canada and New Zealand formed part of a parade through London. Crowds gave them enthusiastic applause.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 11, 2013 1:24:46 GMT 12
An interesting sidenote, I never knew she had a brother:
Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 167, 16 July 1943, Page 3
RELEASE FOR FILM ACTOR FROM NEW ZEALAND
Rec. 9.30 a.m. LONDON, July 15.
John Batten, brother of the Auckland airwoman, Jean Batten, has been temporarily released from the R.N.Z.N.V.R. to appear in the film "For Those in Peril," which is now being made at the Ealing Studios, London. The story is by the late Richard Hillary, author of "The Last Enemy. John Batten is serving with the R.N.Z.N.V.R. as a dental mechanic.
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 11, 2013 1:34:43 GMT 12
Ellesmere Guardian, Volume 66, Issue 23, 24 March 1944, Page 6
Jean Batten's Radio Ordeal
"Sheer will power" was Leslie Baily's admiring comment on Jean Batten's broadcast in "Traveller's Tales." He and a few others associated with her programme in this BBC overseas feature series had just seen an example of the iron determination that carried her through her lone record flight from England to New Zealand.
That morning she had come up from the country to the studio against doctor's orders. She had 'flu and was running a temperature. Once she collapsed but insisted on staying. At the rehearsal she was so unfit that an understudy was provided to take her place in the broadcast if necessary. She spent the day wrapped up in blankets in a fire watcher's bed adjoining the studio. She rose for a quick run-through at the final rehearsal, then went straight on the air and did the broadcast perfectly, with no hint of how ill she was feeling.
Immediately afterwards she was taken by taxi to her hotel. In the programme she told the story of two journeys to New Zealand—her own and her grandparents' 70 years ago. They took their four young children and their furniture, including grandmother's beloved piano, and set out for the unknown country where grandfather hoped there would be a future for a surveyor.
They embarked in a three master, ,a "big ship" in the days of sail. Twelve hundred tons! After weathering a bad storm the emigrant ship anchored in Wellington harbour at the end of 85 days - a good trip, not a record, mind, but very satisfactory. "It will be a long time before anybody gets from England to New Zealand in much less than 85 days." That was the captain's opinion.
An in October, 1936, another Batten prepared to leave England on a pioneering venture. Instead of the frockcoat grandfather wore, it was a flying suit that his granddaughter appeared in. And in place of the three-masted sailing ship, a single engined monoplane. "A little smaller than a Spitfire, but where a Spitfire has an engine of 1,200 horse power, this Percival Gull had only 200 h.p."
The already famous 27-years-old girl flyer left Lympne airport to attempt the first solo flight over those same 14,000 miles. She landed in Auckland having flown alone from England to New Zealand in 11 days A record that still stands. At the end of her broadcast she made a guess that after the war the flight will be made in four and a half days. A tame recapitulation of her journey, that broadcast. It needed the same spirit to see her through it.
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Post by fixer on May 20, 2013 21:25:33 GMT 12
She was apparently very good at schmoozing up to men to get what she wanted. I did hear that she promised to marry some guy if he helped finance one of her flights. Once the flight had been completed, she dropped him. In defence, society was very different then. If a woman wanted something, the only realistic way was to arrange for some man to get it for her. Yes, I would believe that to be true. Women were certainly dependent upon the men to get on in life. |
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Post by chinapilot on May 21, 2013 1:28:15 GMT 12
Apart from some of the comments here that would rival the Women's Weekly it begs the question why being in the UK she wasn't flying for the ATA...
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Post by ZacYates on May 22, 2013 20:13:14 GMT 12
According to Ian Mackersey in his 1990 book Jean Batten: The Garbo of the Skies, Jean wrote in her (unpublished?) memoir: "I failed my medical because of poor near-occular vision, which apparently could have been caused by excessive eyestrain during my record flights through peering at maps in dim light when suffering from exhaustion."
Mackersey counters this by saying she later admitted to another vision problem resulting from her crash in Rome in 1934 which "gave her double vision for some time afterwards because the muscles had suffered temporary local contusions." He also explained this caused her stress on later flights.
He also goes into detail (pg293-296) about her ego which may have played a part - losing her "hero" status and just becoming another anonymous ATA pilot - but in the end, he says, "Somewhere in the wartime files at Kew, clues to the truth possibly lie."
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Post by Dave Homewood on May 22, 2013 20:50:25 GMT 12
Thanks for that Zac.
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Post by carvairkid on Dec 4, 2020 17:26:13 GMT 12
My grandfather trained as a dental technician in Takapuna under Jean's father. He met her on a number of occasions. Mum said he wasn't too taken by her, called her an over indulged and spoiled brat that Daddy couldn't say no to. But I guess women weren't supposed to be adventurous or extroverted then. Just had to know their place....? Anyone else heard of this against her? [/quote]bracketing quoteWhilst I would not defend Jean Batten against the accusation of narcissism, I take a more generous view THAT jean Batten was the victim of psychological child abuse by her mother Ellen (nee) Blackmore who suffered a complete nervous breakdown when her father Frederick H Batten ran away to volunteer in the First World War. His way of escaping a crazy woman without the socially unacceptable option of divorce was to volunteer for war service in France. Ellen felt like an abandoned wife so she instilled a contempt for men in Jean. Jean also lived Ellen's dream of adventure through Jean. From an early age Ellen pinned a newspaper article about Bleriot crossing the English channel. Ellen exalted pioneers like Charles Lindbergh etc, Charles Kingsford Smith, etc and Jean got the message that her mother's approval hinged on her performance as an aviation super star.In 1937-38 Jean & her mother were based in Mallorca, Spain, which I find odd so soon after the Spanish Civil War, Then she was employed by the British Council in 1938 to tour Europe giving speeches during which she was awarded:GOLD MEDALS Federation Aeronautique Internationale. Royal Aero Club of Great Britain. Aero-Club de France. Royal Swedish Aero Club. Academie des Sports. Royal Danish Aeronautical Society. Ligue Internationale des Aviateurs. HONOURS 1936. France: Chevalier of the Legion of Honour. Chev L.H. Great Britain: Commander of the British Empire. CBEDuring 1939 she toured Swedish Aero clubs undoubtedly making contacts later used by Mi-6 during WW2. what I find most interesting is that Hitler personally authorised her to fly back to the UK through France just two days before the invasion of Poland. In Another version of this I have heard she was authorised to depart Sweden after Britain declared war on German. I WOULD APPRECIATE IT IF SOMEONE could provide an accurate source please? I would settle for 2 days before Poland's invasion.One thing I do know is after WW2, she lived at Golden Eye, Jamaica with Ian Fleming whom she met in Sweden during 1939. If indeed there was a Batten love child, this was likely the result of a love affair with a Canadian bomber pilot named Richard, who was shot down in 1943. I once attempted to track down all bomber pilots shot down in 1943 and the only Canadian/Richard entry which I could find Flew deep penetration missions to parachute SOE spies into Europe.I consider Jean Batten a most enigmatic lost soul [/quote] |
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Post by carvairkid on Dec 4, 2020 17:49:43 GMT 12
An interesting sidenote, I never knew she had a brother: Auckland Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue 167, 16 July 1943, Page 3 RELEASE FOR FILM ACTOR FROM NEW ZEALAND Rec. 9.30 a.m. LONDON, July 15. John Batten, brother of the Auckland airwoman, Jean Batten, has been temporarily released from the R.N.Z.N.V.R. to appear in the film "For Those in Peril," which is now being made at the Ealing Studios, London. The story is by the late Richard Hillary, author of "The Last Enemy. John Batten is serving with the R.N.Z.N.V.R. as a dental mechanic. Dave have you any info please, what Jean's brother did in the RNZNVR? please? What ships he served on etc?I know HE & Jean had a blazing row in England before the war on the topic of Jean deceiving their father.Yes there were two brothers. The other was Harold. [/quote] |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Dec 4, 2020 18:39:31 GMT 12
I do not know anything, sorry. Although I recently was told that the warbird and airshow display pilot Doug Batten is a nephew of Jean, so he may have more info if you can track him down.
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Post by errolmartyn on Dec 4, 2020 19:29:44 GMT 12
Dave have you any info please, what Jean's brother did in the RNZNVR? please? What ships he served on etc?I know HE & Jean had a blazing row in England before the war on the topic of Jean deceiving their father.Yes there were two brothers. The other was Harold. [/quote] I suggest you request a free copy of his service record from Personnel Archives, NZDF. See their website for details. Errol |
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