Just a True Story

[derekliston]

A long time ago, around 38yrs ago after leaving British Airways and before coming to Australia I worked for a company called Personal Plane Services which specialised in rebuilds and maintenance of vintage and veteran aeroplanes. When I started work there I met a bloke who appeared to be a sort of general dogsbody, he wore a green boiler suit and sort of shuffled around, sweeping the hangar floor or washing aeroplanes and sometimes taxiing aeroplanes to the fuel bowser and filling them up. One day I saw him climb into a Spitfire MklX and start it up. I thought, wow, I'd love to be able to taxi a Spitfire, but Lo and behold he didn't go to the bowser, he taxied out to the runway and took off! I later found out that he had never paid for an hours flying in his life, the company had taught him to fly and when the owner, Tony Bianchi was away he stood in as test pilot. His name was Bert Goodchild and I had the pleasure of flying with him on a few occasions most noticeably a couple of times in a Dragon Rapide.

 

 

[onetrack]

Derek, I thought the story was going to end with the revelation the bloke was a WW2 Battle of Britain hero, and a past master at the art of Spitfire driving!

 

Good story, all the same!

 

 

[bexrbetter]

The obvious question is, did he come back?

 

 

[onetrack]

Ah-hah!! ... see the last two posts on the following thread link!

 

The camera doesn't lie... - PPRuNe Forums

 

 

[derekliston]

Ah-hah!! ... see the last two posts on the following thread link!The camera doesn't lie... - PPRuNe Forums

Interesting, but totally different from what Bert told me! I have no idea which version is correct but either way I am lucky to have known him.

 

 

[onetrack]

Yes, events have different memories to different people. If Bert Goodchild was "about 53" in 1976, it means he was only 17 when the BoB was on - so if he was a RAF Spitfire pilot, he would have been late into the WW2 scene.

 

I can find no record of any Albert Goodchild as an RAF officer or NCO pilot - but that doesn't mean he wasn't one. The British military records are fragmented, sometimes incomplete, often not online, and scattered around 100 or more sources.

 

Then there's the problem of whether Bert used his first name or second name, as his common christian name. It's not unusual to find many people using their middle or second name as their preferred handle. My own father was one.

 

It's entirely possible Bert might have been in the RAF and close to Spitfires during WW2, such as working on them - but didn't learn to fly one until after WW2. However, that's only guesswork on my part.

 

What I did find, as an interesting aside, is that the entire "Air Ministry Second World War Official (Photo) Collection" is online - and that the Official RAF Photographer was one F.O., A. Goodchild.

 

These photos are quite amazing in their quality, clarity, and depth of coverage, and are equal to anything the AWM possesses.

 

Collections listing for "AIR MINISTRY SECOND WORLD WAR OFFICIAL COLLECTION" | Imperial War Museums

 

 

[red750]

May not have been Albert. Possibly Bertram or Bertrand.

 

 

[facthunter]

You were regarded as too old often, to fly fighters at 20 and went to bombers. They all got only the minimum of training. Probably about 60 hours, if that. Many after 30 or so missions over Germany came out with 300 hours total at the end of the war. Sometimes less. even than that. Nev

 

 

[bull]

Ah-hah!! ... see the last two posts on the following thread link!The camera doesn't lie... - PPRuNe Forums

Awesome link thanks , just love the sound of those merlins great thanks,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

 

 

[onetrack]

Here's another interesting story involving more Goodchilds, that I accidentally stumbled across today, when looking for something completely different.

 

Sgt Harold Goodchild from Mukinbudin, W.A., was KIA on 14th December 1944, when the RAAF Catalina, A24-64, nicknamed "The Dabster" was lost during a mission to mine Manila Bay.

 

A24-64 has never been found to this day, but it is suspected she ran into the firing range of hidden Jap AA guns near Alas-Asin beach, Mariveles, and was lost in Manila Bay. There were no survivors from the crew of 9.

 

A plaque to commemorate the crew of A24-64, was laid at the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific in Bataan Province, Philippines, on 13 April 2016, during Exercise Balakatan 2016.

 

The Academy is located close to where A24-64 is believed to have been lost, and the site was chosen because the memorial can be maintained and protected there.

 

RAAF Catalina PBY5, A24-64 – “The Dabster” | Rathmines Catalina Memorial Park Association Incorporated

 

Harold Goodchilds father Stan was a farmer with a farm located on the Mukinbudin-Wialki Rd. He set to in 1947, and built a brick memorial entrance to his farm, in memory of his obviously cherished son.

 

This memorial entrance appears to be made from concrete bricks manufactured by a hand brick press, which was a popular tool in the late 1940's and early 1950's, when all building materials were in short supply.

 

The brick entrance had two 32V lights set into it, which were illuminated from the 32V lighting plant at the homestead.

 

Military History of the Wheatbelt - Central Wheatbelt Visitor Centre (scroll down to "Mukinbudin" and "Goodchilds Gateway") Click twice on the gateway photo to bring it up to a large size.