Short Final: ‘Would You Mind Getting on with the War?’

In this excerpt from Paul Brickhill’s post-war biography of Royal Air Force legend Douglas Bader Reach for the Sky, he included an anecdote from fellow fighter pilot Hugh “Cocky” Dundas. Bader had lost both legs in a pre-war flying accident but talked his way back onto flying operations and became a heroic wing leader flying in combat with artificial limbs during the Battle of Britain.

As a young pilot whose baptism of fire had not gone well, Dundas confessed how he had “the twitch” when he took off behind Bader on a scramble during that historic summer of 1940. But overhearing an exchange between Bader and flight controller Alfred Woodhall changed everything:

“Hey, Woodie, I’m supposed to be playing squash with Peters in an hour’s time. Ring him up, will you, and tell him I won’t be back ‘til later.”

(Dear God. Legless! Playing squash!)

“Never mind that now, Douglas. Vector one-nine-zero. Orbit North Weald. Angels 20.”

“Oh, go on, Woodie. Ring him up now.”

“Haven’t got time, Douglas. There’s a plot on the board heading for the coast.”

“Well, damn well make time. You’re sitting in front of a row of phones. Pick one up and ring the chap.”

“All right, all right,” said the philosophical Woodhall. “For the sake of peace and quiet I will. Now would you mind getting on with the war?”

Dundas flew on with a lifted heart, like all the others.