Like countless others he made a contribution to the war that saved Europe from Fascism. This memoir is written not only to honor my father, but to honor all those who flew in World War Two, and all who fly today.
My father loved to fly, as you will see. Through an account of his career, I offer a window on Royal Air Force life between and , a crucial time in its history, and a portrait of an era that shaped the value system of the greatest generation.
My perspective was influenced by regular visits to the local Cinema where British and American WW2 movies were a part of regular programming.. I had no idea it was one of several in which my father was peripherally involved. But I would have to find that out from official records. He did not like to talk about the war. My father taught me to swim when I was four. Here, in a picture taken by his younger brother Lloyd, we are leaving the shore of the Libyan coast outside Tripoli where my father commanded the RAF Base, Castel Benito.
I was blessed with great parents who encouraged me in their different ways towards a life of fulfillment. Eric Trenchard-Smith was born on June 15, in Australia, which had only four years before became a self-governing Dominion in the British Empire. While the new nation was sovereign in its domestic affairs, the United Kingdom maintained control over its relations with the wider world. This was the Manly Beachfront, where he first learned to swim and body surf.
In the age before television and smart phones, the great outdoors was where kids entertained themselves. His salesmanship was impressive enough for the company to appoint him their New Zealand Manager, resulting in the family moving to Auckland when Eric was The same year Eric contracted respiratory diphtheria. What does not kill you makes you stronger. The Trenchard-Smith family bought a house in Epsom with a view of Mount Eden a mile away, and an adjacent clay tennis court where Eric learned a future social skill.
