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15 October 2014
WW2 - People's War

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The idea for the Little Shipsicon for Recommended story

by Granman

Contributed byÌý
Granman
People in story:Ìý
Air Marshall Sir Victor Goddard
Location of story:Ìý
France and Whitehall
Background to story:Ìý
Royal Air Force
Article ID:Ìý
A2312911
Contributed on:Ìý
18 February 2004

It may be that this part of history will be covered faithfully in the 2nd or 3rd parts of the programme, of which I have just watched part 1.
However, just in case it is not, you may care to refer to the Obituaries of my Great Uncle, Victor Goddard, which appeared in The Times and The Daily Telegraph, amongst others.
My late Great Uncle began his military career as a Naval Officer, but became one of the first to transfer to the Air Force and enjoyed a distinguished career, which I do not need to relate here - you can find it all detailed in the Obituaries.
The point of my writing to you in this context is to point out that it was Goddard who was sent back to Whitehall by Lord Gort, at the height of the concern about evacuating the troops from France (apparently his flight was necessarily unannounced and so he got shot at by both sides as, flying at night, neither knew who's side the aircraft was on!).
As related to us, Goddard was the one who burst in on a top level meeting in Whitehall to convey the messages from the top brass in France and who blurted out the idea - whether it was forethought or spur of the moment, I do not know - that every possible ship that could float across to France should be despatched to pick up as many troops as they could. Hence, the little boats and the armada that they represented was born out of his journey back from France and his initiative as to the best way of getting the troops back.
I am sure that you will have researched every angle on this piece of history and may already have discovered this. However, I will be watching parts 2 and 3 with great interest to see if any references are made to the part played by my distinguished relative.
In his post-war life, Sir Victor was Principal of Cranfield Aeronautical College and later on became a writer of some renown on topics of psychic research and related subjects.

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