Battle of Britain pilot Bill Green interview with Steve Darlow (Excerpt 2)

[@jackthebassman1]

What a wonderful man, how I’d have loved to have met him. To add, it’s certainly fascinating to me too.

[@georgeb8701]

Watching this in 2019. He's been gone 10 years now. I'm sure he's really flying high now..... RIP old man. You did a jolly good job mate. ✌🏻🇱🇷

[@Broomehall]

Bill, I would love to have you as my neighbour, my god, your zest for life and enthusiasm is like a tonic, god bless you dear boy, and thank you, i know you chap's wont accept thank's but every single one of us in this country today owe you and your like more than we can ever give. An honour to hear you speak.

[@PalookaD]

How these chaps treated the utterly exceptional as the mundane defies belief. We stand on the shoulders of giants.

[@paulcannon5065]

Great bloke.Fascinating information told with heartwarming relish. Brilliant!

[@501sqn3]

What a fascinating story told by a fascinating Man.

[@markfryer9880]

And the story is still as relevant today when talking on the phone or mobile as it was then. Clear, consise, measured speach gets the message across swiftly.

[@jonathanwetherell3609]

What an insight! The real reason why radio messages must follow a fixed format.

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

And confirmation as to why there was such reluctance to allow non-English speaking foreign pilots who had not been trained in the intricacies of the "Dowding system" of command and control to take an active part in the battle.

[@georgielancaster1356]

But those things were being tweaked from the start... The realisation of such terrible sound quality making most things hard to decipher. Why they said RIGHT slowly, once or LEFTLEFT, staccato. STEADY... All so you knew the words you had to listen for, and when right and left could sometimes sound very similar, someone pulled out LEFTLEFT. It is very sad those clever tweaks made weren't given a name to raise a glass to...

[@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684]

God bless Bill... now "at ease" with he rest of his remarkable cohort. Bill here is explaining first hand the very reason why there was so much reluctance to introduce non-English speaking Polish / Czech / French etc pilots into the battle during 1940. All of them unversed in the English language and the command and control proceedures so VITALLY important for the efficient operation of the defence of British airspace, and nothing at all to do with supposed "racism" or British belief of their own "superiority" over foreign pilots. God bless Bill, thankfully he and his generation were here to repel the totalitarianism of the 1930/40s. My God do we need their like again today to repel the evil of globalism.

[@jaywalker3087]

Twenty Cabbage Crates Coming Over The Briney Sir. With thanks to Monty Python.....

[@sblack48]

So the men who saved Britain were trained by riding bicycles around an airfield pretending to be either bomber or fighter squadrons! I thought I knew all about the BofB but I’ve never heard about this. How British!

[@georgielancaster1356]

It's famously well known. I remember it was in one of the most famous RAF war films. I just can't recall which. What isn't so well known, is the loving husband that Celia Johnson almost leaves, who comes home, not knowing how close he was to being left with the children, was in real life, in charge of an ops room, during the war. So gifted was he at training the girls - really high stress - decisions were being made on watching the planes on the massive table... He was famous in those circles for his training and management of the girls, the competence he and they showed, how he managed the girls so well. One of the most efficient and happy op rooms. They kept him there, because nobody did it better. And to my shame, I can't remember his name. But I know where to find him, any time. BRIEF ENCOUNTER...

[@missasinenomine]

Very interesting story. It makes me wonder even today, when listening to aircraft communications between control tower & pilots, how on EARTH they understand one another! Such garbled & mumbled speech. And I mean in English. (not ancient Greek).