The Story of Jim Richards commentary
Beth Cruikshank has a new biography of Jim Richards. As usual, I will copy the parts in which I am interested and comment on them:
He signed up with the Royal Canadian Air Force and shipped out to England in the spring of 1941 to join the newly formed 408 Squadron in Yorkshire.
Actually No. 408 Squadron's history dates back to June 24, 1941; which is summer and not spring.
Jim trained as an instrument technician, a natural fit with his aptitude and inclination. Once the Squadron's first sorties took flight in August of 1941, he was kept hard at work preparing aircraft for the missions, mostly bombing runs, which flew across the English Channel in support of the Allied Forces.
First Operational Mission in WWII was 11/12th August 1941 : 2 Hampdens bombed Rotterdam docks & 2 more Hampdens aborted. This is correct.
At times, the tales of high risks, heart-stopping drama and gritty courage resonated so deeply, he felt he had been on those flights with them. In later years, he told the stories as though he had been. It was a measure of the rapport in the squadron that he felt he had the right.
This certainly explains some of the strips where Jim describes himself in combat. I cannot speak for the RCAF, but the servicemen I know would be very upset if someone took credit for something they had done in combat.
In 1943, 408 Squadron moved to the RAF base near the small town of Linton-on-Ouse.
12 August 1943-14 June 1945: Linton-on-Ouse. Again correct.
Where other men considered her cold, he saw her as courageous. Where many saw her as standoffish, he suspected she was lonely.
The interesting part is that if you read Marian’s biography and this biography you will discover that the other men were right.
By the end of the evening, she was laughing easily with him, her eyes warm and smiling.
Translation: She had an orgasm.
After that memorable evening, he drew her into his circle of friends, including her when they went pubbing or partying. Whenever their leaves coincided, the two of them borrowed bicycles and explored the dales and shires of northern England. On New Year's Eve of 1944, with a kiss and a promise, they became officially engaged.
New Years, 1945 was the year in Marian’s biography.
It had always been Jim's gift to make friends quickly and with ease. There were no shortage of new friendships in his and Marian's life. The new relationships never felt as close or as deep, though, as the intense, bittersweet camaraderie of wartime.
This is an odd theme presented that Jim’s best friends from the wartime and he couldn’t make any close friends who were not also associated with WWII.
He spent the next few nights sleeping on the couch.
Translation: Chesterfield
The best times of all were the evenings when the whole family gathered in the living room to play and sing. It touched him to the heart to hear his children sing the sentimental songs that had lightened the darkest days of the war.
In Marian’s version, they are singing 1960s protest songs.
The part describing the business, the birth of children, the marital strife is so close to Marian's version, it is not worth commenting on . Beth Cruikshank hit the exact same points for both Marian and Jim. One big difference in the two biographies is that Jim has no childhood except for watch destruction. His family life with his sister is not described at all.
He signed up with the Royal Canadian Air Force and shipped out to England in the spring of 1941 to join the newly formed 408 Squadron in Yorkshire.
Actually No. 408 Squadron's history dates back to June 24, 1941; which is summer and not spring.
Jim trained as an instrument technician, a natural fit with his aptitude and inclination. Once the Squadron's first sorties took flight in August of 1941, he was kept hard at work preparing aircraft for the missions, mostly bombing runs, which flew across the English Channel in support of the Allied Forces.
First Operational Mission in WWII was 11/12th August 1941 : 2 Hampdens bombed Rotterdam docks & 2 more Hampdens aborted. This is correct.
At times, the tales of high risks, heart-stopping drama and gritty courage resonated so deeply, he felt he had been on those flights with them. In later years, he told the stories as though he had been. It was a measure of the rapport in the squadron that he felt he had the right.
This certainly explains some of the strips where Jim describes himself in combat. I cannot speak for the RCAF, but the servicemen I know would be very upset if someone took credit for something they had done in combat.
In 1943, 408 Squadron moved to the RAF base near the small town of Linton-on-Ouse.
12 August 1943-14 June 1945: Linton-on-Ouse. Again correct.
Where other men considered her cold, he saw her as courageous. Where many saw her as standoffish, he suspected she was lonely.
The interesting part is that if you read Marian’s biography and this biography you will discover that the other men were right.
By the end of the evening, she was laughing easily with him, her eyes warm and smiling.
Translation: She had an orgasm.
After that memorable evening, he drew her into his circle of friends, including her when they went pubbing or partying. Whenever their leaves coincided, the two of them borrowed bicycles and explored the dales and shires of northern England. On New Year's Eve of 1944, with a kiss and a promise, they became officially engaged.
New Years, 1945 was the year in Marian’s biography.
It had always been Jim's gift to make friends quickly and with ease. There were no shortage of new friendships in his and Marian's life. The new relationships never felt as close or as deep, though, as the intense, bittersweet camaraderie of wartime.
This is an odd theme presented that Jim’s best friends from the wartime and he couldn’t make any close friends who were not also associated with WWII.
He spent the next few nights sleeping on the couch.
Translation: Chesterfield
The best times of all were the evenings when the whole family gathered in the living room to play and sing. It touched him to the heart to hear his children sing the sentimental songs that had lightened the darkest days of the war.
In Marian’s version, they are singing 1960s protest songs.
The part describing the business, the birth of children, the marital strife is so close to Marian's version, it is not worth commenting on . Beth Cruikshank hit the exact same points for both Marian and Jim. One big difference in the two biographies is that Jim has no childhood except for watch destruction. His family life with his sister is not described at all.
posted by howard at 10:52 PM
4 Comments:
One of the things that caught my interest is that it took until Elly was twelve for him to break down and buy a TV. His objections were the cost and, well, fear that the new-fangled gadget would somehow kill conversation. Simply put, Elly got her tendency towards ignorant, fearful Luddite malice from her dad.
At times, the tales of high risks, heart-stopping drama and gritty courage resonated so deeply, he felt he had been on those flights with them. In later years, he told the stories as though he had been. It was a measure of the rapport in the squadron that he felt he had the right.
This certainly explains some of the strips where Jim describes himself in combat. I cannot speak for the RCAF, but the servicemen I know would be very upset if someone took credit for something they had done in combat.
So he told untrue stories that just felt so, so real to him. Sound like anyone we know of? ;)
His family life with his sister is not described at all.
I think Beth and Lynn forgot Ernie, the brother who sent Jim the birthday e-mail Jim mentally poo-pooed because it wasn't a store-bought card, c. 2000.
I think Beth and Lynn forgot Ernie, the brother who sent Jim the birthday e-mail Jim mentally poo-pooed because it wasn't a store-bought card, c. 2000.
That's because it would never occur to them that a male could have a brother. He's male, therefore his one and only sibling must be female.
Good point, forworse. If Mama Richards had given birth to two boys, she'd have been a failure. 0_o
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