Originally Posted by
India Four Two
Blossy,
Unfortunately, even Uncle Bill had accusations made against him when he was Governor General of Australia.
However, he was a remarkable general. My Dad was in the XIVth Army and wouldn’t hear a bad word said about him.
A favourite anecdote from Slim’s biography, paraphrased from memory, is that after he had given a rousing informal chat to a group of troops in the jungle, one of them shouted:
”We’re right behind you, Sir!”
Slim responded: “ No, actually I’ll be behind you!”
As far as Dogsbody is concerned, after having read of his treatment of his Batman, while a POW and his subsequent behaviour, including his rudeness to female staff at WLAC, I’m firmly in the camp that his behaviour was unacceptable. His achievements as a fighter pilot are immaterial.
My father had the same view of General Slim as yours, India Four Two. He felt Slim made the Forgotten Fourteenth an Army with real pride in itself, rightly.
Whereas a friend who met Mr Bader was disappointed and unimpressed by his rude brusqueness. A shame.