Death of one of "The Few"

[Smithy]

I am deeply saddened to have to post this but Sqn Ldr Basil Gerald Stapleton DFC, DFC(Dutch) died last week.

Stapme, as he was known to all and sundry, was truly one of the great characters of the Few, and to many with his handlebar moustache was the quintessential image of the Battle of Britain fighter pilot.

He had an eventful war becoming an ace during the ferocious fighting over England during that summer of 1940, he went on to command a Typhoon squadron and was shot down and became a POW. After the war his life was no less eventful spending much time in his native Africa before finally retiring to England.

He was a regular attendee at airshows around Britain and was famous for his humour, his approachability, his joie de vivre and his great sense of fun.

I would urge anyone who has an interest in the Battle of Britain to get hold of a copy of his biography "Stapme", it's a great and fascinating read, and one which captures much of Stapme's wonderful character.

RIP Stapme

 

[BaggyPants]

RIP Stapme - A true hero and a gentleman.

 

[cco23i]

Godspeed sir, and your crew chief is waiting to marshall you home.

 

[LocktownDog]

*salute*

 

[Spitfire]

How utterly sad.
The Few are indeed getting fewer.
RIP Stapme. I will never forget our talk at Duxford some years ago.

 

[Kid Mac]

Rest in peace, Stapme. Thank you.

 

[MisterCairo]

Sic itur ad astra

 

[Dudleydoright]

Not just a war 'hero' but a true adventurer and a man who didn't allow his wartime experiences to dominate his post-war life or try to live off them doing nothing afterwards ...............

His obituary deserves to be read in full ...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obi...7620215/Squadron-Leader-Stapme-Stapleton.html

Dave

 

[Jabos]

May your soul rest in peace.:eusa_clap

I've ordered his bio from Amazon, and note he shot down Franz von Werra. Good show sir!!! I've read "The One That Got Away", Werra's story of escape from "our" captivity.

 

[Smithy]

May your soul rest in peace.:eusa_clap

I've ordered his bio from Amazon, and note he shot down Franz von Werra. Good show sir!!! I've read "The One That Got Away", Werra's story of escape from "our" captivity.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it Jabos. There is quite a bit about Stapme's shooting down of Von Werra in the text and even one of the appendices is devoted to it.

My copy signed by Stapme is one of my most treasured books.

 

[pipvh]

We're losing the WW2 generation, and it seems like only yesterday that they weren't even middle-aged. The war still doesn't seem like 'history' to me, though. It's too recent for that.

 

[Jabos]

I'm 43 and remember the old old WWI vets in town. The WWII guys were all over, the Korean War guys even younger and the Vietnam guys just kids themselves. Now the Vietnam guys are the grey headed fellows! I'm stating the obvious, I know, but it seems strange that I took it for granted the WWII guys were all around, and now they are fewer and fewer. It pains me to read the obits and see two, four, or sometimes six vets a day. I do wish there had been more attention paid to collecting the stories of the WWI vets tho.

 

[Smithy]

That is so true Jabos.

In the latest newsletter from the Battle of Britain Historical Society, they say that there are only 90 of the Few left now.


"The moving finger writes
And having writ, moves on
Nor all thy piety nor wit
Shall lure it back to cancel half a line
Nor all thy tears wash out a word of it."

 

[Jabos]

Reading "Stapme" now. I enjoy reading about his exploits but honestly find it a little dry (guess it isn't written at the 2nd grade level my intellect requires:eusa_doh: ). Still, I am enjoying it and regret I am only now discovering him after his death. God bless his memory.

 

[Smithy]

That's a fair cop Jabos. However it does get better once it gets to the Battle of Britain I found.

If you are interested in the Battle of Britain, without a doubt (IMHO) the best memoir is "First Light" by Geoffrey Wellum. I have read over 20 BoB memoirs and Geoff's is the best. If you can't smell the cockpit of a Spitfire after reading it, there's something wrong with you

It's also currently being made into a film by the BBC for release on the 70th anniversary later this year.

Saying that I enjoyed Stapme's, he certainly enjoyed a colourful and adventurous life!

 

[KilroyCD]

I had the pleasure of meeting Stapme on one of my visits to the UK between 1990 and 2000. Which visit I cannot be certain of, but I'm fairly certain I met him at a Duxford Airshow. He seemed almost larger than life, as his great sense of fun was plainly evident.
Smithy, you mentioned earlier about there being only 90 remaining of "the Few". How sad. Our heroes are disappearing far too quickly.
I was blessed to have two of "the Few" that I can truly say were friends. They have since both passed on, G/C Dennis David in 2000 (sadly less than one month before I was to meet up again with him) and G/C John Cunningham in 2002. Cunningham flew in the B of B but gained fame later as a night fighter ace ("Cat's-Eyes" Cunningham). He never really liked that nickname, but grew to accept it.
I have very fond memories of time spent with both gentlemen on my visits to England, and especially our dinners at the RAF Club. I miss them both.

 

[Jabos]

Thank you for the recommendation Smithy. I appreciate it so much and will order that book next! And I don't mean to knock the author of Stampe. That was rude of me. We should thank him for capturing the information and all the time he spent for us.

Kilroy, a friend of mine shared the same local pub with Cat's Eyes. Did you ever lift a pint with him in his local? My friend said Cat's Eyes had a pewter mug with a "necked" lady handle. I've looked for a similar for years but haven't found the right one.

 

[Smithy]

Thank you for the recommendation Smithy. I appreciate it so much and will order that book next! And I don't mean to knock the author of Stampe. That was rude of me. We should thank him for capturing the information and all the time he spent for us.

Jabos, you weren't rude in the slightest so no worries. I think you'll really enjoy "First Light", you're in for a treat

Kilroy, you are lucky and honoured to have had such men as friends. Our heroes may be getting fewer but their deeds and memory live on.

 

[KilroyCD]

Kilroy, a friend of mine shared the same local pub with Cat's Eyes. Did you ever lift a pint with him in his local? My friend said Cat's Eyes had a pewter mug with a "necked" lady handle. I've looked for a similar for years but haven't found the right one.

Hehe, that mug doesn't surprise me...
No I never got to his local as he always met me (along with my entourage) in London. We did tip a few in the RAF Club in Piccadilly though.

 

[KilroyCD]

Kilroy, you are lucky and honoured to have had such men as friends. Our heroes may be getting fewer but their deeds and memory live on.

Indeed Smithy, I feel VERY honoured to have been able to count them amongst my friends.