Steven Broomfield Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Having just, for the umpteenth-and-a-bit time, watched the movie The Lady Vanishes, I set to wondering about one of the stars. As anyone who has watched this excellent film will know, two central characters are Charters and Caldicott, two cricket-loving Englishmen trying desperately to find the score in the Manchester Test while travelling in the pre-war Balkans (with the obvious lack of success). Charters is played by Basil Radford (Caldicott is the equally urbane Naunton Wayne); the two characters were revived for several other films, and Radford and Wayne played similar roles in a raft of 1940's flag-wavers. While watching today, I was struck yet again by the rather vivid scar on Radford's right cheek. He was of an age, I thought, that it might be a result of GW service. This appears to be confirmed by a (very brief) Wiki entry - commenting it was the result of "serving in the trenches during the First World War". IMDB has nothing at all, and a search of the Forum reveals no previous discussion. Does anyone know anything of Radford's wartime service? He was born in Chester in June 1897 and died, tragically young, in 1952. Out of interest, Naunton Wayne was born in 1901, so presumably had no GW service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archangel9 Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Only two matches in the MIC's - http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Result/?_ln=basil&_fn=radford&_regno=&_crps=&_rank=&_dt=M&_col=online&image1.x=0&image1.y=0&image1=GO Reference:WO 372/16/129649 Description: Medal card of Radford, Basil Hallam Corps Regiment No Rank Royal Flying Corps Second Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps Captain Description: Medal card of Radford, Arthur Basil Corps Regiment No Rank South Staffordshire Regiment Second Lieutenant Royal Air Force Second Lieutenant Basil Hallam Radford died 20/8/1916. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
archangel9 Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 An Arthur Basil Radford was born in Chester and registered in July-Sep 1897. According to his Wiki entry Basil Radford was born in Chester in June 1897 so reasonably good chance they are the same person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin spof Posted 28 December , 2012 Admin Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Looks like he ended up in hte RAF according to the WO 338 index. This must be him then http://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/SearchUI/Details?uri=D8218380 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tunesmith Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Only two matches in the MIC's - http://discovery.nat...1.y=0&image1=GO Reference:WO 372/16/129649 Description: Medal card of Radford, Basil Hallam Corps Regiment No Rank Royal Flying Corps Second Lieutenant Royal Flying Corps Captain Description: Basil Hallam Radford died 20/8/1916. Strangely, the other Radford who came up in your search was also a famous entertainer. Just before the war, as Basil Hallam, he created the popular music hall character 'Gilbert the Filbert, the Knut with a K'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maricourt Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 Captain Basil Hallam Radford was an observer in the RFC No 1 Kite Balloon section. When his observation balloon broke away he tried to parachute down to safety. Unfortunately, his parachute failed to open and he was killed instantly. The "People" section on the WFA website has some information on him. Lady Diana Manners - who lost many close friends in the war was devastated on hearing about his death. Many a Tommy would have seen his famous music hall creation - Gilbert the Filbert, the Kernal of the Knuts. Maricourt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nepper Posted 28 December , 2012 Share Posted 28 December , 2012 I wonder did Basil re-enlist in the Second World War? There is a Gazette citation for a Lt Arthur Basil Radford (142240) to be a Lt in the South Staffordshire Regiment w.e.f from 31 July 1940. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 23 December , 2013 Author Share Posted 23 December , 2013 Guys, I am sorry - just realised I never said thank you for this. I will check out the AIR records next time I'm at Kew. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin spof Posted 24 December , 2013 Admin Share Posted 24 December , 2013 The file is available to download for £3.36. Much easier to get past Mrs B than a physical book too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E Wilcock Posted 24 December , 2013 Share Posted 24 December , 2013 The one who died was the music hall one - I footnoted him with the help of Kate on this Forum when transcribing the diary of Reginald Pridmore who sometimes played piano for him when entertaining the troops. Basil Hallam was an actor, known to theatre goers as 'Basil Hallam' or 'Gilbert the Filbert’. His full name was Basil Hallam Radford. He was serving as Captain in the Royal Flying Corps No.1 Army Kite Ballon Section. He was killed 20 August 1916, aged 28. Son of Walter T. H. and A. L. M. Radford, of 206, Cromwell Rd., South Kensington, London. Grave ref. C. 15.Couin British Cemetery. Pridmore's diary is on the brigade site below. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 24 December , 2013 Admin Share Posted 24 December , 2013 Basil Hallam Radford was described by Raymond Asquith in a letter to Lady Diana Manners as being recognisable only by his cigarette case after his fall from the balloon. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jonty_l Posted 27 December , 2014 Share Posted 27 December , 2014 Replying to Steven Broomfield's original post, sadly there seems to be a dearth of information on Radford's war service. I'm surprised no biography has been written about him, other than a rather less than complimentary obit in The Times at the time of his death in the early 50s. He was quite a staple of British films in the forties...I've just enjoyed watching him in Ealing's "Whisky Galore", one of the better films offered up by the Beeb over the Christmas period. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 27 December , 2014 Author Share Posted 27 December , 2014 The Lady Vanishes was on BBC4 on Xmas Day. Brilliant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 31 October , 2015 Share Posted 31 October , 2015 Well, i've just watched "Whisky Galore", and Basil Radford's scar directed me here. There are numerous references to his being "wounded in the trenches", presumably with the South Staff.s, but I haven't found anything specific yet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin W Taylor Posted 31 October , 2015 Share Posted 31 October , 2015 IPT His RAF service record records him as being S Staffs (Attached Leicestershire Regiment) which potentially doubles the number of battalions he might have served in. Short of war diary reading 'trial and error' I would be unsure as to how to proceed to determine his battalion and the manner in which he was injured. Kind Regards Colin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 31 October , 2015 Share Posted 31 October , 2015 IPT His RAF service record records him as being S Staffs (Attached Leicestershire Regiment) which potentially doubles the number of battalions he might have served in. Kind Regards Colin Thanks, Colin. I missed that. I did find a 2nd Lieutenant A.B. Radford, mentioned as wounded in November 1916 with the 2nd Lincolnshire.Regiment. I wonder if that's it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Clifton Posted 31 October , 2015 Share Posted 31 October , 2015 Have you tried looking in the service records? Not all officers' records have survived but they were not stored at Arnside Street where an incendiary bomb destroyed about sixty percent of the other ranks' records. See SPOF's post no. 4. Ron Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
helpjpl Posted 1 November , 2015 Share Posted 1 November , 2015 Birmingham Mail 02/11/1916: Wounded: Sec.-Lieut. A.B. Radford, S. Staffs. R., Attached Lincolnshire R. Originally with 3rd Battalion, S Staffs https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/29239/page/7198/data.pdf Born 25/06/1897, the son of Rev Arthur Radford and Florence Isabel Cadle Birth Registered: Jul-Aug-Sep 1897, Chester 1901 Census: Arthur (3) living in Chester with father Arthur (48) Clergyman; mother Florence (41); sister Mary (8); brother Herbert (6); grandmother Louisa Cadle (68); and Martha Cutforth (18) Mother's Help; Annie Manley (30) Servant. 1911 Census: Arthur Basil Radford (13) born Chester, a boarder at St Olave's School, York. Married: Evelyn Shirley Deuchars Oct-Nov-Dec 1926, St George Hanover Square JP Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPT Posted 1 November , 2015 Share Posted 1 November , 2015 Ah, thanks JP. Looks like an error on the RAF record. It seems almost certain that he received his wounds on 23rd October, during an attack on Zenith and Eclipse trenches, East of Les Boeufs, on a day that 2nd Lincolnshire lost 13 officers and 272 ORs. Radford listed as one of the 13 officers in the footnote.- https://archive.org/stream/TheHistoryOfTheLincolnshireRegiment1914-1918/TheHistoryOfTheLincolnshireRegiment-C.r.Simpson#page/n213/mode/2up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Broomfield Posted 4 November , 2015 Author Share Posted 4 November , 2015 Thanks everyone - probably accounts for the scar, then. Interesting reading and appreciate the delving that has obviously been undertaken. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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