Matthew Hudson saved “Life Story” papers of Battle of Britain hero, now published in a new book
The man who saved both Salisbury’s historic Old Sarum Airfield and Prestwick International Airport from closure has been instrumental in bringing to life important notes from one of Britain’s most famous WW2 historical figures, Air Chief Marshal Lord Dowding.
Dowding was appointed as the Commander in Chief of RAF Fighter Command in 1936 and is widely credited with playing the crucial role in Britain’s defence against a German invasion through the winning of the Battle of Britain in 1940. It was his efforts that resulted in the Spitfire and Hurricane aircraft being available in time for the Battle of Britain and beyond.
Matthew Hudson was one of the founding contributors to a pre-cursor organisation that eventually grew into a registered charity to save Bentley Priory, which was the headquarters of RAF Fighter Command during WW2. The MOD had planned to redevelop the entire Bentley Priory site into new luxury homes but a small group led by Alan Curtis OBE wished to save the main building and convert it into a dedicated RAF museum and memorial to those who served. Before the current charity came into being and while Bentley Priory was still slated for demolition, Mr. Hudson was given a copy of a set of typed notes which had been prepared by Lord Dowding himself in 1956 to assist his authorised biographer.
As events transpired the small initial group of donors were able to promote and then form a successful charity to raise the necessary funds to save Bentley Priory and make it into the museum that still operates today. The other Old Sarum Airfield benefactor, Grenville Hodge, at the time a leading executive of British Aerospace, was responsible for BAe making an important contribution to the successful funding effort. The irreplaceable heritage of Bentley Priory was saved and put on firm financial ground.
Not appreciating the unique nature of the manuscript at the time Mr. Hudson forgot about it until he came across it in his own papers more than 2 decades later in early 2020. On reading it he felt the memoir should be published or at least donated to the proper authorities. He sent the memoir to Sir Donald Spiers, former Controller Air and President of the RAeS, who then undertook substantial research concerning Lord Dowding and his personal background. Sir Donald then self-published the memoir, titled The Dowding Papers.
The papers give a unique insight into Lord Dowding, his upbringing and how his early life helped shape his military career, firstly in the Army and later in the Royal Air Force, plus his life following retirement from the RAF. They do not cover the Battle of Britain itself, on which he wrote a separate Despatch that was published in the London Gazette in September 1946.
Grenville Hodge, speaking for Old Sarum Airfield said: “Matthew and I were delighted to play a part in the successful effort to preserve Bentley Priory and the unearthing, preservation and documenting of these very important historical papers. The importance of the role Lord Dowding played in the ultimate victory in WW2 must not be underestimated. He created a hardwired network, the first mechanical internet, linking all the airfields, radar towers and coastal watchers in the UK directly to Bentley Priory. Against bureaucratic apathy he pushed for the accelerated development of the Spitfire and Hurricane. This allowed the essential co-ordination of our scarce defensive resources using real time information and provided fighter aircraft, equal or better than the German fighters and dive bombers. Everyone who cares about heritage owes a debt of gratitude to Sir Donald Spiers who has done a fantastic job of collating all of Lord Dowding’s notes into a really insightful book and we wish him every success with the book launch.”
Sir Donald Spiers said: “This set of notes is an invaluable part of Lord Dowding’s life history before and after the Battle of Britain. The book is a fascinating read and includes some photographs of Lord Dowding from an early age. I am grateful to Matthew Hudson for saving the notes then bringing them to my attention and for the assistance I have been given by Bentley Priory Museum and by Lord Dowding’s stepson, David Whiting, in providing additional material.”
The Dowding Papers are available to buy from:
www.blurb.co.uk/b/10322851-the-dowding-papers
For further information contact:
Gary Squires or Vicky Windsor
Creatrix PR
07968 314289 or 07818 423679
gary@creatrixpr.co.uk or vicky@creatrixpr.co.uk
