James Robertson Grant Bathgate was born on 29th October 1920, the first child of George Thomas and Eleanor Isabella Bathgate. There were 3 more brothers to come before the arrival of a sister.
As a boy, Jim was always interested in mechanical things and good at fixing them, so when his father bought a car, it was Jim’s privilege to drive it home from Dunedin (picking up John and George from school as well). Of course Jim let brothers John and George have a drive on the way home, too! I believe that the car in the garage in the motorbike photo is this same car.
Jim joined the RAF and went to England where he completed his flying training and started his first war missions. During this time he met Dorothea Valless (Val) and they married in 1942. Unfortunately, Jim died in 1943 before their son Laon was born.
After earlier missions, Jim became one of the RAF pilots who carried out clandestine landings in France during the occupation, ferrying agents to and from the Continent on their intelligence and sabotage tasks.
Firstly, the history of these operations is an extraordinary adventure story. These operations involved clandestine radios; personal messages transmitted by the BBC; maquis volunteers keeping an armed guard and above all, the RAF pilots and aircrew who, at night, with no radio aids to navigation, only what they could see on the ground to fix their position, who, in spite of anti-aircraft guns and German night fighters, had to land on a field lit by a few pocket torches.
Although these operations were relatively few, some tens of pilots and some hundreds of travellers, their historical importance is immense, Firstly for military operations, it was essential that those responsible for radio transmissions, for intelligence for building up the secret army, should be able to visit London. When the time came for the battles for the liberation of France, the excellent co-operation of the French Forces of the Interior with the Allied armies owed much to these links.
But one must chiefly remember that these operations allowed those in France to group themselves into one fighting force with the Free French of General de Gaulle…..Without clandestine air operations the Free French would have been a group of fighting men, no doubt a heroic and admirable group, but their Chief, General de Gaulle, would not have been able to speak in the name of France as a whole.
Taken from the book “We Landed by Moonlight” by Hugh Verity, which tells the story of these pilots and their accomplishments.
Clicking this link will open James’ war record document, sent to his mother on 29/3/1949. It details his history as a pilot, from training through to operations and includes the citation for his award of the DFC (Distinguished Flying Cross):
Flying Officer Bathgate has taken part in a very large number of sorties, many of which have been in the Middle East. He has displayed exceptional skill as well as determined qualities, which have earned him many successes. Flying Officer Bathgate is a very efficient captain, and his example has always proved inspiring.
Jim’s Lysander aircraft was shot down by flak on the night of 10/11th December 1943 while flying two French Agents to France in connection with the Resistance Movement. It crashed at La Ville-aux-Bois-les-Pontavert, Aisne, France, where he is buried – see photos of grave below.
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Also see James’ war record at http://www.specialforcesroh.com/showthread.php?13560-Bathgate-James-Robertson-Grant&highlight=bathgate
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