On Saturday, I introduced you to Mr. John Entwistle, a decorated veteran of the Second World War. I hope you enjoyed reading about him as much as I enjoyed meeting him.
After writing my column I remembered I had another writing pad – in a box somewhere – and I had to find it. It contained information about John Entwistle’s dad… and one of the reasons Mr. Entwistle reached out to me more than eight years ago.
Mr. Entwistle was curious about the weather, from a very early age and that led him to his meteorological training and his time with the Met Squadron. But Mr. Entwistle came by this passion for the weather quite honestly; you could say it was in his genes.
John’s father joined the British Met office in 1913. He served with the Royal Engineers during the First World War, doing weather observations for the artillery. Following the war, he continued with the Met Office and in the mid 1930s was responsible for the weather side of the first trans-Atlantic flights made by Imperial airways between Botwood, Newfoundland and Foynes in Ireland, using flying boats.
He continued on as head of the overseas section of the organization and on the outbreak of the Second World War was commissioned in the Royal Air Force and became chief Met officer in the RAF operations in France. He was evacuated through Dunkirk in 1940 and continued his met career until 1947 when he took a position with the International Civil Aviation Organization. He worked with them until he retired and died in 1976.
Before I met John Entwistle, I didn’t know very much about the important role the meteorological service played during the wars. I was thrilled to meet Mr. Entwistle, to hear his story, to find out more about the role the weather played in the major conflicts.
I was also embarrassed that I didn’t know more about the wars. Remembrance Day is 363 days away. You have 363 days to reach out to a war veteran or a current member of the military and ask questions, pick up a book, read about the battles and try to understand the sacrifices made.
Thank you to all who served and continue to serve.
