John Wooldridge
Encyclopedia
Wing Commander
John De Lacy Wooldridge, DSO
, DFC
and Bar, DFM
, (18 July 1919 – 27 October 1958) was a British
film
composer
.
. A talented music composer and academic, he studied music under Sibelius
and was a friend and contemporary of William Walton
.
he was a member of RAF Bomber Command
and flew a total of ninety-seven operational bombing sorties.
Affectionately known as 'Dim', he served with 207 Sqn based at RAF Bottesford
flying Avro Manchester
s. He then served with No. 106 Squadron RAF
as one of Guy Gibson
's Flight Commanders, before being appointed commanding officer of No. 105 Squadron RAF
in March 1943, which specialised in low level precision daylight bombing using de Havilland Mosquito
aircraft.
He wrote a book, Low Attack about these operations in 1944.
In May 1944 while in America he volunteered to ferry
one of the first Canadian-built Mosquitoes across the Atlantic to Britain, and accompanied by F/O C. J. Brown as Navigator, set a new record for the Atlantic crossing from Goose Bay
, Labrador
to the UK, of 5hrs, 46 minutes.http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1944/1944%20-%201009.html The previous record for the Labrador-Britain route had been held by a BOAC
Liberator at 7hrs 56 minutes.
, as well as co-writing the screenplay
to the 1952 Dirk Bogarde
film Appointment in London
.
His first marriage in 1942 to Mary Latham, with whom he had a son, Morris Latham, also a pilot, ended in divorce.
He subsequently married to the actress Margaretta Scott
in 1948, with whom he had a daughter, Susan Wooldridge
, also an actress; and a son, Hugh Wooldridge
.
Wooldridge was killed in a car accident in England
aged 39 and is buried at St Lawrence's Church Cholesbury
, Buckinghamshire
with his second wife, Margaretta.
Fame is the Spur
- (1947)
Wing Commander (rank)
Wing commander is a commissioned rank in the Royal Air Force and the air forces of many other Commonwealth countries...
John De Lacy Wooldridge, DSO
Distinguished Service Order
The Distinguished Service Order is a military decoration of the United Kingdom, and formerly of other parts of the British Commonwealth and Empire, awarded for meritorious or distinguished service by officers of the armed forces during wartime, typically in actual combat.Instituted on 6 September...
, DFC
Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a military decoration awarded to personnel of the United Kingdom's Royal Air Force and other services, and formerly to officers of other Commonwealth countries, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active operations against...
and Bar, DFM
Distinguished Flying Medal
The Distinguished Flying Medal was a military decoration awarded to personnel of the Royal Air Force and the other services, and formerly also to personnel of other Commonwealth countries, below commissioned rank, for "an act or acts of valour, courage or devotion to duty whilst flying in active...
, (18 July 1919 – 27 October 1958) was a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
.
Early life
Wooldridge was born in Yokohama, Japan and was educated at St Paul's School, LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. A talented music composer and academic, he studied music under Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
and was a friend and contemporary of William Walton
William Walton
Sir William Turner Walton OM was an English composer. During a sixty-year career, he wrote music in several classical genres and styles, from film scores to opera...
.
World War II
He joined the Royal Air Force as a Sergeant pilot in 1938. During World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
he was a member of RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command
RAF Bomber Command controlled the RAF's bomber forces from 1936 to 1968. During World War II the command destroyed a significant proportion of Nazi Germany's industries and many German cities, and in the 1960s stood at the peak of its postwar military power with the V bombers and a supplemental...
and flew a total of ninety-seven operational bombing sorties.
Affectionately known as 'Dim', he served with 207 Sqn based at RAF Bottesford
RAF Bottesford
RAF Station Bottesford is a former World War II airfield on the Leicestershire-Lincolnshire county border in England. The airfield is located approximately east-northeast of Radcliffe on Trent; about north-northwest of London...
flying Avro Manchester
Avro Manchester
|-See also:-References:NotesCitationsBibliography* Buttler, Tony. British Secret Projects: Fighters and Bombers 1935–1950. Hickley, UK: Midland Publishing, 2004. ISBN 978-1857801798....
s. He then served with No. 106 Squadron RAF
No. 106 Squadron RAF
No. 106 Squadron RAF was a Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force squadron active from 1917 until 1919. It was also operative during World War II and in the post war period until 1963.- Establishment and early service :...
as one of Guy Gibson
Guy Gibson
Wing Commander Guy Penrose Gibson VC, DSO & Bar, DFC & Bar, RAF , was the first CO of the Royal Air Force's 617 Squadron, which he led in the "Dam Busters" raid in 1943, resulting in the destruction of two large dams in the Ruhr area...
's Flight Commanders, before being appointed commanding officer of No. 105 Squadron RAF
No. 105 Squadron RAF
No. 105 Squadron was a flying squadron of the Royal Air Force, active for three periods between 1917 and 1969. It was originally established during the First World War as a squadron of the Royal Flying Corps and disbanded after the war. Reactivated shortly before the Second World War, it was...
in March 1943, which specialised in low level precision daylight bombing using de Havilland Mosquito
De Havilland Mosquito
The de Havilland DH.98 Mosquito was a British multi-role combat aircraft that served during the Second World War and the postwar era. It was known affectionately as the "Mossie" to its crews and was also nicknamed "The Wooden Wonder"...
aircraft.
He wrote a book, Low Attack about these operations in 1944.
In May 1944 while in America he volunteered to ferry
Ferry flying
Ferry flying refers to delivery flights for the purpose of returning an aircraft to base, moving an aircraft from one base of operations to another or moving an aircraft to or from a maintenance facility for repairs, overhaul or other work.-Ferry permit:...
one of the first Canadian-built Mosquitoes across the Atlantic to Britain, and accompanied by F/O C. J. Brown as Navigator, set a new record for the Atlantic crossing from Goose Bay
CFB Goose Bay
Canadian Forces Base Goose Bay , is a Canadian Forces Base located in the town of Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador....
, Labrador
Labrador
Labrador is the distinct, northerly region of the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. It comprises the mainland portion of the province, separated from the island of Newfoundland by the Strait of Belle Isle...
to the UK, of 5hrs, 46 minutes.http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1944/1944%20-%201009.html The previous record for the Labrador-Britain route had been held by a BOAC
British Overseas Airways Corporation
The British Overseas Airways Corporation was the British state airline from 1939 until 1946 and the long-haul British state airline from 1946 to 1974. The company started life with a merger between Imperial Airways Ltd. and British Airways Ltd...
Liberator at 7hrs 56 minutes.
Film composer
Wooldridge put this war time experience to good use when he contributed the scoreFilm score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
, as well as co-writing the screenplay
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
to the 1952 Dirk Bogarde
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde was an English actor and novelist. Initially a matinee idol in such films as Doctor in the House and other Rank Organisation pictures, Bogarde later acted in art-house films such as Death in Venice...
film Appointment in London
Appointment in London
Appointment in London is a 1952 war film starring Dirk Bogarde and set during World War II. The film was directed by Philip Leacock from a screenplay by John Wooldridge and Robert Westerby and based on an original story by Wooldridge...
.
His first marriage in 1942 to Mary Latham, with whom he had a son, Morris Latham, also a pilot, ended in divorce.
He subsequently married to the actress Margaretta Scott
Margaretta Scott
Margaretta Scott was an English stage, screen and television actress whose career spanned over seventy years. She is best remembered for playing the eccentric widow Mrs...
in 1948, with whom he had a daughter, Susan Wooldridge
Susan Wooldridge
Susan Wooldridge , is the daughter of British actress Margaretta Scott and composer John Wooldridge. She is also the sister of Hugh Wooldridge.She was born in London, England, and educated at convent schools....
, also an actress; and a son, Hugh Wooldridge
Hugh Wooldridge
Hugh Wooldridge was born in London, England, UK, the son of British composer John Wooldridge and actress Margaretta Scott. He is the brother of actress Susan Wooldridge...
.
Wooldridge was killed in a car accident in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
aged 39 and is buried at St Lawrence's Church Cholesbury
Cholesbury
Cholesbury is a village in Buckinghamshire, England, on the border with Hertfordshire. It is situated in the Chiltern Hills, about east of Wendover, north of Chesham and from Berkhamsted....
, Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan home county in South East England. The county town is Aylesbury, the largest town in the ceremonial county is Milton Keynes and largest town in the non-metropolitan county is High Wycombe....
with his second wife, Margaretta.
Film scores
- RX for Murder - (1958) - (US title: Prescription for Murder)
- Soapbox Derby - (1958)
- Count Five and DieCount Five and DieCount Five and Die is a 1957 British war drama produced by Zonic Productions and released in the USA by the Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation. It was directed by Victor Vicas, produced by Earnest Gartside with the screenplay by Jack Seddon and David Pursall. It starred Jeffrey Hunter, Nigel...
- (1958) - The Last Man to Hang? - (1956)
- Appointment in LondonAppointment in LondonAppointment in London is a 1952 war film starring Dirk Bogarde and set during World War II. The film was directed by Philip Leacock from a screenplay by John Wooldridge and Robert Westerby and based on an original story by Wooldridge...
- (1952) - Crow Hollow - (1952) - (uncredited)
- Blackmailed - (1950)
- Torment - (1950) - (US title: Paper Gallows)
- The Woman in Question - (1950) - (US title: Five Angles on Murder)
- Conspirator - (1949)
- Edward, My Son - (1949)
- A Journey for Jeremy - (1949)
- The Guinea Pig - (1948) - (US title: The Outsider)
Fame is the Spur
Fame is the Spur (film)
Fame is the Spur is a 1947 British drama film directed by Roy Boulting. It stars Michael Redgrave, Rosamund John, Bernard Miles, David Tomlinson, Maurice Denham and Kenneth Griffith. A British politician rises to power, abandoning on the way his radical views for more conservative ones...
- (1947)
External links
- http://wp.scn.ru/en/ww2/b/77/9/1/20 colour profile of Wooldridge's Mosquito B.Mk IV DZ548United Kingdom military aircraft serialsIn the United Kingdom to identify individual aircraft, all military aircraft are allocated and display a unique serial number. A unified serial number system, maintained by the Air Ministry , and its successor the Ministry of Defence , is used for aircraft operated by the Royal Air Force , Fleet...
that he flew from RAF MarhamRAF MarhamRoyal Air Force Station Marham, more commonly known as RAF Marham, is a Royal Air Force station; a military airbase, near the village of Marham in the English county of Norfolk, East Anglia.... - Mosquito Creates Atlantic Record