Cecil Bebb: Difference between revisions

Cecil William Henry Bebb
Cecil William Henry Bebb
	Cecil Bebb
Birth name	Cecil William Henry Bebb
Nickname(s)	Cecil
Born	27 September 1905
Died	29 March 2002
Allegiance	United Kingdom
Rank	Captain
Awards	Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Yoke and Arrows

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Captain Cecil William Henry Bebb (27 September 1905 – 29 March 2002) was a British commercial pilot and later airline executive, notable for flying General Francisco Franco from the Canary Islands to Spanish Morocco in 1936, a journey which was to mark the beginning of the Spanish Civil War.^[1]

Early life

Bebb was the son of Robert Eustace Albert and Mary Ann Bebb, of Hornsey. His father was a dentist, and he was baptized as Cecil William Henry into the Church of England on 12 November 1905, when his date of birth was noted as 27 September 1905.^[2] His birth was registered as Cecil William H. Bebb in October 1905.^[2] Despite this, some sources state his first name as Charles.^[3]

By 11 November 1932, when Bebb was aged 26, he had qualified as a pilot. On that date he sailed from England on the RMS Edinburgh Castle, destination Cape Town, and was logged as a pilot, of Heston.^[4]

Events of July 1936

At 07:15 on the morning of 11 July 1936, Captain Bebb took off from Croydon Airport, London, in a Dragon Rapide aircraft, with a navigator, his friend Major Hugh Pollard, and two female companions.^[5]

The flight log records that the aircraft was bound for the Canary Islands. The purpose of Bebb's flight was to collect General Franco from the Canaries and fly him to Tetuán in the Spanish protectorate in Morocco, where the Spanish African Army was garrisoned.^[5]

Franco was recognized by the government in Madrid as a danger to the Second Spanish Republic and had been sent to the Canaries in order to keep him away from political intrigue. Had a Spanish plane flown to the islands, the authorities would probably have been alerted, but the British aircraft attracted little or no attention. Bebb and Franco arrived in Tetuán on 19 July and the general quickly set about organising Moroccan troops to participate in the coming coup.^[5]

It is possible that British security services may have been complicit in Bebb's flight. Certainly his companion Pollard had previously been an intelligence agent.^[6] The flight itself was planned over lunch at Simpson's in the Strand, where Douglas Francis Jerrold, the conservative Roman Catholic editor of the English Review, met with the journalist Luis Bolín, London correspondent of the ABC Newspaper and later Franco's senior press advisor. Jerrold then persuaded Pollard to join the enterprise, who flew with Bebb as pilot, and daughter Diana Pollard and her friend as passengers to pose as tourists.^[7]

Bebb and Pollard were decorated by Franco in recognition of their services. In 1939, as the Spanish Civil War ended, both were awarded the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the Yoke and Arrows.^[8]

Later career

During the Second World War, Bebb became chief test pilot at Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft, a British aircraft manufacturer, primarily a repair and overhaul shop, whose work included the Supermarine Seafire. He was also a test pilot at A W Hawkesley Limited (a Hawker Siddeley subsidiary based at Brockworth,Gloucesteshire)^[9] In 1946, after the war, he returned to Olley Air Service Ltd.^[3] He continued his work in commercial aviation into the 1960s. As an airline executive, he achieved the position of Operations Manager at British United Airways.^[10]

In 1970, Franco conferred on Bebb the Order of Civil Merit and the White Cross for Military Merit, in a ceremony in Madrid.

In a 1983 interview for the Granada television documentary The Spanish Civil War, Bebb stated that he had been approached by "a gentleman from Spain, who asked me if I was prepared to go to the Canary islands to get a Rif leader to start an insurrection in Spanish Morocco. I thought 'what a delightful idea, what a great adventure'".^[11]

Bebb died on 29 Match 2002, when his death was registered at Sutton, Surrey.^[12]

The aircraft that carried Franco to Tetuán in Morocco, a dH89 Dragon Rapide (G-ACYR), was presented to Franco as a gift, after the end of the Second World War, and is now displayed in the Museo del Aire near Madrid.

References

Alpert, Michael, A New international history of the Spanish Civil War Retrieved March 6, 2010
King, Harry, Going To Live In Spain: a Practical Guide To Enjoying a New Lifestyle In The Sun Retrieved March 6, 2010
Macklin, Graham M., Major Hugh Pollard, MI6, and the Spanish Civil War, The Historical Journal (2006), 49:277-280, Cambridge University Press.
Preston, Paul, Doves of War: Four Women of Spain Retrieved March 6, 2010
Riess, Curt, They Were There: The Story of World War II And How It Came About Retrieved March 6, 2010

Notes

^ David Mathieson, Flying blind, The Guardian, Tuesday 18 July 2006, Retrieved March 6, 2010
^ ^a ^b Baptisms in the Parish of Hornsey, page 88; "Cecil William H Bebb" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915; both at ancestry.co.uk, accessed 25 August 2021 (subscription required)
^ ^a ^b Colin Cruddas, Those fabulous flying years: joy-riding and flying circuses between the wars, p. 107
^ "Mr C W H Bebb" in UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 (subscription required)
^ ^a ^b ^c George Hills, Franco; the Man and His Nation (1967), pp. 232–233
^ Alpert, Michael, p.18, A New International History of the Spanish Civil War Retrieved January 2012
^ Macklin, Graham D. (2006). "Major Hugh Pollard, Mi6, and the Spanish Civil War". The Historical Journal. 49 (1): 277–280. doi:10.1017/S0018246X05005121. ISSN 1469-5103.
^ Christopher Othen, Franco's International Brigades: Foreign Volunteers and Fascist Dictators in the Spanish Civil War (Reportage Press, 2008), p. 226
^ Gloucestershire Archives, Material relating to A W Hawksley Ltd of Hucclecote D7177/1 A W Hawksley's Supervisory Directory p 162 https://catalogue.gloucestershire.gov.uk/records/D7177/1
^ Jones, David, The Time Shrinkers : The Development of Civil Aviation between Britain and Africa (London: 1971) p. 250 ISBN 0853410208
^ The Spanish Civil War, Granada Television Retrieved 16 October 2019
^ "Cecil William H Bebb" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007

External links

Article by David Mathieson at www.guardian.co.uk July 2006 Retrieved March 6, 2010
Cecil Bebb at www.terrynorm.ic24.net Retrieved March 6, 2010
Major Hugh Bertie Campbell Pollard at http://journals.cambridge.org Retrieved March 6, 2010
Cecil Bebb interviewed on YouTube Retrieved March 6, 2010
article on Bebb's flight to the Canaries at randompottins blog Retrieved March 6, 2010

[1] David Mathieson, Flying blind, The Guardian, Tuesday 18 July 2006, Retrieved March 6, 2010

[Ancestry-2] Baptisms in the Parish of Hornsey, page 88; "Cecil William H Bebb" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915; both at ancestry.co.uk, accessed 25 August 2021 (subscription required)

[Cruddas-3] Colin Cruddas, Those fabulous flying years: joy-riding and flying circuses between the wars, p. 107

[4] "Mr C W H Bebb" in UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960 (subscription required)

[Hills-5] George Hills, Franco; the Man and His Nation (1967), pp. 232–233

[alpert,_p.19-6] Alpert, Michael, p.18, A New International History of the Spanish Civil War Retrieved January 2012

[7] Macklin, Graham D. (2006). "Major Hugh Pollard, Mi6, and the Spanish Civil War". The Historical Journal. 49 (1): 277–280. doi:10.1017/S0018246X05005121. ISSN 1469-5103.

[8] Christopher Othen, Franco's International Brigades: Foreign Volunteers and Fascist Dictators in the Spanish Civil War (Reportage Press, 2008), p. 226

[9] Gloucestershire Archives, Material relating to A W Hawksley Ltd of Hucclecote D7177/1 A W Hawksley's Supervisory Directory p 162 https://catalogue.gloucestershire.gov.uk/records/D7177/1

[10] Jones, David, The Time Shrinkers : The Development of Civil Aviation between Britain and Africa (London: 1971) p. 250 ISBN 0853410208

[11] The Spanish Civil War, Granada Television Retrieved 16 October 2019

[12] "Cecil William H Bebb" in England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Short description|British commercial pilot and airline executive}}
-Captain '''Charles William Henry "Cecil" Bebb''' (27 September 1905<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=0_MfAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Cecil+Bebb%22+2002&dq=%22Cecil+Bebb%22+2002&source=bl&ots=9hLofCjTAd&sig=aqytLFoFrFmPSgUmlaMD7nj-1_4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vHcJUN7XFKb10gHQrunWAw&ved=0CDYQ6AEwAQ "Those fabulous flying years: joy-riding and flying circuses between the wars", Colin Cruddas, pg. 107]</ref> &ndash; 2002<ref>England & Wales, Death Index: 1916-2006</ref>) was a British commercial [[Aviator|pilot]] and later airline executive, notable for flying General [[Francisco Franco]] from the [[Canary Islands]] to [[Spanish Morocco]] in 1936, a journey which was to trigger the onset of the [[Spanish Civil War]].<ref>*[https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jul/18/post233 Article by David Mathieson at www.guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 18 July 2006] Retrieved March 6, 2010</ref>
+{{Infobox military person
+|name=Cecil William Henry Bebb
+|image=Cecil Bebb.jpg
+|caption=Cecil Bebb
+|birth_date={{Birth date|1905|09|27|df=yes}}
+|death_date=29 March 2002
+|placeofburial_label=
+|placeofburial=
+|birth_place=
+|death_place=
+|placeofburial_coordinates=
+|nickname=Cecil
+|birth_name=Cecil William Henry Bebb
+|allegiance={{flag|United Kingdom}}
+|branch=
+|serviceyears=
+|rank=[[Captain]]
+|servicenumber=
+|unit=
+|commands=
+|battles=
+|battles_label=
+|awards=Grand Cross of the [[Imperial Order of the Yoke and Arrows]]
+|relations=
+|laterwork=
+}}
+Captain '''Cecil William Henry Bebb''' (27 September 1905 &ndash; 29 March 2002) was a British commercial [[Aviator|pilot]] and later airline executive, notable for flying General [[Francisco Franco]] from the [[Canary Islands]] to [[Spanish Morocco]] in 1936, a journey which was to mark the beginning of the [[Spanish Civil War]].<ref>David Mathieson, [https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2006/jul/18/post233 Flying blind], ''[[The Guardian]]'', Tuesday 18 July 2006, Retrieved March 6, 2010</ref>
+==Early life==
+Bebb was the son of Robert Eustace Albert and Mary Ann Bebb, of [[Hornsey]]. His father was a [[dentist]], and he was baptized as Cecil William Henry into the [[Church of England]] on 12 November 1905, when his date of birth was noted as 27 September 1905.<ref name=Ancestry>''Baptisms in the Parish of Hornsey'', [https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/1558/images/31280_198938-00245 page 88]; "Cecil William H Bebb" in ''England & Wales, Civil Registration Birth Index, 1837-1915''; both at ancestry.co.uk, accessed 25 August 2021 {{subscription required}}</ref> His birth was registered as Cecil William H. Bebb in October 1905.<ref name=Ancestry/> Despite this, some sources state his first name as Charles.<ref name=Cruddas>Colin Cruddas, ''Those fabulous flying years: joy-riding and flying circuses between the wars'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=0_MfAQAAIAAJ&q=%22Cecil+Bebb%22+2002 p. 107]</ref>
+By 11 November 1932, when Bebb was aged 26, he had qualified as a pilot. On that date he sailed from England on the [[Edinburgh Castle (1910 ship)|RMS ''Edinburgh Castle'']], destination [[Cape Town]], and was logged as a pilot, of [[Heston]].<ref>[https://www.ancestry.co.uk/imageviewer/collections/2997/images/41039_b001356-00201 "Mr C W H Bebb"] in ''UK and Ireland, Outward Passenger Lists, 1890-1960'' {{subscription required}}</ref>
 ==Events of July 1936==
-[[Image:dragon rapide g-aeml flying arp.jpg|thumb|right|A [[de Havilland]] [[Dragon Rapide]] aircraft]]
+[[Image:dragon rapide g-aeml flying arp.jpg|thumb|right|A [[de Havilland]] [[De Havilland Dragon Rapide|Dragon Rapide]] aircraft]]
-At 07:15 on the morning of 11 July 1936, Captain Bebb took off from [[Croydon Airport]], [[London]], in a [[Dragon Rapide]] aircraft, with a navigator, his friend Major [[Hugh Pollard (intelligence officer)|Hugh Pollard]], and two female companions.
+At 07:15 on the morning of 11 July 1936, Captain Bebb took off from [[Croydon Airport]], [[London]], in a [[De Havilland Dragon Rapide|Dragon Rapide]] aircraft, with a navigator, his friend Major [[Hugh Pollard (intelligence officer)|Hugh Pollard]], and two female companions.<ref name=Hills/>
-The flight log records that the aircraft was bound for the [[Canary Islands]]. The purpose of Bebb's flight was to collect General Franco from the Canaries and fly him to [[Tetuán]] in [[Spanish Morocco]], at that time a Spanish colony, where the [[Spanish African Army]] was garrisoned.
+The flight log records that the aircraft was bound for the [[Canary Islands]]. The purpose of Bebb's flight was to collect General Franco from the Canaries and fly him to [[Tetuán]] in the [[Spanish protectorate in Morocco]], where the [[Spanish African Army]] was garrisoned.<ref name=Hills>George Hills, ''Franco; the Man and His Nation'' (1967), pp. 232–233</ref>
-Franco was recognized by the government in [[Madrid]] as a danger to the [[Second Spanish Republic]] and had been sent to the Canaries in order to keep him away from political intrigue. Had a Spanish plane flown to the islands, the authorities would likely have been alerted, but the British aircraft attracted little or no attention. Bebb and Franco arrived in Tetuán on 19 July and the general quickly set about organising Moroccan troops to participate in the coming coup.
+Franco was recognized by the government in [[Madrid]] as a danger to the [[Second Spanish Republic]] and had been sent to the Canaries in order to keep him away from political intrigue. Had a Spanish plane flown to the islands, the authorities would probably have been alerted, but the British aircraft attracted little or no attention. Bebb and Franco arrived in Tetuán on 19 July and the general quickly set about organising Moroccan troops to participate in the coming coup.<ref name=Hills/>
-It is possible that British security services may have been complicit in Bebb's flight. Certainly his companion Pollard had previously been an intelligence agent.<ref name="alpert, p.19">[https://books.google.com/books?id=p0OfRdqQEr4C&pg=PA18&dq=hugh+pollard+spain&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zfgJT8mMCMG5hAe-1rWVCQ&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=hugh%20pollard%20spain&f=false Alpert, Michael, p.18, ''A New International History of the Spanish Civil War''] Retrieved January 2012</ref> The flight itself was planned over lunch at [[Simpson's-in-the-Strand|Simpson's]] in the [[Strand, London|Strand]], where [[Douglas Francis Jerrold]], the conservative [[Roman Catholic]] editor of the ''[[English Review]]'', met with the journalist [[Luis Bolín]], London correspondent of the ''ABC Newspaper'' and later Franco's senior press advisor. Jerrold then persuaded Pollard to join the enterprise, and Pollard in turn recruited Bebb as pilot, with daughter Diana Pollard and a friend as passengers to pose as tourists.
+It is possible that British security services may have been complicit in Bebb's flight. Certainly his companion Pollard had previously been an intelligence agent.<ref name="alpert, p.19">[https://books.google.com/books?id=p0OfRdqQEr4C&dq=hugh+pollard+spain&pg=PA18 Alpert, Michael, p.18, ''A New International History of the Spanish Civil War''] Retrieved January 2012</ref> The flight itself was planned over lunch at [[Simpson's-in-the-Strand|Simpson's]] in the [[Strand, London|Strand]], where [[Douglas Francis Jerrold]], the conservative [[Roman Catholic]] editor of the ''[[English Review]]'', met with the journalist [[Luis Bolín]], London correspondent of the ''ABC Newspaper'' and later Franco's senior press advisor. Jerrold then persuaded Pollard to join the enterprise, who flew with Bebb as pilot, and daughter Diana Pollard and her friend as passengers to pose as tourists.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Macklin|first=Graham D.|title=Major Hugh Pollard, Mi6, and the Spanish Civil War|date=2006|journal=The Historical Journal|language=en|volume=49|issue=1|pages=277–280|doi=10.1017/S0018246X05005121|issn=1469-5103|doi-access=free}}</ref>
+Bebb and Pollard were decorated by Franco in recognition of their services. In 1939, as the [[Spanish Civil War]] ended, both were awarded the Grand Cross of the [[Imperial Order of the Yoke and Arrows]].<ref>Christopher Othen, ''Franco's International Brigades: Foreign Volunteers and Fascist Dictators in the Spanish Civil War'' (Reportage Press, 2008), p. 226</ref>
 ==Later career==
+During the [[Second World War]], Bebb became chief test pilot at [[Cunliffe-Owen Aircraft]], a British aircraft manufacturer, primarily a repair and overhaul shop, whose work included the [[Supermarine Seafire]]. He was also a test pilot at A W Hawkesley Limited (a Hawker Siddeley subsidiary based at Brockworth,Gloucesteshire)<ref>Gloucestershire Archives, Material relating to A W Hawksley Ltd of Hucclecote D7177/1 A W Hawksley's Supervisory Directory p 162 https://catalogue.gloucestershire.gov.uk/records/D7177/1</ref>  In 1946, after the war, he returned to Olley Air Service Ltd.<ref name=Cruddas/> He continued his work in commercial aviation into the 1960s. As an airline executive, he achieved the position of Operations Manager at [[British United Airways]].<ref>Jones, David, ''The Time Shrinkers : The Development of Civil Aviation between Britain and Africa'' (London: 1971) p. 250  {{ISBN|0853410208}}</ref>
+In 1970, Franco conferred on Bebb the [[Order of Civil Merit]] and the [[Crosses of Military Merit (Spain)|White Cross]] for Military Merit, in a ceremony in [[Madrid]].
-Cecil Bebb continued his work in commercial aviation into the 1960s. As an airline executive he achieved the position of Operations Manager for [[British United Airways]].<ref>Jones, David  ''The Time Shrinkers : The Development of Civil Aviation between Britain and Africa'' London 1971 p.250  {{ISBN|0853410208}}</ref>
+In a 1983 interview for the Granada television documentary ''The Spanish Civil War'', Bebb stated that he had been approached by "a gentleman from Spain, who asked me if I was prepared to go to the Canary islands to get a [[Rif War|Rif]] leader to start an insurrection in Spanish Morocco. I thought 'what a delightful idea, what a great adventure'".<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqn0kiYBiMI&list=PL4w-2j6Q0Qj4iJ7GmEoQGWMUBeE5h1GVq&index=1 ''The Spanish Civil War'', Granada Television] Retrieved 16 October 2019</ref>
-==Legacy==
-Bebb himself was decorated by Franco in recognition of his services. In 1939, as the [[Spanish Civil War]] ended, Bebb was awarded the Grand Cross of the Imperial Order of the [[Yoke and arrows]]. Many years later, in 1970, Franco conferred on him the [[Order of Civil Merit]] and the [[Crosses of Military Merit (Spain)|White Cross]] for Military Merit, in a ceremony in [[Madrid]].
+Bebb died on 29 Match 2002, when his death was registered at [[Sutton, Surrey]].<ref>"Cecil William H Bebb" in ''England & Wales, Civil Registration Death Index, 1916-2007''</ref>
-The aircraft that carried Franco to Tetuán in [[Morocco]], a dH89 [[Dragon Rapide]] (G-ACYR), was presented to Franco as a gift, after the end of [[World War II]], and is now displayed in the [[Museo del Aire (Madrid)|Museo del Aire]] near Madrid.
+The aircraft that carried Franco to Tetuán in [[Morocco]], a dH89 [[De Havilland Dragon Rapide|Dragon Rapide]] (G-ACYR), was presented to Franco as a gift, after the end of the Second World War, and is now displayed in the [[Museo del Aire (Madrid)|Museo del Aire]] near Madrid.
-In a 1983 interview for the Granada television documentary ''The Spanish Civil War'', Bebb stated that he had been approached by "a gentleman from Spain, who asked me if I was prepared to go to the Canary islands to get a [[Rif War|Rif]] leader to start an insurrection in Spanish Morocco. I thought 'what a delightful idea, what a great adventure'".<ref>*{{YouTube|sb-naVQdg7I|Interview with Cecil Bebb}} Retrieved March 6, 2010 </ref>{{dead link}}
 ==References==
-*[https://books.google.com/books?id=2OggkHZIcGkC&pg=PA18&dq=major+hugh+pollard+army+officer&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=j3qSS_P8M6TcM9Ll1NoM&cd=8#v=onepage&q=major%20hugh%20pollard%20army%20officer&f=false Alpert, Michael, ''A New international history of the Spanish Civil War''] Retrieved March 6, 2010
+*[https://books.google.com/books?id=2OggkHZIcGkC&dq=major+hugh+pollard+army+officer&pg=PA18 Alpert, Michael, ''A New international history of the Spanish Civil War''] Retrieved March 6, 2010
-*[https://books.google.com/books?id=Kqb9KwWbonEC&pg=PA21&dq=major+hugh+pollard+cecil+bebb&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=Yn6SS-DvDIKUMrLEueYM&cd=3#v=onepage&q=major%20hugh%20pollard%20cecil%20bebb&f=false King, Harry, ''Going To Live In Spain: a Practical Guide To Enjoying a New Lifestyle In The Sun''] Retrieved March 6, 2010
+*[https://books.google.com/books?id=Kqb9KwWbonEC&dq=major+hugh+pollard+cecil+bebb&pg=PA21 King, Harry, ''Going To Live In Spain: a Practical Guide To Enjoying a New Lifestyle In The Sun''] Retrieved March 6, 2010
 * Macklin, Graham M., ''Major Hugh Pollard, MI6, and the Spanish Civil War'', The Historical Journal  (2006), 49:277-280, Cambridge University Press.
-*[https://books.google.com/books?id=xdb2bWYQ6b8C&pg=PA84&dq=major+hugh+pollard+army+officer&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=j3qSS_P8M6TcM9Ll1NoM&cd=3#v=onepage&q=major%20hugh%20pollard%20army%20officer&f=false Preston, Paul, ''Doves of War: Four Women of Spain''] Retrieved March 6, 2010
+*[https://books.google.com/books?id=xdb2bWYQ6b8C&dq=major+hugh+pollard+army+officer&pg=PA84 Preston, Paul, ''Doves of War: Four Women of Spain''] Retrieved March 6, 2010
-*[https://books.google.com/books?id=e4jnk4vVdpUC&pg=PA80&dq=major+hugh+pollard+army+officer&lr=&as_brr=3&ei=j3qSS_P8M6TcM9Ll1NoM&cd=1#v=onepage&q=major%20hugh%20pollard%20army%20officer&f=false Riess, Curt, ''They Were There: The Story of World War II And How It Came About''] Retrieved March 6, 2010
+*[https://books.google.com/books?id=e4jnk4vVdpUC&dq=major+hugh+pollard+army+officer&pg=PA80 Riess, Curt, ''They Were There: The Story of World War II And How It Came About''] Retrieved March 6, 2010
 ==Notes==
@@ Line 40: / Line 74: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Bebb, Cecil}}
-[[Category:British people of the Spanish Civil War]]
-[[Category:Secret Intelligence Service personnel]]
 [[Category:1905 births]]
 [[Category:2002 deaths]]
+[[Category:British anti-communists]]
+[[Category:British people of the Spanish Civil War]]
+[[Category:MI6 personnel]]
 [[Category:Commercial aviators]]
+[[Category:People of the Spanish Civil War (National faction)]]