Obituary and my Personal appreciation of 'Bert' Judge
Bert's lifetime as a the winner of the 1936 Wakefield competition in Detroit and subsequent career has been well documented on a number of occasions so I hope to provide a more personal view of this wonderful personality.
A. A. Judge was 'Bert' to those who knew him for more than 30 seconds!
He was that sort of man - No airs or graces but not without positive, and usually wise, opinions on most modelling matters.
Bert was an extremely modest man, with an almost encyclopaedic memory, who could never understand why anybody was interested in what he had accomplished during a long and highly innovative life.
Bert, a man of unflinching integrity was always charming and considerate. He didn't seem to realise that designing and building your own furniture - Including the Lounge Suite upon which my wife and I were seated when we first visited him in 2004 - was not an undertaking that most people would even consider. He had also made the dining table and chairs - and typically, the front window was made using his neighbours discarded patio doors!
Bert first encountered model making when his father bought him a Meccano set so that he (dad!) could play with it! His first model aeroplane was bought from D.A. Pavely's shop. It was put together, wound up - but wouldn't fly. Bert then read the instructions. It was a 'pusher' and he'd been trying to fly it 'backwards'!
Bert claimed to be uninterested in competition flying, preferring a day at Wimbledon Common with the likes of M.R. Knight (Kinglet etc), Baggs (high A/Ratio and possible first electric powered model aircraft), A.M. and Tony Willis (Skyrover and early balsa/tissue models).
Despite not being a 'Trophy Hunter' (his words), Bert came to prominence by winning the prestigious Wakefield Trophy in 1936 - although he had actually previously won a competition in France when members of T.M.A.C. visited the well known aeromodelling French Cleric, Father Amiard, in Flers.
Although the 'facts' of the 1936 Wakefield competition are well publicised there are a few less well known anecdotes delivered to me by Bert that make amusing reading - The bad weather experienced on the outward trip on the 'Aquitania', with many green faces - The visit to a 'show' in New York that Bert describes as "an experience for us youngsters because it was what might nowadays be called 'Burlesque'!" - The sight-seeing flight over New York. The attractive chauffeurs - The less comfortable return on the 'Bremen' in cabins next to the toilets!
His legacy as a modest, unassuming gentleman really starts from the way in which he conducted himself following that momentous modelling achievement. Typically, at the banquet given in honour of the victorious team he openly wished the American modellers the very best of luck in the future and insisted that his victory "was just a matter of luck" and that "Bob Copland was a much better competitor"!
He then explained - "I knew my model backwards and understood exactly how it would perform" - A statement that somewhat negates his idea that it was "Just luck"!
Bert was one of the most determined people one could ever meet. Even with severely limited eyesight in later life he continued to work around his house, garden and on his model railway - making repairs and alterations mostly by 'feel'.
A man who always wanted to 'get on with things', I remember a phone conversation with him when he told me he had been "Up a ladder with a chainsaw because his neighbour's apple tree branches were hanging over his fence" - He was 90 years old at the time!
Nobody who attended the 70th anniversary competition at Little Rissington in 2006 will forget seeing Bert, in his 90th year, competing with his own replica of his triumphant 1936 model. Peter Michel won't forget because when he offered to realign the take-off board to what he believed to be a more appropriate direction Bert was adamant that HE wanted it just as it was. As Peter says - Bert was right!
In 2009 I flew to Gravesend in a light aircraft to collect Bert to visit us at Pinkneys Green where we lunched with Laurie Barr, Peter Michel and various friends (one of whom was an eminent Oxford academic expert on bird flight!) It was the hottest day of the year. After lunch we took a number of models, including M. R. Knight's 'Kinglet', Bert's 1945 Wakefield and Bullock's 1929 Wakefield design out onto Pinkneys Green and Bert spent a long time flying, helping, advising and laughing until the rest of us were utterly exhausted. After tea Bert remarked "It's still a lovely day - let's go and do some more flying" - we did and Bert was as lively and enthusiastic as when we had started!
I wasn't!
In terms of a lifetime I was not associated with Bert for a long time but he has left a mark on my life that is totally disproportionate to the time we were friends. That's Bert Judge - who didn't ever understand why people loved and admired him as they did.
God bless you Bert - and Thank You for enriching our lives.
To Ron, Chris and all Bert's family - our heartfelt commiserations - but you are so very lucky to have had such a wonderful father.
A. A. Judge was 'Bert' to those who knew him for more than 30 seconds!
He was that sort of man - No airs or graces but not without positive, and usually wise, opinions on most modelling matters.
Bert was an extremely modest man, with an almost encyclopaedic memory, who could never understand why anybody was interested in what he had accomplished during a long and highly innovative life.
Bert, a man of unflinching integrity was always charming and considerate. He didn't seem to realise that designing and building your own furniture - Including the Lounge Suite upon which my wife and I were seated when we first visited him in 2004 - was not an undertaking that most people would even consider. He had also made the dining table and chairs - and typically, the front window was made using his neighbours discarded patio doors!
Bert first encountered model making when his father bought him a Meccano set so that he (dad!) could play with it! His first model aeroplane was bought from D.A. Pavely's shop. It was put together, wound up - but wouldn't fly. Bert then read the instructions. It was a 'pusher' and he'd been trying to fly it 'backwards'!
Bert claimed to be uninterested in competition flying, preferring a day at Wimbledon Common with the likes of M.R. Knight (Kinglet etc), Baggs (high A/Ratio and possible first electric powered model aircraft), A.M. and Tony Willis (Skyrover and early balsa/tissue models).
Despite not being a 'Trophy Hunter' (his words), Bert came to prominence by winning the prestigious Wakefield Trophy in 1936 - although he had actually previously won a competition in France when members of T.M.A.C. visited the well known aeromodelling French Cleric, Father Amiard, in Flers.
Although the 'facts' of the 1936 Wakefield competition are well publicised there are a few less well known anecdotes delivered to me by Bert that make amusing reading - The bad weather experienced on the outward trip on the 'Aquitania', with many green faces - The visit to a 'show' in New York that Bert describes as "an experience for us youngsters because it was what might nowadays be called 'Burlesque'!" - The sight-seeing flight over New York. The attractive chauffeurs - The less comfortable return on the 'Bremen' in cabins next to the toilets!
His legacy as a modest, unassuming gentleman really starts from the way in which he conducted himself following that momentous modelling achievement. Typically, at the banquet given in honour of the victorious team he openly wished the American modellers the very best of luck in the future and insisted that his victory "was just a matter of luck" and that "Bob Copland was a much better competitor"!
He then explained - "I knew my model backwards and understood exactly how it would perform" - A statement that somewhat negates his idea that it was "Just luck"!
Bert was one of the most determined people one could ever meet. Even with severely limited eyesight in later life he continued to work around his house, garden and on his model railway - making repairs and alterations mostly by 'feel'.
A man who always wanted to 'get on with things', I remember a phone conversation with him when he told me he had been "Up a ladder with a chainsaw because his neighbour's apple tree branches were hanging over his fence" - He was 90 years old at the time!
Nobody who attended the 70th anniversary competition at Little Rissington in 2006 will forget seeing Bert, in his 90th year, competing with his own replica of his triumphant 1936 model. Peter Michel won't forget because when he offered to realign the take-off board to what he believed to be a more appropriate direction Bert was adamant that HE wanted it just as it was. As Peter says - Bert was right!
In 2009 I flew to Gravesend in a light aircraft to collect Bert to visit us at Pinkneys Green where we lunched with Laurie Barr, Peter Michel and various friends (one of whom was an eminent Oxford academic expert on bird flight!) It was the hottest day of the year. After lunch we took a number of models, including M. R. Knight's 'Kinglet', Bert's 1945 Wakefield and Bullock's 1929 Wakefield design out onto Pinkneys Green and Bert spent a long time flying, helping, advising and laughing until the rest of us were utterly exhausted. After tea Bert remarked "It's still a lovely day - let's go and do some more flying" - we did and Bert was as lively and enthusiastic as when we had started!
I wasn't!
In terms of a lifetime I was not associated with Bert for a long time but he has left a mark on my life that is totally disproportionate to the time we were friends. That's Bert Judge - who didn't ever understand why people loved and admired him as they did.
God bless you Bert - and Thank You for enriching our lives.
To Ron, Chris and all Bert's family - our heartfelt commiserations - but you are so very lucky to have had such a wonderful father.
From Bert's Sons - Ron and Chris
It is with sadness that we write to advise you of the passing of A.A. (Bert) Judge. In 1936 at the age of 19, Dad went to Detroit, USA as part of the British Team taking part in the Wakefield competition. As has been well documented, dad won the competition with his self designed and built model. Returning home his success led to employment with the International Model Aircraft Company which produced plans of the winning model. It was at the IMA based at Merton Surrey that Dad met our mother and they married on December 21st 1941 in a joint wedding with our mothers sister and her fiancé.
Dad stayed with IMA during the war years and became chief inspector of models of all British and German Aircraft which were used for aircraft recognition purposes. He also worked on a number of projects for the Development of Miscellaneous Weapons Department including a free flying glider to enable merchant seamen and others to get experience in “laying off” that is aiming in front of the aircraft so that the bullets reached it at the proper time. From that glider IMA were asked to produce a thirty foot smoke laying aircraft powered by four cordite rockets.
From this Joe Mansour developed an interest in slow burning rocket fuels and this led to the setting up of Wilmot Mansour Ltd in Totton, Hampshire producing the Jetex range of small rocket powered aircraft, helicopters and boats. Dad joined the Company in 1950 working with a team of like minded model engineers. This was one of the happiest periods of Dad’s working life.
In 1956 Jetex was taken over by D. Sebel and Co., the Mobo toys scooter etc. company and over the years with a reduction in interest of Jetex dad moved on to other toy ranges including aircraft with injection moulded bodies, a small yacht and catamaran.
Throughout his life he was not a materialistic person and would rarely buy anything that he could make. Over the years he made a trailer for towing camping equipment and subsequently built a caravan and later, after he got the sailing bug, a fourteen foot catamaran.
In his private life Dad was married and had three sons. The middle son Terry was killed in a road accident in 1974 age 25. This had a devastating effect on our parents especially our mother who suffered from manic depression and died age 75 in 1996.
Over his latter years, Dad kept himself occupied with numerous projects at home joined an Old Time Dance Club with my mother and enjoyed working in his garden. He developed macular degeneration a particularly hard thing for him to cope with as a man used to carrying out fine detailed work. He looked after himself at home and regularly went shopping in Dartford travelling by bus well into his 90’s.
In the last six months or so his heart has been failing and on the 20th July 2014 he passed away aged 97. He was the last surviving member of the 1936 Wakefield Team. His passing leaves a huge gap in our lives but we are comforted by the fact that at the age of 19 he won a competition which led to turning his hobby into a lifelong career in aero modeling.
Yours sincerely,
R.A. and C.E. Judge
Dad stayed with IMA during the war years and became chief inspector of models of all British and German Aircraft which were used for aircraft recognition purposes. He also worked on a number of projects for the Development of Miscellaneous Weapons Department including a free flying glider to enable merchant seamen and others to get experience in “laying off” that is aiming in front of the aircraft so that the bullets reached it at the proper time. From that glider IMA were asked to produce a thirty foot smoke laying aircraft powered by four cordite rockets.
From this Joe Mansour developed an interest in slow burning rocket fuels and this led to the setting up of Wilmot Mansour Ltd in Totton, Hampshire producing the Jetex range of small rocket powered aircraft, helicopters and boats. Dad joined the Company in 1950 working with a team of like minded model engineers. This was one of the happiest periods of Dad’s working life.
In 1956 Jetex was taken over by D. Sebel and Co., the Mobo toys scooter etc. company and over the years with a reduction in interest of Jetex dad moved on to other toy ranges including aircraft with injection moulded bodies, a small yacht and catamaran.
Throughout his life he was not a materialistic person and would rarely buy anything that he could make. Over the years he made a trailer for towing camping equipment and subsequently built a caravan and later, after he got the sailing bug, a fourteen foot catamaran.
In his private life Dad was married and had three sons. The middle son Terry was killed in a road accident in 1974 age 25. This had a devastating effect on our parents especially our mother who suffered from manic depression and died age 75 in 1996.
Over his latter years, Dad kept himself occupied with numerous projects at home joined an Old Time Dance Club with my mother and enjoyed working in his garden. He developed macular degeneration a particularly hard thing for him to cope with as a man used to carrying out fine detailed work. He looked after himself at home and regularly went shopping in Dartford travelling by bus well into his 90’s.
In the last six months or so his heart has been failing and on the 20th July 2014 he passed away aged 97. He was the last surviving member of the 1936 Wakefield Team. His passing leaves a huge gap in our lives but we are comforted by the fact that at the age of 19 he won a competition which led to turning his hobby into a lifelong career in aero modeling.
Yours sincerely,
R.A. and C.E. Judge
