Talk:H. E. Bates

What did he die of? P Cezanne (talk) 18:47, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

He died of having written a wonderful collection of beautiful stories. In other words, he had a full life. I hope I die of the same causes.

Seriously, I think it would be nice if someone who is knowledgable of Bates' works would separate them in the bibliography and list them according to type, i.e., Novels, short stories, non-fiction etc. I misdoubt I'm up to the task. Smaxam (talk) 05:12, 10 November 2012 (UTC)

H.E. Bates not pleased to help a distressed airman!
In my father's soon to be published autobiography - Willian Edward Goodman of RAF 7 Squadron based at Oakington - he writes: Extract:

"One special friend of mine was another wireless operator, Tommy Bentham. He was one of those rescued from that plane which went over the embankment, and he had flown with the Wingco when Errol Green had taken over the landing. He was in a crew returning in a badly shot-up condition and the Skipper thought it would be unsafe to attempt a landing, so he flew over the drome and ordered ‘Abandon aircraft’.  The crew did and landed by parachute over some miles of countryside while the Skipper set ‘George’ the automatic pilot, to fly a course which would take the plane out to the North Sea  to crash in safety.  Tommy landed with his canopy tangled up in a tree.  He fell to earth when he unclipped his parachute harness.  It was during the small hours on a nearly pitch black night and he had no idea just where he was.  All he could do was to walk and found a farmhouse.  He banged on the door and eventually a bedroom window opened and a belligerent voice demanded to know what the noise was all about. Tommy asked to use the phone, but it took a while for him to convince the farmer why, and what had happened. He was admitted and allowed to phone the squadron for transport back. All the while the farmer was moaning about the cost etc. (a phone call cost two pence). Tommy asked whether he could have a drink, hoping for something a little stronger than tea. He was not even given that - only a glass of water. When he got back he was debriefed and the Intelligence Officer was most interested and disgusted by the farmer’s attitude... he was the author, H.E. Bates! The Intelligence Officer had a few contacts and as a consequence the farmer was spread all over the Daily Mirror under the heading ‘The Meanest man in England’ and the Air Ministry ‘co-operated’ by sending him a huge bundle of forms to be returned in quintuplet so that they could reimburse him with the two pence." — Preceding unsigned comment added by Gillyches (talk • contribs) 18:01, 19 January 2013 (UTC)

Legacy
There has to be a section about his later legacy and modern reception. What is his status in English literature generally, especially today? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 178.153.8.111 (talk) 06:18, 8 March 2017 (UTC)

He wrote sceenplays, too
While most of Bates' screen credits were adaptations of his work without his screenwriting involvement, he was a screenwriter on several films, including Summertime and The Loves of Joanna Godden and a few others. Perhaps someone more familiar with Bates could add this to the article. 108.2.61.158 (talk) 20:01, 5 August 2018 (UTC)

Trailer load of children?
Is by ‘trailer’ meant a ‘caravan’? ‘Trailer’ is an American usage for ‘caravan’. Would the children have been hauled in what Americans call a ‘box trailer’? 120.144.112.232 (talk) 22:06, 27 June 2023 (UTC)


 * No, the paragraph is using a contemporary english idiom to suggest a large, rather unkempt bunch of children who may have necessitated being carted around in a small utility trailer in the same manner as a farmer or small-holder might take half a dozen sheep or a few calves to market in a small utility trailer pulled behind his tractor. In actuality there was probably no trailer involved whatsoever, but it fits with the rustic nature of the subject. Mighty Antar (talk) 10:02, 28 June 2023 (UTC)