|
AussieChick
Sharpshooter
347 Posts
Cindy
Bend
Oregon
USA
347 Posts |
 Posted - Jan 24 2021 : 5:01:08 PM
|
For my intermediate Civic Heritage merit badge, I chose to research Sidney Cotton (17 June 1894 – 13 February 1969). The Hidden Vale property (South-East Queensland, Australia), located half way between Laidley (where I was born) and Mt. Walker (our family farm where I grew up), was the stomping ground of Sidney Cotton, the real-life inspiration for Ian Fleming’s Secret Agent 007: Bond – James Bond. Hidden Vale is a special place for me. My great-uncle, Tom, worked as a farm hand on the property when it was an active cattle station. Today, the 12,000 acre property is owned by the Spicers Group and is a luxury retreat in the Australian bush. My husband and I were married on the property in 2006.
In 1900, Alfred (A. J.) Cotton purchased ‘Jost Vale’ from an Ipswich butcher named Philip Jost. He renamed the property ‘Hidden Vale’ and took up residence in the hidden valley below the site of the old homestead. Alfred and his wife Annie had a number of children, Sidney being one of their sons, born in 1896. Sidney completed most of his schooling at The Southport School on the Gold Coast, except for his final two years which he completed at Cheltenham College, during which time the Cotton family had briefly returned to England. The family returned to Australia in 1912 and Sidney worked as a Jackaroo. In 1915, he returned to England during the First World War and joined the Royal Naval Air Service. Sidney swiftly qualified as a combat pilot and participated in numerous missions. The experience he gained with high level and low temperature flying led Sidney to develop the ‘Sidcot’ suit – a revolutionary new flying suit which enabled pilots to keep warm in the cockpit. This style of suit was widely used by the RAF until the 1950s.
After being promoted to flight Sub-Lieutenant in 1917, Sidney came into conflict with senior officers and soon resigned. He married a young London actress with whom he had a son and spent a couple of years in Tasmania before returning to England and continuing his passion for flying. A risk-taker, in 1920 he attempted to fly from England to South Africa, but was unsuccessful. He was also lucky to survive a crash at a London aerial derby he partook in. Sidney then moved to Newfoundland, a British colony in North America, where he spent three years flying varied assignments.
1925 saw Sidney divorce his first wife before marrying a young Canadian woman in 1926. During this period he was involved with a number of aviation-focused business activities, including an airborne seal spotting service and search and rescue operations in Newfoundland and Greenland.
Just before the Second World War, Sidney was recruited by M16, the Secret Intelligence Service of the United Kingdom, to capture aerial photos of the German military preparation – he was officially a spy! He posed to the Germans as a wealthy private aviator and film producer and collected valuable information about the German military build-up via a series of reconnaissance flights. He rigged up cameras concealed with panels on his plane that he could open by pressing a button underneath the pilot’s seat. The button could also control the cameras. He built trusting relationships with German officials and consistently managed to fly off his planned flight paths (regulated by the government) without arousing suspicion – apparently he was a very persuasive, opportunistic character!
In 1939 the RAF recruited Sidney as a Squadron Leader and honorary Wing Commander. As well as this, he headed up the fledgling RAF 1 Photographic Development Unit (PDU), and led the group to provide important intelligence which informed successful air raids on key enemy sites. With his background knowledge gained flying over Germany and other countries, Cotton significantly enhanced the RAF’s intelligence gathering capabilities. It was also in 1939 that Cotton met Ian Fleming as both were working for British Naval Intelligence. They became good friends and it’s believed that Cotton was the inspiration for some of Fleming’s 007 James Bond character, with his penchant for risk-taking, undercover operation, and his love of gadgetry and young women!
Cotton was a man of action and ingenuity with a maverick streak. He died in England in 1969. His ashes were buried at the family grave in Tallegalla, west of Brisbane, where a heritage plaque that summarises his life story has also been erected.
Farmgirl #6058
"The happiest people don't have the best of everything, they just make the best of everything they have". |
|
|
YellowRose
True Blue Farmgirl
6812 Posts
Sara
Paris
TX
USA
6812 Posts |
Posted - Jan 25 2021 : 03:52:04 AM
|
Cindy, I enjoyed reading your report on Sidney Cotton - learned a little about you too.
FarmGirl Hugs, Sara
FarmGirl Sister #6034 Aug 2014
FarmGirl of the Month Sept 2015 & Feb 2019
Lord put your arm around my shoulders & your hand over my mouth.
|
 |
|
Civic Heritage - The Life of Sidney Cotton
