Tony Bartley

Squadron Leader Anthony Charles Bartley DFC (28 March 1919 – 18 April 2001) was a film and television executive. As an RAF Spitfire fighter ace, he was awarded the DFC after scoring eight victories against enemy aircraft in the Battle of Britain.

Early life

Tony Bartley was born in Dacca, India, the son of Sir Charles Bartley, an Irish barrister who served as a judge in the Calcutta High Court.

Education

Bartley was educated at Stowe School, a boarding independent school for boys in the civil parish of Stowe, in Buckinghamshire.

World War II

In 1938 Bartley learned to fly. He joined the Royal Air Force in 1939 on a short service commission, and was posted to No. 92 (East India) Squadron in November 1939 as it was forming in Tangmere, Sussex with the fighter version of the twin engine Bristol Blenheim.

After the Blenheims were replaced by Spitfires, he fought over Dunkirk during the fall of France and evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force. He flew with the Squadron through the Battle of Britain, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in October 1940.

In March 1941 he was posted as a flight commander to No. 74 Squadron RAF at Manston in Kent. In May 1941 he served as a flying instructor at No. 53 Operational Training Unit and No. 56 Operational Training Unit (OTUs), before moving in July 1941 to Vickers-Supermarine as a production test pilot, and made a significant contribution to the further development of the Spitfire. During this time he performed the aerobatics for the film "The First of the Few", which chronicled the life of the Spitfire's designer R. J. Mitchell, as played by Leslie Howard.

In August 1942 Bartley was posted to command of No. 111 Squadron RAF and led it to North Africa for the November Operation Torch landings. He shot down several enemy fighters over Tunisia, including at least three Bf-109s. His tour ended in January 1943 and was awarded a bar to his DFC the following month. He then served on the staff of No. 83 Group RAF, before departing in October 1944 for the USA to attend the Command and General Staff College. In October 1944 he joined RAF Transport Command in the Far East.

At the end of the war his combat total included 12 (and 1 shared) destroyed, 1 unconfirmed destroyed, 5 'probables' and 8 'damaged'.

Film Industry

Following his demobilisation, he returned to Vickers-Armstrong as test pilot and sales executive. However his career took a new direction when he moved to Hollywood following his first marriage in 1945 to the actress Deborah Kerr.

After studying film production with MGM, he formed European-American Productions, and wrote and produced television films for Fireside Theatre, MCA and Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Presents. He later joined CBS Films where he was responsible for European sales and production. He then joined Associated-Rediffusion, serving as head of the international division and assistant general manager until 1965, when he moved to Canada to represent Global Television and he wrote a history of Canada for the Canadian Broadcasting Company.

In the late 1960s Bartley was appointed a director of the Caribbean Broadcasting Corporation in Barbados and in 1971 he moved to Ireland, where he formed Intercontinental Telefilms and continued to write and develop television programmes.

Personal life

Bartley married the actress Deborah Kerr in 1945 and they had two daughters, Francesca and Melanie. Their three grandsons include the actors Lex, Tom and the writer Joe Shrapnel. Bartley and Kerr's marriage was dissolved in 1958 and he married again in 1965 to Victoria Mann, who survived him with their two daughters.

Bibliography

• Bartley, Anthony. (1984). Smoke Trails in the Sky. William Kimber. ISBN 978-0-7183-0517-8
• Bartley, Tony. (1997). Smoke Trails in the Sky: The Journals of a Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot. Crecy Publishing Ltd; 2nd edition. ISBN 978-0-947554-63-7