Why historian lies about women f lying Spitfires in action
AS a historian, you would expect him to be a stickler for the facts.
But the BBC’s Dan Snow admits he lies to his daughters about women’s roles in history so they feel free to ‘follow their dreams’.
The father of three, who has a history slot on the BBC’s One Show, said he did not want to ‘expose’ his two daughters to the ‘grim realities of pre-20th century gender relations’.
The Oxford graduate, 39, admitted that, during a visit to an aviation museum, he even told one that women flew Spitfires in combat during the Second World War.
Snow, who has daughters Orla, two, Zia, six, and son Wolf, three, with his wife Lady Edwina Grosvenor, said: ‘My daughter was walking down rows and rows and rows of these black and white pictures of Spitfire racers and she was going “Boy, boy, boy, boy, boy, boy, boy”.
‘Having to then explain to her why all the pictures of women are of them in ballgowns or in formal dress looking quite wooden and all the pictures of men are of them rampaging around having a great time, being heroic and climbing mountains, shooting things, being soldiers – that is something I struggle
‘At some stage she’ll learn I lied to her’
with. Now at some stage she’s going to learn that I lied to her and she’s going to find out that women weren’t allowed to do active frontline service so I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.’
Speaking on the Parent Hood podcast, hosted by broadcaster Ben Fogle’s wife Marina, he admitted to telling his daughter that women pilots flew Spitfires in action. Knowing that women were allowed to fly them as delivery pilots, Snow showed the girl online pictures of women in the cockpit – telling her they were in battle.
He explained: ‘I have thought about it in terms of gender and exposing my daughters to the realities of pre-20th century gender relations which are pretty grim and I guess you’ve got to, but I’m bringing her up in a way that she’s hopefully seeing her gender as something that is not an obstacle to doing anything.’
While women were not allowed to pilot Spitfires in battle during the Second World War, some joined the Air Transport Auxiliary. This saw female pilots deliver Spitfires and bombers to frontline squadrons, flying them between UK factories, maintenance units, active service squadrons and airfields.
They also ferried service personnel on urgent duty as well as performing air ambulance work. During the war, there were 166 women pilots, 15 of whom lost their lives.
Snow, who has presented numerous history programmes for the BBC, continued: ‘If you are a person of colour or pursuing non-traditional identities, it is a bit harder because history is a reminder that the world you have created for your children is quite an unusual one where whatever sex you are, whatever sexual orientation you are, you can aspire to anything.
‘So I do think about that and actually I lie a bit about that as well, I have to say.’
Snow’s father is Peter Snow, also an acclaimed BBC journalist and historian.
His great-great-grandfather was former prime minister Earl Lloyd George and his cousin is veteran Channel 4 News anchor Jon Snow.