this country is at war with Germany. We shall go on to the end. I remember the

sheets of plane which came up and almost blinded us for my guns.

Hello, welcome to another episode of the World War Two podcast. I'm Angus Wallace.

Few wives have prominent men and more than a footnote in many histories, but they were often

central to their husband's lives. The classic well-known example is the relationship between

the wartime prime minister Winston Churchill and his wife Clementine. For months I've been sitting

on Stephanie Van Stehlens' biography of Mrs. Patton, called Lady of the Army the Life of Mrs.

George S. Patton. Following my look at George Patton in the last episode, I thought it was an

opportune time to look at his wife Beatrice. So Stephanie, welcome and thanks for joining me.

Now let's start with Beatrice Banning Air, who would become Mrs. Patton. What is her family background?

Well, her family background has absolutely nothing to do with the army. She grew up in a very

wealthy family. Her father was Frederick Air, who was an industrialist, who frankly no one's ever

heard of. He wasn't a Vanderbilt or an after, but in New England where they lived, I would say that

they were as important and as well established. And he made his fortune. He came from nothing. He was

picking sticks and stones starting at the age of three. And he moved his way up. He was always

very eager to buy his first pair of skates. That was his idea when he was trying to make money.

So he did that starting at age three all the way until he died at 96. He never stopped working

a day in his life. And that was a trait that all the airs possessed. But anyway, he grew up in New

York, Connecticut. He made some money over by the Erie Canal in a shop until 1850. He got a call

of another call because the telegram probably at that point from his brother who had started a

patent medicine business in Lowell, Massachusetts. And he joined his brother and they became partners.

And they became very successful. They had these products for hair growth, which George Patten

...