A remarkable tale of a young man who by the age of 22 years has had a lifetime's experience of war, war in the air. It's very well-written and will give you a deeper appreciation for the sacrifices made by the Second World War generation. Read all In May 1940 eighteen-year old Geoffrey Wellum joins the 92 squadron of the Royal Air Force and is taken to the pub,where pilots who have seen action sign their names on a blackboard. moving yet startlingly clear-eyed -- Andrew Pettie * Telegraph * One of the most gripping personal accounts of aerial warfare ever written -- Nigel Fountain * Guardian * There have been countless books about the Battle of Britain. It tells us his story of first becoming a pilot and being chosen among others to become one of the finest pilots who flew the spitfire.

I'm very glad that this finally found it's way to publication, and it should be regarded as one of the great personal memoirs of the Second World War. Geoffrey Wellum left school at 17 to join the RAF, before being launched into the Battle of Britain as a Spitfire pilot at the age of 19.Wellum suffered severe combat fatigue after three years' intensive flying, because of the immense strain that frontline British fighter pilots were put under during that period.

In the same pub, a small army had congregated including the BBMF, many friends of his, family, people like me for whom he was their hero and of course the locals. The story starts with his trying to become a pilot, his training and then his experience of the war, and ends shortly after he is retired for a medical problem while defending Malta. pictorial upper wrapper, the experiences of an RAF fighter pilot during WW2, joining aged 17 two months before the outbreak it covers his training and includes his service with 92 Squadron during the Battle of Britain, 65 Squadron at Debden as flight commander and in HMS Furious taking Spitfires out to Malta as part of Operation Pedestal, slight roll to lightly creased spine, a little rubbed at extrems. I was leading Spitfires of 124 Squadron when we were protecting our bombers in daylight over occupied Europe. Thrust into combat almost immediately, Wellum finds himself flying several sorties a day, caught up in terrifying dogfights with German Me 109s.v=1677259080"}},{"id":274896715938,"handle":"fathers-day","title":"Father's Day","updated_at":"2024-01-29T23:55:12+00:00","body_html":"Put a smile on Dad's face this year with the perfect present for Father's Day - we have selected an exciting range of aviation themed gifts that will suit any budget, and are sure to make Dad feel special. I found the period of time during which he was being trained particularly telling in terms of the fear which he had to come to terms with throughout, e. This diary of a Spitfire pilot is a wondrous thing, and a good contrast to the Douglas Bader biography Reach for the Sky.

All of our books are 100% brand new, unread and purchased directly from the publishers in bulk allowing us to pass the huge savings on to you! In three years I flew more than 200 hours on the Harvard, mainly taking passengers for experience trips. This time there was a Union Jack draped over his chair and his spot at the bar had become a shrine full of drinks bought for him, with the landlord vowing to keep it that way forever. I found myself amazed as I read the book of how much this young man and his friends suffered in defending their country and their mates in the air. It's a good thing to see this kind of movie and remind ourselves that what we enjoy and even deride today cost the ultimate sacrifice of millions.As he and his friend Peter ride the train: "We talk quietly, both wondering what on earth has hit us in the last twenty-four hours. I don't tend to bother with audiobook reviews but not to make the effort after listening to this superb story just seemed wrong. In May 1940 eighteen-year old Geoffrey Wellum joins the 92 squadron of the Royal Air Force and is taken to the pub,where pilots who have seen action sign their names on a blackboard. What the book may have benefited from is some more detail on the later career of the author, following on from the Battle of Britain. During the planning we decided we would like a VIP guest, and I thought of writing to Geoffrey Wellum as I’d heard he attended the odd event.

It touches the heart, it is a true and honest account of a Veteran Pilot who served his country throughout the 2nd world war as a heroic pilot. It was the first, first-person account I'd ever read of the Battle of Britain, and my heart ached for the author (the youngest pilot to take part in the Battle).Wellum claimed a Heinkel He 111 bomber shot down on 11 September 1940, and a quarter share in a Junkers Ju 88 downed on 27 September. Wellum's real achievement is to make the reader experience with him the sheer difficulty of learning to fly along with its many dangers. Here in 2010, being the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Geoffrey Wellum was featured on a t.