by John Nichol
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many people willingly offered their valuable time and considerable expertise while I researched and wrote this book. Without their input, my task would have been almost impossible. I cannot mention every person individually but I am eternally grateful to you all. My sincere thanks also go to:
Andy Saunders, editor of Britain at War magazine, who provided much background information, many contacts and photos, and proofread the manuscript.
Author Mark Hillier, who arranged and hosted my visit, with Joe Roddis, to Goodwood, provided me with a number of other veterans’ accounts and pictures, and proofread the manuscript.
Dave Homewood and Larry Hill from New Zealand spent many hours searching for stories and putting me in touch with veterans on the other side of the world.
Steve Brew, 41 Squadron historian and author, and Erik Mannings, 72 Squadron historian, helped with countless pictures and archive accounts.
Peter Devitt and Gordon Leith from the RAF Museum in Hendon searched the museum’s archives and provided some valuable accounts and contacts.
Graham Cowie from ‘Project Propeller’, who organises reunions for WWII veterans, provided many introductions and invited me to attend his events and meet the veterans.
Harry Tangye spent many hours searching both the family and Imperial War Museum archives for his father’s letters, diaries and pictures. Andy Perkins introduced me to Spitfire pilot Allan Scott, copied his memoirs and photographs and liaised over countless phone calls and meetings.
Squadron Leader Clive Rowley, a former Commanding Officer of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, provided veterans’ accounts and offered expert advice on the draft manuscript.
Air Marshal Cliff Spink and everyone at the Aircraft Restoration Company at Duxford for facilitating my visit with WWII veteran Brian Bird and fulfilling his dream of getting airborne again in a Spitfire. And Gerry Jones at the Boultbee Flight Academy, Goodwood, for organising a tour of a Spitfire.
Squadron Leader Andy Millikin, Commanding Officer of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, and Flight Lieutenant Tony Parkinson, BBMF Operations Officer, offered much appreciated knowledge on both the Spitfire and the wartime veterans who flew it.
Nigel Price, Group Editor at Key Publishing for giving me access to their incredible photograph archive.
The team at my publisher Simon & Schuster for their expertise, and to Thomas Harding for his time and assistance.
My friend and agent of twenty-five years, Mark Lucas, who has always been there to offer guidance, advice and support.
My wife Suzannah and daughter Sophie for their ever-present and hugely important love and support.
Finally, I am truly grateful to the countless veterans and their relatives who told me their Spitfire stories; this incredible group of men and women are ageing rapidly and, sadly, many of those I met and interviewed died as I was writing this book. I could use only a fraction of the extraordinary accounts I heard, but I hope I have done all of them justice.
* * *
Many other authors, historians, Spitfire enthusiasts and researchers offered invaluable information and contacts. It is impossible to name them all, but the following provided important leads, accounts, pictures or advice:
Bob Alford, Peter Arnold, Paul Beaver, John Bendixsen, Chris Bird, Scott Blyth, Jacque Boyd, Eugenie Brooks, Sarah Byrn Rickman, Chris Cannon, Max Collett, Jonny Cracknell, Ken Delve, Thomas Docherty, Gerard Drake-Feary, Jamie Dundas, Joe Farish, Jon Fellows, Norman Franks, W. Peter Fydenchuk, Ilya Grinberg, David Hamilton, Claire Hartley, Richard Henriquez, John Hurst, Jacky Hyams, Jamie Ivers, David Jones, Tinus Le Roux, Darren Lewington, Tom Lewis, David Lloyd, Group Captain Nicky Loveday, Angus Mansfield, Steve McLean, Tom Moulson, Tony Murray, Nick Oram, Alan Paisey, Mo Patz, Heather Peart, Andy Perkins, Barry Perks, Ian Phythian, Group Captain Ron Powell, Sarah Quill, Wilhelm Ratuszynski, Sarah Rickman, Daniel Scott-Davies, Ady Shaw, Geoff Simpson, Craig Sluman, Georgina Thynne, Group Captain Patrick Tootal, Kurt Turchan, Ron van de Put, Stephen Vizard, Keith Webb, Johnny Wheeler, Group Captain Tim Willbond, Geoff Zuber, Owen Zupp.
REFERENCES AND NOTES
Prologue
1 John Nichol correspondence with Ken Farlow’s daughter, Helen Nock
2 This Spitfire was from the RAF’s Battle Of Britain Memorial Flight. When the aircrew and ground crew realised Ken was a veteran, they invited him on to the airfield to chat and take pictures
Introduction
1 John Nichol correspondence with Brian Bird and interview for Plane Crazy (TVT Productions)
2 The Spitfire is operated by the Aircraft Restoration Company based at Duxford – the author is grateful to the ARC team for making this flight happen
3 There is no definitive number for Spitfires/Seafires built and figures vary depending on the source consulted; an approximate figure is 20,334 Spitfires and 2,558 Seafires
Chapter One: Birth of a Fighter
1 Allan Scott, Born to Survive, and John Nichol interview
2 Jeffrey Quill, Spitfire: A Test Pilot’s Story, and John Nichol interview with Sarah Quill
3 Alfred Price, Spitfire: A Documentary History
4 Ibid.
5 There are a number of versions of this story. Another account has the Air Ministry giving the name ‘Spitfire’, to which R.J. Mitchell is said to have responded, ‘Well, that’s just the sort of bloody silly name they would give it’
6 Tom Moulson, The Millionaires’ Squadron
7 Ibid.
8 Quill, op. cit.
9 Price, op. cit.
10 The prototype was also referred to as a Bf109
11 Quill, op. cit.
12 Jimmy Taylor, One Flight Too Many, and interview with John Nichol
13 Leo McKinstry, Spitfire: Portrait of a Legend
14 Taylor, op. cit.
15 Quill, op. cit.
16 Moulson, op. cit.
17 Quill, op. cit.
18 Ken Delve, The Story of the Spitfire: An Operational and Combat History
19 Ken French, My Early Life, and interview with John Nichol
20 Hugh Dundas, Flying Start: A Fighter Pilot’s War Years, and John Nichol interview with Lady Dundas
21 Taylor, op. cit.
22 Brian Bird, That Was my Life (personal memoir) and John Nichol interview
23 Ann Todd, The Eighth Veil
24 McKinstry, op. cit.
25 Ibid.
26 Tom Docherty, Swift to Battle: No 72 Fighter Squadron RAF in Action
27 Ibid.
28 Ibid.
29 Diana Barnato Walker, Spreading My Wings, and John Nichol interview
30 Joe Roddis with Mark Hillier, An Airman Under Fire!, and John Nichol interview
31 Ibid.
Chapter Two: The Fall of France
1 Jon E. Lewis, Spitfire: The Autobiography
2 McKinstry, op. cit.
3 Lewis, op. cit.
4 Dundas, op. cit.
5 Lewis, op. cit.
6 Ibid.
7 Richard Hough and Denis Richards, Battle of Britain
8 McKinstry, op. cit.
9 Moulson, op. cit.
10 McKinstry, op. cit.
11 Alan Deere, Nine Lives
12 David Owen, Dogfight: The Supermarine Spitfire and the Messerschmitt BF 109
13 Deere, op. cit.
14 Lewis, op. cit.
15 Brian Lane, Spitfire! The Experiences of a Battle of Britain Fighter Pilot
16 Tim Vigors, Life’s Too Short to Cry
17 Dr Richard Campbell-Begg and Dr Peter Liddle, For Five Shillings a Day: Personal Histories of World War II, and Bernard Brown’s interviews with Dave Homewood, Ricard Carstens and John Nichol
18 Lewis, op. cit.
19 Price, op. cit.
20 Delve, op. cit.
21 Ibid.
22 McKinstry, op. cit.
23 John Blyth’s private papers and John Nichol interview
24 Hough and Richards, op. cit.
25 Hansard
Chapter Three: The Battle for Britain
1 Campbell-Begg and Liddle, op. cit., and Bernard Brown’s interviews with Dave Homewood, Ricard Carstens and John Nichol
2 Dundas, op. cit.
3 Delve, op. cit.
4 Lewis, op. cit.
5 Roddis, op. cit.
6 Delve, op. cit.
7 Ibid.
8 Roddis, op. cit.
9 Ibid.
10 Modern historians believe Crook actually shot down a Ju87. This is Crook’s own version of events
11 David Crook, Spitfire Pilot
12 Lewis, op. cit.
13 ‘Custodians of Air Power: Securing the Skies 1940–2015’ produced by MOD
14 Crook, op. cit.
15 Geoffrey Wellum, First Light
16 Bird, op. cit.
17 Taylor, op. cit.
18 McKinstry, op. cit.
19 Dundas, op. cit.
20 McKinstry, op. cit.
21 Roddis, op. cit.
22 Ibid.
23 Lewis, op. cit.
24 Moulson, op. cit.
25 Ibid.
26 John Wilkinson, The Lord Is my Shepherd: An Extraordinary Account of Aerial Combat over Europe During WWII, and John Nichol interview
27 Quill, op. cit.
28 Ibid.
29 Derek Wood, The Battle of Britain
30 Vigors, op. cit.
31 Britain at War magazine, issue 92, December 2014
32 Ray Holmes, Sky Spy: From Six Miles High to Hitler’s Bunker
33 Ralph Barker, Sunday Express
34 There have been some arguments and discussions about this incident over the years but this is Ray Holmes’ own account
35 McKinstry, op. cit.
36 Lewis, op. cit.
37 Todd, op. cit.
38 Britain at War magazine, op. cit.
Chapter Four: Rhubarbs, Ramrods and Circuses
1 Robbie Robertson, Memories: For Connie – Wife and Spitfire, provided by Erik Mannings, 72 Squadron historian
2 Dundas, op. cit.
3 Mark Hillier, Dieter Sinanan and Gregory Percival, Westhampnett at War
4 Ray Wagner and Heinz Nowarra, German Combat Planes
5 Lewis, op. cit.
6 Paul Beaver, Spitfire Evolution
7 The MkV came in a number of different versions with both wing type and armaments changing. The single term ‘MkV’ is used throughout the text rather than specify which version
8 Joshua Levine, Forgotten Voices of the Blitz and Battle for Britain
9 Wilfrid Duncan Smith, Spitfire into Battle
10 Dundas, op. cit.
11 Ibid.
12 Hillier et al, op. cit.
13 Dundas, op. cit.
14 Lewis, op. cit.
15 Robertson, op. cit.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Scott, op. cit.
19 Robertson, op. cit.
20 Harry Strawn, in To War in a Spitfire: The Diary of an American Spitfire Pilot by Mark Hillier, Dieter Sinanan and Gregory Percival
21 Ibid.
22 Blyth, op. cit.
Chapter Five: Spitfire Women
1 Lettice Curtis, The Forgotten Pilots
2 Jacky Hyams, The Female Few
3 Beaver, op. cit.
4 Barnato Walker, op. cit.
5 Hyams, op. cit, and John Nichol interview with Joy Lofthouse
6 E. C. Cheesman, Brief Glory
7 Holmes, op. cit.
8 Hyams, op. cit.
9 Ibid.
Chapter Six: Malta
1 Price, op. cit.
2 McKinstry, op. cit.
3 Price, op. cit.
4 Lewis, op. cit.
5 Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, The Air Battle for Malta
6 Moulson, op. cit.
7 Price, op. cit.
8 Ibid.
9 Douglas-Hamilton, op. cit.
10 Price, op. cit.
11 Douglas-Hamilton, op. cit.
12 McKinstry, op. cit.
13 Christopher Shores and Clive Williams, Aces High
14 Lewis, op. cit.
15 Douglas-Hamilton, op. cit.
16 Ibid.
17 Ibid.
18 Ibid.
19 Price, op. cit.
20 Douglas-Hamilton, op. cit.
21 Ibid.
22 McKinstry, op. cit.
23 Scott, op. cit.
24 Ibid.
25 Laddie Lucas, Five Up
26 Douglas-Hamilton, op. cit.
27 Scott, op. cit.
28 McKinstry, op. cit.
29 Lucas, op. cit.
Chapter Seven: Dieppe, August 1942
1 Alan Peart, From North Africa to the Arakan: The Engrossing Memoir of a WWII Spitfire Ace, and John Nichol interview
2 Quill, op. cit.
3 Lewis, op. cit.
4 Quill, op. cit.
5 Delve, op. cit.
6 Brian Kingcome, A Willingness to Die: Memories from Fighter Command
7 Quill, op. cit.
8 Norman Franks, The Greatest Air Battle: Dieppe, 19th August 1942
9 Combined Operations website – www.combinedops.com/Dieppe.htm Operation Jubilee
10 Franks, op. cit.
11 Peart, op. cit.
12 Strawn, op. cit.
13 Ibid.
14 Ibid.
15 Peart, op. cit.
16 Johnnie Johnson, Wing Leader
17 Franks, op. cit.
18 Ibid.
19 Ibid.
20 Ibid.
21 Ibid.
22 Ibid.
23 Ibid.
Chapter Eight: North Africa
1 Strawn, op. cit.
2 Peart, op. cit.
3 Robertson, op. cit.
4 Greggs Farish and Michael McCaul, Algiers to Anzio with 72 and 111 Squadrons
5 Ibid.
6 Robertson, op. cit.
7 Peart, op. cit.
8 Farish, op. cit.
9 Modern Spitfire pilots think it unlikely the wartime aircrew would have used emergency boost on the ground. But Strawn’s own recollections are used here
10 Beaver, op. cit.
11 Farish, op. cit.
12 Dundas, op. cit.
13 Strawn, op. cit.
14 Dundas, op. cit.
15 Ibid.
Chapter Nine: The Relentless Fight in Europe
1 Price, op. cit.
2 Ibid.
3 Ibid.
4 Barnato Walker, op. cit.
5 Alan Paisey, Duty Hails the Sunrise – An Evader’s War: The Story of Terry Kearins – Fighter–Bomber Pilot, Evader, Farmer
6 Ibid.
7 Beaver, op. cit.
8 Todd, op. cit.
9 There is no mention of Todd’s daughter in this account
10 Nigel Tangye’s private papers
11 Todd, op. cit.
12 Tangye, op. cit.
Chapter Ten: Italy
1 Tom Hughes, My Valley, the Clouds!, provided by Erik Mannings, 72 Squadron historian
2 Farish, op. cit.
3 Hughes, op. cit.
4 Peart, op. cit.
5 Lewis, op. cit.
6 Farish, op. cit.
7 Ibid.
8 Peart, op. cit.
9 Chester Nimitz, and E. B. Potter, Sea Power
10 Dundas, op. cit.
11 Charles H. Bogart, German Remotely Piloted Bombs
12 Farish, op. cit.
13 Hughes, op. cit.
14 Farish, op. cit.
Chapter Eleven: Spitfires out East
1 Delve, op. cit.
2 Ibid.
3 Peart, op. cit.
4 Ibid.
5 Igor Zlobin, Spitfires over the Kuban
6 David Isby, The Decisive Duel: Spitfire vs 109
Chapter Twelve: A Foothold in France
1 Barnato Walker, op. cit
2 Hyams, op. cit.
3 French, op. cit.
4 Tony Cooper’s account from BBMF Yearbook 2014, provided by Clive Rowley
5 Tangye, op. cit.
6 D-Day Museum, Portsmouth
7 Roddis, op. cit. (John Nichol interview)
8 French, op. cit.
9 McKinstry, op. cit.
10 Delve, op. cit.
11 Lewis, op. cit.
12 Tangye, op. cit.
13 French, op. cit.
14 Barnato Walker, op. cit.
Chapter Thirteen: The Beginning of the End
1 Taylor, op. cit.
2 Wilkinson, op. cit.
3 Dundas, op. cit.
4 Holmes, op. cit.
5 Bird, op. cit.
6 Roddis, op. cit (John Nichol interview)
7 Holmes, op. cit.
Chapter Fourteen: The Last Salute
1 Peart, op. cit.
2 Barnato Walker, op. cit.
3 John Nichol interview with Lady Dundas
4 Ibid.
5 Todd, op. cit.
6 Nigel Tangye, Facing the Sea
7 Taylor, op. cit.
8 John Nichol interview and ‘Shropshire fighter ace Allan, 94, in Spitfire heaven’, Shropshire Star, 10 October 2015
9 John Nichol interview and BBC News, 7 May 2015
10 Hillier et al, op. cit.
11 Quill, op. cit.
12 Figures vary from source to source; these are taken from ‘Supermarine Spitfire – 40 Years On’, published in 1976 as part of a symposium celebrating the fortieth anniversary of the first flight
13 There is no definitive number of Spitfires and Seafires built; numbers vary between 22,000 and 23,000 depending on the source consulted
14 Delve, op. cit.
15 Price, op. cit.
16 Air Marshal Cliff Spink CB CBE FCMI FRAeS, correspondence with John Nichol
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Barnato Walker, Diana, Spreading my Wings (Grub Street, 2003)
Beaver, Paul, Spitfire People (Evro, 2015)
Beaver, Paul, Spitfire Evolution (Beaver Westminster, 2016)
Bird, Brian, That Was my Life (Personal Memoir)
Bogart, Charles H., German Remotely Piloted Bombs (US Naval Institute Proceedings, 1976)
Brew, Steve, Blood, Sweat and Valour (Fonthill, 2012)
Campbell-Begg, Richard and Liddle, Peter, For Five Shillings a Day: Personal Histories of World War II (Collins, 2000)
