Review of Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain

From Andy Wright. Flightpath Volume 26, No. 2, November 2014-January 2014

 

The sheer presence of this beautiful hardback demands attention. The hardcovers replicate the dust cover artwork and prove there is more to life than dark cloth and gold embossed text. They are a taster as, once the book is opened, the crisp, clean pages, the superb layout and the professional notes and index are the pinnacle of book design. Such effort was required because the content is sublime. Yes, it’s another book on the Battle of Britain but, rather than another angle on this most famous of aerial campaigns, this one is very personal and re-introduces eight relatively unknown Australian flyers. Only [Pat] Hughes, [Dick] Glyde and [Des] Sheen were familiar names. Even so, for Glyde, this is the first time his story has been told in detail. Indeed, the same could be said for the others too—[Bill] Millington, [John] Crossman, [Ken] Holland, [Jack] Kennedy and [Stuart] Walch. Most, if not all, simply became one of ‘The Few’ in photos or on plaques and headstones in semi-forgotten fields in England. These young men have a voice again (notably Des Sheen was the only one to survive the war). Their lives are laid bare via an impressive collection of letters and diary entries. There is, of course, a lot of combat but these sequences do not outweigh the pre-war lives, training and personal lives and loves in England. The final chapters emotionally detail the families’ struggles to live without their beloved boys. Everything is so well done and, importantly, eight men can live on in the hearts and minds of all who read this book. They deserve it. Postscript. First published in Australia, a UK edition is now due in 2015.  



 

Preview of Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain

I am so excited. Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain has arrived.

What wonderful cover art:



The book tells the remarkable stories of eight young Australians who fought in the Battle of Britain:



Jack Kennedy (238 Squadron)—Sydney born and bred; Spitfire and Hurricane pilot, the first Australian to die in the Battle

Stuart Walch (238 Squadron)—Hobart born and bred; Hurricane pilot, known as the father of his squadron

Dick Glyde DFC (87 Squadron)—Perth born and bred; Australia’s first internee of the war; Hurricane pilot who flew in the Battle of France and died on Eagle Day

Pat Hughes DFC (234 Squadron)—Monaro born and bred, memorialised in Cooma and Kiama, raised to adulthood in Sydney; Spitfire pilot and Australia’s highest scoring Battle ace who died defending London on the first day of the Blitz

Ken Holland (152 Squadron)—Sydney born and bred; Spitfire pilot and the youngest Australian to die

John Crossman (32 and 46 squadrons)—Queensland-born and Newcastle raised; Hurricane pilot who was determined to fly at all cost

Bill Millington DFC (79 and 249 squadrons)—English born but Adelaide raised; Hurricane pilot and exemplar of chivalry who avoided crashing into a village; died on the last day of fighting

Desmond Sheen DFC and Bar (72 Squadron)—Sydney-born and Canberra raised; Spitfire pilot and first Australian to engage the enemy in combat. Baled out twice, and survived.


Perhaps you might like to have a sneak peek of what the book is like ... but first, you have to endure some shots of me gloating over it ...







OK. Now for the book itself.

As you can see, it is very handsomely produced. Hard cover dust wrapper, illustrated boards, stitched page sections (so it won't fall apart if you are a hard reader), a goodly number of b&w pics, two maps and some cleverly designed chapter header logos. For the historians, it is fully endnoted with a detailed bibliography of primary and secondary sources.  And an index. All in all, I am thrilled with it.

What do you think of the frontispiece illustration?

That depicts Pat Hughes' last moments in combat. I was thrilled to receive permission to use this from the man who commissioned the painting, based on their father's eyewitness account of the battle.





The table of contents gives the overview of the book but it is only when you read it that you will gain a true sense of the narrative sweep.

It was difficult selecting the photos and took weeks to make up my mind. I think the end result is mighty impressive. 

 

Do you see the wings brooch in this photo?

That was given to me by Jack Kennedy's former fiancee. I treasure it.

I was so pleased when NewSouth's designer used it as the basis for the chapter headers (see below).

It was all bit of a coincidence too, in that I had separately commissioned a graphic designer to come up with my personal writer's logo which includes a stylised set of wings (see at the top of this post). I love how they all relate.




Here are some extracts from the book.

Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain is available now with a recommended retail price of $A49.99 from all good booksellers throughout Australia. Naturally, Alexander Fax Booksellers will stock signed copies. Postage and packaging will be additional. Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain will be published in the United Kingdom by Pen and Sword at a later date. (I haven't been told the publication date yet) If you don't mind waiting a bit, you will be able to purchase it from your local bookshop in Britain as well.

To purchase from Alexander Fax Booksellers, just follow the link at http://www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au/australians-few-and-battle-britain or email alexfax@alexanderfaxbooks.com.au

If you prefer to order via your favourite local (Australian) bookshop, here is what you need to tell them:

Title: Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain, Author: Kristen Alexander
Publisher: NewSouth, ISBN 9781742234151  

I look forward to sharing with you what I have discovered about Jack Kennedy Stuart Walch, Dick Glyde, Ken Holland, Pat Hughes, Bill Millington, John Crossman and Des Sheen. I will of course tell everyone I know about Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain. Details are already on my website, and that of Alexander Fax Booksellers, and on our Facebook pages. Please help spread the news to your family and friends, and anyone interested in Australia’s aviation history, by word of mouth or social media, so that more people can learn of the bravery of these young men, and their part in the world’s greatest air war.

Before I sign off, I want to share one last thing. Pat Hughes' favourite song was 'Where or When', by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart, which featured in the 1937 musical and 1939 movie Babes in Arms. In it, a young couple who meet for the first time are instantly struck by the feeling that they have been in love before, but they can’t work out where they met, or how long ago. Their strong impression of déjà vu, along with their immediate attraction, create the sense that they belong together. Here is my favourite version of that lovely, evocative song.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnRSM3dLSTk

I hope you have enjoyed the sneak peek of Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain.  It is my fourth book and I think it is my best.


Kristen
www.kristenalexander.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/australiasfew
https://www.facebook.com/KristenAlexanderAuthor
Twitter: Kristen Alexander @kristenauthor
www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderFaxBooksellers
:

Australia's Few and the Battle of Britain

I am thrilled to announce that, after six years of research and writing, Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain will be released on 1 September 2014. The release date is significant: it is just before the 74th commemoration of the Battle of Britain.

 

The publishers are NewSouth Publishing, a division of the University of New South Wales. Many books these days appear in paperback but Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain is a fine hard cover, with a magnificent dust wrapper, over 30 photos, two maps, and 432 pages. As befits a history book, it includes index, endnotes and bibliography.

 

I am so proud of Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain. Let me tell you a little about it.
 The Battle of Britain is one of the most significant battles of the war, and until now, the role of the Australian ‘Few’ has received little attention. I give a personal account of eight Australian participants, drawing heavily on primary source material (much of it from family archives). I follow these young men from childhood, through their education, training, personal relationships and flying careers, to death in combat (in the case of seven of the eight men), and beyond that to commemoration.
 This is not a one chapter per pilot book. Their stories are woven into the general Battle narrative and chronology.

 

Eight Australian Spitfire and Hurricane pilots of the Battle of Britain. Only one survived. Who were these brave men, who contributed to victory in what became known as a turning point of the war:
 ·               Jack Kennedy (238 Squadron)—Sydney born and bred; Spitfire and Hurricane pilot, the first Australian to die in the Battle.

 

·               Stuart Walch (238 Squadron)—Hobart born and bred; Hurricane pilot, known as the father of his squadron.

 

 ·               Dick Glyde DFC (87 Squadron)—Perth born and bred; Australia’s first internee of the war; Hurricane pilot who flew in the Battle of France and died on Eagle Day.

 

 

·               Ken Holland (152 Squadron)—Sydney born and bred; Spitfire pilot and the youngest Australian to die.

 

·               Pat Hughes DFC (234 Squadron)—Monaro born and bred, memorialised in Cooma and Kiama, raised to adulthood in Sydney; Spitfire pilot and Australia’s highest scoring Battle ace who died defending London on the first day of the Blitz.

 

 

·               Bill Millington DFC (79 and 249 squadrons)—English born but Adelaide raised; Hurricane pilot and exemplar of chivalry who avoided crashing into a village; died on the last day of fighting.

 

 ·               John Crossman (32 and 46 squadrons)—Queensland-born and Newcastle raised; Hurricane pilot who was determined to fly at all cost.

 

 ·               Desmond Sheen DFC and Bar (72 Squadron)—Sydney-born and Canberra raised; Spitfire pilot and first Australian to engage the enemy in combat. Baled out twice, and survived.

 

   Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain also tells the story of the women who loved these young men:

 ·      Feisty Kay Hughes who met her match in Pat Hughes and grieved a lifetime at his loss .

·      Christine Jourd, with whom Jack Kennedy fell in love, almost at first sight.

 

 

·      Seina Haydon, who agreed to marry Ken Holland for perhaps the wrong reasons but  kept his photo close all her life.

 

 ·      Patricia Foley, who fell in love with John Crossman at 16 and never got over his death.

 

·      ·     Rusty Sheen, the only partner of the ‘eight’ to enjoy a lifelong marriage with her fighter pilot husband.   

 

 Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain has a recommended retail price of $A49.99. It will be available from all good booksellers throughout Australia. Naturally, Alexander Fax Booksellers will stock signed copies and will offer a 10% discount. Postage and packaging will be additional.
 

 Alexander Fax Booksellers is now taking preorders for Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain. We are not taking payments, now; we just need an expression of interest so we know how many to order from NewSouth! If you haven’t already preordered (or want to confirm that yes, we have you on the list), you can follow the link at http://www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au/australians-few-and-battle-britain or email  alexfax@alexanderfaxbooks.com.au

If you prefer to order via your favourite local (Australian) bookshop, here is what you need to tell them:
Title: Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain, Author: Kristen Alexander
Publisher: NewSouth, ISBN 9781742234151  

 I look forward to sharing with you what I have discovered about Jack Kennedy Stuart Walch, Dick Glyde, Ken Holland, Pat Hughes, Bill Millington, John Crossman and Des Sheen. I will of course tell everyone I know about Australia’s Few and the Battle of Britain. Details are already on my website, and that of Alexander Fax Booksellers, and on our Facebook pages. Please help spread the news to your family and friends, and anyone interested in Australia’s aviation history, by word of mouth or social media, so that more people can learn of the bravery of these young men, and their part in the world’s greatest air war.

www.kristenalexander.com.au

https://www.facebook.com/australiasfew
https://www.facebook.com/KristenAlexanderAuthor
Twitter: Kristen Alexander @kristenauthor
www.alexanderfaxbooks.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/AlexanderFaxBooksellers

 

Australia's Few. 9 September 1940

After Des Sheen’s second bale-out on 5 September, he was initially taken to a ‘wizard hospital’, a private mansion which had been converted, and which already housed two others from 72 Squadron. As London was blitzed, Des, in his hospital bed, had been witness to:

‘lots of scrapping lately and to see the size of the Jerry formations from the ground even has been unbelievable...hundreds in each. Have also seen quite a few go down as some of the fighters were right over our head and one Jerry jettisoned his bombs which fell about 50 yards from our hospital Up till when we left they were still unexploded’.

Despite the aerial shows, he had a ‘grand time’ for a few days but on 9 September were moved to an ‘awful’ hospital just outside London where he had even more of a grandstand view of the blitz:

‘We get it every night now too and last night heard nothing but machines, bombers and AA fire all night. I think the invasion is about to start but luckily after an incredible spell of too perfect weather clouds and rain have started to appear.’

It is interesting to speculate if Desmond’s experiences of air raids while he was hospitalised inspired his father to develop in 1942 a new, inexpensive type of air raid shelter, especially designed to provide safer and more comfortable protection for hospital patients. He considered it ‘ridiculous to think of putting people who are seriously ill in open trenches’.

 

A later life photo of Des and his parents

Australia's Few. 5 September 1940

The Luftwaffe continued its assault on the airfields of the south east. Although back at Croydon by 5 September, 72 Squadron was ordered to Hawkinge for the day to patrol that station. Because of casualties of personnel and machines, only eight Spitfires were airborne. Des was leading in X4034. At 2.25 p.m. they encountered two formations of Messerschmitt 109s. They were climbing to get above the raid when Des:

 

‘heard a shout of warning from one of our fighters weaving behind but before I could do anything about it there was a terrific bang from behind the cockpit and the aircraft shuddered from what must have been an accurate and heavy burst from dead astern. I knew I had been hit in the leg and my left hand showed signs of flying fragments. I think that the explosion must have been from the oxygen bottle as I quickly passed out’.

 

When he came, he realised his Spitfire was diving vertically and out of control. He then:

‘tried the control column but it was useless so I prepared to bale out. As soon as I undid my harness the suction lifted me out of the cockpit. Unfortunately, it did not quite do the job and in some strange way my feet caught under the windscreen. There I was in a flat out dive, lying along the top of the cockpit with my feet fastened. I had given up hope when my feet suddenly became free and almost by instinct I suppose, I pulled the ripcord from my parachute. I discovered afterwards that I was only about 800 feet up when I pulled the cord...By the law of averages I should have been killed. I fell into the middle of a wood near Canterbury and climbed through the boughs of a tree.’

Des then crawled through the forest to a path and discovered that he had acquired an audience. As the crowd watched, a policeman approached on a bicycle, pulling a very welcome flask from his pocket. Des suffered only a few scratches from the fall but his battle injuries had to be taken care of so he was whisked away to hospital to recover.

Flight Lieutenant Desmond Sheen had survived his second bale out in a week. Recognising his good fortune, he later told his parents that ‘[I] must admit I have a knack of getting into and out of trouble’. He certainly did. But for Des the Battle of Britain was now effectively over. The war was a little over 12 months old and he was just shy of his 23rd birthday. With all his experiences under his belt, felt ‘practically grown up’.

 

Australian's Few. 3 September 1940

According to Des Sheen, he was in the air on 3 September when ‘we attacked about 20 Me 110s and 20 bombers trying a low level penetration near Dungeness ... I was flying top cover at the time but went down to attack a Me 110 which was supposed to be escorting the bombers. I clobbered the port engine and this aircraft turned inland. This was quite a good party’. But most of the squadron were stood down on 3 September and 72 Squadron’s ORB records no activity that day. Des’s recollection, however, does accord with the ORB’s 2 September report of a patrol where Do 17s and Me 110s were sighted five miles south of Dungeness. ‘The enemy was attacked first from astern and later a beam attack was made. Four Me 110s were damaged.’

 

If Des’s clobbered Messerschmitt was included in this total, it was not acknowledged in the post war tally sheets. Des later admitted that the details of this period were sketchy and his sense of timing was confused. ‘So much has happened the last week ... It seems ages since we came south but actually it’s only about five or six days ago. ... [We] have been ever since flying darn nearly all day every day’.

 

These days might have been a bit hazy for Des Sheen but there was one thing he remembered clearly. His promotion to Flight Lieutenant, effective from 3 September, had come through. He had been expecting it as he announced to his parents: ‘Have got my second stripe at last’!

 

 

Australia's Few. 1 September 1940

On 1 September 1940, Des Sheen and 72 Squadron took part in their first combat since coming south. Roughly 30 Dornier light bombers, escorted by about the same number of Messerschmitt Me 109E single-engine fighters were sighted at Tunbridge Wells.

 

Des lined up a bomber and then ‘glanced behind and found six Me 109s bearing down on me’. He ‘mixed for quite a time’ with them. As he frantically twisted and turned, he ‘collected a shell in the engine. After I had disengaged I was climbing to reengage ... when the Spitfire started to burn’. He ‘was left with no option’. He rolled his Spit on its back and pushed the stick forward. The aircraft bunted and he was out, ‘clean as a whistle’. He somersaulted, straightened out and counted to ten before pulling the ripcord. ‘The parachute opened smoothly and there was a reassuring jolt, as it took effect’. His descent, ‘which took some time, was very pleasant’ but not without a sense of danger. ‘Quite close to me a Messerschmitt 109 went down vertically in flames’ and ‘another Me 109 turned towards me but a Spitfire turned onto his tail and both quickly disappeared. Des was fortunate the Me 109’s attention was deflected from him. ‘The Jerries shoot us coming down now and as I was surrounded didn’t feel too happy.’ As it happened, ‘quite a few Jerries were shot down so I was lucky and got away with it’.

 

Des’s Spitfire crashed at Court Lodge Farm and he landed in a field at Ashford ‘with nothing but a slight jar’. He released his harness and started to roll up the parachute. ‘A young girl came up and eyed me shyly and a few minutes later a young army lieutenant appeared on the scene, doubtfully waving his revolver in my general direction ... wondering whether I was a German.’

 

Australians were not common in the RAF at that stage of the war and the lieutenant did not recognise the dark blue uniform as belonging to an ally. Des ignored the revolver. He continued to pick up his parachute and started to chat with the soldier. All was soon sorted out and Des was staked a meal and a welcome shave at the lieutenant’s mess.

 

1 September was also the day Des Sheen traded in his RAAF uniform for RAF kit and sewed an ‘Australia’ patch on his shoulder. He would not be mistaken for the enemy again.

 

 

Australia's Few. 16 August 1940

After his hectic session in the air the day before, Des Sheen had the day off. He might not have realised it at the time but Acklington was once again becoming an aerial backwater. With no flying duties on offer, Des decided to pen a long overdue letter to his family. He had received two letters from them that week, both taking many weeks to arrive and he was concerned that his parents were worrying unduly about him.

You seem rather depressed by the way things are going. Trouble is you are all too far away. If you could see the confidence the people here have it would amaze you as it has me.

Things really aren’t too bad. The last 4 or 5 days have cost the German air force nearly 400 aircraft, probably more. As a result the RAF is quite popular and it’s good to know our service is appreciated.

Food is plentiful and the public laugh at the invasion. Not that they don’t expect it but they are determined to make it fail. The confidence is incredible...So what the devil—why worry?

Young Des with his parents, Harriet and Walter Sheen. 

Australia's Few. 15 August 1940

On 15 August, the Luftwaffe launched a day-long series of attacks designed to saturate RAF defences. Almost all of Britain was within range of enemy bombers.
 

A heavy raid aimed at Edinburgh was identified. Just after midday, 72 Squadron were directed to intercept it. Their eleven Spitfires met a large formation of He111 bombers and their escort of Me110s. It was a mighty force, the largest Des Sheen ever encountered. All he saw was line upon line of bombers.
 

72 Squadron attacked. The enemy formation split up and Des eased himself into a defensive circle formed by the Me110s. He closed on one and opened fire. It exploded in a mass of debris.
 

He spotted another defensive circle. He aimed at a Messerschmitt but missed. He quickly lined up another and fired again. Success! Flame and smoke poured from its engine. The stricken fighter attempted to ram Des’s Spitfire but Des dived steeply and it disappeared, burning furiously. The sky then emptied; the battle had moved on. He was low on fuel so returned to base. Combat had lasted just five minutes.
 

Des noted in his log book his claims of two Me 110s and a ‘squadron bag’ of eleven. His personal total was now 3 1/3 destroyed. He recalled that the atmosphere at Acklington at the end of the day was ‘very elated ... because it was the first action for some of them and it was a successful day out.’
 

It was also a successful day for Australians. Bill Millington of 79 Squadron shot down three German bombers. In the South, John Pain of 32 Squadron, the youngest Australian in the Battle of Britain, probably destroyed a Me 109 and Pat Hughes of 234 Squadron, shot down one Me 110 and shared another destroyed.
 

Fighter Command more than held its own in what was for far the largest air battle in which it had engaged. 76 enemy aircraft had been shot down but at a cost. Fighter Command lost 34 aircraft destroyed and 17 killed, including 25-year-old Western Australian Pilot Officer Frank Cale of 266 Squadron, who had attended the same school as Dick Glyde and had received his RAF short term commission in May 1939. An Australian also joined the ranks of prisoners of war when Pilot Officer Vincent Parker of 234 Squadron, was picked up by a German launch after baling out near the Isle of Wight.
 

Despite Fighter Command’s the losses, Winston Churchill described 15 August 1940, the day that became known to the Luftwaffe as ‘Black Thursday’, as ‘one of the greatest days in history’. Fighter Command rightly claimed victory in the largest air battle in which it had engaged.

 

 

Australia's Few. 31 July 1940

At Acklington on 31 July 1940, Bill Millington lined up with his squadron to welcome Air Commodore Nicholas and Wing Commander Reas-Jones who were visiting. They officially passed out 79 Squadron operationally and the boys celebrated by carrying out attacks and formation flying. Before they knew it, they would be on readiness. But would they be in action?

 

 

Bill Millington

 

Des Sheen, also installed at Acklington with 72 Squadron, found that life up north was very quiet and he bemoaned the fact that ‘I’ve not had a scrap’ since December. ‘Other Fighter Command squadrons seem to have had all the luck.’

 

 

Des Sheen

 

Over the last weeks especially, when they had not been frustrated by poor weather, his confreres had just been on training flights and routine readiness with the usual sort of non productive convoy patrols. There was a least the memory of some funny moments to relieve the boredom. When he had first arrived at Acklington in March 1940 (before his stint in France) there were no runways and the ground was waterlogged and very soft, making take-offs difficult. On one memorable occasion, Squadron Leader Ronald Lees (now posted elsewhere) found just how soft, tipping his Spitfire on its nose when he landed. He climbed out and promptly declared that the airfield was unserviceable for Spitfires! Desmond recalled that Spitfire could only be taxi-ed with someone sitting on the tail. It ‘needed great care, with its narrow track undercarriage and small wheels—and the great weight of the Merlin engine’.

 

 Ronald Lees