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. 13 August 1940

Goering decided to launch Adlerangriff on 13 August but the early morning was foggy and thick cloud covered the English Channel. The meteorologists, however, predicted it would clear by the afternoon. Goering decided to postpone operations until 2.00 p.m. Unfortunately, the order to defer take-off did not reach all of his forces.

 

At Exeter, Dick Glyde and 87 Squadron’s B Flight were on dawn readiness. Fighter Command picked up a number of plots and dispatched squadrons to intercept. One formation was heading towards Littlehampton so, between 6.30 a.m. and 6.40 a.m., 601 Squadron from Tangmere and 213 Squadron from Exeter were sent to reinforce the defences of the broad area between Littlehampton and Portland. B Flight were ordered to assist 601 and 213. They were vectored to the Selsey Bill–Portsmouth area.

 

The main battle bypassed Blue Section. Squadron Leader Dewar, who was Blue Leader, Dick and Pilot Officer Jay had been in the air for about fifty minutes when they sighted a lone Junkers Ju 88 flying east about twenty miles south of Bognor–Selsey Bill. Dewar ordered Dick and Jay into line astern for the attack. The Junkers climbed into the cloud, but Dewar, Dick and Jay followed it. They saw it plunge, and they dived with it. The enemy aircraft came out of the cloud and Dewar was so close he had to break away; Dick and Jay also broke away, Dick to the right and Jay to the left. Dick and Jay attacked from astern and Dewar from quarter and above. The Ju 88’s starboard engine stopped and, about 30 seconds later, Dick, Dewar and Jay watched it plummet into the sea. Dewar saw one of its crew bale out but saw no one else leave the aircraft as it began to sink. As they left the area, only the tail was visible. Blue Section had successfully accounted for another enemy aircraft. Dick’s score was now 3¼ plus another 1/3 destroyed, 1/3 probably destroyed and 1 damaged.

 

Dick, Dewar and Jay formed up to return to base. Dick was in the rear. Jay looked behind and noticed white vapour pouring out of Dick’s aircraft: the Ju 88 had hit the glycol tank. When Jay and Dewar looked again, Dick had gone. He had plunged into the water off Selsey Bill.

 

Richard Lindsay Glyde, known as Dick to his family from an early age and Dickie to his squadron friends, was the fifth Australian to die in the Battle of Britain.

 

Australia's Few. 5 August 1940

5 August was a red letter day for Dick Glyde. He had been on leave for a few days but on the 5th he, along with 87 Squadron’s CO Squadron Leader Dewar and fellow pilots Flight Lieutenant Jeff and Pilot Officer David, attended an investiture ceremony at Buckingham Palace. Dick was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation, which related to his service during the Battle of France, stated that he ‘showed great dash and offensive spirit and himself accounted for four enemy aircraft’. He was the first in his old school to receive the DFC and his home town papers trumpeted the news that ‘Perth Man Gets Flying Cross’ and ‘Verve in the Air. West Australian Awarded DFC’.

 

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/46719654?searchTerm=verve in the air&searchLimits=

 

http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/79439410?searchTerm=perth man gets flying cross&searchLimits=

 

 

Dick Glyde was kicked out of the RAAF.

In March 1934, Dick Glyde was kicked out of air force training. It was a devastating blow but Dick was determined to fly.

 

 

Dick had joined RAAF Point Cook’s 15th course in January 1934, shortly before his twentieth birthday. It wasn’t long before he was in the air. He proved the fastest on his course, going solo after five hours of dual instruction

But Dick, who hailed from Perth, Western Australia, had little time to experience the joy of solo flight as he was discharged medically unfit for further service on 5 March 1934. His conduct and character up to that time had been ‘very good’ but a medical examination had detected a slightly crooked spine. When he was accepted at Point Cook, there had been subtle hint that completion of a cadetship was not guaranteed when he was advised that on arrival he would be a member of the Officers’ mess and required to give a £5 deposit to cover any debts in the event of leaving early. No one, however, really believed that they would be turfed out of training. But Dick had, and over something of which he had no knowledge; the defect had never been obvious and he had suffered no ill effects in a full sporting.

Dick was disappointed at being discharged from the RAAF but he did not simply accept the apparent inevitability of never flying again. He consulted a physician, carried out an exercise program recommended to rectify the slight curvature of his spine and within four months, the defect had been ‘completely remedied’. He got a job, saved for his passage to England was granted a short service commission in the Royal Air Force effective from 24 May 1937.