Ten Fighter Boys
The extraordinary stories of ten fighter pilots, told in their very own words during the Second World War.First published by Collins in 1942, this utterly compelling collection of first-hand accounts of ten fighter pilots’ experiences at the helm of the Spitfires of 66 Squadron paints one of the most realistic depictions of the battle for the skies over wartime Europe.Offering incredible personal insights into the wartime experience – both in the air and on the ground – the stories are told with unaffected zest, by men who were living in the constant presence of death.Five of the original contributors were killed before the book was originally printed, including the books editors, Wing Commander Athol Forbes and Squadron Leader Hubert Allen. Jimmy Corbin, the last surviving contributor and author of the foreword, passed away in December 2012.Written right in the middle of the war, in the pilots’ own words, Ten Fighter Pilots is a truly original and unique account of a terrifying time.
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Ten Fighter Boys
Edited by
Wing-Commander Athol Forbes, D.F.C.
and
Squadron-Leader Hubert Allen, D.F.C.
To the Memory of PETER STUDD, KEN GILLIES, GEORGE CORBETT, Sgt. SMITH, JOHNNY MATHER, MAXY MAXWELL, BUTCH BAKER, MOULDY MILDREN, PETER KING, Flight-Sergeant HAYMAN, Sgt. Rob TAYLOR, Sgt. GREEN, Sgt. CLAUDE PARSONS, TED HOGG, PICKLE PICKERING, and BOGLE BODIE, all of the old squadron, who lost their lives as they would have wished, flying SPITFIRES in defence of their country, is this book very humbly dedicated.
Table of Contents
DOUG HUNT
JOHN ‘DUREX’KENDAL
JIMMY ‘BINDER’ CORBIN
CRELIN ‘BOGLE’ BODIE
ROBERT ‘OXO’ OXSPRING
MAX MAXWELL
HUBERT ‘DIZZY’ ALLEN
ATHOL FORBES
JOHN ‘PICKLE’ PICKERING
CLAUDE PARSONS
It was November 1940 and I and the other pilots of 66 Squadron were sheltering from the cold in the dispersal hut at Biggin Hill aerodrome, each of us glad to be back from another sortie. The conversation flowed back and forth, very little of it serious, then Sqn Ldr Athol Forbes joined us. He had aspirations of becoming a writer after the war. He thought it would be a good idea if we pilots wrote the stories of our experience while our memories were fresh from the heat of battle. He would edit them and have them printed and published. We eventually got round to this in early 1941 and ten of us handed our stories to Sqn Ldr Forbes. The result was the book Ten Fighter Boys published in 1942 by Collins.
The pilots were a mixed bunch from many walks of life and various experience as combat pilots – NCOs and officers. It is sad to say that some of the pilots were killed before the book was published.
My particular effort was written in about March 1941 when I was 23½ years old, the second oldest in the squadron at that time. It was always hard when we lost pilots but we could not afford to dwell on these occasions. We had a job to do and dying was a very possible part of the job. We all did our best and now I do my best to remember the good times and not the bad.
I was surprised and delighted when I was informed that Collins were re-issuing the book after all these years, over 66 years. It will be a very fitting tribute to my old colleagues of 66 Squadron, all of them no longer with us. It will also be great for any of their families and friends. They were a fantastic bunch of young men, all characters in their own way, good fun to be with and we always had a very strong sense of trust. I am proud and very grateful to have had the privilege of knowing them.
Looking back I think I really enjoyed my flying time especially in such a beautiful aeroplane, the magnificent Spitfire. It was an extraordinary time to have lived through, the fantastic sense of comradeship, and the trust between us kept us going through the many days often fraught with danger. We had our moments of triumph and of course fear and I was one of the lucky few to survive to tell the tale. I must finally add that the publishing of my book Last of the Ten Fighter Boys has brought me refreshed interest and many new friends. It was amazing that during my signing sessions a number of people turned up with a copy of Ten Fighter Boys for me to sign – an indication of how the book has been cherished over the years. Now it will be available for a new audience.
Jimmy Corbin
THE IDEA occurred to me one morning over a cup of coffee. My squadron had just returned from a sortie involving a spot of bother with a large number of Huns, and we pilot boys were taking it easy. General conversation was going on about what was to be done when the war had finished and there were no vacuum cleaners to be sold. Someone or other had decided to take a dozen battlescarred Spitfires over to America complete with war veteran pilots to give displays of aerobatics and fake combat over various parts of the States.
I remember thinking it a good idea. Then the idea of this book sprang to life. I had always been interested in journalism, and for some unknown reason thought that I would be some use at the game. I knew that after the last war thousands of books had been published on life in the trenches, aerial combat, naval actions, etc. But why wait until after the war? People would be so much more enthralled to read first-hand about events that were going on all round at the time of reading. Even more so if the book was written jointly by a few of “the few” who were still living through all these immense happenings.
And we got to work. We began in November, 1940, and here, after many months of trial and error, is the result, by ten pilots, most of whom have seen action in the Battle of Britain, and later, in the Battle of France.
Three of the original authors are now dead – killed in action. A number of other pilots started to write about their flying experiences with us, but they were killed before their work had assumed sufficient proportions for inclusion in the book. But of the ten pilots whose work you are about to read, seven are still alive at the time of writing. God only knows how many will see the war through.
