I read an account in the book "Eagle day" about this pilot and the events leading up to his award of the VC,it goes on to say that his wife went to see him in hospital,his skin was coming off in folds,she asked him "my darling,what have you been doing?" He just casually said "I had an arguement with a German"

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

Yes, the wives had it bad too, always worrying but also being brave. In the book "I had a row with a German" written by "A casualty" as it was written in 1941 but was by Tom Gleave who was also badly burnt. His wife visited him in Hospital and said "My, my....have you been playing with matches again?!!". It must have been terrible to be burnt in an aircraft and become a "Guinea Pig" but also difficult for the wives seeing their young husbands in such a bad way. Dave.

Remarkable young men, one and all, to whom we all owe a debt of gratitude we can never repay. To all those brave souls, Rest in Eternal Peace.

A very detailed account. The Home Guard's 'friendly fire' would be laughable but for the fact that a young pilot died.

@fibessnaredrum2775

Ай бұрын

Poor form firing on a bailed out pilot regardless of side.

An Englishman of best courage and character. We will remember them.

@garethjames1300

2 ай бұрын

Brave yes British yes will be remembered No look at the state of the UK now they simply dont care I was a air cadet in the 80s and been going to the nov memorial every year ever since and recently theres no one there in my home town the council moved the cenotaph to an out of the way place to make the park more sutibale for well I dont know but these men defended a country that no longer exists !

True hero! (as they all were) basically saying, I'm 'not worthy of the medal, I was just doing my job'. Lest we forget!.

As a point of interest. Nicholson's Flying suit is housed & displayed at the RAF Tangmere Museum in West Sussex. It graphically shows the amount of fire damage. Well worth a trip to go & see.

Great story, tragic end for very brave guy. I love the Typhoon tribute! Thank you for brave and selfless service to your nation!

Thanks for the presentation. RIP James Brindley Nicolson VC DFC. Lest we forget.

@davefellhoelter1343

2 ай бұрын

RIP GREATEST! "I Love You! Miss YOU!" sorry We gave away your sacrafices', and service for free, not even a fight.

The world owes everything to the men and Women of Flt Lt Nicolson’s and my Father’s generation. They stood between us and the horror that Europe and Asia suffered. They must never be forgotten. Per Ardua Ad Astra.

The RAF heroes known as the few will never ever be forgotten. The huge debt of gratitude we all owe them all to this very day is well enshrined at Duxford and Biggen hill. it's extraordinary to realise that many of the pilots had barely left school who faced terrible burns or death.

@selwynlambert1868

8 ай бұрын

Don't forget Capel-Le-Ferne.

Brave man

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

Indeed he was.

Excellent story, fine video, OUTSTANDING, exemplary courage by J.B. Nicolson. Many thanks!

Nice job N.H. Little lost this end, with 72 on Spits, Knowin a bit about J.B. Nicolson and he got shot town in a Hurri, on fire. Thanks for fillin in a lot more detail. J.B.Nicolsons of 247s been a bit of a hero, but so have others like Bader and Keith 'Bluey' Truscott. They were all heroes. Thanks bloke, keep up the good work, stay vertical Eh!

Excellently researched and presented video, thank you for this tribute to a remarkable, but in many ways typical pilot during the Battle of Britain. I was fortunate to be able to discuss the BoB with one of the “Few” a serving Fleet Air Arm pilot who fought in it. Quite why he was the only VC is a mystery, generally the battle for which it is awarded,has to be witnessed, but his section pilots had already departed before he was attacked and set on fire. IMO very many of those pilots deserved the VC, their courage, fortitude and skill overcame vast numbers of equally determined young men. The British (and other nations) pilots were fortunate to be over “home” territory which gave them much greater endurance, all we can say is “Thank you”/for their service. Those same thanks must be extended to all those who served and those who serve in HM Forces to the current day. Thank you.

So glad these heroic pilots were on our side.God bless all who served.

Truly a great geration but achingly sad.

A well researched video. Thank you.

Well there you go. so much cobblers spouted these days about heroes. well, these lads were true heroes to the definition of the word. My father served in 603 City of Edinburgh Squadron and he witnessed first hand, the terrifying bravery they displayed battling a determined aggressor. Those of us of a certain age will always remember them and their selfless dedication in defending our homeland. Good on yer boys.

A very detailed, account of the then Flight Lieutenant Nicholsons brave act winning him the Victoria Cross. As you recount he felt many others during the battle had done as much as he had "Only doing my duty". It's very odd that he was the only fighter command pilot to be awarded the VC, and there must have been some "Policy" in the Air Ministry during WW2 against putting forward the award, for there must have been a good few brave Fighter Command pilots who were recommended by their commanding officers for the VC who would only get the lower order of awards like the Distinguished Service Order and the Distinguished Flying Cross

@JohnSmith-ei2pz

10 ай бұрын

The Officers flying club hated the lower classes flying, that's why there are no non-commissioned airmen flying or navigating presently in the air farce! The Army are not as class orientated!

@davidelliott5843

10 ай бұрын

Not really, the Army just made sure the top jobs only got given to the upper class.

@paulhicks6667

9 ай бұрын

Nonsense. The upper class flying club mentality faded out of the RAF in the first year of the war, because most of the original pilots were dead. The RAF’s ranks were soon full of sergeant pilots selected on merit, and they in turn became squadron leaders and wing commanders. Pilots today are officers because you need a good education to fly a modern aircraft and naturally you have to reward pilots with officer rates of pay otherwise you wouldn’t get the best candidates. They are of course selected on merit. The army of course also had, and still has, some of that upper class bias. The mess bills in cavalry regiments are still expensive. ;-)

@JohnSmith-ei2pz

9 ай бұрын

@@paulhicks6667 Good education to fly? Sargeants fly in the Army! The RAF has a two class system!

My God, men like these. Most definitely - The Greatest Generation.

Thank you. I read about Nicholson VC DFC in Wings magazine in the late 1970s. You refreshed my memory and I subscribed.

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

Ай бұрын

I used to collect that weekly partwork as well... fantastic articles, and a study of a model aircraft on the back page each week.... Loved it.

A wonderful and thoughtful presentation. A beautiful remembrance of a time when heroism seemed startlingly commonplace. A nice piece of work indeed. Subscribed!

@TheNorthernHistorian

Ай бұрын

Many thanks!

He also flew mk1 spitfire k9942 which is at either hendon or cosford museum

My father being a schoolboy at the time,witnessed the fast descent of the other pilot with his damaged parachute, and also either Nicholsons or the others pilots Hurricane,coming down in a long slow dive,which crashed in the area of Lee which is between Southampton and Romsey.

As always, well researched & well narrated. Champion! 👍😉

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

Much appreciated!

Pilot seen @ 05:28 looks for all the world to me, to be none other than 249's "Tom Neil" Love that guy & I bought his book "Gun Button To Fire" back around 1991 - (I spent a lot of time @ North Weald) Not only did Hobbymaster do "his" Hurricane (GN-F ?) in 1/48th pre-painted diecast.... But also Tom used to regularly appear "on Televison" every time a 1940 documentary came up Always was a truly lovely chap

@ange9663

7 ай бұрын

Yes I thought that was Tom Neil, I also have his book "Gun Button to Fire". His book & all the documentaries I've seen him in with all those brave pilots recounting what they went through is just fascinating bless them all. x

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

Yes, I recognised Tom Neil. I have all his books. Also 249s George Barclay has a good book out. I have Nicholson VC but haven't yet read it. "Fly for your life" about Stanford Tuck is great also. "First light" is good too. So many of these brave men died so young. In Tom Neil's own words "The best that Britain could produce was lost". Dave.

I was lucky enough to metal detect the crash site of his plane, and whilst the majority of the wreckage was taken away shortly after the crash, we found many pieces of aluminium skin, bullets and cases that had cooked off. We also found 3/4 of the brass fire button surround with FIRE and SAFE :) The location is in Broadlands, nr Romsey.

The display at the Aviation Museum of Tangmere , of shirt, shoe and yellow painted mae west (rare to see an original yellow painted one surviving) worn at the moment he was shot up and burned has to be one of the most incredible artefacts from the Battle of Britain, such items that belong to actual Pilots hold an indescribable feeling of being priveledged to see such, but from that famous moment, incredible. There were other BoB aircrew as well as rest of the war also well deserving of the VC but never awarded.

Massive determination and balls.

How many airman descending by parachute would be shot at and in many cases, wounded or killed by the Home guard. By what right under the Geneva Convention could these actions be condoned by the War Office ?

Great videos enjoying them very much. The length is just right.

@TheNorthernHistorian

Ай бұрын

Thanks 👍

Your narration does Nicholson VC, and all those who served, due homage. Well done

@TheNorthernHistorian

9 ай бұрын

Thank you very much

Well done. Thank you very much

Great Video thanks. 👍👍

Fascinating and excellently presented !

i remember reading about him in a book very nice of you to highlight him

A very good account of a true hero.

Excellent presentation, Lest We Forget

Thank you. A very interesting account which has inspired me to plan a visit to the memorial in Singapore.

These are excellent and informative videos. I deeply appreciate how clearly and succinctly these compelling stories are told. Well done!

@TheNorthernHistorian

2 ай бұрын

Thank you so much.

Gahh bomber crew had it SO much harder and in a bomber he passed on, very sad! 😔😢 But also, what is with the Home-Guard shooting at flyers (even if they thought theyre Germans) descending in parachutes!? If they were German, they arent gonna be back in the war! Shooting that them was very bad form!!

@markgadsby5568

9 ай бұрын

Shot in the butt for your efforts! Honestly!

An inspiring story. Thank you very much.

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

More details of his last flight can be found in a video about the crash and the two survivors by searching KZread for Eric Kightley, James Nicolson, 355 squadron, Salbani. Incidentally, the photo shown here of his Liberator is a generic 356 squadron aircraft (white cross on the tail). 355 Libs had white stripes. Eric is (was) my father.

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

8 ай бұрын

Sincerest respects to his memory.

I was at Church Fenton 83 to 87, awesome place. I also trained at RAF Halton. So great hearing these places mentioned. Not sure why he got the VC, generally you have to single handedly turn the course of a battle. While definitely brave and determined, he was just like thousands of other service men of the time.

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

I think over the course of the war it did become even harder to win the VC. If you haven't already, I recommend watching the Jeremy Clarkson video on the VC. You'll find it on KZread.

@Johnnycdrums

10 ай бұрын

First of all, for any award like this, it has to be witnessed, written up properly by someone that doesn't hate you, and then kicked topside through a compliant clerk or secretary who knows the best time to present the report to the commanding authority. I know one guy that didn't think he should recieve any award whatsoever (failed mission), was first threatened with courts-martial, awarded a Silver Star that he said he didn't deserve or want, but ordered to get in his dress uniform, shut up and accept it. Same soldier, later awarded a Bronze Star, but he believes to this day, that he should have been awarded the same Silver Star, for which he states, he should not have gotten the first time round.

@markdavids2511

9 ай бұрын

And he went to the right school

Thank you.

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

You're welcome!

The only Fighter Command VC of the entire War. 20 odd awarded to Bomber Command crew. His combat was with 110s not 109s as stated.

Wonderful detailed account

The RAF names their Barrack Blocks after many of their most heroic Airmen. I lived in Nicholson Block at RAF Honnington during the late 1980s, so it was very interesting to watch this well told account of this brave pilot's life and unfortunate death. Thank you so much for remembering him on your channel.

@jimspackman8527

8 ай бұрын

Their VC10s were named after them too. "James Nicholson VC" was XV 107, I flew in it a couple of times in the 1970s.

@kevinrouse141

8 ай бұрын

@jimspackman8527 very true, I spent many hours repairing them in twin peaks at Saints, crawling thru the wings etc

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

8 ай бұрын

I spent a couple of months during my recruit training at RAF Swinderby in the 1980s in "Reid block", named after Flight Lieutenant William Reid VC, who piloted a badly damaged Lancaster bomber back from Germany despite being seriously wounded and with dead crew members aboard. Can't believe we will ever see their like again.

Great story of James Nicholson the world’s only VC during the Battle of Britain. Please do the story of the last dogfight of ww2 over Japan.

Got to subscribe t'yay, marra. It's very rare to hear w'or accent on a documentary.. they're excellent n'aall

We will continue to remember and try to live up to their example.

Awesome story..I loved it very much. Very sad ending for a very brave man.

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching

Respect

God Bless Them All. 🇬🇧

Wow! What a guy. The RAF treated me with respect. They had an excellent dynamic - hard work, hard play. CAVU skies to all aviators.

It is not widely known that the 1939-45 Star was previously named the 1939-43 Star. In the picture at 15:11 the two RAF officers can be seen wearing the ribbon before the end of the war, which unfortunately Nicholson did not live to see.

Salute to the heroic flight lieutenant,an all the hero's of the greatest generation 🇺🇸🇬🇧🇫🇷🇱🇺

I often think of those pilots who went up in old-fashioned planes, knowing they had little chance. To me, they were the bravest. They do say an Avro Anson shot down the first German plane, though.

I happened across a memorial to him the other week when I was visiting MOD Boscombe Down, formerly RAF Boscombe Down. Next time I am there I will take. Picture and post it.

Nice to desert you back, marra. I guess it’s difficult for fighter crabs to get gongs as they’re often on their own and if they are killed - as most vac tend to be - then there’s no one to report the feat.

As dog fights are bloody hectic and often out of sight of other military serviceman , there just weren't the witnesses to the many times a VC would have been awarded for bravery beyond the call of duty etc. That is why just one VC was awarded.... Just how many were earned and given must be many indeed.

Worth reading Gun Button To Fire by Tom Neil who served alongside Nicholson in 249 squadron who writes in detail about these events .

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the recommendation Jerry. I'll look it up.

@ange9663

7 ай бұрын

Agree, i have that book highly recommended x

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

​@TheNorthernHistorian There are a few good books about 249s George Barclay too. "Angels 22" is one. So many great books out there about the Battle of Britain pilots. Dave.

There is also a road named after him in Shoreham by Sea Near Ricardo Engineering

It is extraordinary that others didn't receive the VC (or even lesser awards for bravery), Richard Hilary, Bill Foxley, Geoffrey Page, Maurice Mounsdon, Billy Fiske to mention just a few including members of the Guinea Pig Club who were treated for crippling burns at East Grinstead Hospital by Sir Archibold McIndoe and his team. Many of the pilots treated by McIndoe and his team return to the front line and all too many didn't survive the war.

This was covered in Soto Cinematics. The first I heard of this story was from Matchbox’s “Badges of Courage”.

Great documentary. What a brave dedicated young man. A fine example. Thankyou for your sacriface.

Nice video as always NH. Thanks for paying respect to this warrior, may he rest in peace. I do believe he was played by ? Michael Caine if memory serves me right, in the 1969 movie 'The Battle of Britain' where his fiery ordeal was recreated. Tribute too, to the medical and nursing staff who looked after him. A shout out to Dr Archie Mc Indoe, who pioneered skin grafting in WW2, I think initially on pilots early in the war. Burns are really painful, bad injuries....really.

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

Thanks Ron. I enjoyed learning about this young man during my research

@ronti2492

10 ай бұрын

@@TheNorthernHistorian Good on you for concentrating on Raafies in your video topics ( being ex-RAF yourself as I recall from an earlier exchange here) ....one tends to get too focused on one's own service ( I'm serving Army) and I'm guilty of this. Its excellent to find out about heroes from our comrade services. Nicolson was young but at 23 years in 1940 he was already quite experienced and relatively 'old'. I think your video speaks to the 18 year old Pilot Officer who died-eighteen! A sign of the way conflict -and necessity and attrition-speeds up the process. I served alongside some of the finest 18 year olds in my country in Afghan: I always think about them when I hear 18 year olds copping criticism. Thanks again for the video!

@None-zc5vg

10 ай бұрын

I remember the burning pilot scene in the picture "Battle Of Britain": the pilot was played by Christopher Plummer.

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

8 ай бұрын

@@None-zc5vg MANY pilots of BOTH sides were horribly burned during the battle (and the rest of the war too).

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

​@@None-zc5vgYes and his wife was played by Susannah York. I remember Kenneth More saying to her "He's not dead Maggie" and she says "Is he badly burnt?" She just knew that he had been burn without being told. A great film!! Dave.

I'm pretty sure that the scene from "the Battle of Britain" where Christopher Plumber's character (Squadron Leader Colin Harvey) has a flash fire in his cockpit was inspired by his story...😮

Whilst Nicolson was in Burma he met Ginger Lacy who was the squadron leader of 17 squadron flying spitfires.

20, a pilot, flying a spitfire and engaging the Bosch over the channel. These days they have to be given a "trigger warning" before reading a book by Mary Shelley.

Only ONE VC for Churchill’s “Few”? I had no idea. Figured there were probably a dozen. Wonder why there weren’t more? We’d be speaking German if it wasn’t for those 2,000 brave men.

@Gunthazv2

Ай бұрын

Too modest RAF aces to even bring half of what they saw back down to earth

Respekt.

There are many WWII memorials in Singapore. From the picture you showed at 17:34 , that looks like the Kranji War Memorial, near the current location of the Turf Club, in case someone wants to visit and find the burial of J. Brindley.

I like your narration of events and I just subscribed. That being said, please note that at 11:04 and 11:35, you mention a Me Bf109 as being shot down, but the painter of those illustrations depicted a Bf 110. Yeah I know, nitpicking that doesn’t detract from the heroic of the action, it just detracts from the validity of its reporting.

What this narrative doesn't tell you is that a butchers boy on his bike saw everything, including the Home guard man with shotgun shooting Nicholson. The butchers boy gave the Home guard bloke a good pasting to such an extent that the ambulance took the home guard guy to hospital, leaving Nicholson who they didn't see. Nicholson went to hospital in the back of the Butchers wagon!! This was in a section of the book Nicholson VC that I read. I still haven't read the whole book yet as at the time I had many other fighter pilot books to read first. Dave.

I'm shocked to learn this was the only Fighter Command VC.

Replacing Spitfires with Hurricanes? Very strange for it was usually the other way round.

He was my great great uncle!

Don't forget the magnificent young Polish pilots, who had the greatest impact on the battle of Britain than any other group. Fearless to the end

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

7 ай бұрын

Yes 58.5 aircraft downed out of 1900 Luftwaffe losses, and of those 58.5 confirmed kills 303 Sqd Squadron commander, Sqd Ldr Ronald Gustave Kellett (British) - 5 confirmed kills 303 Sqd "A" Flight commander, Fl Lt John Alexander Kent (Canadian) - 6 confirmed kills 303 Sdn "B" Flight commander, Fl Lt Athol Stanhope Forbes (British) - 7 confirmed kills. And certainly not forgetting Sgt pilot Josef František (Czechoslovakian) - 17 confirmed Kills. "greatest impact of any group".... Nonsense.

@davesheppard8797

5 ай бұрын

Yep! 303!! I remember Pete Brothers (32 squadron etc;) telling a story about shooting down an enemy aircraft and Polish pilots were asking him "Did they burn?!!!". The Poles naturally fought with a lot of hatred and wanted revenge for the invasion of their country. Pete Brothers also said about the air fighting that "We were pretty serious, but we were really shooting at aircraft and the fact that there was a man inside it was just an afterthought. We were there to shoot down aircraft, the Poles were there to kill men!!" Dave.

Sharta (check the name, please, not sure of the spelling) Airport in Comilla, Bangladesh. I visited the place in 1963.

Do you have Patreon? I won't do Paypal, but would like to support you. You tell available facts very well.

I can't imagine deliberately settling back into a burning cockpit. Perhaps he thought bailing out was just as dangerous so figured he may as well try to kill one more enemy before his own demise.

Local schools next to where i live on the former RAF Skellingthorpe bear the names Lancaster and the other Leslie Manser. Two members of the aircrew based at RAF Skellingthorpe held the VC one beenFLt LT Leslie Manser and the other FLT Will RIED. Leslie Manser won his VC whilst flying from RAF Skellingthorpe. as a mark of respect in would be nice to see the Schools name amended to FLT LT Leslie Manser VC and in the case of Flt LT Will Ried VC he is not remembered except on an information board on what is now Birchwood Nature Park. With significant new inferstructure projects going on and around Lincoln it would be a fantastic act of rememberance if the roads and bridges and Schools etc could be named after the RAF's VC winners.

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

8 ай бұрын

I spent a couple of months during my recruit training at RAF Swinderby in the 1980s in "Reid block", named after Flight Lieutenant William Reid VC, who piloted a badly damaged Lancaster bomber back from Germany despite being seriously wounded and with dead crew members aboard. Can't believe we will ever see their like again.

My brother died in 2003, who remembers him? I do he was a super human being but that's the fate of all of us, we are really nothing

What a terrible shame. He should have been flying a desk by that stage of the war.

Lest we forget 🇬🇧🇦🇺

These pilots and ground crew were amazing. Shame the politicians have actively destroyed our country anyway.

poor lad , shot up twice by the home guard!

hard to believe how many "relocations" they did

Sad ending.

James Nicholson's Wife Muriel died in 2005 aged 100. So she was a fair bit older than her husband.

Are there any happily ever afters in these videos?

Harry Ricardo was an engineering consultant. He was not an engine manufacturer. He was good but even he failed to notice that RR Merlin’s were catastrophically failng because the oil pump was too small.

@None-zc5vg

10 ай бұрын

It was said in a newspaper article that the crash of Mosquito RR299 in the '90s was caused by the loss of power in one of the Merlin engines, resulting from a design flaw in the carburettor that hadn't been detected some 50 years earlier.

@jongulliver984

10 ай бұрын

The flaw was well understood and partly corrected by Miss Shillings orifice. I’m afraid it was the manoeuvre at Barton that caused the trouble.

@BrianMorrison

10 ай бұрын

​@@jongulliver984It was a consequence of a setup jig used for carburettor adjustment being incorrectly calibrated, if memory serves this was due to either a missing document or misinterpretation of an old RR document.

So close. So sad.

Imagine the German pilot seeing the flaming Hurricane behind him. "Ah, Die English is kaputt!...Vas ist dos?!? Gott in Himmel, Ich bin tot!"

What was up with thr Home Guard shooting at noncombatants?!

@None-zc5vg

10 ай бұрын

They were anxious to be seen "doing something"

@williamkoppos7039

9 ай бұрын

Trigger happy. Just as always, not everybody is a bright light. Sucked for Nicholson and his Mate. Even happened to the Japs, beat up by their own. Had to wear big red meatballs on their flying suits.

@walterkronkitesleftshoe6684

8 ай бұрын

A hasty and rudimentary training of a civilian militia who had been fired up during the period to be alert to the danger of enemy parachutists. Regretable but also understandable in the circumstnaces. SO many clueless armchair generals in comments who know everything about nothing.

@user-fh4qb9fs9e

Ай бұрын

Their homes, wives and children were being bombed. Tends to anger a man it seems.

The photo at 11:07 is a ME -110 , Twin engine fighter-bomber, not a BF-109 , So what is going on here? this doesn't match the commentary...

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

My research threw up a debate about the plane that he shot down. Whilst in hospital, he was visited by a squadron officer to write up a combat report. He declared his kill to be a Me-110. This 'official' account then went on to appear in illustrations of he event. However, other accounts seemed to dismiss this as there were no me-110s in the area at the time of the incident. A squadron of Me109s were the only enemy area in the area from II/JG 53. And in fact Heinz Bretnutz officaly claimed to have shot down 2 hurricanes at this time, King and Nicolson. I debated with myself which account to put in my script and went for the Me109 as it had more corroborating evidence. The Luftwaffe reports as well as eye witnesses that saw an Me109 crash into the sea.

@pvtjohntowle4081

10 ай бұрын

@TheNorthernHistorian OK but you could have mentioned that conflict in reporting in your narration of events so as to not confuse your viewers. Just a suggestion as I enjoyed this story about the only VC awarded during the BoB..

@mikevolante7663

9 ай бұрын

So what. Rakes nowt away from it.

Only doing his duty.... isn't that what all recipients of the VC say?

@TheNorthernHistorian

10 ай бұрын

That does seem to be a common thing

To have survived six years of war on two continents, only to be done in by a mechanical failure of your own aircraft is almost a mockery. Fate truly is no respecter of heroes. But of course, they were all heroes.

@williamkoppos7039

9 ай бұрын

Happened WAY too many times. "Killed in landing accident". "Killed after engine failure on takeoff". "Did not return, Presumed lost". So many ways to buy it, but they soldiered on and did their duty.

As soon as I found he was the typical public school RAF boy I buggered orf

@jamesavenell2368

9 ай бұрын

Lol mate. As a working class boy, I know where you are coming from. I know the public school system promotes false superiority of a certain alleged class above others of the general public but if certain individuals are worthy of moral mention, they should be accorded that, no matter of their upbringing. I shall revert to cricket. A certain player by the name of PBH May was public school educated, he was a cultured classic bat. Nothing can ever diminish that fact.