First Light: Original Edition (Penguin World War II Collection)

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Writing with wit, compassion, and a great deal of technical expertise, Wellum relives his grueling months of flight training, during which two of his classmates crashed and died. He describes a hilarious scene during his first day in the prestigious 92nd Squadron when his commader discovered that Wellum had not only never flown a Spitfire, he'd never even seen one." An extraordinarily deeply moving and astonishingly evocative story. Reading it, you feel you are in the Spitfire with him, at 20,000ft, chased by a German Heinkel, with your ammunition gone' Independent This was one film where we had to get not just the emotional thrust right, but also the historical detail. There are a lot of people out there for whom this really matters - and I am one of them. Wellum claimed a Heinkel He 111 shot down on 11 September, and a quarter share in a Junkers Ju 88 downed on 27 September 1940. Two (and one shared) Messerschmitt Bf 109s were claimed "damaged" during November 1940. [9] 1941 [ edit ]

An intimate account . . . rich in detail' James Holland, Wall Street Journal, 'Five Best World War II Memoirs'Why I recommend this: Having spent many years flying the Airbus A320 myself this accident shows us the importance of aircraft design, and the training the pilots receive. As one of the most memorable aviation accidents in recent years, and as a testament to the training all airline pilots undergo, Sully explains in his own words how every part of his aviation experience lead to those few minutes, and the saving of the lives of all those on board. A definite contender for “best aviation audiobook”! At times thrilling, ordinary, self-deprecating, visceral, and tragic. To read the events of WWII through the eyes, ears, and feelings of someone so young, so vulnerable, and brave is something that is rarely found in published histories of war. This is action as it happened, told to you by somebody who was there, with a down-to-earth, matter-of-fact tone. One can't help be moved by his words, and reading it after his death made it all the more poignant. This is a great story and in finishing I would like to add the following comment from a great historian about this book: "A work of exceptional quality.....his prose has a passion and immediacy which make it compelling reading" - Max Hastings. First Light” by Geoffrey Wellum was a book I read in 2006 on a family holiday when I was a slightly disenchanted teenager who had all but given up on my childhood dream of flight. Finishing the book I felt a shift; my desire to fly was rekindled and I said there and then – I’m going to learn to fly. Years prior I had wanted to join the RAF but had been put off by some poor career advice and the teenage urge to “be cool” and fit in. I now made it my mission to gather the correct information and set about applying, properly. First Light, or rather Geoffrey Wellum, made that happen and it is right to say that the book changed the direction of my life. Three years later I walked through the gates of the RAF College Cranwell, to begin as a trainee pilot. We soon decided that rather than shooting costly air to air footage, we would use outtakes from the Battle of Britain movie - and enhance it with CGI.

Aged eighteen, Wellum signed up on a short-service commission with the Royal Air Force in August 1939. The first aircraft he flew was the Tiger Moth at Desford airfield in Leicestershire. Wellum's first solo flight was on 1 September 1939. Two days later Britain declared war on Germany. [4] After successfully completing the course he then went on to fly the North American Harvard at RAF Little Rissington with 6FTS. That summer Wellum was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. By September his time with 92 Squadron had come to an end, and he was tired. He was posted to an operational training unit and did not return to squadron service until February 1942, when he became a flight commander with 65 Squadron, at Great Sampford in Essex. Some months later, just after I had commenced Elementary Flying Training at Church Fenton, I received the devastating news that I, along with one hundred and eighty or so of my colleagues, was to be made redundant. After all avenues had been exhausted it appeared there was nothing that could be done about it. I was leaving and that was that. I wrote to Geoffrey again, having met him once more since Capel-le-Ferne, at the film premier in London for the dramatisation of his book, where he was attending as guest of honour. He was still full of beans there, and once again, signed off to our group of young air force officers with his familiar catchphrase. This time my letter explained the situation, how I was disappointed, but that I wouldn’t give up and asked if he had any advice.In the summer of 1941 Wellum participated in more than 50 "sweeps" over occupied France (also known as Circus offensives) flying escort for Blenheim and Stirling bomber formations, taking the war to the enemy. He claimed a Bf 109 shot down on 9 July 1941 over France, [9] and in August 1941, Wellum was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. [3] [10] This is an account that anyone who has an interest in WW2 aviation will be delighted in. It's well told, full of humor, sadness, and death defying flying and combat action. These men, as young as 18, flew one of the fastest and deadliest aircraft at the time and many didn't make it through the campaign or even their first mission. You read with sadness the loss of many good pilots and friends but still the men continue flying day after day facing terrible odds. We had access to a real Spitfire - and the budget for maybe 45 minutes flying time - but the Spit is a single-seater and there was no question of anybody but a very experienced pilot taking the controls of several million pounds' worth of vintage aeroplane.

He was then posted directly in May 1940 to 92 Squadron, flying Spitfires. He saw extensive action during the Battle of Britain. His first Commanding Officer was Roger Bushell, (later immortalised in 'The Great Escape'), and his close colleagues included Brian Kingcome GEOFFREY WELLUM, a veteran of the Battle of Britain, was the youngest fighter pilot (at 18) in the Royal Air Force (RAF) to have fought in that battle.Desperate to get in the air, he makes it through basic training to become the youngest Spitfire pilot in the prestigious 92 Squadron. Thrust into combat almost immediately, Wellum finds himself flying several sorties a day, caught up in terrifying dogfights with German Me 109s.

Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum DFC (4 August 1921 – 18 July 2018) [1] [2] was a British fighter pilot and author, best known for his participation in the Battle of Britain. Born an only child in Walthamstow, Essex, Wellum was educated at Forest School, Snaresbrook before serving in the RAF. After the war he remained in the RAF until 1961, and later ran a haulage business. In the mid-1980s he retired and moved to Mullion, Cornwall, where he wrote down his wartime memoirs. In 2002 these were published as First Light. Then in May 2018 it happened. I was due to fly to Duxford on the Friday before the May airshow to renew my DA, then exhibit for the weekend with the Typhoon project. The flight didn’t happen so I drove up instead, meaning I was there for dinner that night and went to the local pub where many owners and operators were known to hang out, especially on an airshow weekend. I walked into the pub on my own, saw John Romain, James and Anna at a table round the corner, waved, went to the bar and thought nothing more of it. Then, he came over and apologised for not recognising me in the light and invited me to sit with them for a beer as they were leaving soon. A little small talk, then, out of the blue he says “How many hours do you have on the Harvard, Sam?” At this stage there’s not many people who haven’t heard of Captain Chelsey Sullenberger (a.k.a. “Sully) and the amazing landing of an Airbus A320 on the Hudson River in New York. What most people haven’t heard though is the story (and the lessons) told first hand by the man who was there. But at that time, I'm sure, as he reflects in the film, he was desperate to fight on until the bitter end. Geoffrey Wellum didn't have time to visit us on set - but before the shoot, as I was scripting, we spent a huge amount of time together. And afterwards, during post-production, Geoff worked very closely with the CGI artists to make sure we got the tracer fire absolutely correct in the air battles.One plane was brown and green, the other brown and grey. And the real one was based at Wycombe air park and our replica was 80 miles away on the drama set outside Dunstable. Life for Wellum at the end of his career as a fighter pilot was never quite the same. "I am certain that my time came with my three years as an operational fighter pilot in our nation's finest hour. My only regret is that it had to happen so early in life". [12] Dates