Yes, and he currently resides in Mullion, Cornwall, England. The secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure. "It was always the other chap. Geoffrey Wellum - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For Wellum the focus had switched to daytime sweeps, mainly over northern France. Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum was born at Walthamstow, on August 14 1921. For Wellum and his comrades the intensity eased, as Spitfires were unsatisfactory nightfighters, and the squadron moved into winter quarters at Manston in Kent. This account has been disabled. We have set your language to Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Wellum was educated at ForestSchool, Snaresbrook, where he captained the school cricket team.[3]. Try again later. The power of Wellums writing lies in its immediacy and lack of artifice. '", 'First Light' is published by Viking, 16.99, Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Quite often youd find yourself surrounded by aeroplanes and then the sky would be empty. Geoffrey Wellum was born on August 4, 1921 in Walthamstow, London, England. We will review the memorials and decide if they should be merged. "[3], Wellum's close colleagues included BrianKingcome. [11], The convoy was heavily damaged by German and Italian forces, and many ships were sunk. I'm not much for war movies. The film was first shown by the BBC on 14 September 2010 starring Sam Heughan.[19]. Among his appointments he was with the Second Tactical Air Force in Germany, converted to jets flying Gloster Meteors, de Havilland Vampires and English Electric Canberra bombers on reconnaissance sorties served at RAF Gaydon, and finally, in East Anglia, with a Thor intermediate-range ballistic missile unit. Sqn Ldr Wellum was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and was later promoted to flight commander with 65 Squadron. Colum MacKenzie (Gary Lewis) is Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) Uncle. After the war, Wellum remained in the RAF until 1961. During the summer of 1941 Wellum engaged Bf 109s and claimed one destroyed, one probably destroyed, and a third probably damaged. Spitfire pilots had an average life expectancy of four weeks. Wellum has contributed to various television documentaries on the Battle of Britain, including Spitfire Ace produced by RDF Media/Channel 4 (2004),[16] Dangerous Adventures for Boys produced by Channel 5 (2008),[17] and The Spitfire: Britain's Flying Past produced by the BBC (September 2011). I use WIKI 2 every day and almost forgot how the original Wikipedia looks like. Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum, who has died aged 96, was flying a Spitfire in the Battle of Britain before he was 19 years old. Verify and try again. My poor parents, they must have been very brave. Eventually, Wellum relaxed: "I found a new peace andgradually I seemed to unwind. The first aircraft he flew was the Tiger Moth at Desford airfield in Leicestershire. This is a carousel with slides. As the war progressed, so the "Boy" grew up. "I am certain that my time came with my three years as an operational fighter pilot in our nation's finest hour. He was a writer, known for Witness 1939: When War Broke Out (2014), Battle of Britain (2015) and Spitfire Ace (2004). Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you. He was a regular at his local pub, having never lost his taste for English bitter. Sorry! After a rest he was loaned to the Gloster Aircraft Company to test-fly the Typhoon fighter, and later in the war he became an air gunnery instructor. He is jovial, charming and lucid, even after three lagers, but his long-suppressed emotions occasionally threaten to overwhelm him. 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It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. 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. Heughan does a great job playing the part of a young inexperienced Spitfire pilot. In his evocative memoir, First Light (2002), he wrote: I look into the far distance, the vast panorama of sky. It was there that Wellum began his combat career, "chasing isolated German aircraft all over the south-west". He and his wife were divorced in 1975. From an early age young Geoffrey wanted to fly. He wrote: Will I ever know quite the feeling and trust and comradeship in a front line Spitfire squadron, and in such a period of our countrys history, ever again? He is now known world-wide. He worked for a family haulage business and, after that went under, spent time working as a commodity broker in the City. From the fort a bugle sounds the "Still" and not a soul moves". "[4], In the summer of 1941 Wellum was taken off active duty, and assigned to a training squadron: No 52 Operational Training Unit at AstonDown, flying HawkerHurricanes. He married Grace, his wartime girlfriend, and they had three children. He had a second victory in the summer of 1941, claiming a BF-109 over occupied France. After surgery, he returned from Malta to Britain via Gibraltar, and later became a test pilot for new aircraft, such as the new HawkerTyphoon fighter-bomber, based at GlosterAircraft. Wellum insisted that the drink be served in a tankard with a handle, the same as it had been at the White Hart in Brasted during the height of the Battle of Britain. Nothing else mattered after that, nothing was worth recording." Wellum remained in the RAF after the war and flew a variety of early jets. Wellum, still a teenager, got used to close friends never returning. Two (and one shared) Messerschmitt Bf109s were claimed "damaged" during November 1940. In the mid-1980s, . In rare off-duty moments, he relaxed and allowed the strain of fighting to ebb away by joining his colleagues at the nearby White Hart Inn: You had a couple of pints and had to snap out of it.. Geoffrey Wellum Wikipedia Republished // WIKI 2 The average life- expectancy of a Spitfire pilot was four weeks. At this time he began to develop severe headaches, "a splitting headache pain across my eyes". Geoffrey Wellum passes away (1921 - 2018) (UK) - YouTube Thats whats important, not medals or thanks., Geoffrey Harry Augustus Wellum was born in Walthamstow, Essex, in 1921. Many of the chaps became alcoholics.". In the mid-1980s he retired and . Geoffrey Wellum, Spitfire pilot - obituary - The Telegraph The marriage was later dissolved. Are you sure that you want to delete this flower? Wellum remained in the RAF after the war and flew a variety of early jets. A system error has occurred. There were new problems. Please enter your email and password to sign in. He was involved in dozens of dogfights over France and England. [3], To prove to himself that he had actually done something with his life,[14] Wellum took his wartime notebooks and wrote a longhand memoir of his time as a Spitfire pilot, that he never intended for publication. "I'd never seen a Spitfire before, let alone flown one, but there was a war on and they needed pilots. By summer 1941, the Germans had invaded the Soviet Union and there would be no more intensive bombing of southern England until the arrival of the V1 flying bombs, or doodle bugs, and V2 missiles in 1944. Geoffrey Wellum married Grace Christian in September 1943. Here they were, coming over our green and pleasant land, bombing everything in sight, I dont know what they were up to . In May 1940, on the eve of Dunkirk, so bad was the situation deemed that he was posted to 92 Squadron before his training was complete. Two days later Britain declared war on Germany. "I was shot up badly on three occasions," he says. Their son and daughter survive him and a second daughter predeceased him. I even began to enjoy [teaching] pupils". Now 80, he was just 18 and straight out of school when he began flying Spitfires, the youngest fighter pilot in the Battle of Britain. "Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few"Winston Churchilll, Prime Minister, 1940, In Ever Loving Memory, Sqn Ldr Geoffrey Wellum, DFC, 1921-2018, One of "The Few", In Pectore Robur, Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. Geoffrey Wellum, born August 4 1921, died July 18 2018, The Telegraph values your comments but kindly requests all posts are on topic, constructive and respectful. Not Ooh, this is frightening, but Oh God, this bloke is going to kill me. He joined the local choir, and eventually became deputy harbourmaster. Thereafter he briefly test-flew Typhoons and then saw out the war as a pilot attack instructor. "Only this week Sqn Ldr Wellum had been talking enthusiastically about attending the Memorial Service at Westminster Abbey on 16 September," he said. In a documentary to mark the 100th anniversary of the RAF he recalled seeing Spitfires at a fly-past. Looking at him through the site, getting larger much too quickly, concentrate, hold him steady, that's it, hold it". I thought, 'Hold on a minute, this is bloody dangerous! "[4], Soon after Dunkirk, 92 Squadron was transferred from RAFDuxford in Cambridgeshire to RAFPembrey in Carmarthenshire, Wales. People say, 'You've got to forget all this, it was a long time ago'. Learn about how to make the most of a memorial. In May 1940, before his flight training was complete,[4] Wellum was posted to 92Squadron, which was a combat squadron flying Spitfires. Born an only child in Walthamstow, Essex, Wellum was educated at Forest School, Snaresbrook before serving in the RAF. The comradeship in a fighter squadron that has survived the Battle of Britain is something that you will never be able to understand, he observed, and I will never experience again. Geoffrey Wellum - Wikipedia In his combat narration Wellum conveys something of the texture of battle, the imminence of death, aircraft straining for kills yards apart, the exhilaration, the surrealism, the terror, the speed and the Messerschmitt Bf 109s. Geoffrey Wellum was born in Walthamstow in 1921. Some of them men, mostly elderly, take off their hats and the womenfolk in their black hoods and cloaks cross themselves. When I was first given one to fly, he recalled, my emotion was almost intimidation. He attended Forest School, . . Wellum's first solo flight was on 1 September 1939. He was educated at Forest School, Snaresbrook, where he was captain of the cricket XI in his last term before joining the RAF on a short service commission. It felt like a thoroughbred horse watching a new rider and wondering how much to be bloody-minded. The first aircraft he flew was the Tiger Moth at Desford . Max Hastings in The Sunday Telegraph rated it one of the best memoirs for years about the experience of flying in war. In August 1941 he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. Your Scrapbook is currently empty. "I was 20 and, since then, everything else has seemed anticlimactic. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. He fell in love with the Vickers Supermarine Spitfire almost instantly. Geoffrey Wellum, Youngest Spitfire Pilot To Fly In The Battle Of 92 Squadron RAF at RAF Biggin Hill, September 1941. Given his youth, and a certain cockiness, he was known as Boy Wellum, a nickname conferred by his friend and mentor, Brian Kingcome. Ellie Cullen. It was the German you didn't see who shot you down. Next day,with no flying experience,he is expected to pilot a Spitfire;he is nervous but exhilarated. Try again later. After a year of constant combat, including 50 sweeps over France, Wellum was rested and sent to train fighter pilots. He left the service in 1960 with the rank of Squadron Leader. 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. Stunned, Holland showed it to friends at Penguin, who immediately decided to publish it. He returned from Malta to Britain, becoming a test pilot on the Hawker Typhoon, based at Gloster Aircraft. It was not so much that Wellum was a born writer although vivid set- pieces, such as his description of stalking a Ju 88 in the rain over the sea showed that he was as that he had a subject about which he felt compelled to write. That summer Wellum was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. I even began to enjoy [teaching] pupils". The sun glints on their wings and bellies as they roll like trout in a stream streaking over smooth round pebbles. Within days, a bewildered Wellum nicknamed "Boy" was joining such missions. Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print. In May 1940 eighteen-year old Geoffrey Wellum joins the 92 squadron of the Royal Air Force and is taken to the pub,where pilots who have seen action sign their names on a blackboard. Geoffrey Wellum was born on 4 August 1921 in Walthamstow, London, England, UK. [4] After successfully completing the course he then went on to fly the NorthAmerican Harvard at RAFLittleRissington with 6FTS. [3], Wellum saw extensive action during the Battle of Britain. Later, Wellum recalled: "You make yourself a difficult target. Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. The unmistakable engine tone of a Spitfire could be heard echoing over Mullion yesterday for a flypast in memory of Geoffrey Wellum. Two days later Britain declared war on Germany. Soon after arriving, the doctor told him he was "played out mentally and physically". of his instructors, he grew up quickly, although his age and cockiness earned him the nickname Boy. [4] On 9 September 1940, 92 Squadron was posted to RAF Biggin Hill in Kent, in the centre of the fighting. You may not upload any more photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 20 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 5 photos to this memorial, This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has 30 photos, This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded 15 photos to this memorial. Later he became a commodities broker. [6], Life for Wellum at the end of his career as a fighter pilot was never be quite the same. Having learnt to fly in Tiger Moths, he first went solo on September 1, 1939. After his final retirement in the 1980's he moved to the village of Mullion in Cornwall. [3][10], By this time most of Wellum's original colleagues at 92 squadron had been killed or captured; he survived owing to a combination of luck and skill. ", His first Commanding Officer was Roger Bushell, (later immortalised in The Great Escape), shot down with two others the day after Wellum's arrival, covering the evacuation of Dunkirk. [8], Wellum claimed a HeinkelHe111 shot down on 11 September, and a quarter share in a JunkersJu88 downed on 27 September 1940. It was the German you didnt see who shot you down.. [3], In the mid-1980s, with the family business in liquidation and his divorce pending,[14] Wellum retired, as he had promised himself in his youth, to The Lizard peninsula, Cornwall,[14] settling in Mullion. You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. Retirement. After the Battle of Britain, the squadron continued to fly from Biggin Hill, and during November Wellum damaged at least three enemy bombers. These are Huns attacking England, our small country, our island, intent upon invasion and eventual occupation. It is 40mph faster, has very good armament and a very high rate of roll". On hearing of the death of one of his closest friends he wrote, Why take young lives like Peters? Share this memorial using social media sites or email. Found more than one record for entered Email, You need to confirm this account before you can sign in. All photos uploaded successfully, click on the Done button to see the photos in the gallery. Include gps location with grave photos where possible. The reminiscences that he wrote a quarter of a century later were put away in a drawer for another three decades before he lent them to an editor at Penguin researching the period. After the war he remained in the RAF until 1961, and later ran a haulage business. Battle of Britain RAF Spitfire pilot Geoffrey Wellum dies
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