- Geoffrey Wellum
Flight Lieutenant Geoffrey Wellum DFC (b.4 August 1921 ) is aBattle of Britain Britishfighter pilot and author.Early life and education
Wellum was born in
Walthamstow ,England . An only child, he was educated at Forest School,Snaresbrook .Career
1921-1942
Aged seventeen, he signed up on a short-service commission with the
Royal Air Force in August 1939. He led a distinguished career in theWorld War II , flying Spitfires with 92 Squadron in theBattle of Britain , before being transferred to 65 Squadron in Debden, and being promoted to Flight Commander in March 1942.Towards the end of 1942, Wellum was transferred to
Malta , where he flew inOperation Pedestal , leading a group of nine Spitfires from the carrierHMS Furious toLuqa , to aid the defence of Malta.1943-1961
Wellum suffered severe
combat fatigue after three years intense flying, due to the immense strain that frontline British fighter pilots were put under during that period. He returned to Britain, becoming a test pilot on theHawker Typhoon , based atGloster Aircraft . He finished the war as a gunnery instructor, staying in the RAF, first as astaff officer in West Germany, followed by a four year tour with 192 Squadron.1961 onwards
Wellum left the Royal Air Force in 1961, working with a firm of commodity brokers in the
City of London , before retiring toMullion, Cornwall .Published works
Wellum wrote a widely acclaimed book about his experiences during World War II, entitled "". New York: Viking Books, 2002 (hardcover, ISBN 0-670-91248-4); Hoboken, NJ: Wiley & Sons, 2003 (hardcover, ISBN 0-471-42627-X); London: Penguin Books, 2003 (paperback, ISBN 0-14-100814-8).
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