John Nichol (RAF officer)

John Nichol (RAF officer)

Flight Lieutenant John Nichol (born December 1963, North Shields) is a retired Royal Air Force navigator who was shot down and captured during the first Gulf War.

Early life

He attended the St Cuthbert's Grammar School on "Gretna Road" in Newcastle upon Tyne. He joined the RAF in February 1981 as an electronics technician; having signed up in 1980 and needing sufficient O levels. In the intervening period between school and the RAF, he worked in a large DIY store, although his employers were not aware of his military plans until they sought to promote him to management and he decided to tell them.

RAF career

He was commissioned as a navigator in December 1986.

On his first mission during Operation Desert Storm on 17 January 1991 which started at Muharraq Airfield, an ultra-low level daylight mission on Ar Rumaylah airfield, while acting as number two to Squadron Leader Paul "Pablo" Mason with RAF Bruggen-based XV Squadron, his Panavia Tornado " [http://www.aeroflight.co.uk/pics/gulfwar/torn/Tornado%20GR%201%20ZD791%20(BG-B)%20lost%20over%20Iraq.jpgZD791] " was fatally hit by a shoulder-launched SAM SA-14, and he and John Peters were captured by the military of Iraq. [http://www.aircadetonline.com/flash_site/news_pablo_mason.htm 121 Sqn. ATC - News - Pablo Mason ] ] After capture he was shown, bruised, on Iraqi television. He was tortured in the Abu Ghraib prison. John Nichol was released by the Iraqis at the end of the Gulf War. He remained in the RAF until March 1996 [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/witness/january/17/newsid_2641000/2641621.stm BBC News - 1991: Tornado down] ]

On repatriation by the Red Cross, Nichol co-authored a book, "Tornado Down", with his pilot John Peters, about this experience.

Author and broadcaster

He has gone on to write fiction. He now makes occasional appearances on British television. John also makes occasional appearances on the radio as a stand in presenter on talkSport and is available as a motivational speaker. [ [http://www.speakers-uk.com/profile.phtml?id=158&act_id=2&sid=81 Flight Lieutenant John Nichol | speakers | Celebrity speakers | Speakers UK ] ]

Since 'Tornado Down', Nichol has written over ten books including five novels 'Point of Impact', 'Vanishing Point', 'Exclusion Zone', 'Stinger' and 'Decisive Measures'. His latest books provide extensive eyewitness accounts of World War II history and include 'The Last Escape' [ [http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Book/BookDisplay/0,,9780141003887,00.html The Last Escape - John Nichol, Tony Rennell - 2002 Penguin UK] ] which tells the harrowing story of Allied POWs in the closing stages of the war, 'Tail-End Charlies' which gives an insight into the final battles of the Allied bomber campaign in WWII and 'Home Run' which recounts the experiences of escaped Allied POWs evading capture in Europe behind enemy lines.

Personal life

He lives in Hertfordshire. His daughter was born in 2005. His parents live in North Shields.

ee also

*The March (1945) The Last Escape

References

External links

* [http://www.johnnichol.com John Nichol's Web Site]
* [http://www.penguin.co.uk/nf/Author/AuthorPage/0,,1000011864,00.html Penguin biography]
* [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1956249/ IMDb]
* [http://www.ejection-history.org.uk/aircraft_by_type/tornado.htm Tornado ejections]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Nichol — is a surname, and may refer to B. P. Nichol, Canadian poet Caleb Nichol, fictional character from The O.C. Gene Nichol, former College of William Mary president Hailey Nichol, fictional character from The O.C. Helen Nichol, Canadian badminton… …   Wikipedia

  • No. 15 Squadron RAF — No. XV (Reserve) Squadron Active 1 March 1915 (RFC) Role Strike/attack …   Wikipedia

  • Churcher's College — Motto Credita Caelo Established 1722 Type Public School Religion …   Wikipedia

  • 2000 New Year Honours — The insignia of the Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George: Andrew Wood was awarded the Grand Cross in this Honours list. The New Year Honours 2000 for the United Kingdom were announced on 31 December 1999, to celebrate the year… …   Wikipedia

  • The March (1945) — The March refers to a series of death marches during the final stages of the Second World War in Europe. Over 80,000 Allied PoWs were force marched westward across Poland, Czechoslovakia and Germany in appalling winter conditions, lasting about… …   Wikipedia

  • Stalag Luft III — (Stammlager Luft, or Permanent Camp for Airmen #3) was a German Air Force prisoner of war camp during World War II that housed captured air force personnel. It was near Sagan, now Żagań in Poland, 100 miles (160 km) southeast of Berlin. The site… …   Wikipedia

  • List of World War II topics (W) — # W, or the Memory of Childhood # W. Andersen # W. Browning # W. D. Workman, Jr. # W. G. E. Luddington # W. G. G. Duncan Smith # W. George Bowdon, Jr. # W. H. Murray # W. Jason Morgan # W. L. Rambo # W. M. W. Fowler # W. Marvin Watson # W. N. T.… …   Wikipedia

  • James 'Dixie' Deans — (1913 18th February 1989) was a RAF sergeant and WWII bomber pilot who was shot down in 1940 and became a well known prisoner of war Camp Leader. [ [http://www.rafinfo.org.uk/rafexpow/rafexpow dixie.html Dixie Deans MBE RAF Ex POW Association] ]… …   Wikipedia

  • Fictional military aircraft — are imagined aircraft which are used in fiction, in its various media, but do not exist in the real world. These aircraft may be conjectured variants of real world aircraft or they may be completely fabricated by the author. Contents 1 Fictional… …   Wikipedia

  • The Way to the Stars — Infobox Film name = The Way to the Stars caption = director = Anthony Asquith producer = Anatole de Grunwald writer = Terence Rattigan Anatole de Grunwald Richard Sherman John Pudney (poems) starring = Michael Redgrave John Mills Rosamund John… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”