Geoffrey Wellum in 2009 (Photo PeterPanPan (CC BY 3.0))
Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum DFC passed away on 18 July 2018, aged 96. A former RAF fighter pilot, he took part in the Battle of Britain in 1940. He remained in frontline service until 1943, when he became a test pilot on the Hawker Typhoon and ended the war as a gunnery instructor. He left the RAF in 1960.
His wartime memoirs, First Light: The Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in the War-Torn Skies Above Britain, were first published in 2002 by Viking Books. The book was adapted to film in 2010 by the BBC under the name First Light.
Sources:
F/L Brian Kingcome (left), CO of No 92 Squadron RAF and his wingman F/O Geoffrey Wellum, next to a Supermarine Spitfire at RAF Biggin Hill, Kent, 1941. (Photo IWM Crown Copyright)
1 comments
So sad but the reality is, World War Two veterans are well into their 90’s…so good to know those such as Geoff Wellum and others like Tom Gleave, Duncan Smith to name a few for example, did put pen to paper to preserve their experiences during those dark and adrenalin filled times. I recently read the memoirs of Sandy Lane, all the more atmospheric as written at the time and being aware of his pending tragic death on operations. I salute you.