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[feeutfo]

Story of one of the youngest world war 2 fighter pilots. 18years old in a spitfire.
Tells his story today.

Will be emotional I suspect.

[jerry]

cheers chris, will have a look at that

[joshwyatt]

Just watched it Chris.
I found it very interesting, and emotional. I would urge anyone that missed it, watch it on iplayer. It's one of those programmes that makes you forget any of your own problems and think how lucky you really are, a very good programme indeed.

[feeutfo]

Woha, just watched the HD version, yes emotional.

"Was it worth it?" the man said....Jesus Christ. What a question

[Dishevelled Den]

Many fine young men gave their lives during that time;


[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDbkZoyBSA8[/media]



This was written by Pilot Officer John Magee RCAF (19 years old) shortly before his death in 1941.



http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=1349

[henryd]

I enjoyed it as well,I am not sure we will ever fully understand what those pilots went through and I hope there heroism is never forgotten

[Kevin Wood]

A very good programme, I thought. Was good that they dramatised most of it rather than just another documentary.

To think I was "touching fabric" when I first solo'd a glider. Add 1500 hp, someone shooting at you and your mates getting popped off one by one and it's hard to imagine what they went through to prevent us adopting English as a second language. 

Kevin

[feeutfo]

There was a documentary a couple of years ago, you may remember it, interviews with alot of the pilots stiil alive today, footage of stiil flying/restored spitfires, and recruiting young pilots to learn to fly in the two seated trainer with that lady pilot, os something along those lines....

...Geoffry Wellum was in that documemtary, fascinating, both programmes.

[feeutfo]

http://www.theartsdesk.com/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=2197:first-light-bbc2&Itemid=27

[Field Marshal Dr. Opti]

Yep....excellent and thought provoking...

[djac]

There was a documentary a couple of years ago, you may remember it, interviews with alot of the pilots stiil alive today, footage of stiil flying/restored spitfires, and recruiting young pilots to learn to fly in the two seated trainer with that lady pilot, os something along those lines....

...Geoffry Wellum was in that documemtary, fascinating, both programmes.

That will be the Grace Spitfire, owned and flown by Caroline Grace.

We'll be seeing a lot of her and her plane in the coming few days/weeks.

She was on the David Jason thing last week, and there's another program coming up with Euan McGregor and his brother that features the Grace Spitfire also.

[Marks DTM Calib]

There has been some superb programs on in the last few weeks about the Battle of Britain.

I watched one this morning on the Nazi channel Yesterday called 'Fighting The Blue' (its on again at 9.00pm). It was very informative, realy enjoyed it.

It also nicely exposed the truth of how Sir Hugh Dowding was the hero behind fighter command and how he was booted after the battle of britain was won becuase he told them how stupid the idea of 'The Big Wing' was (it required a mix of Hurricanes and Spitfires which had a 50-100mph difference in speed)

[redelitev6]

Just watched it Chris.
I found it very interesting, and emotional. I would urge anyone that missed it, watch it on iplayer. It's one of those programmes that makes you forget any of your own problems and think how lucky you really are, a very good programme indeed
Talk about forgetting your own problems- i was in a council house talking to the old tenant,a sprightly old bugger with a wicked (and dirty) sense of humour-turns out he was Torpedoed at sea and ended up in a japanese P.O.W. camp ! he seemed to have a slightly more laid back approach to life, as one of my collegues said" every day must feel like frigging christmas", somehow whining about a traffic holdup seemed not so important after meeting him

[hotel21]

My father was in the RN in WW2 and was a 3 time survivor after being torpedoe'd.  He departed this mortal coil in the early 1980's without ever recounting to any extent of his experiences to the family.  All the family know was that it was 2 Atlantic, one Med.

Greatest of respect to those who are able to recount their tales of courage and endurance, in all conflicts, not just WW2, so that we may learn lessons to avoid recurrence.

Sadly, we do not always act on what we learned....    

[Dishevelled Den]

My father was in the RN in WW2 and was a 3 time survivor after being torpedoe'd.  He departed this mortal coil in the early 1980's without ever recounting to any extent of his experiences to the family.  All the family know was that it was 2 Atlantic, one Med.

Greatest of respect to those who are able to recount their tales of courage and endurance, in all conflicts, not just WW2, so that we may learn lessons to avoid recurrence.

Sadly, we do not always act on what we learned....    

Sadly, we do not always act on what we learned

As it's in our collective nature (for the most part) H, few have and most never will.