Geoffrey Wellum married Grace Christian in September 1943. Even at the height of battle, Wellum suspected that their heroism would be forgotten. It was Holland: Ive been trying to find you in every pub on the Lizard. He told Wellum Penguin was offering a substantial deal They picked me up off the floor and poured more scotch into me and the book, published in 2002 as, I enjoyed the film to a degree, he said later. My only regret is that it had to happen so early in life". No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments. The family settled in Epping, Essex.[3]. In 1953 he converted to jet aircraft and six months later joined No192 Squadron flying the Canberra on reconnaissance sorties. 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. With Sam Heughan, Gary Lewis, Ben Aldridge, Alex Robertson. Everyone who read the manuscript of Wellum's journey from confident 17-year-old schoolboy to his emotional and physical breakdown on Malta three years later, was engrossed. This officer has been with his squadron since the evacuation of Dunkirk. During the fierce air battles over northern France in May 1940 there was an urgent need to replace fighter pilots lost in combat. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile, Twenty-five years ago, Geoffrey Wellum was at the lowest ebb of his life. His business had failed, his marriage was coming to an end and he had recently lost his house. He claimed a Bf 109 shot down on 9 July 1941 over France,[9] and in August 1941, Wellum was awarded the DistinguishedFlyingCross. He was involved in dozens of dogfights over France and England. "I was 20 and, since then, everything else has seemed anticlimactic. Dear Jesus why this?. Try again later. He joined the local choir, and became deputy harbourmaster. Two (and one shared) Messerschmitt Bf 109s were claimed "damaged" during November 1940. He saw extensive combat flying Spitfires during the Battle and shot down an HE-111 on 11 September 1940. They were wooden and you used to buy them as a kit and I had 50 of the damned things. Thanks for your help! Later, in First Light, he wrote of the experience: "I experienced an exhilaration that I cannot recall ever having felt before. He was a member of the RoyalAirForceClub. By what name was First Light (2010) officially released in Canada in English? Use the links under See more to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request. 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. This is a carousel with slides. Geoffrey Wellum ( right ) and his commanding officer Brian Kingcombe. "The Air Force soon knocked that out of me. He composed a memoir of his wartime experiences that was finally published in 2002, entitled "First Light: The Story of the Boy Who Became a Man in the War Torn Skies Above Britain". Wellum suffered severe sinusitis and battle fatigue after three years' intensive frontline flying. He married Grace, his wartime girlfriend, and they had three children. Approached in 2000 by author JamesHolland who was researching a novel set during the Battle of Britain, Wellum lent him his unpublished memoir (see "First Light", below), Holland showed it to friends in publishing at PenguinBooks and, in 2002, Eleo Gordon, Penguin's editorial director, approached Wellum with a publishing deal[6][14] two decades after he had originally written the memoir. There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery. Geoffrey Wellum, who was just 18 when he joined the RAF in August 1939, died at his home in Cornwall on Wednesday evening, the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust said. From an early age young Geoffrey wanted to fly. [3] In 1943, he married Grace Neil, his wartime girlfriend, with whom he had three children. He then became a commodity broker in the City before setting up his own business. Geoffrey Wellum recalls the RAF's 'finest hour'. cemeteries found in Mullion, Cornwall Unitary Authority, Cornwall, England will be saved to your photo volunteer list. Geoffrey Wellum obituary - The Times Geoffrey Wellum passes away (1921 - 2018) (UK) - YouTube This officer has been with his squadron since the evacuation of Dunkirk. His father, who had served at Gallipoli during WW1, ran an off-licence. Failed to delete flower. He and his wife were divorced in 1975. He had been mad about aircraft as a boy and joined the service straight out of school. Aged 18, in spring 1940, Wellum was posted to 92 Squadron and it was then that he encountered, and flew, a Spitfire for the first time. 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. [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. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. It unwound me, but it couldn't get it out of my system. . "Most fighter-pilot memoirs are fascinating, but they tend to be anodyne, devoid of any emotional punch. ", 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. The book, First Light, ends here and the reader hopes for a happy ending. "I'd never seen a Spitfire before, let alone flown one, but there was a war on and they needed pilots. 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. Today, less than 300 of "the chaps" are still alive. Wellum remained in the RAF after the war and flew a variety of early jets. "All at once, crossfire: heavy and pretty close at that. Quite often youd find yourself surrounded by aeroplanes and then the sky would be empty. (modern). [3] In 1943, he married Grace Neil, his wartime girlfriend, with whom he had three children. Drama-documentary telling the story of Geoffrey Wellum who, at the age of just 18, was one of the youngest Spitfire pilots to go into . Lewis also performs well as the "father" to all the pilots. Several times he narrowly evaded being shot down. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again. Thereafter he briefly test-flew Typhoons and then saw out the war as a pilot attack instructor. "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. The sun glints on their wings and bellies as they roll like trout in a stream streaking over smooth round pebbles. It was the German you didn't see who shot you down. He was awarded the Freedom of the City of London.[15]. He joined the RAF at the age of 17 and served through the Battle of Britain, eventually leaving the RAF in 1961. [11], The convoy was heavily damaged by German and Italian forces, and many ships were sunk. The former squadron leader, who was just 18 when he joined the RAF in August 1939 . Geoffrey Wellum was born on August 4, 1921 in Walthamstow, London, England. Wellum had an extraordinary story to tell, and the book he wrote is a huge success it has reached number three on the non-fiction bestsellers list, behind Antony Beevor's Berlin: the Downfall and The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton. After the war he remained in the RAF until 1961, and later ran a haulage business. [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. . [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. But Geoff's was different.". The marriage was later dissolved. People say, 'You've got to forget all this, it was a long time ago'. Is Geoff wellum alive? 2023 BBC. The movie wasn't so much about Spitfires as it was on the affects the fighting had on the pilots. It would be a good film for a hight school history class. In a documentary to mark the 100th anniversary of the RAF he recalled seeing Spitfires at a fly-past. of his instructors, he grew up quickly, although his age and cockiness earned him the nickname Boy. In the mid-1980s he retired and moved to Mullion, Cornwall, where he wrote down his wartime memoirs. Wellum, right, in 1941 posing for Cecil Beaton with Brian Kingcome at RAF Biggin Hill, Kent, Wellum in 2015 with Jodie Kidd, the model, in Fairford, https://www.thetimes.co.uk/edition/register/squadron-leader-geoffrey-wellum-obituary-prswmxfsr. [11], In July 1942, Wellum was sent to Glasgow, where he participated in OperationPedestal, a convoy mission to carry supplies for the relief of the besieged garrison at Malta. First Light (2002), which was made into a BBC drama in 2010, was . It was there that Wellum began his combat career, "chasing isolated German aircraft all over the south-west". 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. He died on 18 July 2018 in the UK. The power of Wellums writing lies in its immediacy and lack of artifice. He remained in the RAF after the war. ", "Looking at my life now, I had peaked at about 21 or 22. Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request? There he shared the responsibility with an American office for three Thor ballistic nuclear missiles. Once I was inside, the Spitfire, quite frankly, flew me., His first CO, Roger Bushell, was shot down at once; Big X, as Bushell later became known, was executed by the Gestapo in the aftermath of the Great Escape. The youngest Spitfire pilot to fly in the Battle of Britain during World War Two has died, it has been announced. By September his time with 92 Squadron had come to an end, and he was tired. Search above to list available cemeteries. For Wellum the focus had switched to daytime sweeps, mainly over northern France. He left the service in 1960 with the rank of Squadron Leader. Although urged to continue his career as an author, he never found a theme that inspired him as much. "But what would I write about, darling? After a year of constant combat, including 50 sweeps over France, Wellum was rested and sent to train fighter pilots. He was technically inexperienced and emotionally immature. A few weeks later Wellum was in his local in Cornwall when the landlady handed him the phone. Wellum remained in the RAF after the war and served in a number of appointments in Fighter Command before serving as a weapons specialist in the Second Tactical Air Force in Germany. Two days later Britain declared war on Germany. The book became a bestseller and was adapted for a 2010 drama-documentary to mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain. The first aircraft he flew was the TigerMoth at Desfordairfield in Leicestershire. Please enter your email and password to sign in. Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried. I even began to enjoy [teaching] pupils". "It wasn't going to happen to you," he says, looking me firmly in the eye. He attended Forest School, . Later, in First Light, he wrote of the experience: "I experienced an exhilaration that I cannot recall ever having felt before. Wellum was stationed during the battle first at Pembrey, protecting Bristol, and then, from September, at Biggin Hill. Geoffrey Wellum: Prize fighter | The Independent | The Independent Geoffrey Wellum, Youngest Spitfire Pilot To Fly In The Battle Of Wellum left the Royal Air Force in 1960 and took over the family business. Geoffrey Wellum dead - youngest WWII Spitfire pilot to fly in the Battle of Britain who was just 18 when war broke out dies aged 96 The veteran, who was just 18 when he joined the RAF in August. 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. All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. There it all is, the whole arena for bloody battle, and there they are, the enemy. For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab. Never stay still, never fly straight and level, chuck it around. BBC Two - First Light Approached in 2000 by author James Holland who was researching a novel set during the Battle of Britain, Wellum lent him his unpublished memoir (see "First Light", below), Holland showed it to friends in publishing at Penguin Books and, in 2002, Eleo Gordon, Penguin's editorial director, approached Wellum with a publishing deal[6][14] two decades after he had originally written the memoir. Trout streams, water meadows, waders, fast-flowing water, the pretty barmaid at the inn. What is this life on earth all about? The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. It was like one of those wonderful dreams, a Peter Pan sort of dream". At school, I was captain of cricket and a monitor." Geoffrey Wellum, born . [14] FirstLight:TheStoryoftheBoyWhoBecameaManintheWar-TornSkiesAboveBritain was published by: Viking Books, 2002 (hardcover, .mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:#d33}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#3a3;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}ISBN0-670-91248-4); Wiley & Sons, 2003 (hardcover, ISBN0-471-42627-X); Penguin Books, 2003 (paperback, ISBN0-14-100814-8); Penguin Books, 2020 (paperback, ISBN978-0-241-98784-1), which contains a new foreword by military historian and novelist Patrick Bishop. At that point he had never seen a Spitfire, let alone flown one. There was a problem getting your location. I even began to enjoy [teaching] pupils". TheHistoryof92SquadronRAF, "YoungestBattleofBritainRAFpilotdies", 5 August 1941 - Flying Officer Geoffrey Harry Augustus Wellum (42925) of. GEOFFREY WELLUM, a veteran of the Battle of Britain, was the youngest fighter pilot (at 18) in the Royal Air Force (RAF) to have fought in that battle. And I say, 'I quite agree with you, but can you tell me how? [4] After successfully completing the course he then went on to fly the NorthAmerican Harvard at RAFLittleRissington with 6FTS. In 1943, he married Grace Neil, his wartime girlfriend, with whom he had three children. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. [18], To mark the 70th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, the BBC commissioned a one-off drama for TV called First Light, based on Wellum's book of the same name. Geoffrey Harry Augustus Wellum, pilot and writer, born 4 August 1921; died 18 July 2018, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, 2023 Guardian News & Media Limited or its affiliated companies. . Every night, listening to the news on the wireless 'Ten of our Spitfires are missing'.". 'Where's everybody gone? It was then that you were in danger. "That at some point in my life I had been of use.". Squadron Leader Geoffrey Harris Augustus Wellum DFC (4 August 192118 July 2018) was a British Battle of Britain fighter pilot and author. Max Hastings in The Sunday Telegraph rated it one of the best memoirs for years about the experience of flying in war. He was also stationed at RAF Gaydon, and in East Anglia. Drag images here or select from your computer for Geoffrey Harris Augustus Boy Wellum memorial. During the battle he had shot down a Heinkel He 111 bomber, and claimed a quarter share in a Ju 88. Most populous nation: Should India rejoice or panic? Even now, he suffers from bad dreams. [3] On 11 August 1942, Wellum led his flight of eight Spitfires, flying without ammunition to save weight (the .303 cartridges were replaced with cigarettes), and landed at Luqa airfield on Malta, joining 145 Squadron on air defence duties. Later he became a commodities broker. Yet Wellum struggled in civilian life. "I see you, you sod," reads one passage as he dives on an enemy bomber. Spitfire flypast for funeral of war pilot Geoffrey Wellum Born an only child in Walthamstow, Essex, Wellum was educated at Forest School, Snaresbrook before serving in the RAF. Please reset your password. There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Throughout the summer of 1940, in the skies above southern England, Wellum and his comrades battled the Luftwaffe to prevent invasion. Recalling his survival technique, he said: You make yourself a difficult target. Geoffrey Wellum, born August 4 1921 died July 18 2018. based on information from your browser. Their son and daughter survive him and a second daughter predeceased him. Wellum recovered from his breakdown, married "Grace", his girlfriend in the book, had three children and stayed in the RAF for another 20 years. During the summer of 1941 Wellum engaged Bf 109s and claimed one destroyed, one probably destroyed, and a third probably damaged. Many of the chaps became alcoholics.". The Battle of Britain Memorial Trust said it was "saddened by the news". Colum MacKenzie (Gary Lewis) is Jamie Fraser (Sam Heughan) Uncle. Percy had served at Gallipoli during the first world war and was commissioned on the battlefield. Next day,with no flying experience,he is expected to pilot a Spitfire;he is nervous but exhilarated. He joined the local choir, and became deputy harbourmaster. Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s). [6] Bushell was shot down and captured almost immediately after Wellum's arrival, and was later executed by the Gestapo in the aftermath of the "GreatEscape". Wellum left the Royal Air Force in 1960[13] and took over the family haulage business. Geoffrey Wellum - IMDb He has destroyed at least three enemy aircraft and damaged several others. Sam Heughan and Gary Lewis also start in hit Starz series Outlander together. By now, the Luftwaffe was flying a new fighter aircraft, the Focke-Wulf Fw 190, superior in all but turn radius to the Spitfire V, and the squadron took heavy losses. Make sure that the file is a photo. Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum DFC (born 4 August 1921), is a British Battle of Britain fighter pilot and author. At the end of July he joined others on the aircraft carrier Furious in the Clyde and sailed for the Mediterranean. Is climate change killing Australian wine? In the mid-1980s, with the family business in liquidation and his divorce pending, Wellum retired, as he had promised himself in his youth, to The Lizard peninsula, Cornwall, settling in Mullion. [11], In February 1942, he was reassigned to combat duties, being transferred to 65 Squadron based at Debden, where he was appointed a Flight Commander in March 1942. Born in Walthamstow, on the eastern edge of London, Geoffrey was the only child of Percy, who managed an off-licence, and his wife, Edith. Weve updated the security on the site. Geoffrey Harry Augustus Wellum was born in Walthamstow, Essex, where his father managed an off-licence. Geoffrey Wellum, the youngest Spitfire pilot to fly in the Battle of Britain, has died, aged 96. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer. He was previously married to Grace Neil. Wellum was a great supporter of the Battle of Britain Memorial Trust. He had never flown a Spitfire and his squadron commander, Roger Bushell, of Great Escape fame, was not impressed to receive half-trained youngsters. This browser does not support getting your location. Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. Wellum also appeared in the documentary "Greatest Events of World War II in colour," being interviewed on his experience at the Battle of Britain. As the battle came to a close at the end of October he was able to enjoy a rest and some leave with his family, but he missed his time on 92 Squadron, which he recorded as being the pinnacle of his life. Add to your scrapbook. The following day, four of the squadrons pilots, including Bushell, failed to return from a combat over Dunkirk. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel. Sitting in the lobby of a smart London hotel, Wellum is white-haired, smartly dressed and strongly built. Geoffrey Wellum was born in Walthamstow in 1921. [11], In February 1942, he was reassigned to combat duties, being transferred to 65Squadron based at Debden, where he was appointed a Flight Commander in March 1942. 'Where's everybody gone? It was then that you were in danger. He died on July 18, 2018 in the UK. It will enhance any encyclopedic page you visit with the magic of the WIKI 2 technology. . He was 21 and his war was over. It is 40mph faster, has very good armament and a very high rate of roll". We have created a browser extension. Two days later Britain declared war on Germany. [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. In air combat over France, Wellum's number two, Freddie Haskett, was killed by a Fw 190, and Wellum himself survived only by "throwing the spit all over the sky without really looking round". (One journalist who interviewed him for a national newspaper asked if it was the computer in his Spitfire that told him when his ammunition had run out. Find out more, Wellum, right, photographed by Cecil Beaton with his mentor in No 92 Squadron, Brian Kingcome, Wellum in 2002 during the launch of his autobiography, First Light, Wellum with the Prince of Wales during a reception at Church House following a service at Westminster Abbey to mark the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Britain, Jim Fox, British star pentathlete who exposed a notorious cheating scandal obituary, Barbara Young, actress with credits ranging from I, Claudius to Coronation Street obituary, John Cockcroft, Telegraph leader writer, Tory MP and passionate European obituary, Wee Willie Harris, eccentric Soho coffee-bar rocker who carved a place in pop history obituary, Ray Shulman, musician and songwriter who co-founded prog-rock favourites Gentle Giant obituary, Mike Coulman, dual-code rugby international for England, Great Britain and the Lions obituary. Initially posted to protect the port of Bristol in the West Country, Wellum found that he and his 92 squadron were being moved to Biggin Hill in Kent in early September as the RAF wisely rotated its squadrons in and out of the quiet and busy areas. The average life- expectancy of a Spitfire pilot was four weeks. I experience an exhilaration that I cannot recall ever having felt before, he wrote in First Light. [4] On 9 September 1940, 92 Squadron was posted to RAFBigginHill in Kent, in the centre of the fighting. Another Bf 109 was claimed in 1941, and there may have been more, as he was not one greatly concerned with recording such things. During the recent offensive operations over France he has led his section and flight with great skill and determination. Having learnt to fly in Tiger Moths, he first went solo on September 1, 1939. James Holland, now a well-known historian, was struck by their emotional punch rare in first-hand accounts of the Battle of Britain and showed them to colleagues. Geoffrey attended Forest school in Snaresbrook, and, while waiting that last term to join the RAF, captained the school cricket team. Geoffrey Wellum in 2002. It gave me my first intimation of what war is about, Wellum later wrote. It was exactly 79 years ago that Squadron . Soon after his arrival, 92 Squadron moved from Duxford in Cambridgeshire to Pembrey in Carmarthenshire. Wellum looks sad. By now, the Luftwaffe was flying a new fighter aircraft, the Focke-WulfFw190, superior in all but turn radius to the SpitfireV, and the squadron took heavy losses. It felt like a thoroughbred horse watching a new rider and wondering how much to be bloody-minded. Spitfire pilots had an average life expectancy of four weeks. Bloody front gunners. GREAT NEWS! Born an only child in Walthamstow, Essex, Wellum was educated at Forest School, Snaresbrook before serving in the RAF. To install click the Add extension button. Soon after arriving, the doctor told him he was "played out mentally and physically". Are you sure that you want to report this flower to administrators as offensive or abusive? I lived near North Weald and saw the pilots in white overalls. The couple divorced in 1975, and six years later he relocated to Mullion on the Lizard peninsula in Cornwall. Geoffrey Wellum was born on 4 August 1921, an only child, in Walthamstow, Essex, to Percy and Edith Wellum. "As the three ships come through the harbour entrance, just about maintaining steerage way, the cheering of the Maltese who have to welcome her in slowly subsides until there is absolute silence. people today dont realise that feeling; its all too clinical.. ). VideoThe secret mine that hid the Nazis' stolen treasure, LGBT troops take love for Eurovision to front line, Why an Indian comedian is challenging fake news rules. "I didn't expect much," said Holland. You have chosen this person to be their own family member. It was well produced for a TV movie. [4] After successfully completing the course he then went on to fly the North American Harvard at RAF Little Rissington with 6FTS. The books success reawoke painful memories for Wellum: People say, Youve got to forget all this, it was a long time ago. And I say, I quite agree with you, but can you tell me how? Yet he was glad of the chance to educate younger generations who knew little of the sacrifices made by his. Geoffrey Wellum, Self: Witness 1939: When War Broke Out. Sqn Ldr Wellum was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and was later promoted to flight commander with 65 Squadron. Sqn Ldr Geoffrey Wellum, who was just 18 when he joined the RAF in August 1939, died at his home in Cornwall on Wednesday evening aged 96. Their son and daughter survive him and a second daughter predeceased him. [12], After the war, Wellum stayed with the RAF, serving first as a staffofficer in the Second Tactical Air Force in WestGermany, where he flew jet aircraft such as the GlosterMeteor, the deHavillandVampire and the EnglishElectricCanberra. Although just 18, he was not the youngest pilot to fight in the battle, an honour which is currently held by Martyn Aurel King, born 15 October 1921 - [7]) despite being nicknamed "Boy" by his colleagues. Wellum remained in the RAF after the war and flew a variety of early jets. Sqd. Ldr. Geoffrey Wellum DFC - Aircrew Remembered site Nor were their teachers. After his final retirement in the 1980's he moved to the village of Mullion in Cornwall.
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