In for a penny, in for a pound : the adventures and misadventures of a wireless operator in bomber command / Howard Hewer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Hewer, Howard.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hewer, Howard.

Great Britain. Royal Air Force.

World War, 1939-1945--Aerial operations, British.

World War, 1939-1945.

World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, Canadian.

Flight radio operators.

Great Britain.

Great Britain. Royal Air Force--Biography.

Flight radio operators--Great Britain--Biography.

Genre:

Personal narratives -- Canadian.

Autobiographies.

Personal narratives.

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xix, 272 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Toronto ; New York : Stoddart ; Niagara Falls, N.Y. : Distributed in the United States by General Distribution Services, 2000.

Summary:

In 1940, 19-year-old Howard Hewer dreamed of being the next Billy Bishop, of piloting Spitfires or Hurricanes over Europe. His dream was shattered when he was selected instead for a career as a wireless operator. But his thirst for adventure would certainly be satisfied. He was not to be a pilot, but he would play a vital role in air operations in World War II over Europe and the Mediterranean.

Hewer's life in Bomber Command was never dull, and almost always bittersweet. During training, he fell out of a Fairey Battle, and held on by only one foot high over Lake Erie. In London, he survived a run-in with the infamous "Piccadilly Commandos," then dug for victims of an air raid in the rubble of a dance hall. But Hewer found life in the belly of Wellington, or "Wimpy," bombers the most hazardous of all. He and his crew of 218 and 148 Squadrons flew important night operations over Germany and North Africa, dropping their deadly payloads while dodging enemy flak. All the while, Hewer was busy at the radio controls identifying his Wimpy's position and detecting false codes from Axis operators, who were always on the prowl to lure unsuspecting Allied bombers into landing on enemy airfields.

On perhaps his bravest mission of the war, as a driver for the RAF in North Africa, Hewer drove deep behind enemy lines, where he exchanged fire with Italian troops. Another time, in Suez, he became bored while on medical leave, and joined on as a wireless operator on another operation. Soon after takeoff, the plane took flak and crash landed on the desert floor. Hewer was trapped, his legs crushed against his radio, the engines of the plane threatening to explode.

At times comical, at others tragic, Howard Hewer's stirring story will leave a lasting imprint on the memory of its readers.

Contents:

Part I In for a Penny

1 First Steps into War 3

2 Wireless School in the West 11

3 Gunnery School and Real Warplanes 19

4 On the High Seas with HMS Rodney 23

5 London and the Blitz

First Loss of Innocence 28

6 Yatesbury Wireless School

Collision of Cultures 35

7 Operational Training: The "Wimpy" 39

Part II In for a Pound

8 Operational

"The Glamour Period Is Over" 53

9 Unto the Breach

Final Erosion of Innocence 66

10 Blooded Members of the Club 77

11 Adventures on Squadron Leave 82

12 Long Night to Berlin 90

13 Fear, Courage, and LMF 97

14 The End of the Beginning

A New Captain and Crew 101

15 Off to a Different War

Gibraltar, Malta, and Egypt 111

Part III The Remaining Fifteen Shillings

16 The Land of the Pharaohs 127

17 Kabrit

Into the Desert War 134

18 In Support of Eighth Army 144

19 A Fine Line to Mutiny 150

20 The Mail Run 158

21 Tymbaki

A Cruel Victory 167

22 A Costly Assault on Sicily and Leros 176

Part IV All Spent

23 Our Last Bomb Runs 187

24 Mission Behind Enemy Lines 198

25 Exit from Egypt 218

26 South Africa

Uncle Percy's Boers 223

27 Christmas Convoy 228

28 A "Screen Tour" and Tragic News 234

29 The End of My Odyssey

Going Home 244.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-258) and index.

ISBN:

077373273X

OCLC:

46777216